Alright, time to find the best chair shaped rock.
This was the part of the hike I was actually most looking forward to. A moment to stop moving and take in the environment: rushing water helped by a weeks long Southern California storm and a light click sound of a sporadic rain drop that made it through the density of tree branches above.
When I’m not home I often sleep with the help of a white noise app on my phone. I have a few sound playlists favorited, the rain on a tent, extreme rain pouring, and running water. Could I just put my phone down on the rock next to me and record this for a few minutes? I wonder how to loop that sound and get it to play for 8 hours…eh, I guess the app exists for a reason- then my thought is interrupted by a loud splash and muffled clap - wtf? Oh there’s two kids behind us and they’re picking up the largest rocks they can and throwing them into the water.
I look at the one who also just threw a branch over to the other side. Time to use something I’ve practiced my whole life, the face that shows I’m slightly confused and really annoyed. If I saw someone look at me with this face I would stop what I was doing and probably feel some shame or embarrassment.
Kid sees me but doesn’t alter his behavior or seem to show any consideration for the people or place surrounding him. No parents around. I hope my son is never like this.
Matt asks me about my camera, I think we’re both waiting on the other one to say something about how people mistreat nature and that as great as trails and access is, it also accepts the bad ones through. Litterbugs, arsons, portable speakers on full volume, McDonalds plastic cups half empty left on the side of the trail, Celsius cans thrown just out of reach into the shrubs, the cars parked illegally hanging into the street under a no parking sign.
Anyway I tell Matt about how the camera can be fully automatic and used like a point and shoot or it can be the way I have it set up which is fully manual, a digital sensor, yes, but that gets used like a film camera. I go on and on when someone asks me about this camera.
He’s got a plane to catch. We head back, the hotshot crew that was laying down cut up logs as a makeshift bridge is done, but they keep clearing the area. They’re incredible. At least this part of the job looks fun: hiking, wilderness, chainsaws, axes, hard hats.
They’re the only people who use that style of backpack, why don’t regular hikers or backpackers?
Probably because they can’t actually carry that much. It’s more meant to hold their tools right?
Yeah and maybe to keep weight on their hips. So they carry even less personal stuff but more tools, and are out here changing the landscape. They’re incredible.
One time during a string of forest fires I was getting gas in Santa Barbara. Standing in line to buy something, I saw the mint green hotshot truck roll in and park. All of the crew came inside. This was probably a break for them, a rest stop between wildfire A and wildfire B. They look like they haven’t stopped working for a few days, at least. I read about how little they are paid for what is arguably the most difficult and important labor in a time of need. I wanted to express my appreciation for them by offering to buy all their snacks. I still feel bad to this day that I didn’t.
