It's possible the manager sets the budget that the head chef has to work with?by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Gallison looks like a nice area, thanks for posting.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotebalzaccom I always thought that was called Virginia Lakes Pass....btw. That name would make sense, but I didn't see it given anywhere. Curiosly, the Virginia Lakes Resort incorrectly calls it "Summit Pass" ("Summit Pass" is more reasonably signed on one side of the sign at the Yosemite border, the other side of the sign saying "Summit Lake" ).by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I hiked to Summit Lake from the Virginia Lakes trailhead last weekend. Hiking out Saturday, the sky was partly cloudy, the temperatures felt like summer but the winds felt like fall. And, those winds stirred up enough cold water in Summit Lake that I didn't go swimming. Sunday...the strong winds went away, but the sky was hazy with high clouds. Small streams still have water on the east side hby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice! Expanding on this, for others unfamiliar with Desolation's permit system: QuoteIt would take more than that to stop us this time. P had also wanted to camp at Smith Lake...and there were permits for Smith Lake available! The itinerary for our trip then specified the second night at Island Lake, as we were on our way! When one reserves a permit for Desolation, the critical item is thby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice video. Your rain storm had a name...remnants of Hurricane Linda. At least it dampened some of the fires going on...by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Granite shorelines are awesome for swimming! Forgot to mention the water temperature...the winds, particularly Saturday, were stirring up the water making for chilly swimming conditions - I couldn't go underwater for long without having my head hurt. As long as I kept my head out of the lake, though, the swimming was decent. Sunday was a little warmer, but not a lot, the morning was calm but tby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Ah, so I saw beached turkeys! You should keep your parrot avatar out so it can be recognized, I'd have stopped and said "hi". Or something.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
So...the pink chicken asked if I saw any floating turkeys, and I didn't. However...was your lunch break on the southwest end of Boothe, and was it around [...consulting Boothe Lake photo EXIF...] 12:50 or so on 8/29? If so, I may have seen you while walking by the south end of the lake.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice pictures! Looks like the smoke mostly went above you? The first picture of Roosevelt Lake looks a bit hazy but the air looks clearer in the photos taken by the lake.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The lows will definitely not be in the 50s...you're apparently getting a Yosemite Valley forecast from Weather Underground. The National Weather Service has a "point forecast" feature where you can click on a map and get a forecast that's reasonable for any arbitrary location. For example, here's Tuolumne Meadows Forecast. One thing to watch if clicking around big steep mountains.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
They presented this as a "survival fire", but its really nothing more than a campfire. So...yes, if this is almost any area in the western US they broke the law by building a new campfire ring. IMO the video is ridiculous. Of course, I think their continuing "survival skills" series is absurd, yes survival skills are important, but the need to practice them should be rare,by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks (both to you and the chicken), that looks like an interesting trip to do sometime.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Glad your area is looking OK. September 8...another fair-weather fire....suppose the cause will be listed as "idiots"?by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I mentioned Rafferty's water conditions in my Emeric Lake Trip Report from the last weekend of August. No flowing water, a couple stagnant pools in the middle (which I wouldn't count on now). Fletcher was flowing, Emeric wasn't.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteTenaya (37 46.091 x 119 34.641 – Mariposa Co., 7200’ El. 8/7) This wildfire began on the afternoon of September 7, 2015 September 7...clear weather. Idiot-caused, I assume.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I spent the long weekend in the Desolation Wilderness, camping at Dicks Lake and going up Dicks Peak. I went up Dicks Peak from the saddle below the pass, going straight up the ridge. I'd say some parts of this were class 3, while much of the route was findable via use trail there were definitely sections where I was using both hands and legs to get up. I came back down...going along the ridge unby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
"Exit at Glen Aulin" does mean Tuolumne Meadows, along the trail from Glen Aulin. The critical part of the reservation is the entry trail, that's the one subject to quotas. Have Fun!by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Notice on the map that the sharp pointy thing doesn't really rise much more than 100 feet above the low point in the ridge connecting it to Vogelsang (contour interval 40 feet). You can't see that ridge because it's blocked by lower, but closer, terrain.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The temperature was fine, probably warmer than expected Saturday night due to the clouds that had come in. Emeric is at 9,300 ft. or so. It was windy Saturday during the day and evening, the winds died down overnight, Sunday was just a typical nice Sierra day. The view from Vogelsang Peak is awesome, if that's something you were expecting to do at Vogelsang.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I didn't see anyone boating on Emeric, or on Boothe when I hiked by, though it was windy Saturday. There was one other party camping at Emeric, showed up around 5 or so, they seemed more into fishing though. I forgot to mention...the lake was swimmable but a little chilly - the wind was stirring up colder water from the bottom. When I got there the wind was blowing from the west-southwest, awaby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I believe that's the unnamed Peak 11120+, to the south of Vogelsang. That peak presents a sharp profile towards the west.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I spent last weekend hiking to Emeric Lake. I had a reserved permit for Rafferty Creek trail, and was deciding between Vogelsang Lake and Emeric...the windy-yet-not-too-cold conditions Saturday convinced me to go for the longer, but lower elevation, and therefore swimmable Emeric. Bugs: not a problem. Water: Obviously there are lakes...Rafferty Creek has no flowing water, and only a few staby ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
True, but they do cause (trail) traffic jams.by ttilley - General Discussion
I saw another article (on the site of some Fresno TV station) saying that the lodge was not insured. Unless they got it wrong, rebuilding seems like it might be difficult.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Apparently the fire crossed CA-180 and burned the Kings Canyon Lodge (where the 1920s gas pumps are).by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Sounds like this is something that keeps changing rapidly. Current status: QuoteCaltrans SR 120 THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL IS ESCORTING TRAFFIC FROM 13 MI WEST TO 5 MI WEST OF THE JCT OF US 395 /TIOGA PASS/ (TUOLUMNE, MONO CO) - DUE TO A BRUSH FIREby ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Tioga Pass Road is apparently closed from 395 to Blue Slide. Mono Lake Committee's post on the closure.by ttilley - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Bear canisters are required along the entire Rae Lakes loop, as well as the Inyo NF side of the Kearsarge Pass trail.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks. As I mentioned, I also found a non-crowded site at Rae Lakes - just camped on the opposite side of the lake from the trail. But yeah, if you're through-hiking the JMT and trying to cover miles, you likely won't walk 1/2 mile around a Rae Lake when there's a serviceable site close to the trail.by ttilley - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra