long underpants

the camping trip this past weekend got canceled. by park rangers. they called me up and told me it was snowing so much they couldn't get rescue vehicles to the campsite, and that i should therefore strongly consider canceling my camping trip. i didn't have to strongly consider it, i canceled the reservation right then and there. i dont have a snow-worthy tent, much less snow-resistant clothing.

the camping trip was planned for the east bay, btw. the snow was down well below 2500 feet last weekend. that's unusual, as far as i know. but i don't know very far, so take that with a grain of road salt.

instead of camping, i and my hiking companion and hetero life partner took a hike in the same park where we'd have been camping were it not for the snow (sunol). armed with my long underwear (first time i've worn it), legged with my long-sleeved base layer, footed with my beanie and headed with thick socks and waterproof boots, i set out on the trail expecting the worst.

instead, we were greeted with fantastic weather. cold, yes. windy, even. at times we were chilled by snow-cooled gusts off adjacent hills, and at times we were stuck in the shade to shiver and grumble. but for the most part it was sunny-ish and clear. the scenery was amazing and even more beautiful than my sunny visit three weeks ago. also, the route we took involved much less poison oak than my previous visit. that's always appreciated.

the gear performed better than expected. beneath my base layer, sun-shirt, fleece, and rain jacket, i was warm and not clammy. compared to the much colder conditions at sequoia, i was comfy. in fact, not donning my rainjacket in sequoia may have been one of the biggest mistakes of that trip. i would have been much warmer and much less miserable.

in all, it was a fantastic hike, even though it barely pushed seven miles. there was lots of elevation gain, lots of scenic vistas, a good amount of reconnaisance and overland illegal bushwhacking avoidance, and some fun games with cops and rangers. it was over early enough for me to get home for... well, that's another post.