ED, CAROLYN, AND JEFF DAVIS

We got up early the next morning and enjoyed a big breakfast with Ed and Carolyn. Afterwards we suffered through my least-favorite part of these trips – packing up for the flight home. We got everything ready for the airport by mid-morning. That left us with a few hours to kill. Carolyn was interested in doing a short hike, so we decided to get a closer look at Jeff Davis Peak. Jeff Davis is a volcanic plug on the ridge east of The Nipple. Jeff Davis Peak got its name because many of the early settlers in this area were sympathizers with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

There is no official trail, but there is a beaten path from a gap along Blue Lakes Road. We parked there and headed up through meadows of wildflowers and scattered trees. We gained a spur ridge, and followed it towards the main ridge leading to the peak. The wind was really howling along here, and we were glad it was a short hike. The stretch along the ridge crest was brutal, but we gritted our teeth and pressed on. We enjoyed views of Markleeville Peak, before reaching the Saddle below Jeff Davis. From here, that giant rock towers overhead. Apparently there is a difficult scramble route (class IV or low class V) to the summit, but that is beyond my skill level. Attempting to climb it would have been quite dangerous in that wind. I was content with simply walking to the very base of the rock.

We headed back quickly, eager to get out of the wind. We returned to the trailer in time for a late lunch. Afterwards, Christy and I bid farewell and drove straight back to San Francisco. We stopped at a Mexican place near the airport for dinner, before returning the rental car and taking the train to the terminal. We were upgraded to first place for the flight home, but I still couldn’t sleep. Free wine helped a bit, but it was still a rough morning. It was a relief getting back to the house and crawling into bed.

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