Well thanks. Here is another downsized for web Carrizo Plains NM image from April 14, 2023 :by DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
On another board someone didn't receive a response as to what happened or is happening this spring of 2023 at Hite Cove above the northwestward flowing South Fork of the Merced River junction. And as someone that has spent a lot of time there during March and Aprils, am I wondering what the whole canyon looks like now at this late stage. Some good roadside areas for close-up work. Some years nby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Am wondering what has been going on recently at the park entrance stations? Since SR120 opened in June, driving through the park without reservations or a wilderness permit has (sort of) not been allowed. The board does have an older June 8 thread on the matter. Here is what the park web site on the matter shows: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm NPS.govPark Hby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Not everyone is still continuing to shelter in place this summer. After 3 weeks of post processing and html coding work, have completed adding 3 pages to my 2020_Trip Chronicles page at my web site. The new pages of 4, 5, 6 access my 6 day Convict Creek backpack, intervening 3 day road trip, and 4 day Rock Creek backpacks that were shot in late July through early August: https://www.dby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Expect your last minute weekend is over but will give you advice for the future. To escape the worst heat, you won't want to be below 8.5k that means somewhere up near Sonora Pass. Most small streams by now are dry so you need to look at those that never dry up. West of the pass offers little at those elevations with water and well away from the busy road. East of the pass may seem likewiby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
You should view on Google Earth while also seeing where such is on the 7.5m topo, the zone between Mono Pass, 10604, where the park and thus camping border is and Upper Sardine Lake at 10380+. That zone is open timberline of sparse wind stunted whitebark pines. Your main issue for a camping spot will be finding adequate tent shade during the day, so will want to select a tent site with those piby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Compounding the issue is to legally disperse camp outside the park boundaries, one must drive 20 to 30 miles. Another issue is the park historically has tended to avoid confronting the climbing community about illegally camping on the sly by just parking along roads then wandering off short distances into forest. If they clamped down on that by simply requiring anyone parking overnight at trailby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Late May this spring one will likely need to stay below 7000 feet to avoid snow, very soggy forest areas, or dangerous stream crossings. GP road is all over 7k. That leaves very few trails to backpack into with none in the high country. Although the Hetch Hetchy trail to Rancheria Creek is certain to be snow free, the volume of water at the Falls Creek bridge crossing is likely to be over thby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Completed processing images and html coding the below feature on my web site from the fall leaf trip to North Fork of Bishop Creek and Leavitt Creek (above) that I returned from Friday. http://www.davidsenesac.com/2018_Trip_Chronicles/fall_2018-10.html Close-up of quaking aspen with leaves dangling like colorful Christmas tree ornaments:by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Here is another trip report feature with text and several images for a 20 Lakes Basin 3-night backpack from a couple weeks ago. http://www.davidsenesac.com/2018_Trip_Chronicles/summer_2018-9.htmlby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The caltopo drawn route from SR120 that is just sw of Low Profile Dome on the north side of the road that then passes through a slot east of Dozier Dome is reasonably accurate except at the crux. And that is where people are most likely to get lost especially when climbing back down and instead end up in class 3 slabs. Until it reaches the slabs, much of it looks like a well-used use dirt surfaby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
https://cdn.abcotvs.com/dip/images/4247399_NormaJRossFBedit.jpg Today TV stations in the San Francisco Bay Area were all reporting on an unusual cloud phenomenon over the region today per above news image called a hole punch cloud or fallstreak cloud. A term I'd never heard of: https://abc7news.com/weather/fall-hole-punch-clouds-seen-across-the-bay-area/4244384/ When I saw it I thought,by DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Like your camp spot, indeed a good choice. There are so many little hidden out of view spots in that basin due to the geology IF one only bothers to explore a bit. I tell groups to wander over to the south expanses of Shamrock. Otherwise 95% of groups camp in very predictable locations near trails and shores of lakes visible from the trail and then think it is crowded. And then half of them arby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Not many trip reports on the board this summer. So will offer a couple herein that enthusiasts might read that are featured on my web site. Like others here fire smoke kept me from getting out on another couple backpacking trips I had plans for. That noted, I do expect to make one or two trips in the near September period. http://www.davidsenesac.com/2018_Trip_Chronicles/summer_2018-6.by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
https://geomac.usgs.gov/viewer/viewer.shtml Per map (input: Ferguson), yet another wildfire in the Merced South Fork drainage. Since the north perimeter is along the SR141 highway/river and daily breezes tend to move west to east up canyons, it tends to point towards a source of some human like an urban moron cigarette smoker with an inane reckless habit of tossing butts out of a car or someby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Buying pricy MH at B&M stores is likely to have a mark up. After doing my homework on web pricing, ordered 20 MH meals this week for this coming summer's backpacking, half Pro Paks the rest Pouches. Found the mountainhouse dot com site offered lowest price plus no tax or shipping fee. Except bought the Sweet Sour Chicken as a 6pack from amazon as former did not have stock. Otherwise boughby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
May be able to tent in the center of the lake since may not be iced out, still covered with snow. Even the weather site beside Tenaya Lake a 1000 feet lower than Lower Cathedral Lake still had 18.5 inches of snow a week ago. http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/COURSES 178 Tenaya Lake 8,150 24-APR 18.5 10.5 57% 31.8 33%by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotebasilbop QuoteDavidSenesac You two must be relatively resistant to poison oak. ... QuoteDavidSenesac Ironically, after the HC Trail, the next most impressive late March spring wildflower "trail' on the Merced rarely sees any people each year because it again is never publicized, and any I see on it are usually local mountain bikers. That is the old mining road along the Merced upstrby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Good to read the Glacier Point Road opened to cars today. So might do a short road trip in the near term since as a now retired guy, every day I wake up is Saturday. Also looking forward to the east end of SR120 opening up at least to Ellery as I just dusted off from several years of non-use and re-glued my climbing skins then bought new ski binding adapters.by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
To tell what you two were doing, had to open up mapper.acme.com then keep switching between topo and satellite. Visible satellite trail often looked faint game trail like or invisible in some areas. One year maybe a couple decades ago tried to hike from STP all the way to HC and even on that more used segment had to turn back due to PO overgrowing the trail. Of course the canyon has seen a lotby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
iivvgg >>>"Choose a previously impacted campsite..." For decades have tended to LNT camp well away from trails and lake edges in more pristine areas where there there may be no or little sign of previous sites. But then occasionally, especially on routes out to more remote areas, may find myself along trails where I may indeed camp at a well used site. Of course the vast mby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Would expect the 4 year drought caused significant species declines of numbers of species in many Sierra Nevada areas including pika at marginal elevations per that report. Without snow covering ground that provides an insulative layer, animals are subject to harsh atmospheric cold. As a snow skier, have also noticed the last decade has generally had rather mediocre early season snow. During tby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Was in 20 Lakes Basin on Thursday September 7. Hiked in early along west reservoir trail a bit after sunrise to my favorite area at the Wasco Tarns that has wonderful areas of colorful metasedimentary geology. Reservoir is no longer spilling on the overflow but very full. There are still snow banks nearly into the reservoir and the rusty metamorphic scree and talus has nice Coville's columbinby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Diamond Ring exit phase Riverfront Park in Salem 10:18am PDT.by DavidSenesac - General Discussion
I've been occasionally using that route for decades and it is just that a route and not a trail although one will see many use paths in places. The wiser strategy is not to expect to stay on some trail but rather use a cross country strategy, hiking on use paths if they happen to be there. In other words know where you are going instead of trying to follow a trail or cairns piled by the clueleby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Well done Bishop Field Office BLM folk, good work! I hope that program runs well and you managers iron out whatever bumps. For a few bucks a day, that is a huge bargain versus historically high fees otherwise being charged in this era at most public campgrounds that of course tend to drive such users to dispersed camping areas without any facilities that only create usage problems as sewage andby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The problem with hikers and backpackers reading topo maps has been beaten to death on boards like this for years. But like a few other of my favorite outdoor complaint subjects like illegal campfires, it serves purpose periodically bringing such subjects back up. Even before this smart phone and GPS era there were too many groups and visitors that were incompetent map readers because most oby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Looks like a lot more melted out dry areas are going to be open at timberline elevations by mid July. Thanks for the useful pics. David http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_Chronicles/2017_Trip-Chronicles-0.htmlby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
B, after posting I got interested in maybe doing a short backpack up there myself by using the north side of the stream as I suggested. Thus got out my Toiyabe NF map and noted a small area of private property that starts where the jeep road I related begins, at a corral. Probably used by cattle grazers and or horse packers. The private property only extends a short ways west and then beyond iby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
If one goes across the bridge north and then turns left west to the corral, there is a jeep road that goes through the sagebrush slope for 4.5 miles on the north side of that canyon ending up at Big Meadow. Beyond that are bunches of cattle tracks. But then Big Meadow is where the trail you took on the south side crosses to the north side: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.21372,-119.41120&zby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra