Tuttle Creek Trail
Hike Review:
The trail is an out-and-back short (but steep) trail that terminates at the Ashrama, a structure called “The Monastery” by the locals.
The trail cuts along the side of a mountain and is steep and loose. There are parts that are so narrow and loose that I can see the trail being too dangerous to hike on with a badly placed landslide.
There is a waterfall right before the Ashrama, but there wasn’t too much water.
There was ice near the bridge crossing, but not on the bridge. Still, I can see that being slippery and dangerous in wetter, colder weather.
As I climbed and got line of sight to the town of Lone Pine, I found that I had good cell signal (4-5 bars of LTE on Verizon).
What I Learned:
I learned about the history of Ashrama from the laminated paper inside. I thought it was kinda sad that the place remains unfinished although just a little bit more work remains (windows and doors). Still, I was glad to learn that there are no plans for the place to be demolished, and I hope it stays up for future generations to enjoy.
I remembered to meditate at the Ashrama and I really enjoyed being in the present. It’s something that I did at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and I hope it’s something that becomes a habit for me.
Media Consumed:
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
What Happened?
3.6 miles, 2 hrs 7 mins, 1312 ft of ascent
After a long drive to Lone Pine from San Jose that took about 7.5 hrs, I arrived about half a mile from the trailhead, where the dirt road was blocked off with rocks. I parked my car at this new trailhead, and started hiking.
At first, my right leg was stiff from the hours of driving, but with in a quarter mile, it returned to its usual state and I started really hiking. I would have liked to say that I found the trail easy after a summer of hiking hard trails, but the trail was steep and I took frequent breaks while walking in a slow and steady pace.
I found the views to be delightful at all parts of the trail and realized that for me, the east sierras are my slice of heaven on earth. Everywhere I looked, I saw rocks that I would love to climb, or vistas that I would love to hike. When my ears weren’t listening to audiobooks, they were treated to a delightful babble from Tuttle Creek. Every breath I took was clear and sharp, and I just felt so lucky to be here.
When I got to the Ashrama (which was closer than I had expected), I took my time learning about it and documenting it through photos. I then meditated, felt my heart go past full, and felt clarity that I hadn’t felt in a long time. With clear eyes, I hiked back down the trail.
When I got back to my car, I pointed my car towards Lone Pine with a huge smile and couldn’t help but to whisper to myself, “that was totally worth it.”
