Snow plow

Best view in the Sierra Nevada

Hiked part of the way to Grouse Lake. The original plan was to hike to the Enchanted Pools and then to Lake Umpa but I changed my mind on the trail. It was getting late and as I hadn't done any research on Grouse Lake I wasn't sure how much farther we had to go. It was climb, climb, climb and an allegedly REALLY steep bit at the end. I'm glad we turned back.

Water was everywhere from the rains. Two weeks ago the terrain was parched, now, it's wet. There were puddles everywhere and snow dusting above about 8000 feet.

We stopped at the Wright's Lake boat ramp and this is one of the best views in the Sierra Nevada. The Crystal Range seems to loom over the still lake. Today, they were wreathed in clouds with some faint pink from the setting sun. A bald eagle flew over our heads clutching an enormous trout in its talons. It landed on a tree snag and scolded our presence and then flew away, still clutching the trout. Wow.

Bagged Mt. Lola - Finally!

A few weekends ago I decided to try and summit Mt. Lola. The trail from White Rock Lake is described as about 2 miles to the 9100 ft' summit. The first time I got on the wrong trail. I tried to follow a use trail that goes straight up and I gave up because it was too difficult. I did have a nice hike around the lake though.

The second time I studied the terrain and decided to dispense with the trail entirely and go up a saddle on the dam end of the lake. Although I had a great hike, going cross country proved to be a bit much and I didn't make it.

The third time I determined to carefully follow the trail. Unfortunately, I skipped lunch and didn't bother to hydrate or eat while hiking and somewhere very close to the summit I became ill and had to turn back. This route was quite punishing once I got to Mt. Lola's final flank. The trail from White Rock Lake is not well marked and is a bit hard to follow, although, not impossible. There also seems to be a trail, not on any map, that seems to head over to Castle Peak area so be careful.

After more terrain and map studying, I decided to drive up a forest service/logging road to Cold Stream Meadow and take the trail from there. There also seemed to be a sort of road on satellite views that went to almost 8500 feet and put one quite close to the summit.

The forest service road is passable by most high clearance vehicles. It's narrow and overgrown so you'll get paint scratches. I chose to drive over the foot bridge and it felt sturdy but it was scary nonetheless. If it ever fails there will be a good 3 foot drop into the creek.

The road forks above the meadow. I didn't like the look of either and parked a few feet back in a logging clearing. I chose to hike the road that went up and this turned out to be a good decision. It goes up and up and up with several switchbacks and a few steep places. It finally ends at a logging clearing and I had to just go up through the forest, then across a boulder field, then through some mule's ears and scraggly manzanita to a saddle. Once here, the going is not bad. It's all worn volcanic rock with scrubby plants worn down by the wind. It's not very steep, but there is still a climb to a rounded peak, then a slight drop, another climb to another rounded peak, then a slight drop, then, finally Mt. Lola!!

On this trip I set an alarm every 1/2 hour and forced myself to rest, eat, and drink. It made a big difference in how I felt. Although I could tell I was at elevation, there was none of the nausea and dizziness of Friday's trip.

I chose to take the trail back to the meadow and the car. I'm really glad I took the road up because I think it was easier than the trail. It took about 3 to 4 hours for me to get up and only 2 to get back to the car.

Camping Trip

Drove up to the Salt Springs Reservoir for a night of camping. The usual roads are blocked by gates and snow so I took the Tiger Creek road. It's quite a road; it follows the Tiger Creek and North Fork of the Mokelumne River canyons. It's extremely narrow and only about half paved...although, the dirt parts were some of the wider and faster parts. Because it runs through the canyon area, there's a 500 ft. to 1000 ft. drop on the water side. The fast moving forest service and PG&E trucks were a bit scary too, but there was always room to pass as long as you folded in your mirrors and didn't mind exchanging dust particles. I was glad there weren't any logging trucks because I wasn't wearing brown pants.

We checked out the dam area (no camping) and 2 of the 3 campgrounds. We selected White Azalea because it had a flat open space on the Mokelumne River. There was a couple at the other campground and me at this campground so it wasn't very busy.

Commando and I enjoyed a stroll around. We went down to the empty picnic area...over a bridge...along an old, unmarked forest service road/trail...and then back to camp. Commando ran all over the campground. He played in the water. He chased birds flying overhead. He chased far away squirrels.

I made a sandwich and lit a fire and just relaxed. Sometimes I read a book. Sometimes I looked at the fire. Sometimes I looked around at the river, or the fish biting, or the bats scooping up insects from the air, or the ducks paddling in the water. It was a bit colder than I'd expected but I stayed warm enough with the clothes I'd brought.

We went to bed in the back of the Escape. I closed the hatch but left the window open and we were as snug as could be. There wasn't much of a moon, but I could see stars. Sometime late at night, Commando woke me up with growling as another car pulled into the camp area. I could see the glow of their headlights against the tree trunks for a while, but eventually I went back to sleep.

In the morning we got up just as the sun was peaking between the V shape formed by Calaveras Dome and Hammer Dome (thanks KE). I had brought two cups of cafe mocha from Peets for my morning coffee and put it on the Propane Coleman to heat up. I went down to the river's edge to share a moment with Commando. When I came back all of the coffee had boiled away. I drank some dregs and then ate breakfast.

From the scouting the day before, we decided to hike up to the top of Garnet Hill. This is an old mine road that loops about 1000 feet up to the summit. I stupidly didn't bring any water for Commando, thinking there would be some seasonal stream for him to drink from. The trail loosely follows Monroe creek and it was filled with snow melt and was a constant and substantial noise. Unfortunately, Garnet Hill was dry and Monroe creek too steep sided even for nimble and athletic Commando. By the time we got to the summit (meh) he was one thirsty dog. He still wasn't thirsty enough to drink my Vitamin water though and he still had enough energy to chase off after squirrels.

We hastened down as fast as the steep terrain would let us. Poor Commando tried to get down at one point, but was defeated by the steep banks of the creek. It was almost comical to see his disappointed face. Less than 1/10 of a mile down though, and with some guidance from me, he was able to get his drink. He actually hates any bottled water and has often refused water I've carried for him. I bet he might drink water if I filled up from any lakeside that we might happen to be near.

We finished the trip to the car and then headed home. We did make a few side trips and excursions, and, after driving 22 miles out of the way, discovered that the Panther Ridge road back to 88 was not only blocked by snow but also blocked by a gate.

It was a good trip and can't wait for more of the high country to melt so we can camp again.

More video of the trip to the snow

Getting lazy...last two weekends

Donna came up and we took Brianna and Kayla to Red Lake near Carson Pass and played in the snow. We had intended to snow shoe at the yurt, but decided just to sled. Surprisingly, the sleds weren't very sleddy so we couldn't make much progress down the hill. The snow was also extremely fluffy so we mostly got stuck in it.

We also went to the Capitol building. The girls were fascinated by GAS's office and kept quoting that famous movie line. Of course, there were no elected officials working, only state employees.

On Sunday we went to the Crocker Museum of Art and toured around. It's free till 1 pm...great deal. The girls were quite interested in all the paintings, even the older ones. They were surprised at some of the risque scenes and we had some good discussions about the lives of the subjects.

This weekend I went up the Pacific House and hiked around trying to find the forest service road to Jenkinson Lake. There were a few inches of snow of the ground but not enough to wear my snow shoes.

Today, Diane and I went to Jenkinson Lake. We even paid the extortionate entrance fee. Commando cost extra. We parked at the boat ramp near the mid-point and walked to Park Creek Falls. Then we strolled around the campsites till we saw a possible forest service road leading to Pacific House. We met a great retriever puppy and he and Commando played and played by the falls. Nice family out for a picnic lunch with their daughter.

What it's like to snowshoe

Took this video yesterday at Grass Lake.

Exploring Sayles Canyon Tract

It's amazing how snow transforms the mundane into the special!

We drove up 50 to a little plowed out area just after Camp Sacramento. There were two trucks already parked there, but no people.

We followed a heavily traveled trail that followed a road. It went gradually uphill following Sayles Creek. Most of the traffic led to one cabin that was in use and then it was fresh snow with older tracks just visible under about 6 inches of beautiful snow. It was perfect consistency...supported weight easily...not too wet so no balls of snow under the feet...stunningly beautiful.

We just kept going up and when it started to snow we headed back. Big storms are coming in and I wanted to be below 5000 feet before they hit!

The movie is of Commando jumping to catch snow balls. He does this for fun and to get a drink.