Good, thanks E. As a photographer, I love that SR4 crest zone late June thru early July as the wildflowers can get especially lush in places if one explores landscapes . Lots of mule ears, glowing lichens, and amazing looking Sierra juniper. Easy zone for near road side dispersed camping and backpacking into very nice spots not far from roads where almost no others bother with. Because thereby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Maybe someone ought to write a book (: about the July 4, 2017 weekend when more hikers and backpackers across the Sierra Nevada got lost than ever before over any weekend or holiday. Of course it doesn't surprise this person because for decades the first thing I ask people on the trail when they ask about directions or where places are is for them to take their maps out. So I can show themby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Has been rather quiet in this backpacking sub-forum now into early July. There are places to backpack to if one thinks out of the box by not targeting usual timberline destinations that are and will remain too snowy or blocked by high stream crossings. A few days ago I backpacked from Mosquito Flat in Rock Creek up to Box Lake that was fine. Along the trail, Mach, Marsh, Heart, and Box hby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Drove across Sonora Pass Monday mid day 6/26 and then Tioga Pass yesterday Thursday mid afternoon 6/29. Not particularly interesting versus other El Nino years when the roads open. Lots of still melting snows in forest, northern exposures, and drifting snow lee areas, however much has melted. Elery Lake melted out while Dana Lake still 70% ice. Dana Meadows about 30% melted out and the rest isby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
As a decades old Tahoe alpine snow skier, I used to ski MM a bit each year on 3 day weekends and love its terrain, especially the steep Cornice areas because of the high elevation snow quality. For a couple decades now, more often have a KW season pass that makes over-nighting about Minden then driving the 130 miles south for a single day doable. However for the last decade plus, ski resort coby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Haha! Yeah typing on a smartphone with their tiny typing windows and display keyboards is treacherous since Chrome wants to autocomplete words and then scrolls whatever line up so what was just typed is out of sight and out of mind. Davidby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Thanks, useful article. Made plans about a year ago. Will be up in the John Day River basin several days before photographing that region that I've never visited. During the eclipse will be at Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. One of our most bizarre landscapes, very appropriate for the event and a remarkable coincidence the very narrow path of totality will be righby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
PT01579-01618-3x2v.jpg 10700x9000 pixels 6 frame 3 column 2 row 40 image focus stack stitch blend A6000 30mm enlarged vertical slice view at 50% pixels: http://www.davidsenesac.com/2016_Trip_Chronicles/PT01579-01618-3x2vsl.jpg To display the above full image would take over 8 side by side 4k UHD computer screens in a 2 column 4 row matrix. Ordinary people have simply not seen how impresby DavidSenesac - Photography advice, critiques and tutorials
I've been using these flimsy waders for over a decade now that weigh just 10oz. We've crossed numbers of streams keeping totally dry as long as depth is not much above the knee. Also icy snow water can be really painful to feet. Better to buy a larger size to make sure even large boots fit down inside: http://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/lightweight-waders/ Before use I fill them iby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
There are still some backpacking options about Yosemite however one could argue that day hiking within and from Yosemite Valley while camping at say walk in Camp 4 would be a more interesting and enjoyable option. Both the below options as well as along part of the trail you had been planning on hiking are within the Rim fire zone with forest unpleasant. Outside the park boarders is a trailby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Early season short warm up trip out of Hetch Hetchy to a creek zone I've never been to that sees very few visitors. Both the creek given high flows and cliff edges are potentially lethally dangerous so anyone considering this ought to be an experienced backpacker with off trail travel. There are also rattlesnakes in this geology at these elevations so one needs to be comfortable knowing that canby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
9600x10200 pixels 6 frame 3 column 2 row 31 image focus stack stitch blend Sony A6000 Sigma 60mm DN Completed coding the html in my 2016 Trip Chronicles feature for my fourth and final backpacking trip this summer of 2016 on link below . My early warm up trip was in June into Desolation Wilderness where I captured some fine images of Sierra Juniper during a late spring storm. The secondby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
butterfly mariposa lily, calochortus venustus Completed processing images from road trips over the last 2 months and from that adding page 8 to my 2016 Trip Chronicles feature: http://www.davidsenesac.com/2016_Trip_Chronicles/2016_Trip-Chronicles-0.html That includes my wildflower work last week over the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the Tuolumne River canyon areas west of Hetch Hby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteags I've also considered trying sleeping under a blanket (rather than in a bag) for added freedom of movement. The mummy bag I have seems to make things worse in combination with the thin-ish pad. I can sleep OK on a thick car-camping air mattress under a blanket, legs not together. Is there such a thing as a blanket that would be like a down bag without the zipper/hood - just a rectangle -by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
You missed the most significant disadvantage. The shape of a hammock is like a slice of cantaloupe husk after being eaten. For some heavy sleepers that sleep on their back that may not be an issue. The curved laying on one's back position is the only one easily attained. But many find that rigid position can be uncomfortable if forced to be confined so all night. Personally I want to rby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
This May the Central and Southern Sierra shows a significant change from areas of little or no snow to areas of a lot of snow. Thus the survey is somewhat skewed. If higher elevations are only considered where we enthusiasts backpack at during the summer, there are more normal snow depths in the Central Sierra while the Southern Sierra simply was missed by many of the larger storms. http:/by DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
just in... perps have been ID'd but not quite yet wearing red and white stripes.by DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Have been to Kibbie several times over decades. A sister lake to similar Spotted Fawn with tall cliffs right into the lake. Favorite early season destination because at 6.7k it is one of only a few large deep lakes in the Central and Southern Sierra usually snow free by end of May. Traditionally most people camped at the south end near the outlet either along the beach east of the outlet or iby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
The July 4 holiday is the worst time for walk up permits even a couple days before a Saturday morning. July 4 this year is on Monday. No one has mentioned that walk up permits are available the day before by late morning so if entering on Saturday morning one will need to be in line FRIDAY morning an hour or two before they start issuing. One option that gets around the quota is to hike intoby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Some wise nuggets from your REI link: Keep your sleeping bag clean and dry. Accumulated body oils, sweat and dirt can rob your sleeping bag of its insulating power. Tips: Sleep in clean clothes. Best is long underwear, socks and a hat. If it's warm out, wear clean cotton clothes to bed. Just don't fall into bed in the same clothes you hiked in. You'll drag dirt into the bag with you, anby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Visited Death Valley National Park February 12>16 at what was the peak wildflower bloom. Not as strong as the 2005 bloom of the century when I visited twice but comparable. The bloom in the most showy areas in the Ashford area has been on the decline since then but reports say it is still impressive and there are other areas at higher elevations that are now putting on a good show. Belowby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
Was in DV February 12>16 when the massive broad landscape bloom in the Ashford area was peaking. That area has been in decline since for the 4 major showy species but other less dense species are increasing and higher elevations areas though not as showy will be increasing. Visitors were still sparse at the time but are really picking up now. Will complete a feature report for my web siteby DavidSenesac - General Discussion
The HST meetups have all been to difficult to reach multi day to remote off trail locations with loose minimal organized structure beyond a tentative meeting locale. Thus those attending often start, meet, and leave on different dates using different trailheads. The result is partial meet ups and or some missing the others, with not a lot of actual time together. There really hasn't been planby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
When it comes to parks of all types, number of visits and popularity don't necessarily relate to scenic grandeur or interesting features or being world class. There are large numbers of city parks in the world that receive far far more annual visits than any of our national parks. For instance Central Park in New York City. Oh but you say that doesn't count? Well what about Niagara Falls wby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Latest news today is after the park changed the names, now DNC has changed their lawsuit to charge the park by changing the names is "undermining the value" of the DNC trademarks. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article56680303.html Instead of settling this in some boring legal court on the East Coast why not we do this in public in downtown San Franciscoby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Snippets from a December 2014 news article that for some reason was not accessible on the web in the past and I suspect that was because it was mugged by a court order to keep the public in the dark because it shows some incompetance the fire starter's lawyer began attacking. Adds information not made public before. http://www.modbee.com/news/article4270446.html Emerald, 32, of Columbia inby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Horrible may they RIP. SR120 between Groveland and the park is a dangerous highway due to impatient speeders passing slower vehicles. With all the hilly grades there is a tendency for larger slower vehicles to stack up chains of following vehicles. At passing sections speeders scream ahead only to be quickly stuck behind the next slow chain of cars a mile or two ahead. So from that perspectiby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Was out on the road 3 days for fall leaf photography, October 16 thru 18 during stormy weather conditions in Mono County of the Eastern Sierra. The following feature story link on my website of that trip contains the above and 19 other images. http://www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_Chronicles/summer_2015-13.html Davidby DavidSenesac - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Indeed even the natives hitch hike:by DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Camped at Smith Lake too late season with hazy dirty skies 3 decades ago. One of that regions few lakes with good unblocked views to the west for sunset. Thus good choice after an early fall cold front clears the sky for alpen glow. Island Lake has almost no places to camp given considerable irregular broken rock but that spot you found in the back looks nice. Image #94 some nice areas withby DavidSenesac - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra