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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 7, 2017 14:24:44 GMT -8
So I picked up a nice Tom Harrison Ansel Adams Wilderness map along with the USFS Inyo NF map (that puppy is HUGE) while out there this August and I’m thinking that’s a good starting point for some time next summer.
I’ve been neglecting the West Side so I’m looking along there, Beasore Rd. calls. Lol
Maybe drop by VVR for some pie.
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whistlepunk
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I was an award winning honor student once. I have no idea what happened...
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Post by whistlepunk on Nov 7, 2017 14:49:32 GMT -8
Already have a few trips planned.
Snowbird on the Colorado River, Havasu area for a couple months, and a few day hikes around the Mojave Preserve. May get to San Diego area for a visit, that part is still up in the air.
Trip to the San Juans in Colorado.
Son in law and grandkids have never been to Yellowstone. So we rented a condo in West Yellowstone for a week.
Wife likes the Oregon Coast and Redwoods. May fit in another trip.
Just take the RV out to woods locally and hang out for a while.
I want to go back to southern UT and spend more time. Last trip was a whirlwind "if this is Tuesday it must be Zion" type of trip.
Still trying to figure out how to work in Theodore Roosevelt NP on a trip without several days of deadhead driving. It is out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe fit it in with a visit to the Bighorns?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 7, 2017 15:10:37 GMT -8
Dixie NF south of Torrey and west if UT 12 is a place to look at. There’s s great little visitors center at Wildcat.
A nice change from the slickrock country of Deer Creek etc. I went through there as some aspens were just turning. Very nice. Lots of NF roads to explore.
TR NP might work with a Glacier visit? There’s some eastside campgrounds in Glacier that are fun. Yeah roadtrips can be like that: I mostly blew through TR in my way to Glacier.... choices have to be made.
The other thing iirc is decide which section of TR is your target, I seem to recall they’re not being directly visitable one from the other.
Oh! One bit of warning. It seems that as you get closer to the Canadian border up aling the Rockies it’s possible for your smartphone to switcho receiving data from a Canadian service provider. At $2 per MB!!!! I got lucky and the total was only 14 mb>>> $28. But given my total usage for the month as I was traveling and have an unlimited plan was GBs that could have been a very expensive surprise. I shudder to think what I’d have run up if I’d decided to hit the trans Canadian hwy to pop over to Glacier! Yikes. Turning off “cellular data roaming” blocks that.
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ogg
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Post by ogg on Nov 7, 2017 18:25:21 GMT -8
the USFS Inyo NF map (that puppy is HUGE) In a pinch, you could use it as an emergency shelter or a ground sheet. |
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toejam
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Hiking to raise awareness
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Post by toejam on Nov 8, 2017 11:30:41 GMT -8
I have so much unfinished business in the Sierra and don't get/manufacture enough opportunities to get back to it. Already started planning a long trip to Washington, but I need some Sierra!
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 8, 2017 14:40:35 GMT -8
I have so much unfinished business in the Sierra and don't get/manufacture enough opportunities to get back to it. Already started planning a long trip to Washington, but I need some Sierra! Yeah, me too. But I really need to visit some new trailheads, or at the very least trailheads I haven’t used since the (yikes) 70’s. |
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Post by johntpenca on Nov 8, 2017 15:25:48 GMT -8
Like others, I have not spent much time in the western sierra outside of Yosemite and Mineral King, mainly due to long driving distances. There is a lot there to be experienced.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 9, 2017 9:40:56 GMT -8
We have one major hike in the planning works for next summer (early August, maybe, if kids want to join us, maybe later if not). In order to do that, we will need to do a number of shorter trips, as well as spend a week in the Eastern Sierra before the big trip, dayhiking and getting acclimatized. Gosh, what a sad fate!
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Nov 9, 2017 11:37:50 GMT -8
Much like past years...depends on how big a Sierra winter.
Whenever Tioga Pass opens up for the season, plans first call for a few short trips, finding my hiking legs...(left them up there somewhere...usually takes a few weeks to run them down again.) They could be up at Matthes Lake, Hanging Basket, over Shepherd's Crest, or some other trail down to Yosemite Valley but will always search a few days at the Snow Creek ledge area - good place for drawing/art...(see Looking up at Cloud's Rest and North Dome below.) BTW, This last little trip mentioned has been part of my typical warm up hike regime for the past 5 seasons now.
After that, when/if it opens, (BTW, just now received my next year's invite from Yosemite - Yowza!!!) and will again be slaving away as a cashier in the Tuolumne Meadows store. When that closes down after Labor Day, hopefully my hiking regular buddy Mike will have another epic 2-week+ trip planned.
