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<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:15.6pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
text-transform:uppercase'>American Journeys | The Trinity <st1:place w:st="on">Alps</st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</NYT_KICKER>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:7.5pt'><st1:State w:st="on"><font
size=6 color=black face=Georgia><span style='font-size:22.0pt;font-family:
Georgia;color:black'><NYT_HEADLINE type=" " version="1.0">California</span></font></st1:State><font
size=6 color=black face=Georgia><span style='font-size:22.0pt;font-family:Georgia;
color:black'>’s <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Overlooked</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Peaks</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</NYT_HEADLINE>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Georgia'><img width=600 height=356 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01C93040.440135E0" border=0><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=1
color="#909090" face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:#909090'>Jim Wilson/The New York Times<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=caption1><font size=2 color="#666666" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>The peak that evokes comparisons with the Matterhorn
in the Swiss Alps, seen from a meadow near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Josephine</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<form>
<form>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=gray face=Arial><span style='font-size:
9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:gray'>By <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/john_markoff/index.html?inline=nyt-per"
title="More Articles by John Markoff">JOHN MARKOFF</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=gray face=Arial><span style='font-size:
9.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:gray'></NYT_BYLINE>Published: October 17, 2008<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><!--NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1 --><NYT_TEXT>IN the
far reaches of <st1:place w:st="on">Northern California</st1:place>, traffic
rushes up and down the I-5 freeway corridor without a glimpse of the Trinity
Alps, tucked just over the ridge to the west.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/17american.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=californias%20overlooked%20peaks&st=cse&oref=slogin#secondParagraph#secondParagraph"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;display:none;text-decoration:none'>Skip
to next paragraph</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>Multimedia<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/14/travel/escapes/1017-TRINITY_index.html"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=190 height=126 id="_x0000_i1033" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C93040.440135E0"
alt="Exploring California’s Trinity Alps"><span class=mediatypephoto>Slide
Show</span> </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/14/travel/escapes/1017-TRINITY_index.html"><font
size=1 color="#004276"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#004276;text-decoration:
none'>Exploring California’s Trinity Alps</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/1017_AMERICAN_MAP.html',%20'670_663',%20'width=670,height=663,location=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=190 height=126 id="_x0000_i1034" src="cid:image003.jpg@01C93040.440135E0"
alt="The Trinity Alps"><span class=mediatypemap>Map</span> </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/1017_AMERICAN_MAP.html',%20'670_663',%20'width=670,height=663,location=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
size=1 color="#004276"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#004276;text-decoration:
none'>The Trinity Alps</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right;line-height:18.0pt'><font
size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/17american.1.ready.html',%20'17american_1_ready',%20'width=404,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
size=2 color="#004276" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#004276;text-decoration:none'>Enlarge This Image</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/17american.1.ready.html',%20'17american_1_ready',%20'width=404,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=190 height=284 id="_x0000_i1035" src="cid:image004.jpg@01C93040.440135E0"></span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right;line-height:8.25pt'><font
size=1 color="#909090" face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.0pt;font-family:
Arial;color:#909090'>Jim Wilson/The New York Times<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=caption2><font size=2 color="#666666" face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>The town of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Etna</st1:place></st1:City>.
<a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/14/travel/escapes/1017-TRINITY_index.html"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'>More Photos
»</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><a name=secondParagraph></a><font size=4
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>For most
Californians, the notion of mountains conjures up the vast <st1:place w:st="on">Sierra
Nevada</st1:place>. In contrast, the Trinities are relatively pocket-sized.
