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Rae Lakes Loop: 8th to 10th August 2005 Day 3 There was no doubt that today would be our last, the only question was at what time would we reach the trailhead. With this in mind Em set a rapid pace but we still had time to see amazing ripe gooseberries (all spiky like old time water mines, but bright red), wildflowers, and a waterfall along Bubbs Creek that reminded us of Trummelbach Falls in Switzerland. I especially enjoyed a section along Bubbs Creek where a rock slide had slid down from the north face and seemed to go halfway up the south face of the canyon. It looked as if the slide could have happened a few days ago, based on the freshness(?) of the rocks but this was clearly not the case since Bubbs Creek had carved a path through it. We headed through this area in the morning with the sun at our backs and it was just magical. Unlike our trip up Paradise Valley on the first day, this trail had areas which Em described as a "tropical forest" but she plowed through it like a woman possessed. At one point while passing by a tree with an abundance of red fruit we heard a large crash and conjectured that we startled a bear. Dookie on the trail not far away seemed to back up our suspicion.
Past Junction Meadow, while following Bubbs Creek we started to look for a nice place to eat breakfast. It was around 9 am and we had only eaten our leftover snacks from the previous day so I was starting to get hungry and maybe a little cranky. What was driving me bonkers was mainly the fact that we could always hear the water but access would come and go and most spots weren't suitable for a nice pit stop. It was especially infuriating since when we could actually see Bubbs Creek though an opening in the forest superb spots were waiting for us, but on the other side of the un-crossable river. I think it was around 9:30 am that we actually found a nice little spot with a sandy beach along the river. The forest canopy was too thick for any sun to penetrate so Em was worried about mosquitoes but after we killed the ones that had been following us we had a very nice little break. The oatmeal was superb, hitting the spot nicely, and complimenting the cold river that I dunked myself and rinsed my clothes in. At 11:30 am we reached the Sphinx Creek Trail Junction were I made my second dookie of the trip and then took another dunk in the river. It was also in this area that we were mistaken for day hikers for about the 5th time on the trip. On this occasion a couple of fit 40-ish men commented to us how nice it must be to be a day hiker. Em and I looked at each other, smiled, and told them that we were just about to finish the loop at which point one of them said "What the hell are we doing wrong?". The answer is quite simple, "you're carrying too much shit" but I just smiled and said nothing. The reader may be interested to know that Em's base pack weight, everything but food or water, was about 12 pounds while mine was 10 pounds including the bear canister. Before I get accused of not treating my wife well it is worth noting that I carried all of the food so my pack started out at about 27 pounds (including food for 2 people for 5 days). After leaving the junction we started down our last switchbacks and were treated to amazing canyon views at the intersection of Bubbs Creek and the South Fork of the Kings River. At 1:30 pm we were back at the Road's End trailhead and after a no-soap bath in the river (near Muir rock) with all of the tourists and fresh cotton clothes we zipped from one paradise to another, stopping only at Ocampo's in Fresno for an early dinner (delicious fajita tostada salad and albondigas). You see, making quick work of the loop meant that we could, and did, spend 4 glorious days lounging at my parents house in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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