Eric eventually sped up the boiling process by sheltering the lone burner from the wind. Too bad we didn't bring our camp stove with its own wind shields. We enjoyed our turkey bacon, but had much less of the sense of peace than on the previous days. The site was so isolated that there probably was no reason to rush to get out by the noon check-out time. However, we still had sights to see and did need to get back to the Bay Area in time for me to get enough sleep to get up for work the next morning, which would involve paddling back across the lake, loading up Sydney, and driving at least five hours. The palpable difference in feeling was unsettling and disappointing.
We cleaned up our dishes as best we could, and packed up our gear. We took a little time to fix the problems with the tent so that it could be better set up the next time I was able to convince Eric to go camping. We laboriously carried everything back to the Weeble, loaded it up, and strapped it in. Then, at 13:30, we set off on the approximately 1,600-m (1-mi) hike out to the park's remaining volcanic feature, the conic depression.
We knew where we were headed this time, and paddled more directly, so we arrived back at Sydney in only half an hour. But it took an hour to unload everything from the Weeble and reload it into and onto Sydney, so we did not have time to go searching for some geocaches in a nearby crater. We will have to come back and do that some other time.
We stopped at a rest stop just for the purpose of washing our hands with soap and running water. It was spectacular.
Returning home was an odd kind of shock. So different from the way we had lived the last few days, so much less exotic, and yet even our garage seemed so much more comfortable. Drinkable water coming out of taps! So much water we could keep a whole hot tub full of it in the back yard! And enough electricity to keep that water hot! A machine in the kitchen that could keep our food fresh and cold for weeks! Days after our return, I was still finding these everyday things remarkable.
So, that was our adventure, more adventurous than most of our adventures. In some ways it was awful, and in other ways it was amazing. Such solitude is both exciting and frightening. There was so much aggravation, and such joy and tranquility. Experiences like this are rare in the modern world, and should be cherished.