Sixty miles southwest of Mount Shasta and a five-hour drive from the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> area, the region exudes an
off-the-beaten-path feel of a place that time is in the process of forgetting.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>I have been in the Trinities in every season. The
mountains empty out after <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/l/labor_day/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title="Recent and archival news about Labor Day."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Labor Day</span></font></a>, but they retain their beauty
and they remain unspoiled. In years when winter arrives late, I have <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/hiking/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title=""><font color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276'>hiked</span></font></a>
there well into December. Later there is great cross-country <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/skiing/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title=""><font color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276'>skiing</span></font></a>,
which lasts until summer. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Lore has it that there are really three Trinities:
red, green and white. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Driving up Highway 3 from the mountain hamlet of
Weaverville, it is easy to find the red Trinities in slashes that the road
chisels into the rock, revealing the rich hues of igneous peridotite soils
found on the eastern slopes. Large swaths of the range provide the green,
places where you can walk on seemingly endless vanilla-scented trails under a
dense canopy of emerald firs and pines.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>The crown jewels of this wilderness area, however,
are the white Trinities, named for the white granite reminiscent of the
Sierras. They lie at the very heart of the mountains, reachable by car only
over a 20-mile stretch of the mostly gravel <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
w:st="on">Coffee Creek Road</st1:address></st1:Street>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>The public roadway ends at Big Flat Campground,
where a trail begins that leads to the Caribou lakes — about a 10-mile
hike away. Largely unknown until the early 1970s, when they appeared in a
backpacking guide, the Caribous and surrounding lakes are now popular hiking
and camping destinations. They are hidden behind <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Caribou</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mountain</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,
which can be viewed from Big Flat, a stunning mountain meadow near the
trailhead. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>From the same spot, you can also see a bit of the
Sawtooth Ridge that snakes through the heart of the white Trinities, linking
together a knife-edge serration of granite peaks overlooking more than a dozen
lakes. In both ruggedness and splendor, the white Trinities compare favorably
to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
most beautiful and remote wilderness regions. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>From Big Flat, a private road leads past a locked
gate to <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Josephine</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceName>, hidden in a glacial cirque, or valley,
underneath a granite crag that I had been told evoked comparisons to the <st1:place
w:st="on">Matterhorn</st1:place>. It is a view that is concealed from almost
everyone. Tucked away inside the wilderness area and owned for decades by a
small group of families, it has long had the forbidden flavor of a hidden
treasure.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Settlers first came to the Trinities in numbers
during the 1850s with the <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>
gold rush, disturbing what for eons had been the summer hunting lands of the
Wintu and several other tribes of American Indians. Today the Trinities still
bear the scars of extensive gold mining operations, ranging from placer mining
that rerouted river and stream beds to a scattering of abandoned mining
tunnels, some of which were operated into the 1930s.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>The miners were followed by the loggers, abetted by
the patchwork quilt of private landholdings originally awarded to the railroad
companies by the federal government in exchange for building the
intercontinental railroads. In 1984 the region was set aside as the Trinity
Alps Wilderness Area. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Ordinarily a drive around the Trinities is a visual
treat. This year, when my wife, Leslie, and I decided to make the trip, huge
fires raged in the southwest portion of the mountains, licking up against the
Caribou lakes and burning to the north in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. The
usually striking blue skies were white for much of the summer. Whenever the
winds blew in the wrong direction, an aromatic fog would settle in. Undeterred,
we set out for a long weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Weaverville, accessible from Highways 3 and 299,
serves as the usual southern gateway to the Trinities. But there is also a
shortcut. You can duck across a one-lane bridge at Lewiston, once a gold mining
town, and save about 10 or 15 minutes on your way to a trailhead at Trinity
Alps Resort, a 75-year-old family resort near a horse-pack station, that leads
to Morris Meadows. A roughly mile-long mountain meadow and one of the
Trinities’ most popular hiking destinations, it sits at an elevation of
about 4,200 feet and is reached by a hike of about nine miles. It is below <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Smith</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType>,
one of the Trinities’ most beautiful lakes — accessible only by
cross-country routes — and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Sawtooth</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Peak</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, both at the heart
of the white Trinities.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Another spot, a few miles up the road, resonates
more in my memory: Trinity Lake Resorts, formerly known as Cedar Stock Resort,
is set on <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType>, a manmade reservoir that serves as the
headwaters for <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/california/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the California Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>California</span></font></a>’s <st1:place w:st="on">Central
Valley</st1:place> water system. My memories are from the 1970s and 1980s:
steak dinners, salad bars, power boats and water skiing. Cedar Stock was the
place to go for a touch of mainstream civilization after spending weeks in the
backcountry. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/17american.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=californias%20overlooked%20peaks&st=cse&scp=1#secondParagraph#secondParagraph"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;display:none;text-decoration:none'>Skip
to next paragraph</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><b><font size=4 color=black
face=Arial><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;
font-weight:bold'>Multimedia<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/14/travel/escapes/1017-TRINITY_index.html"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=190 height=126 id="_x0000_i1086" src="cid:image002.jpg@01C93040.440135E0"
alt="Exploring California’s Trinity Alps"><span class=mediatypephoto>Slide
Show</span> </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'><a
href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/10/14/travel/escapes/1017-TRINITY_index.html"><font
size=1 color="#004276"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#004276;text-decoration:
none'>Exploring California’s Trinity Alps</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/1017_AMERICAN_MAP.html',%20'670_663',%20'width=670,height=663,location=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276;text-decoration:none'><img border=0
width=190 height=126 id="_x0000_i1087" src="cid:image003.jpg@01C93040.440135E0"
alt="The Trinity Alps"><span class=mediatypemap>Map</span> </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:16.8pt'><font size=2 color=black
face=Georgia><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Georgia;color:black'><a
href="javascript:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/17/travel/escapes/1017_AMERICAN_MAP.html',%20'670_663',%20'width=670,height=663,location=no,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,resizable=yes')"><font
size=1 color="#004276"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;color:#004276;text-decoration:
none'>The Trinity Alps</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Today, even with a fresh coat of gray paint, the
resort feels as if it is quietly fading into the forest. It consists of a main
lodge, a string of cabins and a boat dock. Houseboats — bargelike
waterborne R.V.’s — have been added to the scene. But this year <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> is barely more than half full. That
leaves a strip-mined quality to the shores, which stretch for hundreds of feet
down to the lake’s murky, chocolate-colored waters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>After a night at the resort, we headed north on
Highway 3, a winding forest road that borders the west side of the Trinities,
passing through the tiny mountain hamlets of Trinity Center and Coffee Creek.
We followed an early stagecoach route that was probably also used by trappers
and early settlers. It snaked up over <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Scott</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Mountain</st1:PlaceName> at the extreme northwest
corner of the Trinities and then dipped down to run through <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Scott</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceName>,
bordering the western flanks of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Marble</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mountains</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, before joining
I-5 in Yreka. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>From the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Scott</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Mountain</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> summit, a
logging road runs west to the border of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, marked by
a locked gate. The road parallels the route of the Pacific Crest Trail, a
hiking route that extends from <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/mexico/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the Mexico Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Mexico</span></font></a> to <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/canada/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the Canada Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Canada</span></font></a>. From <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Mount</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Lassen</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>,
the trail runs east-west to make a toe-touch in the Trinities before continuing
north.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>We left the car at the gate, threw on our backpacks
and headed for <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Mosquito</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Camp</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Unalayee</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, where both of
us spent childhood summers and worked on the staff in the ’70s. The camp
is on private property — we visited friends there — but is adjacent
to the Pacific Crest Trail. Big Marshy, a publicly accessible lake with great
swimming, lies over a ridge about a mile away<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Our original plan had been to head from there to
where Highway 299 tracks the route of the <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity River</st1:place>.
But fire surrounded the road we had planned to take. So instead we contented
ourselves with museum-hopping in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Scott</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>. Both Etna and <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Fort</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Jones</st1:PlaceName>
have small museums that reveal a great deal about the Karuks, the indigenous
people who lived along the Salmon and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Klamath</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Rivers</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,
and the miners, loggers and ranchers who displaced them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>“<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Scott</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceName> is the best place in the world
to grow up and the hardest place in the world to find a job,” said
Maxine, the friendly volunteer who was our guide in the tiny <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Etna</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Museum</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Driving south on Highway 3, the next afternoon we
hiked along a steep trail that parallels the north fork of Coffee Creek from a
trailhead that can be found about 12 miles in along Coffee Creek Road. It is a
perfect Trinity Alps trail. We didn’t follow it all the way up to Hodges
Cabin, four miles back inside the wilderness area, but we went far enough up to
find a decent natural pool to jump in on a hot summer day.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Back at the car, we ran into Charlie Steele, a
70-something-year-old who grew up at the nearby Trinity Mountain Meadow Resort,
which his mother sold in the 1970s. He was pumping water from the creek into a
truck, under contract with the Forest Service to aid in fighting the fires.
When we found him, he was bent over a front tire flattened by a sharp rock.
“It was my fault,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>We spent our final night at the Carrville Inn.
Originally a stage-coach stop along the California-<a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/oregon/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the Oregon Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Oregon</span></font></a> stage road in 1854, the inn is
just off Highway 3, at the northernmost tip of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>A pristine hideaway, this summer the inn featured
the gourmet cooking of the innkeeper, Dan Dinniene, who used vegetables grown
by a neighbor in a <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/gardens/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title=""><font color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276'>garden</span></font></a>
next door. The inn also keeps animals for show — horses, chickens, a pig
and even a few ostriches. Next year the inn’s owners, Sheri and David
Overly, plan to operate it as a private retreat for family reunions and similar
gatherings. In the morning, with Richard and <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/virginia/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the Virginia Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Virginia</span></font></a> Lombardi, who were visiting
from <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/texas/dallas/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo"
title="Go to the Dallas Travel Guide."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Dallas</span></font></a>, Mr. Dinniene, who has since
left the inn, drove us the entire 20 miles to the end of the Coffee Creek Road
and then past the locked gate to Josephine Lake. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>After daydreaming about the spire that hangs over
the lake for more than three decades I finally saw it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>It did remind me of the <st1:place w:st="on">Matterhorn</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span class=bold1><b><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>IF YOU GO</span></font></b></span><font
size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>THE Trinity Alps are about 286 miles from <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">International</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType> and 67 miles from <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Redding</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Municipal</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Airport</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Redding</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Calif.</st1:State></st1:place>
For information on the area, see the Web site <a
href="http://www.trinitycounty.com" target="_"><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>www.trinitycounty.com</span></font></a>, maintained by
the Trinity County Chamber of Commerce in Weaverville. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Trail permits and backcountry information can be
obtained at the <span class=bold1><b>Weaverville Ranger Station</b></span> (<st1:Street
w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">360 Main Street</st1:address></st1:Street>,
Weaverville, 530-623-2121), open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The classic
guide to the region is “<span class=bold1><b>The Trinity Alps: A <a
href="http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/hiking/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title=""><font color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276'>Hiking</span></font></a>
and Backpacking Guide,</b></span>” by Luther Linkhart and Mike White (4th
edition, Wilderness Press, July 2004). <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span class=bold1><b><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Trinity Lake Resorts and Marinas</span></font></b></span><font
size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>,
formerly the Cedar Stock Resort (45810 State Highway 3, Trinity Center;
530-286-2225; <a href="http://trinitylakeresort.com" target="_"><font
color="#004276"><span style='color:#004276'>trinitylakeresort.com</span></font></a>),
rents out boats, houseboats, and cabins that sleep up to 12 people for $89 to
$1,560, depending on the size and the season. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span class=bold1><b><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Trinity Alps Resort</span></font></b></span><font
size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'> (1750
Trinity Alps Road, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>; 530-286-2205; <a
href="http://trinityalpsresort.com" target="_"><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>trinityalpsresort.com</span></font></a>) rents 43 cabins
for $800 to $1,500 a week and is open from mid-May through September. It also
has a general store and the Bear’s Breath Bar and Grill. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><span class=bold1><b><font size=4 face=Georgia><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>Carrville Inn</span></font></b></span><font
size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'> (<a
href="http://www.carrvillecountryinn.com" target="_"><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>www.carrvillecountryinn.com</span></font></a>;
530-266-3000) is at <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">581 Carrville
Loop Road</st1:address></st1:Street>, Coffee Creek, at the north end of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. The inn plans to reopen in the
spring of 2009 for retreats for families and groups.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'>On Highway 3, the <span class=bold1><b>Etna Museum</b></span>
(<st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">520 Main Street</st1:address></st1:Street>,
Etna; <a href="http://etnamuseum.org" target="_"><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>etnamuseum.org</span></font></a>, open June through
September, or by appointment at 530-467-3714) displays both American Indian and
settler artifacts. The <span class=bold1><b>Fort Jones Museum </b></span>(11913
Main Street, Fort Jones; 530-468-5568; open <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/m/memorial_day/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title="More articles about Memorial Day."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Memorial Day</span></font></a> through <a
href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/l/labor_day/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier"
title="Recent and archival news about Labor Day."><font color="#004276"><span
style='color:#004276'>Labor Day</span></font></a>) has a more ambitious
collection, including newspapers from before the turn of the century. In the
front of the museum is the “rain rock," which a local Native
American tribe is said to have used to control the weather.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='line-height:18.0pt'><font size=4 face=Georgia><span style='font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><em><i><font color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, JCT</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 cell</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a>
(secondary)</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="http://fotr.org">http://fotr.org</a>
</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net"></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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