High Sierra Fun

[balzaccom]

With a cabin above Sonora, California, we have a tendency to explore the central part of the Sierra: Yosemite, Emigrant Wilderness, Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, etc. And I do volunteer work in both Desolation and Mokelumne Wildernesses, so those northern areas also get our attention.

But when we decided to go on a hiking trip, we made an effort to get beyond our normal drive time, and headed to Onion Valley, a campground that sits at over 9,000 feet above Independence, CA off Highway 395. It's a seven hour drive from our home, and about five hours from the the cabin. As our good deed for the day, we picked up a PCT hiker at Sonora Pass and delivered him to Bridgeport on our way. And we stopped at the famous Mobil Station in Lee Vining for lunch--a delicious Southwest chicken sandwich for me, a very much less delicious veggie sandwich for M. (Grilled veggies and bread. That's it. The veggies were not completely cooked, they were not seasoned or basted in oil. Just veggies and bread. Hmm.)

We stopped for gas at the Piute Reservation gas station in Bishop, and continued on to Fort Independence, where the local reservation casino had even cheaper gas.

The road up to Onion Valley is an adventure in itself--a twisty, steep uphill slalom run that gains over 5,000 feet in about ten miles. That's impressive. More impressive, in fact, than the campground itself, which is a rough collage of primitive sites with no water and a couple of clean outhouses for thirty sites, all cobbled together around a narrow dirt road. But the views, both from the road and the campground, are spectacular.

So are the hikes. We took one day to climb up to Kearsarge Pass, at 11,760 feet, to peer into the upper reaches of Bubbs Creek in Kings Canyon National Park. It's an amazing hike that packs stunning views, a fine assortment of lakes, and plenty of fellow hikers into only five miles each way. The reason so many hikers take this trail is that it is one of the best re-supply points on both the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. We met more than a few of each, as well as backpackers tackling shorter trips and dayhikers out to see the sights.

We also ran into a couple of Park Service employees, one of whom was having a bit of an issue with the elevation. We'll tell that story in a future post.

But hiking ten miles, and up and down 2,500 feet, left us feeling our age and our knees. We took our time to re-hydrate, refuel, and rest up after that one. A snooze in the van, a few chats with through-hikers wandering around the campground, and an early dinner followed in short order. And because the east side of the Sierra is so steep, the sun went down behind the mountains on our campsite well before seven p.m. It cooled off, we bundled up, and then we went to bed.

Another day we chose to hike up to Robinson Lake. This short, three-mile round trip hike is on a trail that is described as "not frequently maintained." That is correct. In fact, this trail is damn steep, rocky, and usually chooses to go straight up the side of the mountain, with no thought of working in a switchback to ease the climb. (The Kearsarge Pass Trail, on the other hand, is an absolutely perfect trail--steady slope, beautifully maintained...and only a few high steps to negotiate with our elderly knees.)

We gasped and wheezed our way up to the lake, which is set in a gorgeous bowl of vertical peaks, and then carefully picked our way back down again in time for lunch. Three miles, a thousand feet of climbing, and more scenery to beat the band.

In the afternoon we napped, then drove into Independence to visit the Eastern California Museum, which has a world-class exhibit of Paiute and Shoshone basketry that had us gaping in admiration. Other exhibits include mining, women in the West, and the Owens Valley water project with the LADWP. Well worth a visit, with an excellent gift shop, and free admission! We grabbed an icecream at the Shell station and headed back up the hill for dinner at our campsite.

Once there, our van became a local charging station for a couple of the PCT hikers, whose phones and battery back-ups were running low. Happily, we had the USB ports available, and could help them out.

The last day we were packed up and on the road by 7:30. We were assisted in this by another camper whose car alarm went' off at 6:25 and despite her frantic efforts, kept going for another seven long minutes. (Low battery in her keyfob was the apparent culprit.) And then we were driving north. The original plan was to return to Napa via Yosemite, but in the end we chose to go through Markleeville and Echo Summit. More on that in a future post, too.

The trip was a great reminder that the Sierra gets higher and steeper and more impressive as you go south. The trail to Robinson Lake was a good reminder that trails like Taboose and Baxter Passes have earned their fearsome reputation. And we do need to go back, to see more, do more, and enjoy more of that part of the Sierra.

Here'sthe photo link to them all: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUoqRQbgj3T291Rc9

 

[balzaccom]

With a cabin above Sonora, California, we have a tendency to explore the central part of the Sierra: Yosemite, Emigrant Wilderness, Carson-Iceberg Wilderness, etc. And I do volunteer work in both Desolation and Mokelumne Wildernesses, so those northern areas also get our attention.

