Bowen Trail

It's been a while...but I kind of got lost on this one. Only this time it wasn't my fault. I was really excited to hit the trail and find old ruins of a stone house from the early 1900s. So, I headed out in the morning for my 1 & 1/2 mile hike (spoiler alert: I walked closer to 3 miles). The weather was cool, the hike was moderate but short, no problem!

The road to get to the trail took me through Gate's Pass, which leads up through the mountains with a lot of twists and turns. That gave me hope that I would have some spectacular views during this excursion. Then, I made a turn into a community and ended up on a road that ended at an upscale resort. The entrance to the trail was visible, and I was able to park on the street just a few feet away. There were a few other cars in the area, and a man and woman hit the trail right in front of me. Seeing other people always makes me feel a little more secure because I know I'm not going to be completely alone out there. I also think that people in front of me will scare the snakes away before I get to them. We're going to just let me continue to believe that and move on.

Heading out, I was really excited to be back in nature. The trail itself was rocky and narrow, which is a sign that I will be walking right next to all of the amazing plants so I can get up close and personal. That makes it easier to see any fruit or blossoms that they are donning. The winter weather has been odd, so some cacti think it's spring already. There were plenty of ocotillo with red blooms at their tips. Other than some purple prickly pear, and the varying shades of green from the rest of the cacti, the flaming red tips were really the only splashes of color on the trail.

Hiking in the desert mountains is such a different experience than hiking in the snowy mountains of northern California. Mount Shasta is massive, and she is always pretty far away. Here in the desert, you can view a peak that seems far away and then, suddenly, you're standing right under it, or have walked around to the other side. That's what happened today. I started out on one side of a peak, and by the end of the trail, I was enjoying some shady spots on the other side. As the temperature increased, you can believe I was thanking the plants profusely for providing shade.

After my brief, one sided conversation, I continued on the path to the end of the trail and...no ruins. I consulted my app to confirm that I made it to the end and then spotted a sign indicating that the stone house was a little farther down another trail. No worries, I just hummed along to my music (okay, maybe I sang out loud but if no one was around to hear me, did it really happen?) and went on my way. And then, the music stopped. Because I was out of range. (Yes, I know I can download music, but I recently changed phones and forgot to do that.) So, I paused, and wondered if the ruins were small and I just missed them, or if I had taken a wrong turn, or if I should just turn around and go back from whence I came. Fortunately, there were some women on the trail coming toward me who confirmed that I was almost there. Whew, not lost after all!

The house was astonishing. Definitely in ruin, with no roof and all of the windows and doors were gone. It was clear that it was a gorgeous home back in its day. Having walked the narrow path to the house, and having to traverse some rocks on the way, I wondered how they got all of those stones and concrete out that far. Anyway, all of the interior walls were gone but I could see where the fireplaces had been, and I was sure to take in the views. The kitchen and one of the bathrooms faced south west, and the entrance and master bedroom faced north east. The living room spanned an entire wall and had views in both directions. The Bowen family must have witnessed some breathtaking sunrises and sunsets in that home.

When my tour was over, I sat in the doorway for a moment, catching my breath, taking in the view, sipping some water, wondering if there was a wider path on the other side of the house that would have made it easier to bring in the construction supplies. Heading back to the car seemed a little longer since I had no music to distract me, and it was definitely hotter. As I was walking along, I realized that, in my eagerness to get started on a trail, I'm not really paying attention to whether I'm walking up or down a hill. Turns out, most of this path on the way out was heading down, which meant most of my trek back was up. I'll pay better attention next time so I'm mentally prepared for that uphill hike on the way back to the car.

It turns out that you can hear so much more when you don't have music playing in one of your ears. It's kind of nice to hear the wind rustle through the bushes and to not be surprised when someone greets you on the trail because you can hear their footsteps as they approach. As I was walking along in silence, I kept hearing this weird rattling noise coming from behind. I stopped several times to look around. You know, in case I was going to be someone's yummy lunch. Nothing. Then, at a shady spot, I happened to bend over, and the sound was even louder. Turns out it was my box of Gobstoppers rattling in my backpack as I was walking. Thanks Santa! I think I'll be putting them in a baggie for future hikes.