27.5 miles of hiking • 8500' elevation gain • 4 nights
Fantastic holiday weekend trek to a new (for me) area. Spent parts of 4 days/nights roaming around a spectacular basin with amazingly beautiful peaks and lakes. The sun was intense and relentless, but made for good swimming in the clear, cold water. My shoulders and legs got burnt, but that's what 4th of July is for, right? Go 'Merica!
8,575' Caribou Mountain's "summit" was a true challenge, as we were presented several miles of scrambling along a narrow ridge among giant granite ledges, rocks and scraggly brush. Amazing views in every direction, including Mt. Shasta and distant Mt. Lassen, not to mention countless unnamed and named peaks in the Alps themselves.
The basin is popular, so solitude on a holiday weekend wasn't really expected. There was ample space for many people and the crowds didn't detract from the experience, though there was some trash/litter, unleashed dogs and evidence of illegal fires.
