Henry Coe Park, Mississippi Lake

June 4-7, 2010
The long awaited trip was finally upon us. The group met on Thursday night to pack and divide our shared gear, enjoy a great meal, and discuss the plans for the trip. After John cooked a great dinner, the packing began...normally not a grand task, but with the likes of Float Tubes, the task was a bit more daunting.

Early Friday morning we loaded the gear, picked up Pops and Brother and began our trek to Henry Coe Park. The four of us, John, Brandon(brother), Don(dad) and myself (Caleb) reached the trail head around 10 a.m., a little later then planned but not a big ordeal. The plan was to hike 11 into Mississippi Lake, spend the next two days relaxing and fishing, then hike out the way we came. The days to come will prove that to be a challenge to say the least.

After paying park fees and obtaining permits, we finally got started around 10:50 towards Poverty Flat. The first few miles were very uneventful, everyone was still strong. We were making great time and reached the Middle Fork of Coyote Creek at Poverty Flat in quick order. We were all feeling good and pushed on to Los Cruzeros before stopping for a quick lunch. Here is where the fun begins. The very strenuous trek up the hill to meet the Willow Ridge Trail to Mississippi Lake. This portion of the trail really got to us all. It took us over 1.5 hrs to cover the 1.6 miles to the top. Once at the top, John and I took some pictures and waited for the others. Amazingly I have cell coverage and posted a few picks and a status update on Face Book. At this point we were all pretty tired, but knew we still had 4+ miles to the lake. After what seemed like forever, we finally spotted the lake. Amazing how something can instantly boost your energy. John and I continued on to the lake with an exuberance we had somehow lost somewhere over the past 11 miles. Unfortunately, that would soon fade as we reached the lake and realized someone was there!

After filling a few water bottles, I set out to find a nice flat spot close to the water to camp. Luckily there was a nice secluded spot just on the other side of the dam. We dropped our gear and decided to go back to make sure Brandon and Don were "all good". They were quite a ways behind, but they both made it. Now it was time to get some fishing in!

Unloading the float tubes and fishing gear from our packs was a lot easier then it was to get them in our packs, and with a few seconds of pumping(yeah, we carried in float tubes and a pump) I was ready to get wet. Don was the only one to not get wet that first evening and in turn the only one not to catch fish. John seemed to have the hot hand after the first day, logging 20+ fish on the first day. What a way to start. Once the sun began to hide behind the mountain, I guess we better get some dinner and prep camp. First night included Herb and Butter Chicken Breast and Cheesy Bacon Mashers, Mmmmmm... A cigar and sip of scotch later it was time to turn in.

Saturday morning was the opportunity to sleep a little, but it didn't take long before we were all on the water catching those 12-14 inch bass. Wholly Cow, John continued to tear it up catching well over his fair share, with Don and Brandon not far behind. This is when I really started to feel the hike in. Oh yeah, did I mention I had a small rash? More on that later. With the hike in proving to be difficult we all decided it would be in our best interest to split the hike out into multiple days, and stay at Los Cruzeros on the third night. With decided it was time to turn in for the night, but not before removing two ticks from Don, ohhh I hate those things.

Sunday was fairly uneventful through the morning as we all relaxed and prepared for the hike out. Knowing we were hiking out today, no one wanted to have anything wet and end up having to carry the extra water weight, so fishing was completed for the trip. All told, we ended up catching well over 200 fish over the day and a half of fishing, pretty amazing. After a relaxing lunch, we all finished up packing and were ready to begin our trek back to Los Cruzeros.

The hike to Los Cruzeros started out brutal, but as we all gained momentum and loosened up it got easier. We made it to the main camp with a few hours left before dark with more than enough time to make dinner and set up for the night. Don and Brandon decided to sleep up on the ridge above the creek, John and I decided to not tempt the ticks and slept on the river rock which was surprisingly comfortable. Being more than a little tired we all turned in just before dark.

Monday morning came fast, and we were all ready to hit the trail and get the hike over with before the heat of the day. After a quick breakfast we were on the trail heading back to the park Head Quarters. Everyone made took their own pace and I was finally feeling great even with the rash from Poison Oak. With everyone behind me I decided to take the Forest Trail back. It was a little longer, but proved to be much more scenic. The trail is a single track with lots to see. I made it back to Manzanita Point Rd just in time to see John coming around the corner. We finished the hike together in very short order.

John and I reached the Head Quarters and cleaned up while we waited for the others. Brandon and Don were only 30 minutes back and after a quick rest we finished the trip with a final photo and started driving back to the Valley.