May 23rd-28th, 2022
The
plans for the trip were that we would spend 3 days at the cabin that we visited
in 2019 travel and explore some of the surrounding area next to and in the Ishi
Wilderness.
The
flight from Minneapolis to Sacramento was smooth and Mike was there to pick me
up at the airport. We went to his house, and I was greeted first by two golden
retrievers, Finn and Emma, and then by Mike’s wife,
Lauri. We had some snacks out by the
pool since I hadn't eaten since early morning, and then had a delicious
barbecue later in the afternoon.
Later,
we packed for an early start the next morning. We headed toward Chico to pick
up Richard and bought some food and supplies on the way. From there we headed
for the little town of Cohasset, close to the road and trail that leads to the
cabins of Floyd and Bob.
We
all gathered at Bob’s house in Cohasset and headed to the cabins in two
vehicles. The group consisted of Bob and
Floyd, who own the cabins, Mike, Richard, and me, as well as Phillip and
Robert, who are also Cohasset residents.
The
“road” to the Ishi Wilderness is hard to describe. If you get motion sickness, this is not the
road for you, because the vehicles are continuously going up, down, and side to
side. Progress is slow because of the
slow speeds, so the trip takes a long time.
We
finally got to Bob’s cabin and got all the food and supplies unloaded. Bob said that just a couple days earlier his
little dog had gotten bit by a rattlesnake very close to the cabin. Luckily, the dog must have gotten a small
dose of venom and was recovering. Phil rode his three-wheeler to the cabin.
It
was a warm day with plenty of sunshine. The view from Bob’s deck is shows the
wilderness and Mount Shasta in the background.
We
decided to go for a hike that afternoon down to a creek. We took the vehicles part of way on “roads”
that Floyd had either made or improved, but soon it got so rough that they
parked the vehicles, and we started down on foot. The loose rocks on the declining slope made
it a bit treacherous to walk, and I did take one slide where I went down
backwards on my rear.
We
walked quite a while and finally came to a creek bed with lots of nice shade.
Most of the group wanted to continue up and over a rise, but I was not used to
the heat and steep hills, so I told them I was going to climb back up and wait
for them.
Bob
offered to come with me, so we slowly climbed back out of the valley. It was
just as tricky going up on the loose gra
vel and rock as it was going down.
The wildflowers were beautiful.
Richard
had stayed back to rest while we went on the hike, and he awoke upon our
return.
After
everyone was back, we pulled out a few snacks, and visited and looked at
various sites around the area. For the
evening meal, the grill was started, and we had a variety of delicious things
to eat.
After
the meal, Richard surprised everyone by bringing out a box that had a cake in
it, and my photo was made of frosting on the top!
It
was delicious, and a nice surprise.
Richard said that I was the catalyst for the trip and the reason we were
there.
At just before sunset, we took a small trip
to an area that Bob and Floyd had set up as a dedication to the Yahi Indians.
They have a plaque, a mortar and pestle, and people are encouraged to bring
trinkets and small objects to leave in their honor. Mike had some wild tobacco, so he spread some
of that. I had brought some trade beads that I left there.
Soon, we started to get 
ready to retire for
the evening. I was out on the open deck
with a futon mattress and a sleeping bag, and the wind and the mosquitoes as
was Richard and Phil. Richard got up
about 2:30 A.M. to go to the outside privy, missed a step and took a terrible
fall. He hit is shoulder and head and
scraped his back and left arm. Everyone
was up and about quickly trying to help.
Ibuprofen and peroxide were used, and with some time, he started to feel
a little better. Bob and I ended up
staying awake with him through the night just in case he took a turn for the
worse. (Richard did go to the doctor
a few days later and had a CAT scan and an X-ray of his shoulder. There was no concussion and no broken bones.)
Richard felt good enough that he did not want
to leave early, so we waited for an archeologist named Greg to come back with
Floyd, who had gone home for the night.
Greg is going to be responsible for examining a part of the Ishi
Wilderness for formerly inhabited historically important sites, and he knew the
folks in that room were some of the most knowledgeable. He also is quite familiar with the area,
having grown up close by.
We went back to the area where there was a
good overlook of the area, and after a long discussion, decided that we would
leave that afternoon and cut our visit short a day to get Richard back to
civilization.
The drive out was rough and bumpy. Bob did his best to keep it as smooth as he
could for Richard’s sake, but I could tell the trip was hard on him. We got all our gear into Mike’s truck and
soon we were on our way to Oroville, where Richard lives.
We had a couple of bites to eat, dropped
Richard off at this house, and headed toward Sacramento, about an hour and a
half south.
Because we had an extra day,
we went to Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park, a fascinating place with
many mortars ground into the bedrock, hundreds of them. It was a beautifly kept park with hardly any
other people there.
That evening, Lauri and Mike
and I met Bob Price, who I have known from my first trip out in 1996, at a
German restaurant in Sacramento called “Katherin’s Biergarten”, and had a very
nice visit.
The next day, we drove back
to toward Chico to attend a gathering of people who had a common interest in
the story of Ishi and the Ishi Wilderness at Dianne’s ranch in the
country. There was a wonderful potluck
variety of delicious foods, and lots of good conversation on a variety
subjects. I had met most of the folks on previous trips.
Pete and Peggy Moak handed
out books of Pete’s poetry written over the years. The Moak family has been in the same location
for many generations, and that is reflected in some of the poems.
Soon, it was ready to go
back to Mike and Lauri’s. There was one more
person I wanted to see. I had met Karen
on my last trip, and really enjoyed visiting with her. She is totally blind, and lives alone in an
apartment. She gave us some delicious treats, and a cup of tea, and we had a
nice visit. She told a very funny story about her encounter with a wild turkey.
Soon it was time to head
back to Mike and Lauri's, and pack for the trip home. I had to be at the
airport at 4:00 AM, so it was a short night, but I was able to nap on the plane
coming home.
It was another memorable
trip.
MORE BELOW
This I believe was my 21st trip to
California in the last 26th years, all related to the Ishi, the Last Yahi, and
the Ishi Wilderness.
Here
are links to my earlier trip summaries:
How and Why: The Long
Journey to The Ishi Wilderness, 1996
Ishi Wilderness, 1997
Ishi Wilderness, 1999
California 2000 and Meeting
the Daughter of Ishi's Doctor
Ishi Wilderness 2001:
Graham's Pinery...Never Again!
California and the Ishi Wilderness, May 2003
Ishi Wilderness, Northern
California, 2004
Ishi Wilderness, Kingsley
Cave, 2006
2007: Carmel and The Ishi
Wilderness
Glass Mountain, Gold
Country, Visit to Saxton Pope's 101-Year-Old Daughter, etc.
May, 2009
Bay Tree Village by
Helicopter, June, 2010
The Moaks and
Murder Rock, May, 2011
Deer Creek, Ishi Wilderness:
May 2-4, 2012
2013 Trip to the Back
Country of Ishi,
Deer Creek, Ishi
Wilderness: October 14-20, 2014
Bodie, Bishop, Lone Pine,
and More: October 22-28, 2015
Chico Country, June
10-15th, 2016
Grizzly Bear’s Hiding
Place, September 30-October 7, 2017