The West Coast Clan in the High Sierra!

“Trip Report - Potluck and Day 1
"Enjoy!!!

POTLUCK DAY (Saturday, 7/10/04)

**SUMMARY: Acclimation for the "high" life began. It was a warm reunion with friendly folks, too much good food, the first fire, cozy camping quarters, and uplifting laughter.**

What more could we wish for, clear skies, high spirits and cheese cake. The group began to trickle in Saturday afternoon. Two new Trail Talkers, Cubfan and Trail Angel had a lot of names to remember. The potluck party included Gonzo, Phils Son, hickerchik5, Hodgeman, Phil, landscaper, wannabp, treking girl, naviguesser, Matt the webmaster, geologyguy, rockman, wind walker, and ladyhiker03. All were present to grub on a generous amount of yummy food and drinks (Navi Ale included). Geologyguy brought plenty of wood to stoke the flames that evening. Tall tails of past TT adventures were flickering about the veterans almost as fast as the flames on the timber. Campsites were cozy. A few TTers even mentioned the next day that a snoring contest was evident that night, the winners of which we all knew needed to be mentally added to the National Park Service 100 feet distance rule. Soon enough the stars came out, tummies were full, and the anticipation of the first days hike out was heightened by the fact that it was only a nights sleep (or turning and tossing) away.



DAY 1 (Sunday, 7/11/04)

**SUMMARY: South Lake TH to Dusy Basin with heavy first day packs and many 'firsts' for the trip, including, first snow, first pass, and first Marmot sighting.**

Ahh, the familiar glow of a tent at sunrise. When you ask yourself three questions, "should I get up and pee?", "should I roll over one more time and see if I can get a few good minutes of sleep in?", or "(wait... listen... is anyone else up yet, I don't want to be the last to get ready! I think I'll rub my face, tie up my boots, and start thinking about what's for breakfast. YESSS! potluck leftovers!". Regardless of the answer, tent zippers unzipped, and bright eyed and bushy tailed TTers drank their tea and coffee, ate their breakfast, greeted one another with 'good mornings' and 'how did you sleep?', then packed bags. The group was also joined by the last (but definitly not least) link in the chain, jvz. Wannabp and landscaper, by far the potlucks largest suppliers (BBQ chicken, watermelon, etc.), needed a little help packing things up in the morning. But as soon as goodies and extras were loaded back in our vehicles and backpacks were thrown into geologyguy's truck we all departed. Some to North Lake where 6 days later we would stumble back to our cars and the rest directly to South Lake. But eventually those at North Lake were shuttled back to the South Lake TH to begin our adventure.

After the group photo we grabbed our heavy packs (Matt the webmaster won that contest - Congrats Matt!), added out first (or second...or third) layers of sunscreen and Deet, and began to lift our boots up the trail head toward our first elevated goal, Bishop Pass. As the hike up started we all became a little more aware of our lung capacity (or lack thereof) and heavy legs. Rockman was already sick from what seemed to be an unwanted flu bug and wannabp, along with a few others, were already feeling the joys of minor altitude sickness. We all spread out through the early portion of the day , but soon stopped for lunch at the outlet to Long Lake, where we were happily greeted by what seemed to be a medium sized black lab/retriever mix and her master sitting on a rock contemplating where the rest of his group might have gone. After a few blessed nibbles of snacks that we would all be talking about the rest of the trip (Ahh, the coveted OREO!), and a well deserved rest, we gathered our packs and strapped in. Bishop Pass here we come.

Part of the ascent to Bishop Pass looked like a stone castle and was gawked at as we all got closer. With fresh first day legs, but unrelentingly heavy packs we all trudged up the pass. I think Rockman threw the first snowball of the trip and Navi proved, yet again, that slow and steady was his favorite pace. Before we knew it, the firt Pass had been reached. Trail Angel and Hogdemanbc were the first of a handful that scampered up the ridge we had all previously stared at from below. All that climbed to the ridge-top took scenic accomplishment photos and snapped a few shots of the "beloved" Marmots along the way.

Again we gathered our packs and headed down Dusy Basin to the our first camp. Camp was set as everyone staked out their spot and a quasi kitchen was set up on the granite facing out toward the mountains. Gonzo, Matt the webmaster, Laderhiker03, and jvz had their own dinner party by their little tent villa, ending in a slight rearrangement of bear canister contents. Hikerchik5 wasn't able to join in the group follies, nor enjoy her food due to an altitude headache and lack of appetite, as well as Trail Angel, but they did their best.

When the Alpine glow had disappeared off the mountain-sides and the stars appeared again, it was time for many to turn in for the evening. We snuggled into our sleeping bags, some on post-Day 1 pain killers and uplifters (liquid and solid form), and finally slept (some all night, some, not at all)."
trail angel
03:49:18 PM
07/21/04”

“Damn, trekkngirl sure does get around! Nice pics everyone!”

“Yeah we had some honorary West Coasters too.... Two from the Southern Clan, One from the Way up North Clan and one from the MidWest clan ;)”

“all that higher education seems to have served you well....what an excellent trip report!...i'm going to print it out for my friends to read when you get it completed....

keep up the good work!”

“Well thank you Dub..go west my man.. : )

Honorary west coasters...hhmmmm

Great report you got started Trail angel.”

“Trekkngirl, if you would have stayed...we would have dropped the honorary thing ;)

When I was playing with thread titles....it started with TTers in the Sierra...I don't know how I got on the clan thing. it was not my intent to exclude anyone. :)”

“Works for me!”

“WW - Cool!”

“WOW! Am I jealous!

Great pics, y'all! Let's plan another one!”

“Hey Wind Walker, that is a fantastic image! Ah lawk it alawt.”

