Re: Bald Mountain Trailz

For fun ... (since prolly Z Ol Stick N Fedder behind by about 20 trips reports nowz)

Smith Meadow Area from April 2016


Obliviously quite easy to follow... let the shrub grow they say...

We gotz warned about the trail (which we weren't taking ... on trip down Long Gulch in early Oct)


Last weekend Bald Mountain trail easy to follow


Comparison of Middle Tuolumne at trail crossing from last weekend:


And when my dingleballz got frozen crossing it in May of 2008


Drove thru the valley via El Cap Crossover... Yowza... Valley parking full?
Loads o Dead Trees (maybe will post comparison pix) ... hopefully it quiets down
soon... Then again... we say only the hunters driving their peek-ups looking
for something to shoot along the roads...



Have fun

---

Quote
Chick-On
Loads o Dead Trees (maybe will post comparison pix)

Hmm...one thing I forgot to mention in my post from last weekend...

From time to time I was awoken by the sound of something crashing. Sunday morning, it was clear the sounds had come from two sources: 1) large pine cones dropping as one may expect this time of year, and 2) larger branches dropping from stressed trees (I heard some along the hike out Sunday as well).

So, regarding conditions...this is probably a particularly good time to avoid camping underneath any "widow-makers".

Quote
ttilley

Quote
Chick-On
Loads o Dead Trees (maybe will post comparison pix)

Hmm...one thing I forgot to mention in my post from last weekend...

From time to time I was awoken by the sound of something crashing. Sunday morning, it was clear the sounds had come from two sources: 1) large pine cones dropping as one may expect this time of year, and 2) larger branches dropping from stressed trees (I heard some along the hike out Sunday as well).

So, regarding conditions...this is probably a particularly good time to avoid camping underneath any "widow-makers".

1) OMG a few weeks ago, we were camped near Laurel Lake and the pine cones dropping were everywhere!!! Very glad our tent didn't get whacked, it was CONSTANT! And we've been experiencing this through the weeks, though that night in Laurel was the worst for cones!

2) We have been hearing branches and I'm pretty sure larger bits/whole trees go down around us as well. One morning, across a meadow we heard a lot of cracking and thunking and then a huge thud - pretty sure that was a tree! I was packing up on the morning of the Bald Mountain trip (TR to show up shortly) and I heard cracking and immediately started scanning.. and saw a big chunk of tree coming down a bit away..

The drought/beetle situation has really stressed/killed a number of trees - you don't even need to be in a burn area... it's a tad bit scary...

Got shrub?

Quote
Bearproof
Got shrub?

Of course!
(I dunno... I absolutely love the buck brush photo above)

Now... if you want fun...


Got 2 markers...

only missing one in that general vicinity now (which I fear is lost forever)

really glad went in there now... because the shrub is growing FAST!

Nice Aspens last weekend too!

---

Quote
chick-on

Now... if you want fun...

Yah... have gone through a few weekends where the "trails" were bad... but in this particular photo.. no trail anywhere nearby.. and by the time I was surrounded by manzanita... all I could do was laugh! I'd given up on being annoyed... If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Really... I'm not happy about all the scratches and punctures... but the feeling of the branches pushing hard enough to knock me over... very disconcerting and left me wanting to just get scratched up! Sigh...

But I'd do it again in a heartbeat!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2016 08:12PM by JustKeepWalking.

Quote
chick-on
For fun ... (since prolly Z Ol Stick N Fedder behind by about 20 trips reports nowz)

Only 18 now!

Quote
chick-on
Have fun

I always do!