Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter are but four reasons to visit Kern River often. If you are in touch with your earthiness, embrace your inner boy scout, bust out your fashionable tents, grab your sleeping bag and bring your favorite nature friends along for the ride. Three hours by car, north of Los Angeles, I did just that.
I feel the wind whistling through the air as I cruise to a place called Chico Flats, which is in Lower Kern. We begin to settle into the quiet and comforts of nature as we unload our gear and head towards the river to pick our campsite. This time of year is relatively quiet and absent of campers, but in a few short weeks the sun will emerge once again covering the river with speckles of shining gold and warming the glistening water. I hear the roar of the river as I watch it run wildly downstream: I am in a trance. Nature and its ever beautiful existence calms my soul while my mind escapes from thoughts of the city.
As night falls and the colors of the sky turn into darkness, shimmering lights emerge above vastly, greatly and seemingly endless. I gaze at the moonlight admiring the sea of diamonds sparkling brightly at me. Within minutes the campfire is ablaze, and again, I am in a trance with the colors of blue, orange and red tones bursting in sparks from its center. Smoke fumes with anticipation as we sit warming our hands ready to tell stories and roast marshmallows for smores. The smell of toasting white puffs reminds me of my childhood backpacking trips. At the end of the evening, we retire into our tents and snuggle into our sleeping bags. I close my eyes and make out distant sounds of forest friends nibbling and rustling though the voluminous camp until I fade.
The next day we explore Peppermint Flats where oak trees and bright greenery stand tall alongside a quiet stream that leads to an amazing waterfall and rock formation. Nature is simply divine. Here are pictures below of my golden weekend:
Do you know the state government wants to close California state parks?
Here is the scoop and petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/save-california-state-parks-from-closure
And for more info on Kern River go to:
http://www.kernrafting.com/lowerkern.html