But when we decided to go on a hiking trip, we made an effort to get beyond our normal drive time, and headed to Onion Valley, a campground that sits at over 9,000 feet above Independence, CA off Highway 395. It's a seven hour drive from our home, and about five hours from the the cabin. As our good deed for the day, we picked up a PCT hiker at Sonora Pass and delivered him to Bridgeport on our way. And we stopped at the famous Mobil Station in Lee Vining for lunch--a delicious Southwest chicken sandwich for me, a very much less delicious veggie sandwich for M. (Grilled veggies and bread. That's it. The veggies were not completely cooked, they were not seasoned or basted in oil. Just veggies and bread. Hmm.)

We stopped for gas at the Piute Reservation gas station in Bishop, and continued on to Fort Independence, where the local reservation casino had even cheaper gas.

The road up to Onion Valley is an adventure in itself--a twisty, steep uphill slalom run that gains over 5,000 feet in about ten miles. That's impressive. More impressive, in fact, than the campground itself, which is a rough collage of primitive sites with no water and a couple of clean outhouses for thirty sites, all cobbled together around a narrow dirt road. But the views, both from the road and the campground, are spectacular.

So are the hikes. We took one day to climb up to Kearsarge Pass, at 11,760 feet, to peer into the upper reaches of Bubbs Creek in Kings Canyon National Park. It's an amazing hike that packs stunning views, a fine assortment of lakes, and plenty of fellow hikers into only five miles each way. The reason so many hikers take this trail is that it is one of the best re-supply points on both the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. We met more than a few of each, as well as backpackers tackling shorter trips and dayhikers out to see the sights.

We also ran into a couple of Park Service employees, one of whom was having a bit of an issue with the elevation. We'll tell that story in a future post.

But hiking ten miles, and up and down 2,500 feet, left us feeling our age and our knees. We took our time to re-hydrate, refuel, and rest up after that one. A snooze in the van, a few chats with through-hikers wandering around the campground, and an early dinner followed in short order. And because the east side of the Sierra is so steep, the sun went down behind the mountains on our campsite well before seven p.m. It cooled off, we bundled up, and then we went to bed.

Another day we chose to hike up to Robinson Lake. This short, three-mile round trip hike is on a trail that is described as "not frequently maintained." That is correct. In fact, this trail is damn steep, rocky, and usually chooses to go straight up the side of the mountain, with no thought of working in a switchback to ease the climb. (The Kearsarge Pass Trail, on the other hand, is an absolutely perfect trail--steady slope, beautifully maintained...and only a few high steps to negotiate with our elderly knees.)

We gasped and wheezed our way up to the lake, which is set in a gorgeous bowl of vertical peaks, and then carefully picked our way back down again in time for lunch. Three miles, a thousand feet of climbing, and more scenery to beat the band.

In the afternoon we napped, then drove into Independence to visit the Eastern California Museum, which has a world-class exhibit of Paiute and Shoshone basketry that had us gaping in admiration. Other exhibits include mining, women in the West, and the Owens Valley water project with the LADWP. Well worth a visit, with an excellent gift shop, and free admission! We grabbed an icecream at the Shell station and headed back up the hill for dinner at our campsite.

Once there, our van became a local charging station for a couple of the PCT hikers, whose phones and battery back-ups were running low. Happily, we had the USB ports available, and could help them out.

The last day we were packed up and on the road by 7:30. We were assisted in this by another camper whose car alarm went' off at 6:25 and despite her frantic efforts, kept going for another seven long minutes. (Low battery in her keyfob was the apparent culprit.) And then we were driving north. The original plan was to return to Napa via Yosemite, but in the end we chose to go through Markleeville and Echo Summit. More on that in a future post, too.

The trip was a great reminder that the Sierra gets higher and steeper and more impressive as you go south. The trail to Robinson Lake was a good reminder that trails like Taboose and Baxter Passes have earned their fearsome reputation. And we do need to go back, to see more, do more, and enjoy more of that part of the Sierra.

Here'sthe photo link to them all: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUoqRQbgj3T291Rc9

I promised a few more notes on this trip:

On our hike up to Kearsarge Pass, we ran into a woman hiking down from the pass. "You may meet two park staff up there," she said. "One of them isn't feeling well, and they may need some help." We promised to check on them, even after she told us that they had a radio and were in touch with other park staff.

About 500 feet below the pass, we came upon the two young women. One of them was on the radio, while the other sat, well off the trail in the shade. We stopped and chatted with them. The seated woman was not feeling well: headache, nausea and general malaise. And she had decided, quite wisely, to call off her week-long trip into the backcountry, and hike back down to the trailhead.

A hiker who didn't need help.

But she was not alone. Another of their party had already arrived at their destination down below the pass in Kings Canyon NP, and her hiking partner was there, with her on the pass. (A fourth member had injured her ankle and didn't start the hike.)

The question was not if she should hike down to lower elevations. The question was how, and what the others should do. We offered to help in any case, but of course, we were not employees or officials in any way. We offered Advil or Tylenol. We offered to carry her pack. We offered water and food. They were grateful, but did not accept the offers. (I still think they should have taken us up on carrying the pack down the mountain.)

Their supervisor didn't want to leave one team member alone in the backcountry while the other two hiked out. That was against policy. And she didn't want to ask the ill hiker to hike out on her own. Both solid decisions. In the end, they were able to reach the third hiker in the backcountry by radio and ask him to hike out to meet the other two and help them down the trail.

We had offered our campsite, water, and any other help they needed once they had descended. And late in the day, after we were well rested and reading in the shade, they stopped by, in their car. The third young hiker had joined them on the way down the mountain, and they just wanted to let us know that everyone got out safely.

A happy ending, all the way around.

 

[balzaccom]

I promised a few more notes on this trip:

On our hike up to Kearsarge Pass, we ran into a woman hiking down from the pass. "You may meet two park staff up there," she said. "One of them isn't feeling well, and they may need some help." We promised to check on them, even after she told us that they had a radio and were in touch with other park staff.

About 500 feet below the pass, we came upon the two young women. One of them was on the radio, while the other sat, well off the trail in the shade. We stopped and chatted with them. The seated woman was not feeling well: headache, nausea and general malaise. And she had decided, quite wisely, to call off her week-long trip into the backcountry, and hike back down to the trailhead.

A hiker who didn't need help.

But she was not alone. Another of their party had already arrived at their destination down below the pass in Kings Canyon NP, and her hiking partner was there, with her on the pass. (A fourth member had injured her ankle and didn't start the hike.)

The question was not if she should hike down to lower elevations. The question was how, and what the others should do. We offered to help in any case, but of course, we were not employees or officials in any way. We offered Advil or Tylenol. We offered to carry her pack. We offered water and food. They were grateful, but did not accept the offers. (I still think they should have taken us up on carrying the pack down the mountain.)

Their supervisor didn't want to leave one team member alone in the backcountry while the other two hiked out. That was against policy. And she didn't want to ask the ill hiker to hike out on her own. Both solid decisions. In the end, they were able to reach the third hiker in the backcountry by radio and ask him to hike out to meet the other two and help them down the trail.

We had offered our campsite, water, and any other help they needed once they had descended. And late in the day, after we were well rested and reading in the shade, they stopped by, in their car. The third young hiker had joined them on the way down the mountain, and they just wanted to let us know that everyone got out safely.

A happy ending, all the way around.

And about Yosemite---Grrr.

For our trip down to Onion Valley, I thought it might be nice to come back to the West side of the Sierra through Yosemite. What the heck, it would be a nice drive, and should be easy to organize.

So I went online to Recreation.gov on July 14 and tried to book a Yosemite day pass for July 18. What I got was a message that no day pass was required for July 18 or July 19.

Huh. Cool. Apparently July 18 and 19 were just not going to be busy enough. I thought I was going to be good to go. But I didn't take a screen shot of that message.

So on July 18, when we started driving north on Highway 395, I thought I would check again. Now the rec.gov site simply had both July 18 and 19 as blank on their calendar. Nothing available, nothing saying it was all reserved, just a blank spot on the calendar.

I tried calling them, and got a message that their staff had no knowledge at all beyon what I could see on their website. And as we approached Lee Vining and the turnoff to Tioga Pass, the electronic road sign clearly said: Yosemite National Park: Reservations Required for Entry.

I thought about going up to Tioga Pass and taking my chances, either with a mirable (the info on the website was accurate) or an understanding ranger at the entry station. But if neither of those turned out to be true, it was a lot of driving for an already long day.

Screw it. We headed for Monitor Pass and Echo Summit, which Google Maps tolds us was three minutes shorter, anyway.

But don't you wish you had the idea that someone, anyone, might be flying the damn airplane at recreation.gov?



We do.