Hiking Bassi Falls, part 3. Drought and Solitude.
Eldorado National Forest, California
Friday, 16 Jul 2021. 3:30pm.
For as short a hike as Bassi Falls is I'm partly surprised my blogging about our visit this year has stretched to 3 entries. I'm also partly not surprised because for such a short hike Bassi is pretty darn epic. During our first visit in 2017 we caught "granite fever" here. Well, this trip after writing about the hike and the low water due to drought in part 1, and how I captured rare photographic opportunities in part 2, I'll wrap it up here by talking about the solitude. And a bit more about the drought.
We had these cascades and little swimming holes exposed by the low water largely to ourselves
In previous years when we've hiked to Bassi Falls the area has been thronged with visitors. I don't begrudge anyone their visit; it's a beautiful place, so I understand why they come. All the same, it's a minus sharing the experience with dozens of other people.
Today, this trip, we had the falls largely to ourselves. That's not to say the place was empty. I estimate we saw about 20 people today. But most of them came and went quickly while we lingered. And only a few of them explored around to find the oasis-like swimming holes exposed by the low water flow.
In past years Bassi Creek has been a rushing flow 30-40' wide here. This year we enjoy the stark beauty of the dry creek bed instead.
Speaking of low flow, I'll say again that the lack of water does make this place less picturesque, it just makes it differently picturesque. In the photo above we're walking the stretch of Bassi Creek above the falls. In past years the creek's swift waters spread 30-40' wide over the granite creek bed we're walking in. This year the creek is reduced to a trickle inside a narrow notch. The starkness is its own form of beauty. In beauty I walk.
[This entry was cross-posted from https://canyonwalker.dreamwidth.org/89434.html. Please comment there using OpenID. That's where most of the action is!]
Friday, 16 Jul 2021. 3:30pm.
For as short a hike as Bassi Falls is I'm partly surprised my blogging about our visit this year has stretched to 3 entries. I'm also partly not surprised because for such a short hike Bassi is pretty darn epic. During our first visit in 2017 we caught "granite fever" here. Well, this trip after writing about the hike and the low water due to drought in part 1, and how I captured rare photographic opportunities in part 2, I'll wrap it up here by talking about the solitude. And a bit more about the drought.
We had these cascades and little swimming holes exposed by the low water largely to ourselves
In previous years when we've hiked to Bassi Falls the area has been thronged with visitors. I don't begrudge anyone their visit; it's a beautiful place, so I understand why they come. All the same, it's a minus sharing the experience with dozens of other people.
Today, this trip, we had the falls largely to ourselves. That's not to say the place was empty. I estimate we saw about 20 people today. But most of them came and went quickly while we lingered. And only a few of them explored around to find the oasis-like swimming holes exposed by the low water flow.
In past years Bassi Creek has been a rushing flow 30-40' wide here. This year we enjoy the stark beauty of the dry creek bed instead.
Speaking of low flow, I'll say again that the lack of water does make this place less picturesque, it just makes it differently picturesque. In the photo above we're walking the stretch of Bassi Creek above the falls. In past years the creek's swift waters spread 30-40' wide over the granite creek bed we're walking in. This year the creek is reduced to a trickle inside a narrow notch. The starkness is its own form of beauty. In beauty I walk.
[This entry was cross-posted from https://canyonwalker.dreamwidth.org/89434.html. Please comment there using OpenID. That's where most of the action is!]