Stealth Day Camping

This last week we have been doing a lot of house remodeling.  Well, I have been at work for most of it but got sucked in during my time off.  This is Jamie whacking out the last tile from our kitchen floor.  It has been hideous.  To get a break and a breath of fresh air, we headed to this spot yesterday...

I am going to keep the location secret because it is such a popular spot but unless you take a jaunt off the beaten path you will not find it.  And I don't want anyone to find it.  It was so cool because we could sort of see people on the trail above us but totally unaware that someone was stealthing in the valley below.  We hiked in with a day's worth of luxury items and basically spent hours reading, talking, sleeping, and just listening to the amazing sounds around us.  There was no agenda other that to just relax and stay hidden from the world.

The spot was magical, a place where two very small creeks come together.  Because of the very small cascades from two different directions it was quite loud and soothing.

Ferns and water and rotting wood: my favorite.

This was my view for most of the day.  We got there around lunch and stayed until around 7pm.  By the time we left it was getting pretty dark in the deep valley.

I strung up my rain poncho to keep the dappled sun off.  Hey, it was keeping us awake.  There is something about a roof over your head that makes it feel so cozy.  I really could have just stayed there the rest of the night but we only had one blanket and it actually got so chilly before we left that Nancy put on a stocking cap.

For dinner we had one of my one-pot home dehydrated meals rehydrated on my homemade alcohol stove.

Confession time: it is from a bag of frozen Peruvian Rice from Trader Joe's that I stuck in my dehydrator.  But it is damn good!  After sweating to death the day before and breathing old tile and mortar dust the day was a welcome respite.  We did not hike a million miles or gain a summit, but the satisfaction I felt when I got home was just the same.  I just hope I can find the place again.