Those members of the group without backpacking experience (who appear to be most of the group): do they have high-altitude hiking experience? If not, I recommend they gain it with day hikes in your nearby mountains (I assume "LA" means "Los Angeles" and not "Louisiana" ) before the trip.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice, thanks!by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Nice pictures, thanks. QuoteMost of the sane people in the party gave up about here... Were there others in your party?by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Dispersed camping isn't allowed in Lee Vining Canyon, you'll need to be a bit farther along. Inyo NF Page on DIspersed Camping. You'll also need a California Campfire Permit if you want to use a stove while dispersed camping, you can get this permit online at this link.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Skiing at Alpine and Squaw, particularly at Alpine, I've seen trees where the top third appears to have simply snapped off and flown 20-30 feet away. So, 2/3 of the tree in one location, 1/3 of the tree 20 feet away and almost upside down. One such example was along the Scott chair. Alpine is where the 199 MPH wind gust was recorded.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If you want to go backpacking, and don't have snow-camping experience - indeed, don't want to use snowshoes as you said, I would very strongly suggest following mrcondron's advice, Rancheria Falls is the only backpackable destination unlikely to be covered by snow (note the ambiguity w/ "unlikely", it's still the wet season, it could snow). Enjoying and day hiking the Valley, as you sugby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well...he gave the direction from "Kings Canyon", which is ambiguous - is that the geographic feature, in which case "west-southwest" is probably correct, or the park, in which case...it's inside the park! Or were the directions referring to Hume Lake, in which case the lake is northeast of the Panoramic Point part of the park, and largely west of the geographic feature? Niby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
This is where my comment about "acceptable risk" comes in, I think. In a designated campground I think the NPS, given the combination of wet soils and weakened trees, may end up being forced to err on the side of caution with various sites. In the backcountry one has greater latitude to make choices which may mitigate risk, and further, one is expected to do so.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
There's no such thing as 100% safe, there's "acceptable levels of risk", and evaluations thereof based on the activity, circumstance, and other factors. The transportation risk plawrence mentioned is as much a part of that evaluation as the added risk associated with weakened trees and nearly liquid "soil".by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Measurement correction. Same reason Mt. Whitney is now 14505', and not 14496'.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Mid-June...that's a tough one this year, with the wild western US snowpack. Here's a thought...how about Michigan's Isle Royale, visited from northeastern Minnesota, followed by either Boundary Waters Wilderness (you can even canoe into Canada's Quetico Provincial Park assuming you're either a Canukistani or a USA'an who can acquire a Canadian Remote Area Border Crossing Permit (RABC). Alternaby ttilley - General Discussion
The huts tend to have a kitchen area, but in most cases you have to bring your own stove - there's a metal counter where you can use the stove without burning down the hut. All the huts I stayed at included an indoor sink and water tap except for Coldwater Hut where that was outdoors, though the water is untreated. Bark Bay and Anchorage huts (Abel Tasman) had a single (outdoor) tap with treatedby ttilley - General Discussion
Maggie's is a nice campsite, and Rose Peak is a short hike away. There's some nice views near Maggie's heading towards Sunol as well.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I spent a little over two weeks in New Zealand this February on the northern part of the South Island, hiking, and then tasting wine. This is my third backpack. This was a six day/five night trip hiking the Travers-Sabine Circuit, with a side visit the first night to Angelus Hut. Angelus Hut is one of the "reserved non-Great Walk" huts I mentioned in an earlier post. Apparently, tby ttilley - General Discussion
I spent a little over two weeks in New Zealand this February on the northern part of the South Island, hiking, and then tasting wine. This is my second backpack. I hiked up the Cobb Valley, in New Zealand's Kahurangi National Park, for three days/two nights. I spent both nights at Fenella Hut, hiking up the ridge to the east on the day in-between. The road into Cobb Valley is...something yoby ttilley - General Discussion
I spent a little over two weeks in New Zealand this February on the northern part of the South Island, hiking, and then tasting wine. This is my first backpack. The Abel Tasman Coast Track is probably the most "civilized" of New Zealand's "Great Walks", partly because it has a couple spots where it's intersected by a road, and partly because it's along a pretty section of cby ttilley - General Discussion
Trails in CA's Henry Coe State Park, being largely old ranch roads, have a tendency to simply go straight up the hill as well. And, certainly, I hiked some stuff in New Zealand that required grabbing onto trees and pulling myself up ("trails" that are just blazed routes going straight up a mountain, over Southern Beech roots, over clay soil, right after a heavy rain...tend to be a bit sby ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Very nice, thanks for posting! I should have something up on a trip this past month to New Zealand at some point...regarding the wind, I believe southern hemisphere winds are considered stronger due to the greater temperature difference between the tropics and Antarctica, versus the Arctic.by ttilley - General Discussion
Nice, thanks. Quote The big unknown was how much snow would be higher up and if we would need snowshoes. Apparently, I made the group decision to not take them. [...] Some in our party were starting to regret the group consensus decision not to take snowshoes.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks for posting these, it's quite beautiful.by ttilley - General Discussion
Quotechick-on Not ok. Matthes is 9623. There are no fire rings. As there should not be. Nelson Lake, which is nearby, is explicitly permitted from having fires at too. You mean prohibited, right? Nelson is at 9,605.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Working on the SEKI Trailquest?by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I just saw this...it's new for 2017. Reservations are open as of 9 AM today at recreation.gov. For anyone planning an overnight trip in the Lost Coast self-registration permits are no longer an option. From the BLM's King Range Wilderness Page: QuoteBLM Arcata The Bureau of Land Management will require permits by reservation for overnight use in the King Range Wilderness and Backcountry Manby ttilley - General Discussion
The flood stage forecast for the Merced River at Pohono Bridge appears to be creeping up again. It had dropped from the near-record 23ft. to around 15.5 ft. Thursday, and is now up to 17.6 ft.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That's a lot of moonlight shadow on El Cap - beyond what others noted about the climber "traffic". One of the times my mother visited from Michigan, before she died, we took an October trip to Mammoth for California fall color. On the way, I think at the pullout along the Dana Fork, I stopped and pointed out the night sky. It was a moonless night. I did this because, without moonlby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
How much nicer is the XTherm vs the yellow one (which I have)? Is it basically better R-factor, or does it also seem more comfortable for side-sleeping? I notice the weight difference for the regular is only 2 ounces or so and the pack size is the same, from REI's site.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
That's the right trail junction. It did seem unusual that the old sign would have been left and a new, identical, sign installed, in preference to moving the old sign.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteBearproof Quotettilley QuoteBearproof Quotechick-on ALL maps have some errors... nothing is perfect... and obviously the signs are incorrect in many locations... but having a general idea of how far something is ... is better than having no idea at all... But that's me. Two Tenths count as a general idea? 0.2 leagues? 0.2 Astronomical Units? Yeah, once again I suppose I was notby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteChick-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 hearby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Overnight parking along the Tioga (and Glacier Point) roads is not allowed after October 15, day hikes only or shuttle.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra