1977 Plague Campground Reds Meadow Shadow Lake

Lance, Kevin, and Steve left Sacramento late and arrived at a large, well maintained campground after 11 pm. We drove in quietly to avoid disturbing other campers. Amazingly, we had our choice of campsites. This was a special treat given it was still the peak of hiking season, gas was cheap, and the weekend had started. We needed to get hiking early so we pulled out our sleeping bags and mats and went straight to sleep. We wake up in the morning and find the campground is totally empty, except for us. No squirrels scurrying about stealing food was comforting but the absence of people was not. Each of us goes through our mental check list to figure out why we would be the only ones around. I immediately had visions of zombies coming over the horizon in the form of dehumanized families of campers. We proceeded dto pack up and get read to drive to the trail head still curious about our good fortune getting a good place to stay in the middle of summer in a popular area and having arrived so late the night before. Only as we neared the exit did Lance spot a sign announcing that the area had been sprayed with powerful poisons to get rid of squirrels at risk of spreading the plague. A quarantine was in effect and humans needed to avoid exposure to lingering effects of either the poisons or the plague. We drove to the trailhead without a word said amongst us and proceeded to enjoy a great weekend hike. More to come on capturing crickets, fishing, and how we got to have a great trout dinner.