trinity alps wilderness, ca

in my natural habitat /happy place

surrounded by nature and a stockpile of snacks

living in the bay for a decade (!!!) now has conditioned me to expect everything to be overcrowded and/or overhyped. whether it’s for brunch (even on a friday morning, for heaven’s sake - do people even work?!), . trinity alps was such a breath of fresh air from the bay area noise because it was exactly the opposite. we simply drove up to a booth, filled out a permit form that we slipped into a box and then…that’s it? no lines, no wait - i found myself waiting for the catch. either it was going to be packed or some mediocre mountains. it turned out to be a hidden gem.

in the quiet stream of subconsciousness as we hiked to our destination, i thought - this place is magical, maybe i’ll return for a solo hike. this train of thought was quickly derailed when we encountered a search party looking for an experienced hiker who had gone missing in the same area a week prior. it was a necessary reminder that regardless of your experience and agility, nature is an unstoppable force and nothing should be taken for granted.