Commando Catching a Snowball

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.

More snow, fewer ticks

Yesterday we lazed around except for the usual stroll along the river. After the stroll, Commando was a bit more tired so obviously he'd gotten plenty of exercise at Jodi's.

Today we drove up the Mormon Emigrant trail to see how far we could go. We got pretty far, and could perhaps have gone farther. We stopped when there were only single tire tracks showing pavement and hiked up the hill and then back down. Commando did a beautiful "wait" to avoid getting run over. He also was charming to a little girl who was visiting the snow with her father. He sat nicely for her and licked her face.

There was a spectacular view of the Crystal Range from one place on our hike. The sun highlighted the peaks. Made this trip special.

By Folsom we were back in the gloomy fog again.

No tick snowshoe

Jodi's cabin was available for a brief two days so Commando and I headed up on Wednesday. We unloaded and then drove around looking for likely places to showshoe. We finally settled on Billie Mack road, at the Donner Lake exit on 80. Many snowmobiles had blazed a nice trail along the stream and we enjoyed the final hour of daylight snowshoeing up and back.

The cabin was nice and warm with the brand new propane heater and we slept great!

The next day we lazed around and took a brief morning walk with coffee. Commando played with a young champagne colored standard poodle and also peed on virtually every driveway we passed. I don't know how he manages to hold so much pee.

The cute guy came to shovel off the decks and we had packed up and took this as our cue to leave.

I thought there would be a good place to go along 89 on the way to Sierraville and there was. We stopped at the Prosser Hill OHV staging area and explored the Prosser dam and a random picnic table. Someone had snowshoed along the 10 + mile Commemorative Emigrant Trail (to Boca Stampede reservoir) and left a pretty big trail. We followed that back after blazing our own trail for a short distance. The snow is GREAT! There's a deep, hard base covered with about 2-3 feet of wet powder. Great snow for shoeing.

Commando is exhausted and has spent most of the evening sleeping with only a few forays out to the backyard to remind the squirrel enemy that he is home.

Another low elevation hike with ticks

The weather was unsettled so I decided to stay out of the chain control zone and hike in Auburn. There is a small waterfall called the "Black Hole of Calcutta." It's at a popular area which I would normally avoid, but I was hoping that only die-hards would be out in the possible rain.

We drove to the Auburn confluence area and parked across the highway 49 bridge and started hiking along the Western States Trail. I could only let Commando off leash occasionally because there were other people about. We strolled along quite nicely for about a mile and viewed the waterfall. Despite the rain, it was thin and thready but it was high and dropped into a scenic dark-gray granite grotto.

We headed back and I stupidly elected to try to hike down to the river on the Cool trail side. After bushwhacking around for a bit, I was forced to turn back.

And, I have a tick bite on my back shoulder!

Ticks, or why I don't hike at low elevations

We started off intending to hike somewhere at Ice House but a boulder at Bridal Veil Falls was threatening the road and the traffic backup was insane. So we did a U-turn and decided to explore somewhere off Sly Park road. We turned off on Park Creek road. From the map, it looks like you can hike down to Jenkinson Lake via Old Sly Park road.

We didn't make it quite that far. My phone GPS was working and it just didn't look like I was moving that fast. The way back would be uphill. We turned off on an unmarked but well travelled road (White Springs). It traversed the hill at roughly the same elevation and parallel to Old Sly Park. I figured it must eventually hit Park Creek again. It does, almost, except for the dead end.

The last 1/4 mile to Park Creek was uphill through an extremely dense forest with manzanita, willow and plenty of junk pines. I'd already picked 3 ticks off Commando so I figured they were now raining down on us.

We saw plenty of deer sign, indeed, there really wasn't a place where there weren't fresh tracks or droppings. I did see what looked like bear scat, but I couldn't be completely sure. It was certainly a BIG pile of poo with lots of berries and twigs in it. I've never seen horse or cow poo quite that color either. It wasn't particularly fresh although I didn't touch it. There's only so much I'll let my naturalist self do. I observed, that was good enough.

Commando got a bath once we got home which he loved (not). I took a bath and am pretty sure I washed off some ticks.

So, that's why I don't hike at lower elevations.

Why I hike

Henry Shukman wrote about a trip to the Grand Canyon and had this to say about his first view of the trail:

We only stayed an hour or two. But before we left, from the rim I saw a trail, pale as chalk, winding down a huge slope beneath a cliff. There’s something about a trail seen from far away. That thread snaking over the landscape — where does it go, who uses it, why does it seem so intimate with the land? And why does it arouse such an intense longing to follow it? An unknown path seems almost necessarily a metaphor. We like to conceive of life as a thread, after all, a path crossing unexpected terrain on its journey to another element. When the trail winds across empty desert, up and down huge hillsides — as in the Grand Canyon — it’s all the more insistently allegorical.

First Snowshoe

Met up with Diane for a quick snowshoe excursion in the Icehouse area. There was plenty of snow but it was only a few inches deep so we didn't really need to snowshoes. We used them anyway because it's just more fun that way.

We took a mellow trip at the Bassi Falls area down to the river and back along the river bank to the road.

Then we drove up to Loon Lake and ate lunch and gazed at the scenery. Commando had a great time playing in the snow. I tossed snowballs down the granite ledge and he happily caught them and chewed them to bits...then he pretended he couldn't find the snowball and wanted more.

It was an excellent day!

Loon Lake Hike

Tried to hike from the dam at LL to SL but there really isn't a trail on that side of the lake and I didn't make it.

We did explore the LL shoreline and became intimately familiar with the thick brush. At one point, I slid down a cliff using the brush as a brake.

I may still try to make it, but with better directions!

Commando Kicked out of Doggie Day Care

Poor Commando is a little too aggressive to be in doggie day care. I had taken him several times to a great place and even boarded him for a few days. Yesterday he got into two minor altercations with some dogs (no breaking of skin on either side) and was kicked out of day care. Sigh.

He's still a good dog, just need to make sure he and the other dog plays nicely.

Lake Van Norden walk

After viewing the progress Jodi is making with some work on her cabin Commando and I walked around Lake Van Norden. This is a beautiful alpine meadow and is part of the Yuba, Truckee, and American River watersheds. There is a partially dismantled dam that has created the lake...don't know why it hasn't been fully removed.

I followed a random use trail for a while, then walked along the edge of the lake, then cut across the main stream (getting my feet wet), then followed a very straight trail back to the car.

Saw some small black frogs and a hawk. Commando really enjoyed the open space and ran and ran and ran.

Great people I met today

The hound and I drove up to Loyalton to look at some houses and hike. It's a pretty area and would make a great weekend place.

The woman who owns the Blue Moon Bakery in Loyalton (0n 49) was incredibly charming. They were transporting a bunch of cakes for a wedding (to be assembled at the wedding) and she was very friendly and pleasant.

Stopped at Machado's fruit stand (80 and Bowman) and bought an apple pie and some cherry preserves. I usually stop at Ikeda's but thought I'd give Machado's a try. They are much smaller but have some interesting produce...and they also sell fresh apple pies.

The guy working the pie counter was very charming and had the most engaging and friendly smile...he has a great sense of humor!

So, if you're ever traveling in either Auburn or Loyalton...stop in and bask in the friendliness.

Meadows Lake

Drove up 80 to to Truckee, then took 89 north, then took the Henness Pass Road to Meadows Lake road.

It's a pretty lake with some great camping spots. They are spaces far apart and most of them border directly on the lake. There were only a few spots occupied.

I put on my water sandals and Commando and I walked along the shoreline from camp spot 1 to the boat ramp and back. Then we drove over to an open area that turned out to be the remains of the town of Summit City According to the various signs, Summit Cityhad a brief stint during the Gold Rush and then was abandoned when they couldn't get gold out of the "stubborn ore."

There wasn't much left of the town. I was surprised. I expected some old tumbledown shacks. Perhaps the remains of a rock wall or sidewalk, but there really wasn't much there.

My main goal was to see if I could get close to Old Man Mountain so we headed to the dam area. I could catch glimpses of the mountain from campsite 1, but from the town site I could only see a volcanic crag (Hartley Butte). I decided to head to this volcanic high spot to see what I could see. On the way up I passed some other hikers who told me where to locate some petroglyphs.

Hartley Butte had some great views of Castle Crags, Fordyce Lake and the back side of Old Man Mountain so it was worth the scramble up to its shoulders.

I navigated down and did some cross-country scrambling to see the petroglyphs. There were quite interesting. I shot a few pictures with my cell phone. It seems as if many had been removed (based on the petroglyph sized chips on the granite. There seemed to also be some fake petroglyphs (on a wall not the floor, on bare granite not black discolored granite, and of different shapes). There was also some graffiti (1902?) and some intials that could have been from the settlers.

Perhaps someone needs to put up some signs for the First Nations people who were here before Summit City?

We drove back stopping in a few places for some short strolls.

Nice trip and I'll definitely have to come back before the snow flys.

Elkhorn Slough Paddle

Drive a little bit south of Santa Cruz, CA to Moss Landing and take any of the turns to the right just before you cross Elkhorn Slough to several kayak rental places. If you pass the power plant towers, you've gone too far.

We rented closed deck kayaks and headed out around 11 am on a Furlough Friday. This is very popular and I imagine in the height of summer the crowd might be a little too enthusiastic.

The tide was with against us on the way in, but the wind was with us. I think the tide was stronger because when I stopped paddling I almost immediately came to a full stop.

We saw plenty of sea lions, pelicans, water birds and otters. Sea lions were basking on the shore in various places and on a boat dock. Otters were basking in the water near the launch point, in a pod in the estuary about a mile from the launch point, and just swimming around doing otter stuff. On surfaced quite close and began grooming it's back flippers, rolling and rolling and rolling and then shaking it's head dry. The otters seemed to dry off more quickly in the water while the sea lions stayed wet and glossy. We made it a bit past Rubis Creek and Andy went along ahead to Kirby Park. I explored Rubis Creek but didn't manage to make it back to the main channel. Although there looked to be a clear channel, it was confusing to navigate and I did not want to get stuck in the mud.

I made it back about 15 minutes after Andy and both of us were muddy (getting out was definitely muddy) and our arms were like spaghetti. I told Andy our shoulder would really hurt later.

I'd like to definitely do this trip again, perhaps with the tide coming in to see if we can make it further and explore more of the marshy areas.

Of course we were hungry as we'd only had a coffee and 1/2 of a small breakfast burrito but we were also pretty dirty. Andy's jeans were wet from the knees down and my hair looked a bit like I'd jammed a hat over it, sweated, then frizzed the ends with seawater. We stopped at Haute Enchilada which had a vibrant and charming exterior and it had outdoor seating. The food was good, the mole very tolerable and the decor excellent. I highly recommend the place.

Two hike weekend

On Sunday drove up to the Carson Pass area to take a short stroll to the top of Hawkins Peak. From the maps, it looks like you can take a forest service road to within a few hundred feet of the summit at just over 10,000 feet. I wasn't in much of a mood for a hike and I'd been wanting to try this since last summer.

Unfortunately the road up was blocked by a gate. Although this shortens the distance quite a bit, I still wasn't prepared to hike at that altitude.

We drove down to the lake and parked and then hiked part of the trail to Grover Hot Springs state park.

On previous trips I'd hiked along a well marked trail that followed the exit creek to a riparian meadow. At this point the trail disappears and I've just walked through the meadow. At the far end of the meadow you eventually find the well marked trail again.

I was determined to follow the trail back so that's what I did. As it turns out, the trail stays under the trees and avoids the meadow. It edges between a small ridge and another meadow and then crosses a small granite ridge to the boat ramp of the lake. From the lake, there is no trail marking so one would have no idea this was the actual trail head.

Still, it was a pleasant hike around the lake, through the meadow, off trail up a small ridge, back to the trail and then back to the lake.

Fordyce Lake Trek

Drove up 80 to Cisco Grove exit and took the signed dirt road to Fordyce Lake. The beginning part, once paved, is in some ways the worst part of the trip due to the HUGE potholes. Someone has graded parts of the road because when I drove it late last year it was much worse. Once over the Fordyce Summit the road is also not good, but PG&E is doing some maintenance and they have repaired and sanded the road for heavy equipment.

We parked about 1/2 mile from the lake and then strolled along the inlet meadow to the the dam. From the dam you can see the back side of Old Man Mountain and I think I'll try to get there before winter closes in.

It's pretty, but Grouse Lakes is prettier so I think I have probably seen what I wanted to see with this trip. I may try to take another drive up to Lake Sterling.

Commando had a great time running around and chasing sticks.

Saw a dead skunk with skeleton-y goodness!

I just cannot get moving in the mornings so it was very late (4 pm) when we hit the trail at Fuller Lake to Spaulding Lake. All of the water in the streams is gone until you get to the stream that parallels the second big water conduit.

I decided to take the bridge over a water-filled stream that leads to Spaulding Powerhouse 3. The trail is fairly level and parallels the shoreline, albeit a good 100 feet below. The water is low.

There was a dead, mostly eaten skunk on the trail. It was partly dessicated (doesn't take much in the dry heat) and the skull was intact (with fur) and the tail bone (with fur) was also laid out neatly. There was some blobby, leathery looking innard that the predator also hadn't eaten. I almost wanted to take the skull because it would look sort of interesting (once the fur and gory bits had been boiled off) but I decided not to. The smell was faint. Poor skunk.

We made it over the first dam and rested along the shore. Well, I rested and Commando chased sticks, dug up good smelling stuff in the duff, and looked for critters.

I had been hoping that there was a link between this trail and the trail that follows the Yuba River so I could make a loop but if such a link exists, I didn't find it.

It was a nice hike with beautiful weather although the mosquitoes are incredibly fierce.

Saw a Lynx!

