07-28-2026 Hike/Ride

Slept for about 3.5 hours in the night, then I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Had a pee (Ann did too), then I lay there for a while before falling back to sleep. It was cooler in the night than I thought it would be, but the covers were warm enough. Ann wanted more insulation from the air mattress side. Woke up a little after 6:00, had another bio break, then got back to sleep until after 7:00 (<>). We got up and had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, then cleaned up the camp. Hiked over to Grant Grove, where we were fortunate enough to catch a walking ranger program by Ranger Anna. She told us about the Giant Sequioa trees and their life cycle, was new to the gig but decent. 

Tannin helps make tree fireproof

Roots 6' into ground and 100' away from trunk

Microrhizal fungi help trees survive and break down, Tannin helps keep mushrooms and bugs away, except cedar bark beetle

Heavy snow or bad fire can take trees down

Can live up to 3000 years

Trees' root systems can intertwine, and root fungi can help with directing roots to water and nutrient systems

Redwood heart wood is dense, but bark wood is airy and contains more water, preventing fire from propagating. Fire helps cones open out and release seeds

Hollowed out tree was bed and breakfast in late 1800s

String bag

National Parks Monopoly

Charge solar light batteries fully before camping trip

The program lasted about an hour, then we hiked back to the campsite and had sandwiches for lunch. Ann was going to attend the afternoon ranger program at the visitor center, so I decided to ride to Hume Lake, not knowing the elevation profile. It took a while to get everything ready, but I was rolling before 1:00. Headed north on 180 for about 5.5 miles, almost 3 of which were uninterrupted downhill, before turning off on the road down to Hume Lake. This road initially went up and down through a forested area before hugging the mountainside for 2.3 miles or so. That got me down near the shoreline of the lake, where I stopped to pee and take some pics. It was not as scenic as I had hoped for. Back on the bike, and the work was about to begin. I rode up a steady, not too steep grade back into the forested area, then back to the 180. A slight uphill once I made the turn, then it was 2.7 miles at 6.5%. This isn't super tough, but because of elevation (climb started at 6000' and was over 900') and sun exposure I was in my lowest gear for much of the climb, unless I got out of the saddle to mix up the muscle effort. I didn't stop until I got to the summit, which was close to a vista point looking down I to the valleys below. From there, it was nearly all downhill back to the campground turnoff, but I kept going to the visitor center, hoping to get a WiFi signal. Had a pee there as well, Wi-Fi allowed text messages through but apparently not internet connections. I rode back to the campsite, Ann was there slicing vegetables for grilling.

Avg speed = 13.1 mph (13.3 mph). Total mileage = 19.8 mi

Avg power = 131 W. Weighted avg power = 166 W

Total elevation gain = 2030' (2020')

Avg heartrate = 129 bpm (Coospo)

Relative Effort = 61 (59)

Training Load = 91 (89)

Intensity = 75% (78%)

https://www.strava.com/activities/19546724339

I had a little break, the beer tasted pretty great. Then I used the sprayer to take a shower, was a little brisk but I've had worse. It did feel great to wash off and clean my hair. I set my clothes out in the sun to dry and air out, that worked well. We had a casual happy hour time before starting dinner, saw a deer (twice) casually strolling through the campground. Dinner was grilled food and a Dutch oven peach cobbler dessert. Ann did the prep, I did the grilling. I think the grate was too far from the coals because it took a long time and the food wasn't charred enough. It was tasty, though, so dinner went well. The peach cobbler didn't turn out well. The crumble at the top dissolved into the peaches below and just made them kinda gooey. Ann kept trying to fool with it, but after a while she gave up and we ate it. She tried to clean the greasy dishes in cold water, and that clearly didn't work. So I ended up washing them all again, somewhat frustrating. Ann made a fire, but I wasn't interested, so I cleaned up the campsite and got ready to sleep. It was late anyway. Got into the tent and settled in, and a young kid at a nearby site had a long crying tantrum that made it impossible to sleep. Eventually she settled down, and I got to sleep.