Friday, July 16, 2010
Finally, the Sierra High Route is about to become a reality. Sally and I were camped at Wawona last night after swimming in the pool in The Valley to clean up from our overnight hike into Clouds rest. We drove the 28 miles to Wawona only to find a "Camping Full" sign on the campground. We figured, what the heck, let's ask. The nice ranger lady in the kiosk said, "Why, yes, we happen to have two open sites.". So with excellent luck we were taken care of for the night.
So today we are headed for Fresno to pick up Gary, Andy, Sandy and Lynne at the airport, then onto Kings Canyon for our permit, last food and gear sort, a night's sleep and then off.
We met Craig and Barb in the cell phone waiting lot, chatted while waiting for the plane to land, all of us in Craig's truck as he has air conditioning. Gary texted us that they were ready, so we pulled up, shook hands and hugged all around, then the guys loaded into my van and the girls took the air conditioned truck and we headed out. A quick stop at Vons for lunch, dinner and last minute supplies and we began pulling the hills up to Kings Canyon wilderness office to secure our permits. The girls stopped us at the Grant Sequoia tree grove so we could gawk at these superlative trees, then back on the road to the end of the road.
To get to Kings Canyon you must drop about 3000+ ft and follow the winding road that hangs on the edge of a cliff. As we dropped the 3000 ft we could see into the canyon. It was black. Dark storm clouds filled the canyon creating an ethereal sense of doom. The darkness was punctuated by flashes of lightning arcing through the gloom. As we began to wind our way along the cliff faces to enter the canyon the wind howled around our vehicles whipping the Yucca and other vegetation. 3/8 inch hail pelted the car and rain deluged in torrents.
We sat in our car, dumbstruck. This is summer, in the Sierra. It is supposed to be nice. This was dante's inferno and we were driving right into the middle of it. The storm was a sobering reminder of how seriously the weather can change and although we were taking the trip lightheartedly, we must also be prepared for whatever happens.
We arrived at the wilderness office at 3:07. I had thought they closed at 5. Bummer. I had really wanted to get our permits Friday night so we could start at sunrise Saturday, because our first day was up 6,000' in 7.5 miles. Not so. We would have to suffer up the long steep grade in the hot sun rather than getting the first few hours in before the hot sun wheeled around to the south and baked us.
Bear cans! In Yosemite they are omnipresent. Rentals are easy to come by and quick. In Kings Canyon we tried to rent them at the Lodge. The Smiths needed two for two weeks and one for four weeks. The people in the lodge had only two, had never rented them for longer than a day or two and wanted $3 per day per can. It was to cost about $190 bucks. We tried the NPS Visitors center. They were able to scrounge up three, at a cost of $5 for two weeks each, but they could not find the rental forms, so we had to wait half an hour while three ladies searched. Ironically, the "Visitors Center" is a room about 10' by 8'. Not a very big place to misplace a folder of forms. But, to the credit of the ladies, they did work hard to accommodate us and were successful.
With bear cans in hand we found a self serve campsite, organized gear and food, compared new gear purchases, ate a lot and finally got to sleep for tomorrow's long anticipated beginning of the adventure.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Friday, July 9th
"Why don't he write?"
I am amazed at how the time in the day slips by and I forget to post a blog! So, here is a catch up of who did what when with maybe a why thrown in now and then.
Friday, July 9th we got up at 4:30am and left our favorite spot, Emerick Lake. We were moving at first light and had to climb up to Fletcher Meadows to cross Fletcher Creek as the slabs of granite where we usually cross were a torrent of impassable water. We descended to Merced Lake, stopping enroute to call Andy and wish him a happy birthday.there are places out here where you get a few bars of service, the general rule: if you can see Half Done, you will have service. At Merced Lake we found the High Sierra camp not open due to a high water table interfering with the septic system. We dropped down below the lake to our favorite swimming pool/campsite, but again the water was so high we couldn't swim. But we had an enjoyable afternoon and evening.
I am amazed at how the time in the day slips by and I forget to post a blog! So, here is a catch up of who did what when with maybe a why thrown in now and then.
Friday, July 9th we got up at 4:30am and left our favorite spot, Emerick Lake. We were moving at first light and had to climb up to Fletcher Meadows to cross Fletcher Creek as the slabs of granite where we usually cross were a torrent of impassable water. We descended to Merced Lake, stopping enroute to call Andy and wish him a happy birthday.there are places out here where you get a few bars of service, the general rule: if you can see Half Done, you will have service. At Merced Lake we found the High Sierra camp not open due to a high water table interfering with the septic system. We dropped down below the lake to our favorite swimming pool/campsite, but again the water was so high we couldn't swim. But we had an enjoyable afternoon and evening.
Saturday, July 10th
Saturday, July 10th
We again were up at daylight to avoid the heat and sauntered down to Little Yosemite thru Bunnel Falls and cataracts. Magnificent flowers and raging water the whole way.
Little Yo is not our favorite place due to the number of people (it is the busiest backcountry camping area in the country) which means dirty camping. But, it is a necessary spot to stop, and it can be fun talking to some of the folks, so it was a good day.
We again were up at daylight to avoid the heat and sauntered down to Little Yosemite thru Bunnel Falls and cataracts. Magnificent flowers and raging water the whole way.
Little Yo is not our favorite place due to the number of people (it is the busiest backcountry camping area in the country) which means dirty camping. But, it is a necessary spot to stop, and it can be fun talking to some of the folks, so it was a good day.
Chuck
Wednesday, July 14
I know not many will believe this, but Sally likes to get up early! Of course, we are in bed and asleep by 9 most nights, so getting up at 5 is nothing big, 8 hours of sleep and all. So today we got up at 4:45 and were on the road by 5:30 and hiking by 6:00. We hiked 5 miles to Forsyth Creek, dropped our packs and set up the tent, then continued the last 3 miles to the top of Clouds Rest, a tall bump on the ridge above Half Dome overlooking all of Yosemite Valley to the west and the Sierra Range to the east. We lunched on top, talked with people from Chicago, Austrailia and California, then returned to our camp for an afternoon nap, blogging, dinner, a game of scrabble and then bed.
It was the first totally clear blue sky day we have had since we got here. Cool air, bright sun, light breeze. A perfect day.
Tuesday, July 13th
Tuesday, July 13th
We descend from South Lake, picking up a hitch hiker on the way. Turns out he is from Hong Kong and is in the Sierra with his wife doing the Muir Trail. He describes risking life and limb crossing the high passes of the trail choked with this year's unusually high and late melting snow pack. He is writing a guide book and making a DVD for foreign travelers to the Muir trail. Claims to have hiked it's 220 mile length 24 times.
We drop him in Bishop, stopnon for my 8 cherry turnovers at Schat's Bakery, then head north out of town for Mammoth. Mammoth is 3000' higher than Bishop which equates to 15 degrees cooler. A much more comfortable temperature to do laundry and food and gear sorting. As we climb the grade out of Bishop darned if the oil light and buzzer don't wink on again. Temp gauge looks okay, maybe a little warmer than usual, but certainly not overheated. Plenty of oil. Hmmmm. We limp into Mammoth and divide to conquer. Sally sets up camp in the Laundromat while I seek out a way to change the oil, hoping replacing the 4000 mile old oil will help the old beast. I buy a turkey basting pan at the grocery store, dumpster dive for a
used milk jug in back of a latte shop, find the oil recycling place in town and buy five quarts of 20-50 and a new filter at the NAPA. The Mammoth high School student parking lot has a piece of shade, so I do the change there. Sal and I have lunch at Subway while letting the van cool, then we empty all the gear out to expose the engine and water reservoir. It is down about a quart. I add in enough to fill it and the overflow tank, and we are off to make another food drop, this time by car at Red's Meadow a 22 mile drive from Mammoth, down and then up another very large grade.
We drop the food off at Red's, pay the $35 storage fee and spend a delightful hour talking with some kids thru hiking the PCT. We give them the offer we give all PCT bikers we meet. If they will call us when the reach the Columbia and tell us what they want for a food drop and dinner, we will meet them at White Pass with whatever goodies they desire. Steaks, pies, ice cream . . . whatever. We have done this for three years and have yet to have a taker. But, El Presidente (his trail name-real name Reagan Bush-no kidding!) took our name and number and swore he would call, so we will be anticipating his call sometime in September.
The van performed perfectly on the grade out of Red's. Was it the oil or the water? Don't know-Don't care.
Next, it is back to Tuolumne, a climb from 7000' to 11,000' for the van, a true test of the repair work. It is second gear and 28 mph (luckily it is late in the afternoon and no one gets stuck behind us-damn Volkswagons!) most of the climb, but the temp stays down and the oil pressure holds.
We pick up a permit for an overnight hike to Clouds Rest, a 15 mile round trip, secure camping in the campground, treat the kids at the wilderness office to half a dozen donuts and the kids at the camping office to Cherry Turnovers and we are off to pack our packs for the hike tomorrow.
Monday, July 12
Monday, July 12
Today we drive to Lee Vining and find a hotel for Sally to stay at once she leaves the van at Tuolumne after dropping me off at Road's End for the high route. Then down to Mammoth to check out the bargains at "The Castaway", the local thrift shop run by the nurses at the town hospital. I find a nice baseball mitt for three dollars and Sally finds some nice tops and some dinner plates for her math classroom. We skip town and head further south to Bishop, with visions of cherry turnovers at Schat's Bakery. It is a supreme show of willpower to walk out of Schat's with only two turnovers, although I do put in an order for eight to be picked up the next afternoon.
We pop across the street to go swimming at the public pool only to find it closed on Mondays. The lady at the visitor's center suggests the hot bath and mineral pool 7 miles out of town, Keough's Resort. In the brochure it looks quite elegant. When we walk in we discover a well maintained cement pool with clap board walls built around it. It looked like it was constructed in the 40's. Although it was old and not at all glamorous, the water was great. We both felt clean, mineralized and refreshed after an hour and a half of soaking and swimming.
A quick stop at the Von's for some last minute items, then out of town and up the hill to South Lake. Bishop sits at about 4000'. South Lake is at 9,700'. The distance is 22 miles. This makes for a continuously steep and long road. It was 99 degrees when we left Bishop. Also, there was a strong head wind. Sounds like a recipe for VW Van disaster? It was. About 5 miles out of town the oil light and oil pressure buzzer blinked on, even with fairly high rpms. Sally was driving at the time, and handed the wheel to me, not wanting to be the one that blew the engine. This hill is steep. Now, you might not notice in a "normal" car, but I had to stay in second gear at 28 mph to make it up. The oil light and buzzer plipped on again a few more times, but I nursed it along to the end of the road at South Lake. Whew! Did that engine smell hot! The temp gauge was a little above normal, but seemed reasonable consider the outside temps.
Anyway, we found a place to camp and I started packing Gary's, Andy's and my food into my Kelty frame pack. The idea was to have me freight it in to Dusy Basin for a food drop for us to pick up after week one of the hike. I got all the food (3 people for 11 days-99 meals plus snacks) all into 4 bear cans, loaded them onto my pack, added some personal items like food, rain gear etc and put it on the scale. 75 pounds! I was not expecting it to weigh that much. I put the pack on. I Iove that old Kelty. You load 75 pounds on your back and it feels comfortable. I walked about a quarter mile to the campground entrance to see how it felt. Still felt great. But. Wait a minute. Hold on a second. Let's think this thru. I am to go by myself, climb 2000' over eight miles thru a 12,000' pass with this thing on my back and then return, all in the same day? Three days before the start of a 200 mile trek I have been planning for nine months? Ego or common sense? If I injure myself performing this food cache it will knock me out of the trip. But, when I was young I wouldn't hesitate to do this. I'm now 56. Knees get sore. Recover time is longer. Hmmmm. Sally sees me standing outside the van, the monster on my back, contemplating my future. To her credit, she did not chirp in with an opinion, but let me wrestle with my ego versus reality conflict.
In the waning light I set the pack on the picnic table, stepped inside the van and decided Gary, Andy and I would hike out to get the food rather than me risking lugging it over the pass. Sally heartily agrees with this decision.
A late, quick spaghetti dinner, and it is off to sleep.
Today we drive to Lee Vining and find a hotel for Sally to stay at once she leaves the van at Tuolumne after dropping me off at Road's End for the high route. Then down to Mammoth to check out the bargains at "The Castaway", the local thrift shop run by the nurses at the town hospital. I find a nice baseball mitt for three dollars and Sally finds some nice tops and some dinner plates for her math classroom. We skip town and head further south to Bishop, with visions of cherry turnovers at Schat's Bakery. It is a supreme show of willpower to walk out of Schat's with only two turnovers, although I do put in an order for eight to be picked up the next afternoon.
We pop across the street to go swimming at the public pool only to find it closed on Mondays. The lady at the visitor's center suggests the hot bath and mineral pool 7 miles out of town, Keough's Resort. In the brochure it looks quite elegant. When we walk in we discover a well maintained cement pool with clap board walls built around it. It looked like it was constructed in the 40's. Although it was old and not at all glamorous, the water was great. We both felt clean, mineralized and refreshed after an hour and a half of soaking and swimming.
A quick stop at the Von's for some last minute items, then out of town and up the hill to South Lake. Bishop sits at about 4000'. South Lake is at 9,700'. The distance is 22 miles. This makes for a continuously steep and long road. It was 99 degrees when we left Bishop. Also, there was a strong head wind. Sounds like a recipe for VW Van disaster? It was. About 5 miles out of town the oil light and oil pressure buzzer blinked on, even with fairly high rpms. Sally was driving at the time, and handed the wheel to me, not wanting to be the one that blew the engine. This hill is steep. Now, you might not notice in a "normal" car, but I had to stay in second gear at 28 mph to make it up. The oil light and buzzer plipped on again a few more times, but I nursed it along to the end of the road at South Lake. Whew! Did that engine smell hot! The temp gauge was a little above normal, but seemed reasonable consider the outside temps.
Anyway, we found a place to camp and I started packing Gary's, Andy's and my food into my Kelty frame pack. The idea was to have me freight it in to Dusy Basin for a food drop for us to pick up after week one of the hike. I got all the food (3 people for 11 days-99 meals plus snacks) all into 4 bear cans, loaded them onto my pack, added some personal items like food, rain gear etc and put it on the scale. 75 pounds! I was not expecting it to weigh that much. I put the pack on. I Iove that old Kelty. You load 75 pounds on your back and it feels comfortable. I walked about a quarter mile to the campground entrance to see how it felt. Still felt great. But. Wait a minute. Hold on a second. Let's think this thru. I am to go by myself, climb 2000' over eight miles thru a 12,000' pass with this thing on my back and then return, all in the same day? Three days before the start of a 200 mile trek I have been planning for nine months? Ego or common sense? If I injure myself performing this food cache it will knock me out of the trip. But, when I was young I wouldn't hesitate to do this. I'm now 56. Knees get sore. Recover time is longer. Hmmmm. Sally sees me standing outside the van, the monster on my back, contemplating my future. To her credit, she did not chirp in with an opinion, but let me wrestle with my ego versus reality conflict.
In the waning light I set the pack on the picnic table, stepped inside the van and decided Gary, Andy and I would hike out to get the food rather than me risking lugging it over the pass. Sally heartily agrees with this decision.
A late, quick spaghetti dinner, and it is off to sleep.
Sunday, July 11
Up before light and on the trail down to the Valley. This early morning travel has it's advantages. Very cool and comfortable. Very few people. No direct sun. We got to enjoy Nevada Falls by ourselves. It was in full bloom, torrents of water hurling off the face crashing on the apron below. Vernal was equally impressive. We got to the Valley about 9:30 and caught the free shuttle bus to the lodge. It is interesting to note what a novelty you become once in the Valley if you are carrying a backpack. Little kids stare at you as if you descended from the moon and clean, well heeled tourists treat you with curiosity.
We got off at the lodge, secured an outside table by leaning our packs against it and went inside the lunchroom, emerging with a spinach and walnut salad. We enjoyed the salad and people watching until the pool opened at 11:00. An hour soaking off the trail dirt, then a couple hours touring the Valley haunts: Awanhee Hotel, grocery store, Ansel Adams studio, Degnan's Pizza Loft then off to the bus stop for the Shuttle to Tuolumne. 7:15 sees us dropped at the Tuolmne store. A quick walk to our van and soon we are at the camping kiosk finding an empty site. A quick sorting of the food and the dirty clothes and we hit the sack.
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