Wrights Lake Road - Lyons Creek Trail - El Dorado County, California

Wrights Lake Road - Lyons Creek Trail - El Dorado County, California - Photos 2014

Photos/Pictures/Photographs - June 2014

Wrights Lake Road sign, near intersection with Interstate 50 (Lincoln Highway / El Dorado Freeway): "Lyons Creek Trailhead 4 miles; Wrights Lake 8 miles; Narrow Road; Trailers and RV's Not Recommended." The maps say the road is closed in winter. Second picture is my friends, the cellular antennas,attached to a power pole about 1/2 a mile from the highway. My brain swelled within a quarter mile of them. Luckily, as the road goes upward, it takes a turn and puts this facility behind it. Most of the road, presently (June 2014), is very good, in terms of EMF exposure, possibly excellent. I am nearly certain there is no cellular service for about three miles of this road. 6/3/2014.

Images along Wrights Lake Road as it climbs about 1400 vertical feet from Lincoln Highway to the crest at 6800 feet. The air in June was magically light, breezy, and pine-scented. There is a lot of tree cover (for occasional rest stops) and excellent visibility for snakes and mountain lions. In four hours on the road I might have seen just 4 cars, including one green Forest Service truck. It was so quiet you could hear vehicles coming from a mile away. For the past 6 years I've been limited to trails (or non-trails) with much loose rock that often twists my ankles and strains my knees. It's been brutal. It was heaven to have found this rubble-free pavement to hike on in an area with excellent elevation gain (i.e., aerobic benefit) and much reduced EMF-exposure. 6/2/2014.

Farther up Lyons Creek, about 2 hours from Wrights Lake Road, and 30 minutes past the Desolation Wilderness boundary marker. Here is a 2 minute video of the area with audio commentary.

High up on Wrights Lake Road, pure righteousness. 6/3/2014.

First decent Lyons Creek access point just ten minutes from parking lot and trail head along Wrights Lake Road. My gear laid out on a granite slab. My wet feet boosting my levels of Vitamin D. Vitamin D and EXPOSURE to SUNLIGHT are CRITICAL for MENTAL and SPIRITUAL HEALTH! 6/3/2014.

From the Vitamin D Council: Vitamin D is important for good overall health and strong and healthy bones. It’s also an important factor in making sure your muscles, heart, lungs and brain work well and that your body can fight infection. Your body can make its own vitamin D from sunlight. You can also get vitamin D from supplements and a very small amount comes from a few foods you eat. The vitamin D that you get in your skin from sunlight, and the vitamin D from supplements, has to be changed by your body a number of times before it can be used. Once it’s ready, your body uses it to manage the amount of calcium in your blood, bones and gut and to help cells all over your body to communicate properly. Getting the right amount of vitamin D doesn’t depend on the foods you eat! Instead, getting the right amount depends on sun exposure and if you take a supplement with the right amount. Vitamin D isn’t like most other vitamins. Your body can make its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to sunlight. But your body can’t make other vitamins. You need to get other vitamins from the foods you eat. For example, you need to get vitamin C from fruits and vegetables. Also what makes vitamin D unique compared to other vitamins, is that when your body gets its vitamin D, it turns vitamin D into a hormone. This hormone is sometimes called “activated vitamin D” or “calcitriol.” Getting the right amount of vitamin D doesn’t depend on the foods you eat. To get enough vitamin D you need to expose your skin to sunlight regularly and you may also need to take supplements. This makes getting the right amount a little more complex compared to other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin D is very important for strong bones. Calcium and phosphorus are essential for developing the structure and strength of your bones, and you need vitamin D to absorb these minerals. Even if you eat foods that contain a lot of calcium and phosphorus, without enough vitamin D, you can’t absorb them into your body. Vitamin D is important for general good health, and researchers now are discovering that vitamin D may be important for many other reasons outside of good bone health. Some of the functions of the body that vitamin D helps with include: Immune system, which helps you to fight infection * Muscle function * Cardiovascular function, for a healthy heart and circulation * Respiratory system –for healthy lungs and airways * Brain development * Anti-cancer effects

Opposing signs at intersection of Wrights Lake Road and unnamed poorly maintained ridgeline road about 3 miles from the highway at 6800 feet that made for awesome hiking: Lyons Creek Trailhead straight (north less than a mile), Wrights Lake 5 miles (north), Granite Springs 8 miles (west), Crystal Basin 12 miles (west), Highway 50 three miles (south). 6/2/2014.

Granite Springs Road, near intersection with Wrights Lake Road, about 3 miles and 1500 feet up from Highway 50. I believe those are sequoia trees. Awesome. 6/3/2014.