Humboldt County, California.
As you read on your computer or mobile device, remember that you, too, can unplug, go outside not too far from where you are now and experience a night something like the one in this image. I took a break from plugged-in things for a week and camped for part of it in Southern Humboldt’s Richardson Grove State Park with family. It’s not a wilderness area, but it is in a beautiful natural setting among hills covered in redwood and mixed forests along the South Fork Eel River.
Sitting in the shade in our camp in Oak Flat campground we counted eight different tree species and a myriad of plants and shrubs without leaving our seats. Not that we sat around all day, although while sitting and tuning in to the surroundings there was plenty going on around the campground to keep me entirely fascinated, whether it was the activities other campers or things happening in the surrounding forest.
It has been a while since I last backpacked in the wilderness, but I used to a lot and I know what it is like to really get away from everything people-related. This wasn’t that. It is a campground. One hears and sees other campers. Even US 101 goes by not far away, though as a two-lane road weaving through giant redwoods. No, it isn’t the wilderness, but you arein the forest, with nature all around. Sitting in it and soaking it in absolutely recharged me. Even listening to the wind while unplugged was recharging. We humans are part of nature, not part of the Internet. Nature recharges us.
I hadn’t seen the South Fork Eel River looking so good at this time of year in many summers, and it had been longer since I last enjoyed a good dip in it. The Eel was clear and comfortably cool, with far more water in it than I had expected. It’s shallow near the bank where you see my brother and me standing beneath the night sky, easy to wade in. It gets gradually deeper until near the far shore my brother couldn’t reach the surface with his outstretched arm while standing on the bottom. It’s a tranquil stretch with a very slow current. It would be nice for the entire family.
Humanity disappointed me when we came upon the jarring sight of plastic trash left on the bank of the river by swimmers the previous day. I want to express how unutterably lame that is, but I find my vocabulary temporarily reduced to four-letter words. Some… let’s call them jerks, had brought their candy and plastic-wrapped crap to the riverside — and then left the trash there. I wonder what level of care they had, if any. Did they leave it for someone else to pick up? Thanks, that’s really crappy. Or did they not even care that much? Either way we were disgusted with them (“Houston, we’ve found lower life forms!”). We decided we would come back later with trash bags to clean up after them.
I hadn’t intended to write a review of the campground, just another Night Light of the North Coast story. But this is feeling a little like a review, and I loved my time there, so let me say right here that I completely recommend taking the family to Richardson Grove State Park. There is a lot more to see and do in the park than this little story covers, from trails through the groves to organized activities in the evenings.
The trash on the bank was an isolated incident, but I wanted to highlight it as a reminder to others to please pack out any trash that you pack in. It is so much nicer for everyone. The campground staff does a great job keeping the campground itself clean, checking on things regularly. There are plenty of trash bins and cans labeled for recycling, so there’s really no excuse to leave your trash around. But even when there are no trash cans, if you brought it in with you, you can certainly take it back out with you.
Simply put: if you pack it in, then pack it out. Thank you.
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