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1.30.15 ..... Michigan Bluff

Hike Details:
  • Elevation - started at about 3500 ft., then went down to 1800 ft. and back up again!
  • Location - near Foresthill, Tahoe National Forest
  • Mileage - 5 miles
  • Hiking time - 3 hours
  • Route - Take the Foresthill Rd. exit from I-80, then just past the town of Foresthill turn right on Michigan Bluff Rd.We parked on the side of the road right when it dead ends in the little "town" of Michigan Bluff.
  • Weather -beautiful, amazingly warm for a January day
(thanks to Rachelle & Misty for sharing pictures!)

My favorite kind of hike is to climb up, then come back down, like you typically do up a mountain. This was not one of those trails because we started out going downhill, stopped at a creek, then turned around and came back up. This trail was worth the hike up and out though because it's such a beautiful area. This is the view from the top looking back over the American River Canyon.
This trail dates back to the Gold Rush when miners would travel between small settlements. It's always amazing to think about the incredible effort it required just to get from one place to the next in those days. And now we do it for recreation. :)
This trail is also now part of the Western States Trail and the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run (for crazy people!). 

I probably should create a tag for "sun flare" because I obviously like it a lot...

We passed by a big section of rock--or what we thought was rock. Well, some of it was, but then we looked closer and realized some of it was petrified wood or very rock-looking wood.

Can you tell which is which?


 
 
 

We got to the bottom of El Dorado Canyon to this beautiful little creek. Perfect spot for a snack and a rest before the inevitable uphill climb.
 
 

Yay for Rachelle for being brave enough to set the timer on her camera and then dash over the rocks to get in the picture!

A much easier photo spot...

Then we noticed things moving on one of the posts...

Ladybugs! Thousands and thousands of ladybugs covering the branches and logs nearby!! A ladybug party!
 
And then there were a couple of little side trips before and after the hike -- my friends quickly found out about my obsession with cemeteries. And the two cemeteries in Foresthill are really cool ones dating back to the Gold Rush era, filled with beautiful headstones, great wrought iron fences and really unique sculptures.
 The light was hitting this one in just the right way to give it this cool glow...

We were struck by the inscription on the bottom of this one showing every year, month and day of Sophie's life. She died at such a young age and I can only imagine that her husband was heartbroken. Such a good reminder that every day of our lives matter! Use them wisely!