Cool to the American River Loop (El Dorado County, California)

At the beginning of the hike with my friend Jason (not Texas Jason), we were both a bit surprised at the number of horses on the trail. The trail itself starts out as a well-traveled dirt road along a lush, open field. To be honest we were both a bit concerned with the tameness of this trail at the onset.

A few hundred yards further and after a bend in the road, we encountered the first of the “tombstone rocks”. Like the memorials in an old west cemetery, they rose from the ground, but much more ancient in appearance. They are actually remnants of an ancient sea bed turned up during the upheaval at the formation of the Sierra Nevadas. They are dark gray in color, covered in moss, and many are shaped very similar to tombstones. It is obvious why they people of the gold rush era gave them this nickname.

A bit further on, we decided to be a bit adventurous and take one of the many smaller trails branching off from the main trail. Little did we know that we would not be alone. As we proceeded further on, we heard what sounded like the rustling of grass blades but turned out to be a rattlesnake warning us. We had passed no more than eight inches from him, but his color blended in well with the grass. When we realized his presence, we were understandably a little shaken, but I could not resist snapping a couple of pictures from just beyond striking distance. We continued on and left him in peace.

As we proceeded, we encountered many more cross-trails and small trickles of water from the snow melting. Finally, the energetic American River came into sight. We made our way down to the shore and climbed over some rocks until we met with an area suitable for a short rest.

The power of this river was truly amazing. I couldn’t help but venture out, wading into it. I cannot recall feeling water as cold as this in my entire life. It must have been only fractions of a degree above freezing. After only a minute or two of maneuvering over the sharp rocks with my bare feet, I was forced to head back to the shore. It felt as though a thousand tiny needles were being pushed into my feet. Burrrr!!

Once I had regained my balance on the warm shore stones, I had a sense of relief, but only briefly. I made the mistake of trying to take a step backwards. Little did I know that a thorn bush was directly behind me. As one of the sharp thorns poked me in the foot and I reacted to move away from it, my footing on the uneven stones gave way and I found myself sitting on my rear, with my hand snagged by several branches of the same thorn bush. I carefully got myself untangled with only a few scrapes and splinters to show for it and decided it was time to return.

We made our way back up the trail, but were unsure of the correct path back and so decided to follow the paved road back to Jason’s truck in the town of Cool.

On the way back we made one more attempt to return by way of the trail. We followed an unfamiliar trail back into the woods, only to find a ruined settlement beside a small cave. Being adventurous, as we both are, we could not resist the man-sized portal into the mountain. Luckily, he had a small keychain light to aid us as we walked into the darkness. As we went further in, the cave began to resemble more of a mineshaft. About a hundred feet in, the lone tunnel became a “T” intersection. Unfortunately, both ends of the “T” soon met with a dead end. The appearance of candles and beer bottles was a sure sign that this was a favorite hangout of the local teens. We headed back for the entrance, wondering what events had taken place in this small secluded pocket of the Earth.

We continued on, climbing up the stones of a steep mountain stream until we saw no hope of regaining the trail. We returned to the road and finally reached the familiar parking lot. This had turned out to be a strenuous hike with lots of adventure.