Sophie-Ly's Adventures : Monte Cristo, Clear Water, and Boulder River Falls

Summer is normally my downtime, but Vân is extremely busy running her summer camp. So we go camping for Vân to get away from it all -- no cellphone reception.

Our camping season began in late July this year. We decided to take it easy for the first trip: stay for one night and visit somewhere close.

Vân picked the Clear Water campsite on the East side, about 2 hours away, so that we could hike to Monte Cristo. In the 1890s, the gold rush in the Pacific Northwest brought thousands of people to the town. But there was no gold to be found. By 1907, people began to leave. And Monte Cristo is a ghost town today.

On the way there, we had to make a stop at the Ranger Station. I was completely lost even with directions. After pointing us to the right way, the Ranger told us not to go to Monte Cristo. She said it was dangerous because recent floods washed away parts of the trail and we would have to walk on a log to cross the river. I'm glad we didn't listen to her.

Monte Cristo was a special place. We hiked four miles to get to the town. We walked on a huge log to cross a river. We saw railroads, once buried deep in the earth exhumed by floods, sticking out like skeletons of a long forgotten past; boarded-up houses etching against the blue sky a faint outline of how life might have been; and most importantly our own sense of mortality -- and physical limit. I could only carry Sophie on my back for six miles.

Yet the next morning, we hit the trail again for another hike to Boulder River Falls. A much shorter hike this time -- 3 miles total. The waterfall was amazing. But seeing Sophie descending a 30 foot cliff then climbing back up all on her own topped everything. We were very proud of her.