Daily Dose of Gratitude #71: Trinity National Forest Edition

1. Whiskeytown Lake. Just as gorgeous as Lake Tahoe, and with the added bonus of no casinos, cheesy motels, or massive vacation homes on its shores. How have I never been there before?

2. The perfect campsite: secluded, right on a gorgeous river so you can fall asleep to the sound of water rushing by, the scent of pine trees and clover.

3. And while I'm at it, the most comfortable camp bed I've ever slept in. (Don't tell anyone, but I maybe dragged my down comforter and my feather pillow out to the woods with me. And I didn't regret it for a minute, either!)

4. Washing off the sweat and grime with icy dips in a river flowing with water that was literally snow less than 24 hours ago.

5. Seeing neither hide nor hair of whatever left this beastie of a footprint a little up the river from our campsite. (It's hard to see scale in this picture, but the print was bigger than the palm of my hand. Don't worry, though, Mom, I'm pretty sure it's coyote, not mountain lion -- you can't see the claws in a mountain lion footprint. Well, unless they're really, really angry ;-)