Took a trip to Lake Tahoe over the holiday weekend. We spent the 4th on a private beach in North Lake Tahoe and were treated to the military parachuting into the lake then being rescued by helicopter a half an hour later. We set up a nice camp and had plenty of food, drinks and fun. My biggest accomplishment was learning how to set up a “lean-to” tent. I had never had enough practice and now I’m confident I won’t look like a n00b when we have our first beach picnic.
We also went on a bike ride along River Road which was extremely dry. The final big event was biking The Flume Trail. The trailhead was closed at Spooner Lake so we had to climb up the mountain from Marlette creek which was pretty difficult.
My favorite part wasn’t the Flume trail but Lake Marlette. To be on top of a mountain along the shores of a serene glacial lake where the only sound is the wind through the trees and the occasional chirp of a bird makes everyday worries and anxieties drop away. It feels more natural, as though in nature is where we are supposed to be, it is our home, unlike the vulgar cities we’ve constructed where we toil away under artificial light and piped in air.
In the city there is no peace, no matter how many walls and divisions we construct to gain a personal space. In nature there are no walls, we are exposed in a seemingly infinite expanse and coming across another is something cheerful; we greet them, exchange a few words and go on our way. This is unlike the city where everyone looks straight ahead and any interaction with others is an annoyance, a temporary weakening of the wall until the ear buds go back in and our mental force-field rebuilt.