Drove up to the Van Vleck trail head again. This time we stopped at the ranger station on Ice House road and the map they had posted showed Shadow Lake almost 5 miles from the trailhead. It's 2 miles from where the trail turns off the Highland Lakes trail the intersection of which is about 2.5 miles from the trail head gate. Ah ha!

It was pretty hot and the mosquitos were still pretty fierce so I wore long sleeves and long pants and slathered on the DEET.

We headed up the Red Lake trail as I wanted to stop at the Bassi Creek crossing and soak in the creek and read a bit before turning back. About 1/2 mile from the start Commando started a lynx and they both ran across the trail and into the woods before he came back with his tongue hanging out. The lynx was as big as he was and I'm glad they didn't mix it up. I'd brought the squeaky toy for a recall and it seemed to work very well.

Although there were a lot of parked cars we didn't see anyone until we got to the Bassi Creek crossing. I briefly chatted with two guys coming down and we saw some mountain bikers splashing in the creek.

We ate our lunch although the mosquitos were so fierce I can't say I enjoyed it much. I got thoroughly wet wading around the creek so was cooler on the trip back.

It was a good hike and this is a fascinating area to explore.

Failed to reach Shadow Lake again

The Eldorado National Forest Guide says this hike is 2 miles but some trail descriptions, and my experience trying to take this twice says it's a lot longer, maybe about 5 miles. This time I was determined to make it, but stopped at the big mule's ears area and decided that was enough for one day. I still wasn't at the alleged cutoff to Shadow Lake and from the map, it looked like I was still only halfway to my goal.

The trail is actually pretty easy, well marked and with slight upgrades followed by really long level spots. There are a lot of water crossings, including two very wet meadows (still very wet in July) so this is probably not a trail to take any earlier in the year if you want your feet to stay dry.

It's a good trail for solitude, wildflowers and water. It rained on my way down (oops, forgot to check the weather before I left). The first rain was very mild and barely wet the dirt but it left pine pollen-y golden droplets on all the foliage.

It was also nice to hear the forest silenced just after the rain. There was no wind, and all the birds and insects were in hiding and silent. I don't know whether the cloud cover dampens sound but I'll just say it does.

It rained in earnest for about a half hour just as I was nearing the big marshy meadow and as I crossed it. I thought about taking shelter beneath a tree but it just wasn't worth it. I won't melt from a little water.

The mosquitos were fierce but this time I was prepared. I had long pants and long sleeves. I think I still was bitten, but a lot less.

Commando enjoyed the trip although (due to his bad owner) he had an accident in the car. I knew he had to go but thought we could make it to Ice House road. We almost did. I cleaned out the car and was fortunate that my tax dollars had paid for a trash bin just up the road. I wasn't about to throw his mat out but didn't really want to drive many miles with a poop laden dog mat.

I also discovered that he probably can't be trusted around horses. Just as we were starting off a group of about 6 were coming back form a ride. I got Commando's collar (he was off leash) and he stood quietly as they passed by. I let go of him because he didn't seem that interested. Oops, bad owner again. He wanted to chase after them and even looked like he might try to nip at the last horse's heels before he listened to my, "NO!" and came back to me.

It's a good trip but I'll have to see if I can find a better map and directions.

Slow Trip to Hell Hole

Drove up to Hell Hole reservoir for a short hike. I wasn't very motivated and left late. Reached Hell Hole and headed across the dam to the trail to the campground. It was pretty hot. Reached the trail and started climbing up the trail. It traverses a steep hill, nearly a cliff, over badly broken granite and volcanic gravel. It was hot and not very inspiring. I didn't get very far and decided I'd had enough and we turned back. Even Commando didn't seem too enthusiastic. The vulture that circled overhead was certainly not very inspiring either.

Just at the end of the dam there's a slope to the lake so we headed down. Commando needed water and there were plenty of driftwood sticks for me to throw and huge driftwood logs for me to sit on.

Fortunately there was a rocky, beachy slope so I could toss sticks pretty far out before Commando had to swim. The water is very cold and I really don't want to have to swim in it to rescue him. He is very confident. He swam out several times to try to retrieve a stick that appeared to still be firmly attached to the log jammed just under the surface.

I had noticed some weird looking thing on the bottom of the lake in the shallow water. They look like fleshy pink and white tulip with octopus type tentacles. But they don't move, they seem anchored to the bottom. I didn't touch one.

For some time I'd noticed one at the surface that was moving around a bit but didn't think much of it. After a while I focused on it a little more and discovered that a smallish snake was trying to eat one of these weird looking things and was having great difficulty gulping it down.

I watched the snake for a while and kept Commando from bothering him. The poor snake didn't seem to be making much progress so we finally left without viewing the final swallow. I hope he managed to choke it down.