Bergjord Boarding

July 29 – August 7 2016

By: Luke

Day five of our trip starts well. We are getting used to throwing our tent and bedding into the back of the car with stiff backs and soar muscles. Sam types “coffee” into google and we cross our fingers for a signal and somewhere remotely close. It’s all gotten so easy so fast because the excitement outweighs the sleep deprivation ten fold. We have quite the adventure into a mythical land on our horizon today and we were eager to start.

We found our morning coffee at a small convenience store/ranger post/equipment rental. It was a busy spot for so early in the morning and we didn’t fit in. Most of the people there seemed prepared to concur mountains while Sam and I were prepping for some windshield time.

We grabbed some cereal with our coffee and had a delightful picnic at “Goodbye Picnic Area” because it seemed so fitting. There were some squirrels that were a little too interested in our food so we had to keep an eye on them.

After getting caffeinated and carbohydrated we set off for some site-seeing. We headed back the same road we drove around the lake in pitch black the night before. We were in for many surprise vistas and points of interest.

There were many areas to pull your car over and take in the scenery. There were signs at some of them giving information on the lake and how it was formed. It is in fact a volcano that blew its lid almost 8,000 years ago and collapsed into itself creating this mega soup bowl.

Much too soon we had to put Crater Lake behind us. We were just a couple of hours away from California and the Pacific Ocean.

This was one of our shortest drives and it went by quick. Before we knew it we could see a very blue horizon. Pulling through Crescent City we made stop at a beach filled our longs with an ocean breeze.

After a quick and sandy stop, we hopped onto Highway 101 and had an absolutely beautiful stretch of driving. As we got closer to Redwood National and State Park the trees were getting bigger. We arrived at our campsite and had the rare experience of setting up in daylight.

Samie had planned this day to maximize our time in the park. We had a short drive on the way in so we could spend the afternoon in nature. We hit of the visitor center and decided on the circle trail that lead throughout the park. It was 6 miles and looped back to the campgrounds.

The whole point of our road trip was to see preserved and protected nature. We had gotten small slices so far but his hike was something different. We knew we just had to stay on this trail and put one foot in front of the other. No checking the GPS or anxiety with social interactions. All we had to do for six miles was exist. If you’ve ever been in nature and felt like you can suddenly breathe deeper, then you understand what I’m trying to say.

We made it back to our campsite in time to start a fire and prep for supper. Cooking on an open fire is pretty simple if you just have some tin foil. We had misc. veggies in one pouch and cheesy potatoes and bacon in the other. Samie would chop everything and bundle it all up while I somehow coaxed a fire to life. We had also picked up moonshine drinks from a local distillery from a gas station on the way. The night got hazy from there. Tomorrow brings record high temps and record high altitude.