All told, looking for about 100 bag nights...again.
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Nov 9, 2017 13:29:56 GMT -8
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Post by johntpenca on Nov 10, 2017 0:37:52 GMT -8
finding my hiking legs...(left them up there somewhere...usually takes a few weeks to run them down again.) If you find my marbles, pick them up and send them to me. I lost them somwhere in the sierra. |
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Post by paula53 on Nov 15, 2017 22:01:53 GMT -8
I would like to do an early season hike in late May. Using the Rafferty Creek trailhead, hike to Emeric Lake for the first night. Work my way to Washburn Lake for day two. Visit Merced High Sierra Camp and camp north of there for day three. Work my way to the Sunrise Lakes for day four. Hike out day five. Has anyone done this in late May?
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Nov 16, 2017 15:15:51 GMT -8
Great route but as to doing it late May? Too soon to tell. If we have a heavy Sierra winter like this last one... late June this year still held 100% snow coverage over 9,000 feet...Tuolumne Pass is @ 10,000'.
Are you comfortable doing miles/ camping on snow? Both Emeric and Boothe could still be completely iced over. Having done this route in early June - after a late spring - experienced full snow until below Babcock.
Or it could be a regular year and then your boots would stay a whole lot dryer ...might be better (have a Plan B) and go later, in June. Stay tuned.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 16, 2017 21:49:40 GMT -8
Plannng ahead for Rafferty entry for May is going to be tough as you’ll be depending (I assume) on the opening of Tioga Rd. which is problematic at best; even in a normal year their aim is for Memorial Day.
For general on the ground conditions up there the Tuolumne Winter Rangers blog would be a good way to track real-time conditions.
A Valley (or perhaps Glacier Pt start as they often open GP Rd before Tioga) at least has the benefit of having the start date more reliable. Also at least until they start the Tuolumne Meadows shuttle exiting out at Sunrise TH at the outlet of Tenaya would be a logistical challenge (and that stream crossing is nasty early season) for a return to the Wilderness Office area parking for your car.
May the snowpack is usually walkable and at least Tuolumne Pass would go without much trouble to give you entry to the Fletcher Creek drainage etc. stream crossings not solidly snowbridged would be crazy high and dangerous.
The point opposite Bunnel Pt West of Merced HSC past Echo Valley on the way towards Sunrise Creek etc has nice views.
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davesenesac
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Our precious life is short within eternity, don't waste it!
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Post by davesenesac on Nov 23, 2017 7:09:37 GMT -8
Have much detailed planning done years ago on spread sheets. This time of late fall is always the one period of the year when I am home, after fall leaf photography and before skiing, that usually am working on following summer plans. But today is very different since I retired last February and now have far more time each day without the m-f 8-5 grind. And that also means I will have much flexibility in what I actually do next year in 2018 depending on weather and conditions which is paramount for visiting locations when conditions are best. So after backpacking season ended in early September, have been working on coding html updates and rewrites on my huge website that now has over 5000 files and over 1.2gb. My 2017_Trip_Chronicles feature was complete a month ago and now am working on inputting metadata information into each of my jpg files using exiftool and Adobe Bridge. Huge command prompt batch files with long exiftool commands structured in Excel. As soon as 8k UHD displays at 50 inch or so diagonals come onto market, my public exhibiting will be primed to take off.
This summer two of my week long destinations brought back weak results due to stormy weather so need to try again. In particular expect to return to Humphreys Basin again about early August to semi base camp. By mid August may finally do my trip over Shepherd into the upper Kern. An easier trip maybe mid July could be the below to Lake Aloha. It would also be a good choice for a 3 to 5 day group meetup of independent board members. Easy to drive to right along US50. Easy to obtain online solo permits at recreation.gov and then print out the actual permits at home. Short distance on the PCT and likely no other groups sited on that part of the west side of the lake. Ideally at the large northwest peninsula that is at frame mid left below.
When one reduces the below map scale from 7.5 minutes a couple times, to the 100k scale, the original boundaries of Lake Aloha in Desolation Valley display as it is apparently from a USGS map surveyed before its current dam was built. An original rock wall dam was built in 1875 however a higher dam was built at some unknown to this person date later. (manually select copy paste url that forum software mutilates)
mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.86785,-120.15360&z=13&t=T
This summer I backpacked into the popular lake along the Pacific Crest Trail and captured several large stitch blend panoramas. See this trip page:
www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_Chronicles/summer_2017-14.html#jul25
Note the web sized images are much too downsized to see much detail however by viewing the enlarged vertical slice view links below each image, that detail shows. From my camp zone above the east shores,
David
www.davidsenesac.com
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