Ran into the most amazing thing Sunday. We camped at Crocker Point on sat. night, and sunday started a day hike to Taft point. On the way out, some guy was coming back towards dewey point, and he had encountered a bear that was sitting on the trail and wouldn't move. He said it wasn't aggressive, but he didn't want to test the waters, though he probably could've gone around. The only other two beby from_mars - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Went up yesterday and climbed Mt Dana. There is some snow up there. Not much, but what there is, seems to be sitting right on parts of the trail, making for slippery footing in some spots, and in others, obscuring the the thin trail altogether. A good exercise in route finding. It was a beautiful day though, and the views up there are well worth the climb, though coming from SF (sea level) the saby from_mars - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Anyone been up Mt Dana recently? Was supposed to climb it with a few friends a couple of weeks ago on the way back from Mt Russell, but weather was bad. Thought I'd make a quick trip down there tomorrow before the weather gets bad again; which is what's forecast for the week. Wondering if there's any snow up there. Just thinking about doing the class 2 route. Thanksby from_mars - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'll be in Lone Pine this week attempting to climb Mt Russell with a friend of mine, but will be hooking up with a few friends next Saturday to hike Mt Dana. We're planning on the class 2 trail that starts across the street from the East entrance. We just want to find a campsite nearby where we can spend the night, and hike Dana probably on Sunday. Is it still difficult to get campsites in the paby from_mars - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Got chased off of Mt Whitney last weekend at Trail Crest by an "isolated thunderstorm" though I swear it must've had friends, because at 13,600 ft. it was, what's the word, Biblical? One moment we heard the distant rumble of thunder, and before I could put even one crampon back on, all hell broke loose. Couldn't get down fast enough though, because due to the previous several days of &qby from_mars - General Discussion
Thanks Mrcondron, Yeah I've already checked those sites. You're probably right. I saw 5 people attempting to summit last Sunday, and that was on a day when it was downright balmy. Probably 50-60 degrees at helen lake. Not a cloud in the sky. Amazingly, just the day before, several groups came back down complaining about 50mph winds and ice cold temps. at helen lake. They got so thrashed they cby from_mars - General Discussion
Hi Everyone, I took a one day class just recently up at shasta, and also camped there at horse camp followed by a hike/climb to helen lake. Last year when discussing a climb of mt whitney (still scheduled for may 30), some of you not only suggested some training, but also pointed me to a great web forum, the whitney portal. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a good forum for shasta; which surby from_mars - General Discussion
Yeah Vince, I already have a Mountaineer's Trail permit for Jun 20, but I also have a lottery request in for May 30 on the main trail. According to people at the Whitney Portal web site, that time of year is so easy to get that I probably wasted my money reserving it. Apparently Jul 4 to Sept. on weekends are hard to get. One question on Crocker Point for Bill. The mileage according to the NPSby from_mars - General Discussion
Since it was already close to the end of the winter season, and the SL1 tent I have, held up fine during the non-stop snow and wind at Lassen, and the 40-50 mph winds at Carson Pass (though admittedly, I did have it inside our half-built igloo), I held off getting one just yet. I was looking at Eureka like you suggested, as well as a couple of REI tents (Hilleburgs way too expensive). However; coby from_mars - General Discussion
Just camped at Crocker Point this last Saturday night (11 of us total). I can't begin to describe the beauty of this place. Sitting in our snow kitchen looking out over the valley is surely something I'll remember for a long time to come. What a spot. Late afternoon cloud shadows moving across El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks, shooting stars, the errie sounds of snow and ice falling from the sheerby from_mars - General Discussion
Hi Bill, Ordered the new 24K TOPO DVD from Garmin. Supports mac and says it includes basecamp. Hopefully it'll have similar content/usefulness to the 24K TOPO National Parks DVD you have. I'm looking forward to using it, though I'm not sure when I'll be in winter IFR hiking conditions again. I am going with the sierra club for another trip. An igloo building trip out near Carson Pass (Meiss Meadby from_mars - General Discussion
That's a great deal. i checked amazon and right now $200. Got mine at REI for $225 subtracting the dividend it came to $160. Didn't see the amazon deal. Everyone else was selling at retail, $299 or close to that, so I thought REI was the best deal. Anyway, checking on the software now. I'm assuming, the TOPO 24K West DVD is probably what I want.by from_mars - General Discussion
Hey Bill, Ordered the vista Hcx this morning. Now the test will be getting the software to run on my mac. A rep from garmin said they fully support macs, but from other forums as well as their own website, I'm not so sure. I really like the picts you posted. i'm looking forward to using it.by from_mars - General Discussion
Oh, by the way, does this software run on macs, becasue that's what I have at home. I can't imagine it doesn't but you never know.by from_mars - General Discussion
The routable maps look great. I'm seriously considering the vista, though the altimeter is questionable since if the gps and my own mapping skills are working I should be able to easily infer the elevation from the topo map. Does anyone know if the altimeter/barometer function can be turned off when not in use? I've read where these two features draw additional power and decreasing the life of thby from_mars - General Discussion
Bill, Do you use the Eureka tent that Mike suggested for winter? The price is certainly right.by from_mars - General Discussion
From pictures I've seen of the Twin Sisters shelter on a couple of forums, it looks pretty stable, and they swear by them in high winds. But of course it isn't a fully enclosed tent which provides the max. amount of protection. Even the manufacturers state that considering this there may be a requirement for a warmer sleeping system if using one of the floorless shelters. The floorless sheltersby from_mars - General Discussion
my email is rolandruby@sbcglobal.net I did read somewhere where someone had a compalint that the built-in altimeter for the Vista seemed to drain the batteries quicker than the units without that feature.by from_mars - General Discussion
Hi Bill, In my last post you suggested the Garmin eTrex GPS unit. Turns out there's a number of them, eTrex Vista, Legend, Venture ect. Which one do you have, and how is it's reception? Thanksby from_mars - General Discussion
Hi Frank, The Sierra Club training series is described at this website http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/snowcamping/training_intro.asp. It describes the course; which consists essentially of a 1 day orientation followed by a 2 day and than a 3 day trip. They do encourage simplicity in the form of snow trenches/caves, and really insist on the compass and map work. Everyone contributes to theby from_mars - General Discussion
Hi Everyone, Per everyone's advice about wondering off into the Sierra winter with no experience, I just finished a two trip training series with the Sierra Club. I'm very grateful for the advice. I would never have guessed how quickly things can go bad. Breaking trail with huge snowshoes and a 40 lb pack in blinding snow was some of the hardest work I've ever done, and certainly shatters anyby from_mars - General Discussion
Yeah, I'm excited about the class. Just one day, but I can get a lot of info in a day, plus one of the Sierra club trip leaders is also taking the class. He's very interested in climbing shasta. Maybe I'll try it with him. As far as whitney, someone from their portal sent me a web post listing the unused permits for 2008. Many unused permits in may and even june. I filled out a lottery app. forby from_mars - General Discussion
Sorry Bill, Should've figured you were the one taking the picture. One question I have is when you're hiking through snow, with or without snowshoes, do you wear your regular boots, winter boots, or an overboot; i.e. Neos? The winter storm in lone pine looks pretty menacing. I'm starting to figure out; especially from some of the chilling accounts of problems on whitney that are listed on theirby from_mars - General Discussion
I took your advice Bee, and signed up for a one day class at Shasta Mountain Guides (crampons, ice axe, self-arrest). One of the sierra club trip leaders for the winter camping series also suggested them. My little Mazda is getting alot of mileage these days, but hey, that's what I got it for. I agree Bill, don't know if I'll ever need these skills since I don't envision myself a "mountaineby from_mars - General Discussion
The pictures are outstanding. The East Lake and Reflection Lake ones in particular. Must've been quite exhilarating standing there to take them. Can't wait to get out there. The people on the whitney portal have been very helpful. From a blog they suggested I chekc out (one of several), it was stated that the peak time for permits is july 4 and after, and on the weekends. Much easier to get perby from_mars - General Discussion
Hey bill, i mentioned doing the main trail to whitney in april on the whitney portal forum. Very nice response, and very concerned that I have no crampon/ice axe experience. Actually, one of them is looking up someone he thinks could offer some instruction on the subject. Did you need crampons for your trip to whitney? Are they that hard to use?by from_mars - General Discussion
I registered for the whitney portal forum and asked about april conditions. got some pretty good feedback. also, got a permit for the "muntaineers trail" for june, though the ranger said you might still need crampons and ice axe. i'll bring them, but hopefully I won't need them. Is the climb from the west side (JMT) hard?by from_mars - General Discussion
Wow, that's a helluva hike. For me anyway. How did you find Harrison Pass. I don't see any trails near there, and the kern river looks like it just splits into a number of lakes before you get to the pass. Also, how much did you rely on compass readings, or did you have GPS?by from_mars - General Discussion
You're right sierrafan. I did check summitpost, and they said for spring conditions that snowshoes probably for the approach and possibly crampons and ice axe later on, though most of the time not needed. Because of the non-lottery requirement, I also checked out the "Mountaineers" route. It sounds like a much more rewarding way to go, and one gentleman at a local sports store claimed tby from_mars - General Discussion
Thanks Bill, But I think I'll need quite a bit more experience in the backcountry before attempting a hike that long, or that remote. Looking at the topo, forrester pass does look formidable. I have a friend who used to do whitney from mineral king, but according to him that was twenty years ago or more. He said the hike down and back up kern canyon was tough. Apparently, he used to camp on theby from_mars - General Discussion