Lovely! I always enjoy these posts.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Visitor Access Managment Plan - Public Engagement Winter 2023 How can I participate? Beginning December 9, 2022, Yosemite National Park will seek your input in order to gain a greater understanding of the complex issues and opportunities surrounding visitor access and to help identify solutions that will ensure high quality experiences, visitor safety, and resource protection Step 1. Learn aby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
After three weeks in Europe, and then a few days dealing with thanksgiving, we finally got around to heading back up to our cabin this week. It might have been feeling a bit neglected, and we were certainly missing it. But we were rather surprised by what met us when we opened the door. The runner on the table behind the sofa was on the floor, along with the notebook and thermometer we alwaysby balzaccom - General Discussion
QuoteDavidK42 Quotebalzaccom The fourth book is now released! Granite Gorge gets our hero down into the Mokelumne Canyon, where he has all sorts of adventures, and lives to tell the tale--barely But does he do any trail crew work while he's there? Really enjoying this series, Paul. Keep 'em coming! He DOEs do trailwork down there...grinby balzaccom - General Discussion
I appreciate all the support from the people here. The fourth book is now released! Granite Gorge gets our hero down into the Mokelumne Canyon, where he has all sorts of adventures, and lives to tell the tale--barely. For what it's worth, my wife says this is the best one yet! Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Granite-Gorge-Pa ... 8&qid=&sr= It's also available at quiteby balzaccom - General Discussion
More dry conditions in the Sierra. Here's link to our blog post that has the NOAA drought map: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/it-s-not-looking-goodby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Many of you know that I do some volunteer trail work in the Sierra. Since I am retired, I find it's a great way to spend more time in the mountains, do some good for the areas I love, and meet some pretty interesting people as well. And we hit trails that are not heavily used, learn new skills. enter areas where permits might be hard to get, and see the wilderness in a while new light. What's notby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Alpine Trails Association sent us this information about a major new restoration project in the Tahoe Area affected by the 2021 Tamarack Fire. We are posting it here, because it should be of interest to anyone involved in trail work and volunteering in the local wildernesses. It involves major elements of fuel reduction, reforestation, and revegetation. They'd love your comments. For theby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks, Eeek. Visiting the valley during one of these burns is always slightly eerie, but they are absolutely necessary.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Wow. No wonder gas is expensive.by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I may have some of the skills,. but probably not the time--or permission! Sigh. I've tried volunteering in Yosemite, but it's all organized through the yosemite Conservancy. And they insist that I pay for the privilege of doing volunteer work. I'm OK donatiing my time, but I don't think I've reached the point where I will pay someone else to work for them!by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The first day was in Desolation Wilderness, where I hiked to Suzie and Gilmore Lakes, tidying up small amounts of trash, and cleaning up one major campsite construction. It was a perfect fall day: the sun was out, the sky was blue, and the colors were bright. I met only sixteen hikers in eleven miles of hiking, including one SOBO PCT hiker, still hoping to finish the Sierra before the snows hiby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
What we were told by the ranger at Hodgdon was the there were at least 150 deadfall trees across the old road. That would certainly put a damper on our hiking! When I rode it on my bicycle 15-20 years ago, there were no trees across it, although there was one short section where I had to carry my bike over about 25 feet of loose cobbles. There was a ton of detritus though...by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
This one is not on our maps, but we learned about it from an excellent post on High Sierra Topix by BigTubs. And since we had a couple of days free, and we could get a campsite in Hodgdon Meadow, we decided to give it a try. On Thursday we left home for Napa, and the timing was right for another excellent lunch at the Old Priest Grade Cafe--we ordered on bratwurst plate and it was enough forby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Overnight prohibition begins on the 15th. The night of the 14th is still OKby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks, David. The news wines are really good. That should help lubricate the evening.by balzaccom - General Discussion
Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but this should be fun. My wine marketing students at Napa Valley College have created an event to launch the new releases of the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and I'll be hosting a wine tasting and story-telling session on the wines and my murder mysteries. All proceeds go directly to support the wine program at Napa Valley College. Just in case you want aby balzaccom - General Discussion
Nice job. You get extra points (Brownie points?) for taking scouts on a trip like this. It's something they'll talk about for weeks, and remember for years.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks, Basilbop. We're still working on that area. We have hopes of connecting all those trails together, and to keep them more or less maintained. It's a lot of work.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
This is wild, rugged country. That route over Deadwood Peak, down into the Mokelumne Canyon, and then up Jackson Canyon is a sufferfest even today---and we've been working on some of those trails for a while now. Amazing adventure. Walker did it with horses! https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a40982966/expedition-retrace-crossing-sierra-nevada-nonnative-people-robert-roper/by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Ahh! The remote glamour of the wilderness! grinby balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I spent the last three days doing trail and solitude monitoring in the Mokelumne Wilderness. It is amazing how little you have to hike to get really and truly alone in this area. The first day I hiked into Summit City Canyon from the Evergreen Trailhead at Upper Blue Lake. The place was deserted, and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground from brief but powerful storm the day before.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Collecting mushrooms is legal in the national forest. Same with berries. And with a permit, firewood. It is legal to hunt in wilderness areas. National forests are run to a different metric than national parks, where collecting anything at all is forbidden.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I got a lot of feedback from a recent blog post on my website about trailwork to Lake Margaret. Lots of people wondering why we are taking down cairns. It's pretty simple: they're unnecessary. And part of Leave No Trace is to ...you know...Leave No Trace. I knocked down more than 130 cairns in 4 miles on this trail. I left three. So here's my summary of cairn policy. Should you ever putby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
We were all set to spend three days in the Mokelumne Wilderness, starting at Carson Pass and then moving on to Emigrant Lake this weekend. But Friday, as we drove up Highway 88 in the morning, the smoke from the big Mosquito Fire first appeared on the horizon, then got thicker, then got really bad. So bad, in fact, that we bailed on the trip. Welcome to our new world. We turned around, hby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
My last work crew, in the Clavey watershed with the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, showed me that OHV campers are far worse than backpackers. Forget TP--we had diapers and open latrines. We filled in one, and took out the other. You guess which is which.by balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Elizabeth Weiss did a nice story in USA Today about how climate change is affecting Yosemite. And while she quoted me in the story (briefly, my 15 seconds of fame) she did a great job of capturing both important details and the big picture. Here is a link to her page and story:https://www.usatoday.com/staff/2647771001/elizabeth-weise/ And if you don't have a subscription to USA Today, here'by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Ten Essentials needs go to eleven, to include a ziplock bag. I am sick of seeing (and now cleaning up) other hikers' TP! Here's a more in-depth rant: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/the-ten-essentials-updatedby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
As a part of my commitment to do more trail work in the Amador District of the El Dorado National Forest (just South of Tahoe) I spent a day hiking and cleaning up the trail to and from Lake Margaret. This is a popular trail, partly because it is almost walking distance from the Kirkwood resort...so lots of visitors take advantage. And it's an easy hike. I met one family of five doing the traiby balzaccom - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Nice to see you back here, Eeek. I was beginning to worry about you...by balzaccom - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion