“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need”. Tao Te Ching
It’s been one year since I last posted a blog. I needed to take a break…not from going out and hiking in the mountains, but from writing. It takes time and effort to do a blog and last school year (I am a secondary teacher) was busy and the blog was put on the back burner. I have done many hikes in the past year, and I’m ready to share them once again!
Over Labor Day weekend, I decided to go up to the mountains. School had started, so I hadn’t been out hiking for the past three weeks. I was aching to go. But it was Labor Day weekend…and it was going to be crowded. I had several hikes in mind…ones I have done before. I originally wanted to go to Raymond Lake, but it is classified as hard and is 12-13 miles round trip. I wasn’t sure I was in good enough shape to do it, plus my knee had been swelling, and I was pretty tired after the work week. So I eliminated that one. Early Saturday morning I took off to find a hike off of Highway 88 (Carson Pass) where the trail head parking lot wasn’t full. I passed four trail heads, one with which there is always parking available, and all lots were full. Suffice it to say, I was frustrated and discouraged.
However, I knew of one trail head that would be open for me to park at. Why? Because it’s off of a dirt road and pretty remote. Plus it was just over the Carson pass, so I wasn’t too far from it. Where was this trail head? Yep, it was Raymond Lake. I decided that I had to give it a try. It took a bit to find the trail head. After driving 10 miles down Blue Lakes Road, I had to turn left and travel about 15 minutes down a dirt road. Then I had to find where the PCT crossed this dirt road. Thank goodness for the jogger that was running up the PCT just as I was traveling through! And right next to the trail was a parking space just for me! I was starting to think that this was the hike I was supposed to take.
So off I went. I made a pact with myself that if it got too hard, I would stop and head back. This mindset is tough on me as I always want to make it to the intended destination. But I had to let go of that idea, and listen to what my body was telling me. I estimated that the lake was about 6 miles. The first 3 miles were pleasantly not hard for me. I came across a lovely pond and walked in and out of shady forested areas, with the trail rolling up and down, but nothing too steep. At about mile 3.5, I started to climb. The trail became rocky and cut along a slope, which offered some fantastic views!
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The trail -
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I was feeling pretty good as I started climbing long switchbacks. The climb was steady and relentless. Since I was on an open slope, and at about an 8,400′ elevation, the sun was beating down on me. The saving grace was a cool wind sweeping through every once in awhile. I finally reached the Raymond Lake junction, where the trail veers off to the right from the PCT. At that point, I knew I was maybe a mile away from the lake, and found a renewed energy to get there.
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Wildflowers still in bloom in late August -
Larkspur -
Finally, at 6 miles, I reached the lake. And it did not disappoint. Raymond Lake, which sits at 9,100′ is a stunning, small turquoise lake with Raymond Peak as the back drop. I wasn’t alone as there were several campsites around the lake. I added another half mile walking along the shore and taking it all in. There was a breeze blowing along the water that made the air chilly. I was pretty hot, so the cold air was welcome. I was surprised to see wildflowers still blooming this late in the summer. It was truly beautiful. I found a spot to take in some lunch and experience all of the magic this place has to offer.
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Western Eupatorium -
Hairy Arnica along the shore -
I pondered the day, and how it was all about letting go. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to the lake. But I did. God wanted me to experience this place…to be a part of the whole. I had to let go of expectations…of myself, of where I would hike on this day, of what it would be like. The Universe always provides what you need. On this Saturday of Labor Day weekend 2019, I was reminded of this. I made the long trek back to the car, knowing that those long switchbacks would be downhill this time. After a total of 12.5 miles and an elevation gain of 2,359′, I arrived at my car. I was very tired, but my heart brimmed with joy.
