My regular posts are postponed while I tell you of our weekend of uncertainty in Mineral King.
I went up the hill with a friend/cabin neighbor on Friday morning. She picked me up at 10:30, and we did not arrive at our cabins until 1 p.m. I used the word “harrowing” to describe the drive, and while Trail Guy wasn’t there, he said the word was too strong. So, I pulled it back to “intense”.
For the first 6.5 miles, we encountered many large trucks heading down, since we timed our drive poorly and coincided with the shift change. There was a great deal of backing up and waiting in turnouts and vaguely wide spots.
We had to give our names and cabin #s at Lookout Point to be checked off a list of folks going to close their cabins. We were told that the Mineral King trails were closed to recreating, and sent a few hundred yards ahead to wait for the signal to proceed.
When we were released, we encountered crew after crew brushing along the road and over the bank. There were big pick-ups, trucks, and really big trucks along the road and in the road, so we crept along in between and around. I didn’t take many photos of people as we passed because it felt rude. I missed one great shot of a crew all lying on the road and the bank during a break, but it is seared in my memory.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are several thousand words worth of the drive up.
It was smoky in Mineral King, but we were greatly relieved to have arrived in a place of peace.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about our weekend of uncertainty.
4 Comments
Wowee, what a drive! I’m sure you, as a seasoned veteran, were able to negotiate the road with its blockages, but others probably freaked out. I would have been somewhat in between.
Best case scenario I suppose would be that the fire would be out (or at least suppressed enough) to allow cabin folks back up to enjoy one last hurrah then close for the winter. Maybe late September / early October?
Sharon, the road is truly horrible this summer, getting worse each week. Those giant vehicles and working crews are not helping the road itself. And yes, it would be great to have one nice weekend this fall, just one is all we ask. . . but it is UNCERTAIN. Sigh.
The way I figure, fretting, worrying, complaining, stressing about it won’t make it happen or not happen. So I take a “wait & see” attitude, and if it happens, I’ll spread the word accordingly!
An excellent approach.
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