It was a smoky several days in Mineral King.
I stopped by a friend’s cabin for a quick visit and was struck by this timeless cabin scene.
The smoke did not prevent or hamper the 39th annual Mineral King Preservation Society’s Picnic in the Park, featuring our own Trail Guy.
He told of his three winters spent in Mineral King in the early 1980s, a story that held people’s attention for an entire hour.
Even little ones didn’t get restless, which is mighty amazing in this age of devices.
This one had a companion with her, besides me, her current MK BFF.
These are some of the very few artifacts remaining from the end of Trail Guy’s third winter (although the photos weren’t in the cabin when it went the way of all flesh.)
When the ordeal of public speaking was behind Trail Guy, we gathered with our neighbors in the evening.
The next day we went for a walk with some of our neighbors, in spite of the smoke.
Trail Guy loves to show people his favorite flower, the tiger lily (more accurately known as a leopard lily because it has spots, not stripes, but we have discussed this previously. . .) How thoughtful of those ranger buttons to disguise the face of his hiking friend.
The flowers were excellent, something I was almost resigned to missing in this hikeless summer. But some of the wildflowers are accessible even if one is only in walking mode.
This is Soda Springs, where water bubbles out of the ground with a hint of carbonation. Some people like to mix it with powdered lemonade, but I’ve never thought that was better than plain water. The water bubbling up tastes metallic. Some of these places are called “iron springs”, some “soda springs”, although I’ve never learned the difference, if there is such a difference.
The air cleared out in the evening when the winds shifted direction.
Thus we conclude another report on a series of days spent in Mineral King. Thanks for tuning in!
3 Comments
Did anyone record Trail Guy’s talk? That would be very interesting to those of us not familiar with Mineral King.
You mentioned the “ordeal of public speaking.” That reminds me of the old Jerry Seinfeld bit about public speaking being the #1 fear of most people, ahead of dying. Jerry said that meant most people would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy!
Marjie, I never watched Seinfeld but think that is a funny way of putting it! I have heard that public speaking is the #1 fear ahead of dying. The MKPS recorded the talk, and it is supposed to be available via YouTube. When I know how/where etc., I will post it. Thank you for your interest!
There’s nothing more inviting in a cabin than a comfy rocking chair!
Trail Guy did a great job, and I think we spent more like 90 minutes listening to snow stories!
I was delighted at how many wildflowers were out when I walked the Nature Trail.
We used to mix the Soda Springs water with packets of Kool-Aid. Yum!
Smoke was yukky and smelly, even inside the cabin. Hopefully the fire will be out and the smoke dissipated by the time of my next visit.
Comments are closed for this article!