YAF Packing and Camping Trips | July to September 2020

This summer, Pacific Yearly Meeting's Young Adult Friends were lucky enough to participate in one backpacking trip in Northern California in Desolation Wilderness Park, and one car camping trip in Southern California.

In early August, a few young Friends converged together from all parts of California in Desolation Wilderness - a magical area just South West of Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada. We were treated to peaceful mountain worship, legendary views, and serene swimming adventures in addition to some  COVID-friendly cooking and fun. The trip covered just over 20 miles over the course of 4 days summitting Dick's Pass and camping by Middle Velma Lake, Gilmore Lake and Lake Aloha. Because we were small in number, we very much enjoyed deepening our spiritual sense of oneness and connection through daily worship and worship sharing. 

Over Labor Day Weekend (September 4-7), five young Friends, including two new Friends met at Manker Flats Campground in the Los Angeles National Forest. Though it was still quite hot outside, we were relieved to rest under the beautiful pine and cedar trees dotted throughout the site. The first evening, we strung up hammocks, played a new card game, took a stroll up the hill and worshipped before the sunset on some warm rocks. We came together at the waterfall both in the moonlight and under the bright sun, just a short hour hike up toward Mount Baldy. In the daytime, we sat, read and worshipped for hours on the boulders with toes in the cold pools of snow melt.

Due to the extreme fire danger, we weren't allowed campfires nor camp stoves. We ate cold pasta salad we'd prepared earlier in the week, as well as some fresh watermelon, veggies and hummus, taking pleasure in life's simpler offerings. We read tarot cards, stargazed and joked around, practicing being together in person after being so cut off from human contact these last six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On the last morning, we experienced a significant amount smoke that affected our breathing, and noticed fallen ash atop the table and our tents. We departed on Monday, grateful for a good retreat in nature, and an opportunity to more fully embrace community and our individual spiritual journeys. That same evening the national park service declared all National Forests in California closed due to a new fire in San Bernardino county. We continue to hold California in the light, and in our cool thoughts this summer and autumn and hope that we can take another together soon again.