Very late with this belated good wish for Chick-on. Discovered off-trail hiking a few years ago. First fully x-country adventure planned was Cherry Creek - selected because there's so much granite it's obvious from Google satellite view. That's all I knew about it. Searched online for somebody that may have gone there. Found this site. Learned a lot. Never met Chick-on. He posted, PM'd, shaby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Unfortunately I'm not able to give a precise answer on the sleeping pad. I think it's a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Trekker (the lettering on the pad itself reads "NEOTRKR" ). But I don't see the exact same thing listed online anymore. It's about 3-5 years old (IIRC it was near top-of-the-line lightweight when purchased) but I see there are now NeoAir XLight, XTherm, Camper, Voyager, etc.by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Our progression through the night is remarkably similar. I am lean yet also sleep warm. I have Marmot Atom (40 degrees - normal go-to bag for the Sierra in summer) and Helium (15 degrees - for early/late in season) down mummy bags. Both have only half-length zippers and narrow toe boxes. I generally start out in a silk (plenty of room to move) using the bag (unzipped) as a blanket, then stick myby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I was about to end my last reply with "I think this has gotten too focused on my specific challenges and won't be helpful for any other readers of this forum. I should probably just work it out on my own". I had no idea there would be others with similar (back) issues. Accept my empathy (but not sympathy - who needs that? :-)by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Hard to remember "before" - I think I could just sleep in any position and never thought about it. But now I have adapted and when home sleep absolutely flat on my back - pretty much like a corpse laid out in a casket (not intending to be morbid). On the sleeping pad, each time I wake up I rotate left/flat/right/repeat, but that's just to move the pain to a different place. I haveby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Yes to trying it out at home first. I've learned not to "first test" new equipment in the field. I was wondering if there was some big gotcha I was missing that would make it unnecessary to even try a hammock. The back/sleep thing is the only reason I ever want to leave the wilderness. Maybe I just need to suck it up and carry the weight of the new 2-4" pads I'm seeing are now aby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Without getting too personal or detailed, how does one get "banned from Yosemite"? How is that enforced? There is no requirement to show government-issued ID AFAIK - other than the person in possession of the wilderness permit? Is that incorrect?by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I've been toying with the idea of trying hammock camping instead of sleeping on a pad on the ground. The motivation is back problems (multiple surgeries, etc). I will be out there no matter what - but even with the new inflatable pads (I think mine is about 1-1/2" thick) I'm awake every 15-30 minutes, have to move around. I sleep fine at home on a mattress. I don't own a hammock (even for myby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I think that you're on to something about distance to TH being a factor in several ways. Last year wife and I did a 5 day loop around the area (finally completing a route first attempted in 2012 but failed - needed chick-on guidance to figure it out). Kibbie is pretty, no doubt. It was later in the season, mid-week, and we saw no one - except a ranger that insisted on seeing paperwork. Chatted foby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Beautiful country that. Followed a cinnamon (colored) black bear along the trail (really slow pace) for about 1/2 mile before Beehive. Watched him swat down rotten stumps like nothing. Afterwards went to test the wood myself and could not budge it! If you stay on trail, I think that means you'll be hiking along Jack Main Canyon to get from Vernon to Tiltill. I was there Memorial weekend 2013.by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I just returned from an "open jaw" hike in Yosemite. Entered Lukens Lake TH and exited Ten Lakes TH (permit issues). Needed a ride from Ten Lakes TH to Lukens Lake TH. It had just started to rain, which may have had something to do with it, but I had no problem getting a ride within 10 minutes. I did have many vehicles with one passenger and 4+ seats just keep passing by. I had one SUVby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
@basilbop Turns out after >5 years of missed attempts I will finally be spending this weekend in the Ten Lakes area introducing my (adult) son to Yosemite for the first time. It's unusual for me to set up base camp but for this trip will be spending two nights in Ten Lakes. In addition to exploring the (7) lakes the views and "double rock" sound like fun. Are there any tracks/detailsby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The dams are (the ones I've seen) rock and concrete - fairly primitive - and raise the water level a few feet. Emigrant and Y Meadow are higher, maybe upwards of 6-7 feet (former) and 10-12 feet (latter). While the depth is not great, some of the lakes are large (not Lake Mead large - but Emigrant is about 2 miles long and 1/4 mile wide). From what I've read, the dam at Cow Meadow Lake (whichby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotebasilbop Quoteags Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how "Big Sam" got it's name? It is big, to be sure - but who's Sam? Despite much searching, I couldn't locate my source, so this could all be made up, but... I remember reading/hearing/whatever that while the origins of Big Sam were not known with certainty, one possibility was that it was named after a large (of course)by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
