Birthday Shenanigans and a LONG Paddle

I turned 29 yesterday!  My LAST year in my 20's.  Next year, I will be in a new decade and won't ever be able to be "in my 20's" ever again.  It sounds sad when I say it like that.  

I plan to do everything on my list (and more) before I turn 30 next year.  I'm determined to make this last year in my 20's be the BEST year of my 20's.  

29 started out a little rough.  I decided I would be responsible and work on my birthday (since it was my regularly scheduled day to work).  Well, as it turn out, I dislike working on my birthday. 

As soon as I left work my day got DRASTICALLY better!  Funny how that happens.  I went for a run after work and ran for an hour with only 1 stop for water.  When I came home there was a glass of wine and surf-n-turf dinner prepared by my amazing husband.  After dinner, we went to Heavenly village to listen to some live music and split some ice cream.  I was in bed and asleep by 10:00 (birthdays sure have changed since my early 20's).  It was fantastic!  

Also worth mentioning: I got a lot of presents this year and I just want to say how appreciative I am.  My mom-in-law sent me an AWESOME throw pillow with one of my favorite quotes on it, as well as an awesome kitchen towel.  We got 2 bottles of wine from Mike's dad's journey to Napa.  Mom and Dad sent money which always fits just right.  I got the sweetest present from my best friend from back home (a beautiful scarf and bracelets) and my sweet husband got me some adorable bookends (Tahoe themed with cute little black bears) since I've been buying so many books lately.  I feel SO loved.  

Today, Mike and I decided to go for a LONG paddle.  The weather was perfect: sunny and warm with a light breeze... the kind of breeze that keeps you cool but doesn't create waves on the lake.  We drove 2 cars and put the boards in the water at Sand Harbor in North Lake... then paddled ~12ish miles south to Cave Rock where Mike's truck was parked.  

Thunderbird Lodge

I took LOTS of pictures and videos of the water... simply because it's stunning.  It's so beautiful.  

There are tons of coves and harbors along the shoreline that are only accessible by hiking down to them or boating up to them.  I've been wanting to see several of these harbors for a long time and we decided this long paddle was the best way to check them all off the list at once.  

The first cove was Chimney Beach... aptly named for the large chimney that is left behind from a shore front cabin from long ago.  

Chimney Beach

A brave little duck who apparently wanted our snack.

Cool bird's nest 

So then we made our way to Secret Harbor which is VERY secretive.  It's for "naturalists."  Ya know... those people who REALLY don't like tan lines?  So basically, it's clothing optional.  Well, we weren't really sure where we were during our excursion so we paddled into EVERY cove.  

Well, we definitely knew when we arrived in Secret Harbor.  There were LOTS of people and it didn't seem like a "clothing optional" beach... it seemed like a "clothing BANNED" beach.  What shocked me the most was the number of people there!  They were on boats... they were on the beach... they were all over the rocks!  It was crazy.  Good for them.  I'm sure they have very free spirits.  We kept paddling. 

Notice the sailboat... that's where all the naked people were.  

I would like one of those cabins for my birthday next year... pretty please?  

5 hours later we finally made it to Cave Rock! 

Cave Rock 

It was a long day, but a great day.  We've almost paddled the entire East shore of the lake (just a few short sections left to paddle).  After all that paddling, we went to T's Rotisserie in Incline Village to split a BIG chicken burrito and some chips & salsa.  It was delicious.  

I realize I am blessed.

Blessed to have a full time job that I enjoy (most of the time).

Blessed to have so many friends and family that care about me.

Blessed to live in the most beautiful place on Earth!

Blessed to have the most amazing husband. 

I'm trying my very best not to take any of it for granted. 

#2 on my list... COMPLETE

I have wanted to go backpacking for a long time.  I've been on lots of hikes, but still hadn't done an overnight trip... until this past weekend.  We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning packing our stuff and left the house by 10:00 Sunday morning.  [My "weekend" is Sunday/Monday.]  We stopped for camp stove fuel and lunch.  We got to the parking lot at Carson Pass around 11:30 and it was packed with cars.  I waited for a parking spot while Mike got our permit.  Once we got a spot, it only took a few minutes to put our boots on and grab our packs and we were on the way.

We intentionally chose a short hike since this was my first time carrying more than a day pack on my back.  We did this same hike last year as a day hike so we were familiar with it and it's a mellow trail without too much elevation gain.  We passed lots of people hiking out and 1 group of 4 ladies stopped us to ask where we were camping.  When we told them, they mentioned that they had camped there last night and it was so windy they couldn't sleep.  They warned us that the wind howled ALL night and that the boyscouts camping beside them had to keep fixing their tent because the wind kept blowing it down.  Fan-freakin'-tastic.

The wind was actually a blessing during the hike up because otherwise it would have been pretty hot.  It was only a 3.5 mile hike to the lake but it is a steady uphill climb to 9,400 ft.

Near the start... less than a mile in.  

 We made a short stop at Winnemucca Lake to eat a snack. 

Winnemucca Lake. 

 From Winnemucca Lake, it's only .9 miles to Round Top Lake which is where we were camping for the night.  It's the steepest part of the hike though. 

 When we got to Round Top, we immediately set up our tent in the most sheltered spot we could find.  We found a spot between 2 downed/overlapping trees that was just big enough for Mike's little tent and I prayed it would shelter us from the wind.  

Then, we strung up our hammocks (an unnecessary extra weight that we carried along but once I was lounging by the lake I had no regrets about bringing it), and read books about hiking in the Sierras. 

The view of our campsite from across the lake. 

 We walked further along the trail and saw Kirkwood Ski Resort and Fourth of July Lake... 

The backside of Kirkwood Ski Area. 

Caples Lake. 

Mike overlooking 4th of July Lake... it was REALLY windy. 

Fourth of July lake.

 After walking around a while, we were getting hungry so we headed back, grabbed the water filter and headed to the creek to refill our water.  Once back at our campsite we heated some water to add to our freeze-dried backpacking meal.  Is it weird that I have always wanted to try one of those meals?  You always see them at REI or other outdoorsy/camping places and I always wondered if they were any good?  Now I know... they're ok.  Not amazing, but not horrible.  Totally edible and very filling.  Mike and I sat in the tent to stay sheltered from the wind and passed our little bag of fettucine alfredo back and forth 'til it was gone.  

Waterfall across the lake from our campsite.

After dinner we walked just a few hundred feet away from our campsite to watch the sunset.  We took our dessert with us (freeze dried dark chocolate cheesecake meal-in-a-bag thingy).  

Yummy, yummy cheesecake in a bag?!?!

Mike mentioned that this should count as my #15 thing on my 30x30 list which is: learn how to make a cheesecake.  Unfortunately, I didn't add the water OR stir this magical cheesecake in a bag... so I don't think it counts. 

By the way, the hat, gloves and puffy jacket are totally necessary.  It may be late June but the temperature drops quickly as the sun goes down. 

I was scared I would be really cold during the night (especially after the wind warnings by those kind strangers on the trail), but in Mike's little tent with 2 humans and a dog, it was cozy and actually pretty HOT!  I took sweatpants and a fleece top to sleep in, plus I had my jacket, hat and gloves in case I needed them.  I have a 20 degree sleeping bag and I had a fleece liner just in case!  I ended up sleeping in my tee shirt and underwear with the sleeping bag unzipped!  It was hot.  

When we went to sleep, I set the alarm on my watch for midnight so we could get up and see all the stars.  I can't even describe it.  We saw the Milky Way going directly over our tent.  There were so many stars out it was hard to comprehend it.  And, you could see the silhouette of the mountains around us and the snow was glowing white.  Also worth mentioning... there was hardly any wind!  Just a perfect cool breeze, but definitely not the gale force winds we were warned of. 

In the morning... I woke up around 6:00 and finally crawled out of the tent around 6:30... and this was my view when I opened the tent:

I could get used to this view. 

We took our time getting going.  I read my book in the hammock while Mike went for a skinny dip in the freezing cold lake... did I mention we were the ONLY people out there?

We fixed really crappy instant coffee and really yummy oatmeal for breakfast. 

And after breakfast, we packed up and headed out.  We were hiking down trail by 9:00ish. 

Beautiful wildflowers everywhere. 

We were back at the car by 10:45 and already starving (the oatmeal was yummy but not very long-lasting).  On our way home, we stopped for hotdogs at a food cart and they were amazing!

It was such a wonderful 1st night of backpacking and I definitely can see how people want to do these long thru-hikes... like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachain Trail... although, I'm not quite ready for more than 1 or 2 nights myself.  There is seriously something awesome about the sound your boots make when they are crunching against the gravel of the trail.  It's therapeutic.  This may have been my first overnight hike, but it will NOT be my last.  

Father's Day and Meek's Bay Hike

Mike's dad and his wife, Kim came in town on Father's Day.  It had been a year and a half since we had seen them so it was great to spend some time with them.  We ate LOTS of good food and saw lots of the beautiful sights with them.  I didn't take a lot of pictures while they were here but I did snap a quick picture of the beautiful sunset from "Top of the World," (a fire road near our house that leads up to a lookout point overlooking the lake).

I love that view!  It never gets old.  

Anyway, today Mike and I went for a hike with the dog.  We started at the Meek's Bay Trailhead on the West shore of Lake Tahoe.  We hiked 13 miles round trip and saw 6 lakes (including Tahoe).  We followed the Tahoe Yosemite trail which is pretty mellow... no steep sections... just a steady and gradual climb.  

The wildflowers were beautiful. 

The BIG California redwood trees along the hike were pretty cool too... 

The trail follows a creek that is fed from the lakes above.  So, there was the lovely sound of running water for a lot of the hike.   

First, we came to Lake Genevieve.  

 Then we came to Crag Lake... 

We also saw Hidden Lake... but I didn't take a picture.  

Next on the trail was Shadow Lake...

Then we came to Stony Ridge Lake...

(where Mike jumped in for a quick and COLD swim)

The last 2 lakes were swarming with mosquitoes.  It was awful.  Luckily we were headed back down the mountain which was obviously less strenuous, so we put our long sleeves shirts and pants back on to avoid getting eaten alive.   

The hike back down to the car offered views of Lake Tahoe...

It was great spending time with Mike and his family and SO GREAT to take Zater on a 13 mile hike!  He absolutely loved it.  We wouldn't have taken him on such a long hike just a few weeks ago, but we started him on some joint medication to help prevent him from getting so stiff and sore.  He acted like a puppy.  In the last few miles of the hike he was chasing chipmunks all through the woods.  We will definitely keep him on this medication so he can keep going on adventures with us.  

And a belated post about Father's Day:

Thanks to both of our dad's for being such amazing role models in our lives.  Thanks for supporting us in all we do!  We love you both!