Sometimes do need to stand up on something when tripod center column is maxed like this? but for that... nopeby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Reversed Creek mid October: Yeah upper Bishop Creek areas are near peak now and other Eastern Sierra areas will be in the coming weeks. Am queued up to escape when weather conditions are favorable. Bearproof, quite excellent picture of a dense patch of dwarf bilberry, vaccinium caespitosum, well done! Of course most of the better locations with aspen groves have been in the Internet puby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Most trash is within day hiking distance of trailheads. And far more if a lake with fish is an easy destination.I often ventures off trails even if not for the purpose of cross country travel, for instance looking for wildflowers. Will relate that there is a lot more trash than it appears from on trails because most has been tossed an arms toss into spots one cannot easily see like clumps of brby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
You might be right. Says though native to far North America, ie Alaska, the snow quail (another grouse family species) was introduced somewhere into the Sierra in the 1970s. Mostly east of the Sierra Nevada high areas is another species the greater sage grouse. Sooty grouse that we used to just call blue grouse are of course common in the Sierra. Very interesting birds because of the weird loby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Dendragapus fuliginosus http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/maps/CA_maphtml/b134.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooty_grouse The sooty grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to North America's Pacific Coast Ranges. It is closely related to the dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), and the two were previously considered a single species, theby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Pretty much the route I've taken, map lines of least effort. Your images are dark because pointing at Half Dome at that time of late morning thru midday is semi back lit and all the ambient light off the bright granite bedrock and sand at midday tricks your camera sensor. Thus bump up your camera's exposure compensation in that circumstance and then check what it looks like. But never so mucby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Early to mid October is the peak of aspen color along the Eastern Sierra which is what most visitors to the Sierra at that time of year are doing. However those areas are mostly between 6,000 and 9,500 feet which is below most wilderness destinations so that is mostly roadside and day hiking. To stay safe you ought to plan trips where you don't have to cross any higher passes to get back to traby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Now it comes out that only did they catch this guy right when the fire started but he kept changing his story like some moron. Then they let him live normally for over a year simply because HE asked that they don't publicly name him. As though he deserves that right for being such a good citizen. They must have threatened him with a sentence of dying of old age. A bad smell here still comiby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteplawrence The solution is pretty simple, straightforward and time honored: display your photos as prints of the appropriate size for each photo in an art gallery (or some other business willing to hang your prints). You might even want to donate some of your prints to your local library or other public government building like your local community center where they could be viewed by the puby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Some work below from my recent week in the Eastern Sierra that included a 6-day backpack out of Onion Valley and a couple days day hiking in Little Lakes Valley. This spring bought a Sony A6000 mirrorless 24mp body and 4 lenses. Later after working through using the new body, multi frame stitching, and focus stacking in PS CS6, bought a Gigapan Epic 100 robotic head. At this point I have got procby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
This last 3 weeks of Mexican monsoon and thunderstorm weather from lows sitting off the coast has done wonders in the high country to offset what was looking setting up to be a horribly dry second half of summer. So our later backpacking season is not looking as bleak. As usual with these type of summer storm patterns, not all areas have gotten dosed depending on where the towering clouds go.by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well mythumpa if I ever hike up in the far north, thankyou for that cultural input as I'll be sure not to kick any over like I regularly do here about cross country areas in the Sierra. Note most ducks (quack-quack) in these mountains are merely single stones placed atop modest sized boulders and not elaborate constructions of many rocks. And most are quite unnecessary to navigate offtrail.by DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
In the High Sierra with a sleeping bag inside a bivy sack (have use several generations of 16-18 ounce OR standard gortex bivys), one normally does not close the zipper at the head end unless it rains or there are mosquitoes or mice. And if one does zip, I tend to use a short fiberglass pole bent over the head to keep the fabric away. The fancy heavier bivy's with several poles etc are actuallyby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I didn't own a tent the first few years I backpacked but rather carried a tube tent in case it rained. Then after it did rain hard on a trip to Ten Lakes decided it was time to buy a tent. So that is the way I started. Then not long after bought my first Gortex bivy to lighten my loads and since then have used bivy's more often than tents. Actually on my fourth generation of bivys thougby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks mr bird. Am guessing the one pic is the Lord Meadow zone. We talked about that on the board a few years ago but the last couple winters have been too wimpy to bother. Want to base camp in that area for a week at a few locations. Have been to Boundary on the way to Nance Peak but only looked down in the hole. Lots of material for a landscape photographer. The log crossing is a goodby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well an image from that position blown up would probably have some real interest on a climbing board where routes could be overlayed evenly. But there is a reason one will not see serious fine art images of Half Dome by landscape photographers taken from Mt. Watkins, Snow Creek, Basket Dome, or North Dome. http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.75477,-119.54601&z=14&t=T That is because theby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Very nice, well done. Nicely clean vertical lines. Vegetation overlays though providing an interesting graphic mosaic, overwhelm the vertical lines too strongly. Generally as anyone that has used topos knows, vegetation information from USGS sources is at best vague with some areas blank meaning treeless that ought to be green. And conversely some that show forest that are just mostly open bedby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Impressive mileage for just a few days. Boundary Lake is indeed a beauty. Must of been using your wings? How's bout a story or two of your creek crossings?by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Some of those second replanted growth forests are roadside on the Bald Peaks Road and are utterly pathetic. Very dense areas of small diameter mono species trees, very dim and because of that no understory shrubs nor herbs. So yes good to hear the NPS is moving in a proactive mode instead of being muzzled by those of simple mind who chime "let it be". Make some holes in those foresby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Thanks Basilbop, well done report with well captured annotated photography. Over the years I've done quite a lot of late spring wildflower photography both along Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and along the road from Mather so know those species well. Nice capture of clarkia williamsonii, aka farewell-to-spring clarkia that is one of my favorites in that area. I backpacked into Vernon Lake a few timby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Useful images to make others think twice about backpacking into higher areas despite the drought where some think they'll find usual pretty blue lakes but instead find cold frozen expanses. Much better by late June into July.by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
meadow = grass = wet = mosquito love it One very key bit of wisdom of many I could add is during squeeter season DO NOT belong to the massive army whose uniform is t-shirt and shortsby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If a worrier favorite like Consumer Reports was honest about DEET, they'd be hoisted up and burned at the stake. Worse their lawyers would be having nightmares shaking in their boots just day dreaming about what might happen if some family lawyers got ahold of them. CR article obviously was directed at the many who dislike DEET and want to yearly be reassured they are the wiser unlike all thoby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Looks like some nice red firs? A few weeks ago bought the Mendocino NF map and looked at some topos for that area thinking about a visit. Month ago had been on the other side of the valley at Table Mountain Ecological Reserve just after a cold storm put over a foot of snow on that mountain with nice clear air over the valley. In image below at the end of the small stream canyon, beyond in thby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
You bring up a policy I've been complaining about for decades though each park or national forest describes it differently. Will have a wee bit of fun on my soapbox. As AT mentioned there are in the backcountry lots of obvious well used campsites not only only closer than 100 feet to streams but also lakes. Why is this? Well lots of people especially less experienced visitors want to campby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Have always used pricy heavy duty boots though have tried lighter weight models. Usually carry a huge weight backpacking and hefty view camera day hiking spending considerable time offtrail especially in rocky areas. So need a sole that is not going to feel rocks and wants something to punish the offtrail landscape. Last 2 or 3 years have been wearing the Vasque Bitterroot, a bombproof waterproby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Did some searching on web to see if anything new information is showing concerning the Rim Fire prosecution and it looks like there is also a journalist annoyed by authorities continued lack of information. Back in December some information leaked out after I had contacted the Sacramento Bee and posted on some web sites as suddenly caused news from some other papers to get involved. They reporby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Returned to Yosemite Valley last Friday evening making the 200 mile drive from my workplace to Yosemite Valley. Link to thread on my previous visit after the previous snowstorm: http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,74012 Got to see some of the Rim Fire for first time since coming and going. Lots of quite special old growth forest in Yosemite's boundary areas up in smoke. Qute sby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yikes Eeek! Really noticed the difference this morning, thanks!by DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks folks, appreciated. Yeah Tom like that image too. Yosemite Valley is one of the best places for a photographer to capture that kind of island in the sky image on this planet because it has so many features right on its canyon rims that thrust up into the blue sky as viewed from valley floor areas. Clouds boil up above the valley on many days but usually it is well above the featureby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion