Misadventures in the High Lakes

by Audrey Barth (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find USA

Last-minute trips are always my favorite – it gives me less time to set expectations and allows me to immerse myself in the adventure. Unexpected developments are often the most valuable. Around 12 p.m. on February 15, my friends Nic, Lucas, and I set out to the High Lakes in Paradise, Calif. – a four to five-hour drive from our home in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nic said that our campsite may be cold, but assured us there would be no snow. However, as we crawled up the windy mountain, we started to see small patches of snow along the road. Shortly, we reached the off-road portion of the drive and lost cell phone service. As we continued up, we saw more and more snow, and the driving got much tougher. We were bouncing around, doing mini-fishtails, and thinking nothing of the snow. Our moods quickly fell when we realized that there was no longer any visible road – we were driving on at least two feet of packed snow. The temperature was just above freezing. Most importantly, we had not packed for snow. As the sun was setting, we arrived at Spring Valley Lake. Contrary to Nic’s assurance, there was plenty of snow. The lake was frozen solid. By now, it was too dark to turn back, and too late to complain. We hopped out of the car in our tennis-shoes and jeans and frantically set up camp. I began to dig a hole for the fire, but once I was about two feet deep, I gave up and started the fire on the snow. We were all still in high spirits at this point; there’s nothing wrong with a new experience! But our fire perpetually sunk into the snow, and our firewood ran out when the pit was three feet deep. Nic and Lucas went out into the dark to forage for wood, and returned with their arms full. I fed the continuously sinking fire, until it finally hit ground after about five feet. Unfortunately, it was no longer a viable way to keep us warm. We decided to bundle up in our tents and try to sleep. I woke up well-rested the next morning, and climbed out of my tent to see a breathtaking view of the frozen lake. The sky was clear, and the morning light showed how truly beautiful the frozen lake was. The snow illuminated the surrounding pine trees and hills. As unpredictable as this trip had been, I was happy to be there. That is – until the car got stuck. We worked for four hours to get the car out, using sticks, towels, and anything else we could find to gain traction. We made little progress, so I begged Nic to try and find cell-phone service. Eventually, he walked up a hill and called his dad. The gist was that no tow truck would be able to get us, and no rangers would make the long off-road drive. Our only option was to keep trying. The most frustrating part was that the day prior, we had seen about 20 vehicles come through this area. Yet on this day, not a single vehicle had driven by. For another four hours, we found every available stick and branch, dug into the snow around the tires using a small shovel and a pan, and even sawed down a small tree using a dull machete. This work was as mentally taxing as it was physically. Despite my doubts, we gave a valiant effort. When it failed, we all piled back into the car, feeling completely defeated, and accepted that spending another night was inevitable. Nic left to tell his dad the news. Remarkably, Nic returned with news that overwhelmed us with relief. Some kindhearted locals were coming to tow us out. Apparently, Nic’s dad posted about our predicament in a Facebook group called “NorCal Crawlers,” and got an overwhelming amount of support. About an hour later, we saw headlights and jumped out of the car. We introduced ourselves to our saviors and thanked them profusely as they pulled us out. This experience was more than an interesting adventure – it showed how extraordinarily kind people can be.