Sardine Falls

From the rah-rah Go Bears! of the Bear’s Lair and the crowds of Pinecrest Lake, Highway 108 over Sonora Pass presented quite a contrast. Once we past Strawberry, we ran out of towns and had the road to ourselves. My mood was ebullient as we climbed through a burn scar toward the next adventure. The engineer in the family was in charge of charging. He had located the EV chargers in Camp Oski and prepared Joulie for the climb over the pass and then the descent to at least Bridgeport, CA. Finding EV chargers tucked in along the our mountain routes is a surprising thrill. The Bridgeport EV charger was in the back of an historic, charming, idiosyncratic resort called Virginia Creek Settlement on Highway 395. There was a mannequin in a homemade jail, exuding more Don’t Mess With Me vibes than a bulldog. But before we rolled around to the Tesla “T” on the Destination Charger, we hiked to Sardine Falls. 

If there had been a trail to Sardine Falls, its trailhead would be unmarked. We looked for a pull-out at the Google mileage. As we tromped through the grassy pasture,  JG pronounced a linear clearing as “trailish” and when it petered out, found another line “that could be a trail.” The first water feature provided us well-placed rocks to hop across. The second stream crossing demanded a ford. I tend to search up and downstream looking for a narrower gap and slower water, while JG is willing to crash through the creek and get wet. If there were an easier ford, we didn’t find it. Stream crossings are such a joyous, fun, and risky part of Sierra hiking that we jump and flail and never forget the hiking poles. After a short  walk, we saw the falls pouring out of a dark lava crevice. Wildlife sighting: golden-mantled ground squirrels, jays, and, whenever the wind ceased, pesky little black flies. We returned to Joulie and ate our sandwiches in air-conditioned comfort. Sure, we love the outdoors, but let’s not overdo it.