The challenge comes near the end, just when you think you've made it. In the final quarter mile before the cabin, the trail crosses a patch of overflow and climbs a steep hill. The log books at the two privately maintained cabins are full of entertaining entries about hair-raising descents down hills and across the wickedly exposed Tolovana Dome. You'll want to plan plenty of time for the 11-mile ski and be prepared to ski at night. But the prize is a blissful soak in the redwood tub built over the gurgling stream.
Few things feel better to a battered body.
If you're staying in a public-use cabin, bring white gas to replace what you burn in the lanterns they provide. BLM cabins also have Coleman stoves. A cribbage board. Frozen summer blueberries for the pancakes. All the trails and cabins are clearly marked, but once darkness falls, common sense can skip away.