It’s vacation time!

June has always been an ideal time for a mountain vacation, but getting to your preferred recreation spot and enjoying the Great Outdoors has not always been easy.

Today’s campers have access to high-tech equipment, ranging from lightweight tents to dehydrated food to telescoping walking sticks made of space-age materials. Excellent maps, GPS positioning systems, water purifying equipment, good roads, well-maintained trails, and other items have made the encounter for the vacationer more comfortable and safe. But earlier adventurers were not so lucky. 

From the earliest Native cultures to the present, the Sierra Nevada and foothills have fascinated and provided a relaxing respite. But the experience has altered through time.  Until recently, traveling in the mountains was difficult at best. Roads were unpaved and treacherous, trails were razor thin and rough, washouts were frequent, weather was unpredictable, and equipment was often unsuitable for the conditions. But the Sierra Nevada memories were priceless and worth the trouble. 

In February 1844, for instance, the famous explorer John C. Fremont was on a mapping expedition of the Sierra Nevada.  He commented on what he saw: “Scenery and weather, combined, must render these mountains beautiful in summer; the purity and deep-blue color of the sky are singularly beautiful; the days are sunny and bright, and even warm in the noon hours….”  Of course, in the next phrase he mentioned that he was essentially trapped in a snowbound valley, his men were starving, they had no blankets, they were running out of food, and freezing.  But, gee, isn’t it beautiful.  This was not an unusual sentiment, as quite often the beauty outweighed the difficulty.

Even during the Gold Rush era, when the focus was on finding mineral wealth, some miners took a breather to travel and camp in some spectacular spots.  Most notable among these were the grove of Giant Sequoias known as the Calaveras Big Trees and Donner Summit.  The Calaveras Big Trees were a desirable vacation spot due to their unique accommodations, which included at one point a two lane bowling alley constructed atop a fallen Sequoia.  And Donner Summit fascinated the early travelers due to the gruesome history of the Donner Party.

Mostly, camping and vacations were fun, but, sometimes, they were not.   A case in point was in the summer of 1854 when one of the most famous camping trips of the era occurred.  The infamous Lola Montez and some companions left Grass Valley for a sojourn to Donner Summit and the Truckee Meadows. The party (which included Alonzo Delano, famous humorist and Grass Valley’s first City Treasurer) set off with an animal pack train in mid-July and ran into difficulties after several rough days on the trail.  The pack horse carrying the provisions bolted and left them without grub.  The imperious Lola quarreled with the party members and antagonized them, which led to some of the campers leaving in a huff.  There were fears of Indian attacks. When the members of the party straggled back, mostly individually, to Grass Valley, they reported a camping experience that was memorably unpleasant.  An account in a San Francisco newspaper, The Golden Era, stated that Lola Montez was so hungry that she expressed her willingness to eat a “mule cutlet,” but that “a lamentable paucity… of these animals caused her to forego the tempting delicacy.”

Of course, not all these early experiences were disasters.  But, even on the best days, camping was still a trial and required significant planning.  Hutching’s California Magazine of January 1860 offered a tongue-in-cheek list of provisions for an eight-day trip into the mountains by four people.  These supplies included things you would expect, such as eight pounds of potatoes; nine pounds of onions; seven pounds of cheese; one ham, and even eleven pounds of crackers.  But the list also listed five bottles of brandy; and nine bottles of whiskey on top of five gallons of whiskey along with a small keg of whiskey.  Of course, this was a joke, but, in reality, making preparations was serious business.  And these campers packed many interesting items that they felt were, as the contemporary phrase stated, “the necessaries of life.”

By the 1860s and afterwards, campers packed food, tents, even canoes, on their backs or on animals, and trekked to their favorite spot.  The cargo usually included heavy canvas tents, bedrolls that would be comfortably ensconced on metal bed frames, hefty cameras and bulky tripods, cast iron skillets, weapons, books, personal knickknacks, multiple clothing changes, tables, lamps, and much food.  One early traveler’s guide suggested that a party of four on a two-week sojourn carry more than 200 pounds of food.  The foodstuffs would be heavy, both in weight and in calories.  Beef, pork, slabs of bacon, fresh vegetables, flour, corn meal, and lots of lard were commonly used items. And these were for those who were “roughing it.” 

Others headed for the resorts that were springing up.  Once road or railroad connections were established, vacationers headed for the hills.  Lake Tahoe was a favorite destination, and numerous recreation venues were offered very quickly.  Boating, fishing, picnics, boat tours, hunting and horseback riding were available. And for those so inclined, more “shady” pursuits, such as gambling, dancing and drinking, became standard.  All could be had at such institutions as the Grand Central Hotel in Tahoe City.  This grand lakeside resort, which operated from 1869 to 1895, advertised luxury at an affordable price.  The cost?  $20 per week with all meals included. 

But for those seeking a “wilderness” experience, camping remained a rustic experience at the turn of the 20th century.  To a degree.  Makeshift camps, often with dozens of campers, were assembled. Solitary camping was not the norm.  And the vacationers usually brought the comforts of home. For example, the 1899 photos of Camp Curry in Yosemite Valley show milk buckets, packing crates, washtubs, and all kinds of domestic paraphernalia doubling as furniture and other homespun touches during the camp’s first year in operation.  These were common items in camps then, but materials that would be frowned upon today.

In the new century, the advent of the automobile increased mobility and access to favorable vacation spots.  Entrée was largely unrestricted.  Cars could pretty much go anywhere.  And there are many descriptions of “autotents” – cars that folded out into camping equipment or simply used the vehicle as a tent wall.  There was even the development of primitive RVs.

That turn-of-the-century era saw specialized clothing being designed. Especially for women.  Following the conventions of the day, horsewomen wore heavy, hot, multi-layered, long-skirted riding habits, with wide-brimmed chapeaus to shield them from the sun, but which were constantly flying off in the breeze or from the effects of an intrusive tree branch. Young women adventurers and mountaineers adopted unique climbing outfits that provided mobility but also supplied the requisite modesty.  Men had their standard issue, too. Leggings, khaki pants, hobnail boots, and accessories that had a military flair were common -- as were blue jeans and cowboy hats.

New camping products were developed that promised protection from mosquitoes, fleas and other disagreeable critters.   One aptly named product was “Rough-On-Fleas” which had the comforting slogan – “It is not poisonous or disagreeable.”  Good to know.

However, the sensation for these early campers was no different than that of today.  The wonder of the outdoors was relished and refreshing.  It could be cumbersome, expensive, even dangerous, but the rewards were enormous and the memories long-lasting. Most would have wholeheartedly agreed with the famous assessment of John Muir:  “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.”

All images from University of California, Bancroft Library, Berkeley, California

Camping 1 – Even canoes were carried in by campers to remote Sierra Nevada locations.

Camping – In 1896, this was the preferred mountaineering garb for young women.

Camping Yosemite 1927 - Cars often had full access to even the most isolated areas.

Camping – photographer – Those on vacations went to great lengths to great just the right snapshot.

Yosemite Valley Motorhome – An early RV.

Camping – Calaveras Big Trees – A group photograph under a Giant Sequoia was usually a requirement at the Calaveras Big Trees.

Yosemite Valley Campers – Camp Curry 1897 – A photo of Yosemite’s Camp Curry in 1897.  1897 was the camp’s first year of operation.