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Mammoth: Off Season, on Target
September, 2008 - Issue #47
Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls
My kids learned a very important physics lesson on the shore of Barrett Lake near Mammoth: bigger rocks make bigger splashes.

Skipping stones is a favorite lakeside activity, but a shortage of the round flat rocks needed for skipping forced the kids to improvise. They soon discovered the satisfying kerplonks, splashes and ripples that come from simply throwing rocks in the lake. And when they figured out I could throw rocks higher than they could - and achieve bigger splashes - they scoured the shore for the largest stones they could bring me.

Our hike was part of an impromptu three-night get-away to Mammoth that afforded April and I an important lesson of our own - it's better to visit familiar places in the off-season. Gorgeous weather. Cheap lodging. No crowds. Welcome to Mammoth in September. Summer's visitors were back to work and school, and there was no snow on the mountain yet, so we had the town to ourselves.

The challenge in finding a place to stay came in the abundance of choices we had. A two-bedroom, two-bath view condo in The Bridges with a hot tub on the deck was available for less than half of what it fetches during ski-crazy winter weekends, so the choice wasn't too difficult.

Our first morning was a lazy one, so we hit Base Camp Cafe on Main Street for a late breakfast. The kids dove into piles of pancakes and I did my best to finish a Denver Explosion - eggs, ham, bell pepper and home fried potatoes, all blended together and topped with cheese. April is drawn to bagels and anything with avocado, so she had to try the California Bagel, which stacks avocado, tomato, Swiss and cheddar cheeses between a toasted multi-grain bagel.

Day two featured an ambitious agenda - a four-mile hike from Devils Postpile National Monument to Rainbow Falls, and then on to Reds Meadow. To get to the trailhead, you have to catch a shuttle bus from the Mammoth Mountain Adventure Center for a winding 45-minute ride down the mountain.

Devil
Devil's Postpile
We survived that without any motion sickness and were soon walking the easy .4-mile trail to the postpile. The kids weren't as impressed as we were with the sheer wall of 60-foot high glacially-carved geometric columns. We stopped for pictures and continued on our way to Rainbow Falls.

It was a pleasant, sunny stroll through pine forests and fire-scarred flatlands. Our pace was marked with a slight sense of urgency. The sun has to be nearly directly overhead the falls for the rainbows to appear. Get there too late in the day and you miss the spectacle. We made it in time to see the rainbow glowing in the mist thrown up by 101-foot-high falls splashing on the tumbled rocks below. It was a long hike back to the shuttle bus stop at Reds Meadow with tired, bored kids. But they were revived by the popsicles we found at the adjacent store.

We took the easy way out on our next sightseeing adventure. A gondola deposited us on Mammoth Mountain's 11,023-foot summit after a 15-minute ride. With winds blowing about 60 miles per hour, and the view limited by haze, we didn't stay long at the top, however. The kids enjoyed the ride and the bird's eye view of mountain bikers zigzagging down the trails on the mountain's flank.

Once off the gondola, Laurel proved her mastery of another important lesson: make the most of Mom's and Dad's motivational bribes. We had promised our budding outdoorswoman her very own "hiking shirt" if she finished the previous day's trek to the falls with minimal complaints. Laurel held up her part of the bargain so we decided to settle up at the Adventure Center gift shop. She stopped to consider every shirt in her size, and after 15 minutes of deliberation, she settled on a pink Mammoth Mountain shirt, which she has worn proudly on nearly every hike since.

Eric Harnish Lives in Newhall

Fall into a Mammoth Weekend
Condo and hotel bookings can be made through Mammoth Premier Reservations (800-336-6543 www.mammothpremiere.com); take the shuttle to Red's Meadow (760-924-5500); and impress the crew with a gondola ride (800-MAMMOTH www.mammothmountain.com).
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