"Big Chick-on"? Yes on respect and being nice and leaving no trace and having fun. Yes on carry whatever you want. It's all meant to be good fun. No nastiness intended - if it wasn't clear.by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
As clear as a wilderness stream after rain... Thanks for the decoding. I was close (I meant to type JKW not LTW). Doesn't Old Dood need a stuffed avatar? When did backpacking start requiring a boat? ...and how did "Big Sam" get its name?by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotechick-on ... w/r to ur profile... chick-on : Don't Care really? ... I'm afraid I don't really understand the protocol here. I was going to post to get clarification but it seems I'm the only one that doesn't "get it". Is the question about "The Pink Bird" or the person? (or food?) Are they interchangeable in all cases? Who does "The Parrot" belongby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Funny where this thread ended up going. I was going to post on a separate thread about my experience for the 2 miles my route included the PCT. For years I thought I'd like to hike the AT (when living on the EC). Moving to the West, my thoughts turned to the iconic Mexico-to-Canada PCT journey. With all due respect to the hardy souls that complete that task, I must admit that I'm re-evaluatby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how "Big Sam" got it's name? It is big, to be sure - but who's Sam? Google was no help to me on this one.by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Wow, that doesn't look like Cherry Creek Graniteā¢ at all. We'll go in as planned and explore to see new things. The other two options we decided against (because we hadn't seen this part of Emigrant yet) were entering Twin Lakes (from 385/Bridgeport) heading towards Benson Lake ("The Rivera of the Sierra" and making a big loop or finally finishing an earlier truncated trip by explorby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Sunday (6/28) we'll enter Emigrant Wilderness at a new trailhead - Leavitt Lake. We've been in at Crabtree, and up/down Cherry Creek entering at Shingle Springs and West Fork CC entering at Bourland Meadow. All spectacular. Lots of opportunity for solitude, granite, swimming (or at least getting wet), granite, vistas - did I mention the granite? We enjoy off-trail routes and solitude. I'm sureby ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
We do it all the time. Protect your food from varmints (big and small) of course....by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I need a ride from Ten Lakes TH to Lukens Lake TH. Any chance the bus stops at "non-stops" along the way to pick up, not just drop off?by ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Yes, YES, YES!! After the first taste of Cherry Creek (proper) in 2013, I went into West Fork and made a nice loop, all off-trail. Hyatt Lake - spectacular! The route from Louse Canyon up and over to Hyatt is a granite paradise. Then overland to Big Lake, Yellowhammer - granite overload. Can't recommend this enough. Note the that route finding up West Fork to Louse Canyon is not trivial.by ags - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Thanks for the recommendations. Ended up visiting Moro Rock (great views - wish they kept the old wooden staircase, it looks more fun, though people would probably get "stuck" from fear and we'd end up with permit requirements like Half Dome), Crescent Meadow (too much to see and not enough time. Will certainly go back there) and Stony Creek (no water - but will return. There was waterby ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
"Life" just lined up properly at the last moment, allowing me to take a quick weekend visit to Sequoia/Kings Canyon this weekend. I've visited Yosemite, Emigrant, Desolation, Ansel Adams, etc - but never SEKI. I've reviewed the online NPS information; it looks like there are plenty of things to see. Too much for one weekend, of course. The question: are there any recommendations forby ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I suspect that I'm late to the party - but since you mention it, what exactly is going on with the Mylar balloons? I'm just back from a trip around the Cherry Creek area, and combined with my trip last year, this area has resulted in a total of 5 Mylar balloon finds. I can understand that they take a long time (> a human lifetime?) to decompose, but is there some kind of Bermuda Balloon Triangby ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
"Roller Bear" - now that's funny. First image that crossed my mind was the women's roller derby/wrestling matches that would occasionally be on Saturday night TV. A bear on skates, with a cape and helmet, of course.by ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Just back from a week in Emigrant. Maybe it was just what I needed for an attitude readjustment. After re-re-reading this thread, and the reply above, I just want to set things straight. 1) @Ken M: that make sense. I was wondering if exactly what you describe is part of what rangers have to contend with. The experienced folks may be as bad as (or worse than) the first-timers. 2) I can see hby ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Please re-read my post. The part about "how do they (the rangers) decide who to fully question, and who not to question?" is one part. The report of a bear demonstrating enough intelligence to know to toss a canister over the rim for a fun snack is a separate topic. I have no problem with the ranger informing me of the bright bear. I enjoyed it, in fact. I learned something new - aby ags - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion