QuoteCoolburn Doesn't the Tuolumne Meadows Hikers bus run? This is the info from last summer: Yep, my bad--I forgot about the hiker's bus.. but I'd still make sure the driver is willing to stop at the OBOFRT trailhead on the Valley -> Tuolumne run. What date is your trip? I don't think the hiker's shuttle starts running until the facilities in Tuolumne Meadows are open--probably closerby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteVeovis Hammocks with underquilts and top quilts, and tarps with mosquito netting. The main concern I'd have with hammocks is that there are a lot of dead trees due to the recent drought and beetle infestations. A hammock requires that you camp near/in trees, vs. a more open area where you're not as likely to get hit by falling branches or trees. This last weekend, we camped in a forestby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
One oddity: the top map has the North Mountain Trail, but the bottom one doesn't seem to. Given the current state of this "trail" I'd say the bottom one is more accurate.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The "Furthest Distance from a Trail" point between Tioga Road and the valley is the "El Cap Ridge" area, which others (esp. chick-on and wherever) have posted about here previously. I suspect the lack of significant peaks, lakes, or meadows (the latter would have been attractive to the early sheepherders, and thus the cavalry...) is the reason for the lack of trails, althoughby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotemrcondron There is no plural. There is no Sierra(s) Nevada(s) Mountain(s). Just The Sierra Nevada. I'm done with my pontificati. But... there is a legitimate use of "Sierra Nevadas": "I have three Sierra Nevadas in my bear can. Want one?" As opposed to: "I have a Sierra Nevada in my bear can... Yum!" :-)by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Sierras* (four, to be exact, hanging on wall middle left), as seen from Costa Rica: * This was pre-zoomy camera, so you can't read the small sign under the first sierra, but it said "SIERRAS".by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteBilko I don't believe you can pre-book wilderness permits for trip before the 1st of May because there are no quotas so you can just walk up to the ranger station and get one the day before, you can also rent your bear canisters here. There is also another benefit of having a wilderness permit in that you can camp in the backpackers campsite a night before and after you trip. The risk is thiby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
While the higher elevations of Sequoia continue to be under record-deep snow, we took advantage of the winter temperatures to tick off more low-elevation trails in the park. The sky was clear and the temperatures just about perfect for hiking as we departed from the little-used North Fork trailhead. Only a few hundred steps into the hike, we came to the first junction with a "TQX" sby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Happy Birthday, Mike! I have fond memories of all the hikes I've been on with you, and I look forward to many more such trips in the future! Thanks especially for teaching me how to make proper backcountry "pannycakes"! Also, congratulations on successfully completing the Wawona Meadow Loop Trail of Death and surviving the uncrossable streams and other obstacles... On left, poby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteBackpacker87 On the trail map with the highlighted arrows, you are only able to camp beyond the end of the arrow near the trails correct? It doesn't mean that you can came anywhere on the highlighted arrow, only beyond it? Correct--you must camp beyond the arrow, which is (generally) 1 mile from most roads, and 4 miles from Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, or Hetch Hetchy, or Wawona.by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Also, keep in mind that conditions can change at any time, especially with active weather and saturated ground. While driving out, I'd call the number above from Manteca and/or Mariposa, where you can change your plans based on road closures. A paper map (or offline/downloaded maps) wouldn't be a bad idea if you normally rely on a smartphone mapping program w/o offline maps. Also, make sure yoby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
A few weeks ago the Advance Party headed to the South Fork trailhead in Sequoia to knock off a short 1.7 mile section of TrailQuest. Unfortunately, due to the actual trail being, well, a bit longer than 1.7 miles, this ended up being a recon trip. We decided to remedy this situation a few weeks later. The morning was chilly when we headed up the South Fork Kaweah River towards Ladybug caby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
A few weeks ago, after a nice introduction to winter, a particularly warm and wet storm threatened to melt much of the snowpack to date. Dire flood warnings were issued for Yosemite Valley and elsewhere, so of course... we decided to do more TrailQuest work in Sequoia. The Advance Party had chipped away at the Giant Forest the day I drove up. I arrived late Friday night, but still enjoyed aby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
(This is another report from the backlog. This trip took place in early December 2016. Current conditions may be different.) One of the first TrailQuest 2016 hikes we did was the North Mountain trail from Miguel Meadow to the park boundary. The reasoning was that the trail was poorly maintained in the best of times; in the wake of the Rim Fire, it could very well become impassable after theby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
(Note: This is from the backlog of trip reports. This trip was on the weekend of November 4, 2016. The conditions represented here are not current!) For perhaps the last time this year, I headed to the mountains Friday afternoon to catch up with the Advance Party. The drive from the Bay Area had been pleasant, and the temperature in Oakhurst was actually quite mild for early November. I arrby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
One of the SEKI TrailQuest hikes we did over the New Years Day weekend was the short hike to Marble Falls. This hike was definitely not a high-country adventure, featuring terrain more akin to the coastal mountains. We stopped for lunch almost literally on the trail to beat the rain that threatened to start at any time. The trail eventually led us into the clouds as we approached oby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
All I can say is... if you lead with "Chick-on?!"... make sure you have the correct bird :-) Funny thing... I remember someone making fun of me for hours in Upper Basin while my day-glo satellite-viz pack cover was deployed... (on a more somber note, I think a hiker went missing in Upper Basin a week or so later...) The Twinkie line is great, but in case imposters start to leaby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
As of about 5:00pm Saturday, Jan. 7, the Generals Highway is closed past the Ash Mountain visitor center--probably due to the numerous rockfalls along the road caused by the rain. (And yes, there was a lot of rain in the Giant Forest all day...) People who need to travel along the road will be caravaned in.by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The stanchions are piled up far away from the cables, so the cables do lay flat against the rock. The cables are heavy, which is a pro (they push you against the rock--more friction) and a con (they are heavy to hold). The worst part is that the cables have a lot of splices and wires holding them in place, so you have to re-attach the gear every 20-30 steps. The idea with the Prussics is thatby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteOur favorite Birds have been on the HD cables during the "offseason." Yes, but... 1) There was no ice on the cable route, and 2) we used Prussics connected to our climbing harnesses to "tie" into the cables. (We each had two Prussics and one was always tied into a cable.) Our "cables down" ascent was probably safer than the typical "cables up" trby basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's way too early to know how much snow there will be, but it's doubtful you'd need snowshoes or crampons. IMHO it would be better to put up with some late-season postholing (and wet feet) than carry snowshoes for the few sections that may require them. At most you may want "micro-spikes" (such as Kathoolas) for the Clouds Rest portion--in case it's icy. You'll be on popular trails,by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thank you everyone for your kind birthday wishes! Also, a special thanks to OD, JKW, and the Great Pink One for all the great trips we did this year, and for arranging your schedules so that I could catch up with you in the mountains. Oh, and of course thanks for the great pancakes! I look forward to many more seasons in the Sierra!by basilbop - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The north side of Red Peak Pass, which I definitely recommend!by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
QuoteAnotherDave Could be time for an "off trail quest". There's talk of TrailQuest eXtreme (TQX), which covers anything that may once have been a trail, road, railroad, route, including anything that even just looks like it is or may have been one of those, with or without supporting documentation. So yes, basically an "off-trail quest" :-)by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Just a few hours ago JKW officially finished her Yosemite TrailQuest! * Congratulations! Okay.... actually, there's one small section of trail left that The Pink One, OD, and she plan on finishing together: the extremely strenuous and dangerous Wawona Meadow Loop of Death. Stay tuned for the TR! I know I've had a lot of fun trying to keep up with the Advance Party, and I've beenby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yes, 140 doesn't go as high as 120, so you're less likely to encounter any snow along that route. But... you still must carry chains along either route, and if there is a storm the rangers at either entrance station may ask if you are carrying chains. Going in via 140 only reduces the odds that you'll need to put them on.by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
There are more than a few former trail junctions that still have the signs indicating that a junction was once there. This is very helpful for those of us who try to re-discover these trails. In another thread I mentioned the Bald Mountain Trail to Ackerson Meadow trail; there's a sign where this junction presumably once was (it's all armpit-high buck brush now...). There are also some signs iby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quoteplawrence Isn't that second "Nevada Falls 0.2" sign you came across (with no obvious trail intersection) a tale-tale sign of a former trail intersection with a no longer used (or re-aligned) trail? If this is the junction of the JMT and the Panorama trail, then yes: there used to be a "Y" junction here, but the eastern branch (which I think started near the phone "by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I arrived at the trailhead just as the sun was setting. The Advance Party was too far in for me to catch up with this this evening, so my plan was to hike in 5 or so miles to Deer Camp and camp there for the night. I reached Westfall Meadow just as I had to turn on my headlamp. There were two use paths across the meadow; fortunately, I picked the one that was the trail. A few posts in tby basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotechick-on For fun ... (since prolly Z Ol Stick N Fedder behind by about 20 trips reports nowz) Only 18 now! Quotechick-onHave fun I always do!by basilbop - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra