Into the Back Country Part II - Sequoia National Park and Bearpaw High Sierra Camp (and a recipe!)

On our second day at Bearpaw, James and I decided to something very exciting and unusual for us.

Absolutely nothing.

Well, almost nothing anyway. It was a very un-strenuous day...

(This is continued from an earlier post here.) After breakfast, we walked over to Bearpaw Meadow and the Bearpaw Campground, just behind our camp. They have some neat little sites there - for every three or four tent pads there is a fire pit with a makeshift table made of stumps and a large stone, and a water spigot. There are composting toilets nearby as well.

When we came back from our walk, we read books on the porch for an hour or two. After lunch, we hung out in the lodge and played a game of Scrabble, filling almost the entire board (and amusing the cowboys who brought the mules in with our arguments over potential words.) Chris was in the kitchen working on dinner and we could hear the sounds and smell the smells of bread being baked and carrots being grated for a cake. I asked him if I could take some photos in the kitchen and he kindly obliged.

The kitchen runs on propane so there are no electrical outlets - thus no electric mixers, food processors, bread machines or other accoutrement - everything in this kitchen is done the old fashioned way, by hand. All the kitchen tools and pots and pans have their place - on the ceiling.

It's hard to believe, but this entire structure is dismantled every year (in fact by now it probably already has been) and all of the appliances and supplies are moved into the storage shed for the winter. It takes them only four or five days to break everything down after they close on September 15, but two to three weeks to set it up again when they reopen in May.

The mules had just come in, so they were stocked up with fresh ingredients like these vegetables - which appeared at dinner in a ragout. There is a large flat top grill and a Wolf range, and a large stainless steel work table in the center. The carrot cake was baking in the oven below. It smelled really good.

Before we knew it, people started returning from their day hikes. We hit the showers so everyone else could get theirs in before dinner, and pretty soon everyone started congregating on the porch.

When the dinner bell rang, there was grilled chicken in a sweet and spicy marinade (cooked on a charcoal grill just a few minutes earlier,) rice pilaf, those vegetables diced and sauteed, and a delicious salad topped with carrot curls, but best of all....

was the fresh-baked herb bread that I had heard Chris slapping around in the kitchen earlier - braided and topped with salt.

Of course, the carrot cake was not far behind...

It was just right - moist but not too dense, studded with nuts, carrots and coconut. Chris said he used the recipe from the New Moosewood Cookbook. I'd share it but I can't seem to find it online - I may just have to buy a copy. It's kind of a classic anyway.

After supper, we decided to build a campfire in the pit down on the rocks. We gathered up some fallen wood and got it going.

A campfire in the foreground, and the full moon rise over the Great Western Divide in the background? Does it get any better than that? Yes it does - with campfire music from a mandolin and guitar duo.

The next day, it was time to hike back. We were feeling stronger, having had a chance to recuperate and acclimate to the altitude (7800 feet at the camp, and about 6800 at the park) and it helped that we knew we could do it since we'd done it before. We'd also already seen the view, so I didn't have to stop to take photos every few minutes, though I couldn't resist snapping a few.

We plowed on through, first to Mehrten Creek, then to 3 Mile Creek, where I soaked my throbbing feet, and on to the trailhead.

All the way back, I'd been grousing that I couldn't believe we'd spent four nights in the backcountry and hadn't seen a SINGLE bear. I was actually disappointed when we reached the camp and they told us we didn't need to worry about keeping food or toiletries in bear boxes, because bears wouldn't come near the camp.

When we got back to the parking lot at Crescent Meadow - what did we see? Actually, what I saw first was a bunch of people holding up cameras and pointing them in the same direction. Then yes indeed, we spotted a small black bear wandering around in the picnic area nearby. He caused quite a traffic jam, but he seemed entirely nonplussed by all the photo-seekers.

We woke up early the next morning and decided to pack up and head down to Three Rivers, just outside the park, for breakfast. On the way down the hill we passed a bear walking up the road. I made James stop so I could take a picture (For a second I think he was worried I might jump out of the car) and got the bear's rear end again. I guess there are worse views of a bear though.

I was surprised by how small they are, not much taller than a large dog - but of course they're much stronger, and they can stand up on their hind legs more easily. We were warned that they can rip off car doors - sometimes they even open them using the handle. We were told not to leave anything that looked like food or had any scent in our cars, including liquids - apparently bears like sports drinks, of all things, and can recognize the packaging.

We found the We Three Bakery right along the main highway in the heart of Three Rivers. Though the service was a little on the slow side for breakfast, the coffee was strong, the portions were hearty and the cinnamon rolls they're famous for were amazing.


Speaking of delectable breakfast pastries, on our last morning we were treated to yet another fresh baked delight at Bearpaw - a simple but perfect cinnamon streusel coffee cake. I finagled the recipe from Chris - he kindly wrote it down for me so that I could share it here. Try it in your own kitchen for a little taste of Bearpaw baking - no 23 mile hike required.

Bearpaw Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

I'm fairly certain Chris reduced this recipe to fit a square pan, but he didn't say which size. I tried it in an 8 inch pan, but it was a little thick. It took a long time for the center to finish baking. A 9 inch pan would be perfect. His special trick is to pat the streusel into the bottom of the pan so it firms a crisp crust on the bottom. It gives it a little extra toasted buttery flavor and helps it cut more cleanly too.

1/2 cup butter - very soft
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup milk

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

3 cups brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 T plus 2 t cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter or grease a 9 inch square metal or glass cake pan.

Make the streusel by stirring the ingredients together until well incorporated and clumps start to form.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Cream the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the milk and incorporate Gradually add the dry ingredients and blend just until incorporated.

Press some of the streusel into the pan, creating a bottom layer just a little thicker than 1/4 inch. Pour the cake batter into the pan, and spread the remaining streusel over. Bake in the center of the oven at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes, until the cake springs back to the touch in the center and a skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Set pan on a rack, and allow to cool completely before cutting.

More about Bearpaw:

Bearpaw is open from May to September, and reservations are taken by phone starting on January 2 at 7:00 AM. It does sell out, but cancellations are available throughout the season. We were lucky enough to get one, and several of the other people there were as well. Bearpaw inspires a lot of repeat visitors. The entire time we were there, we only met ONE other couple who had not been there before. You can read more about it here. More photos from the trip can be viewed here.