The hike down was not so bad, #1 rule for backpack hiker/camper "Bring a water purifier!" My husband & I made the mistake "oh we'll just boil water" but I'm sorry if you run out of water in the middle of the hike and you're dead freaking tired - U DO NOT HAVE TIME TO FREAKING BOIL SOME WATER - b'coz then you have to collect firewood, start a fire, then we have to unpack the pot, etc. etc. I broke down a couple of times on the trail - just coz we had no idea how far we were going, had no map, it was like brat camp. At one point I was cursing and exclaimed to Jim "If I was pregnant right now, I'd have a miscarriage." This is considered hazing if this is how I'm gonna be initiated in the Frank family. I thought all I had to do was marry them not to mention carry the last name. {sigh} nevertheless I made it and "I'M ONE TOUGH COOKIE" now not to mention we made "men" out of Jim's little'pansy ass' cousins. Mind you the youngest one was crying and bawling and "wanting his mommy" the whole way so dont' think that I was just being drama queen on this trip. Not to mention the shower means jumping in the lake and scrubbing well, and digging a hole or putting rocks over your 'caca', and not wearing makeup much else look into a mirror kind of thing. 
It was definitely an adventure. It was paradise after the 3 mile (4 hour hike) uphill that we took not to mention - tons of "switchbacks" -- ooh i'm learning all these hike lingo - that means when you go uphill on the side of the mountain and the trail goes back and forth. That is Mt. Shasta in the back - the one w/ the snowy mountain top. The hike was through a forest. It was amazing. We fished, Jim & Ross got to jump off a cliff, not to mention blast blue dragon flies in half w/ their bebe guns. Got to sleep under the stars. Our campsite was bad ass.
On the drive up there we passed by this town called Weed - reminded me of my road trip to Seattle w/ Mia - I'm like hey this town is called weed - but someone told me it was named after a guy settler out there that owned a bunch of land out there - or something like that. All in all it was worth it. And now Jim owes me hotel room, room service, spa, wait on me hand on foot vacation after this mountain trek :) 