“Beautiful pictures. They are so clear and bright. Must've been super sunny. Or maybe it's cause you are closer to the equator than us PNWH-ers.”

“pixie - We were closer to the sun!!

Actually, we didn't see a cloud the first 4 days. Very beautiful with all the water along the way (lakes, streams, waterfalls, etc.)”

“Very nice”

“It's good to know there are such pretty places for me to go once I move to So Cal. I went to college there and never saw the mountains. Do you have to drive pretty far to get to the hikes? (And I don't mean the Santa Monica lame o mountains. Those are bumps to my Cascades.)”

“pixie - I hike in the San Gorgonio Wilderness regularly (www.sgwa.org). Not the Sierras, but very nice. Mt. San G. is 11,5000 ft. I could recommend some trails there plus in the San Gabriels.

I live 7 miles from Disneyland. Where will you be living?”

“Enjoyed the first installment of the trip report, Angel. And everybody's got some great photos.

I'll have to get caught up next week, and get my pics ready too. I'm off to Manning Park (north end of the PCT) for the weekend. The wildflowers will be at their peak up there right now.

Weather's awesmoe too !! 70 degrees at sunrise this morning and not a cloud in the forecast
:-))”

“hodge, i'm SO jealous....i'm sitting here in my skivvies eating a bowl of cheerios and thinking about my own 1.5 acres of wildflowers (no wait, that's my lawn) that needs to be groomed in the very near future (today)....have a great time while i'm working all weekend!!

angel....i can hardly wait for the next installment....the suspense is killing me....what will eugene do next??

landscaper....dude, i would seriously send travelocity a copy of phil's photo....one or two commercials for them, and you are all set for the rest of your life and you can go trekking in nepal (or wherever) anytime you feel like it!!”

“Mentally I am still somewhere on the John Muir Trail.

Looking forward to the next installment of the trip report.”

“Maybe this Fall or next year, I'll be moving to probably Santa Monica.”

“the photos are stellar!!!”

“Geez, I wish I would have been able to go on that one. Sounds like you guys really have good times. I am going to make it on one of the trips in California very soon, I hope! I look forward to meeting new people to backpack with.”

“Ok....somebody got Kelli's e-mail addy? we need day 2 now! ;)”

“Can you say....COLD!!!”

“makes me want to go swimming!”

“Glad you all enjoyed the first installment! Here's Day 2 and Day 3 will follow tomorrow! :)

DAY 2 (Monday, 7/12/04)

**SUMMARY: On to Big Pete meadows where the wild flowers, granite water falls, and deer were plenty.**

After breakfast, the group departed camp under blue sky and started the decent toward the John Muir Trail. At the Dusy Basin outlet the group gathered on a granite face to enjoy lunch and bask in the sunlight with the canvased beauty of the mountains across the valley for a backdrop. The trek continued on into the Valley to the Ranger station. Phils Son, Matt the webmaster, and trail angel went to say hi, but the only trace of a ranger was a note stating he was on an extended hike.

Phils Son, Geologyguy, Matt the webmaster, Rockman, and trail angel pressed on while others rested in the shade at the fork in the road to direct the tail trekkers down the correct path. After breathtaking meadow scenery, wild onions, and a few stops to check off trail for a group campsite, the front group finally settled in a pine grove adjacent to one of the many streams running into the green valley. Some searched for water holes to bathe in and there was talk of using Navi's water bladder for group showers (opps! I mean showers for the group :P).

The normal afternoon chores of filtering, washing, and tent setting eventually turned into firing up the stoves to prep for dinner. Jvz won the contest for the loudest stove with his Svea. Just before Gonzo, Rockman, and Phils Son started to gather wood for the coveted fire, a visitor (or two) began to wander around the kitchen. The two curious deer seemed extraordinarily tame, circling around the campfire into the night, inviting a half-dozen deer photos.

The evening meal evolved around our new inanimate, friend Eugene. Eugene, named and assisted on the trail by Matt the webmaster (no wonder your pack weighed a ton Matt :), appeared to be the new backpacker.com mascot. He is a 'stout' gnome, about 8 inches in height with a little red pointed cap and shovel in hand. Eugene had the pleasure of sleeping outside Matt the webmasters tent every night, but this special evening Eugene had to be inducted into the group, therefore he had to learn a few things about backpacking and who better to teach him but fellow TTers. Eugene soon learned how to cook a backpacking meal, smoke a Hodgeman cigarette, climb inside a bear canister, and stay far away from Rockman's antics.

After dinner, around a warm fire, discussion of the next days direction and length erupted into a tennis match of ideas. Back and forth brainstorming transformed into explanation and eventually discussion. The result, we would all go onto the Unnamed Lake (a.k.a. Eugene Lake or Wedding Ring Lake - see Day 3 for details on this name). Some of the group decided to turn in after the discussion, while the rest enjoyed the fire a wee bit longer. More campfire inspired photos were taken of Eugene and eventually the last handful of TTers with remaining energy meandered over to the meadow for a short night hike.”

“I want to know more about the night hike! What did I miss? (or does that fall under the "Whatever happens on SierraPalooza, stays on SierraPalooza" mantle?)”

“Another great installment, Trail Angel. Keep'em coming.”

“another well written trail tale....can't wait to see what we did next!!

phil.... the night hike was pretty tame....four or five of us stumbling around in the meadow, oohing and aahing at the billions and billions of stars overhead....”

“Strange as it may sound....I miss you all.”

“Wind Walker - Strange, but true. I have mentally still been in the Sierras for the past week.”

“Me too Phil”

“phil and mike....it could be that we have discovered the key to successfully threading our way through our everyday lives....

the photos and trip description makes it so much easier!!”

“What a great trip and the most awesome pictures. This place has to be the most beautiful I have seen (in pics anyway). If there is a repeat trip next year, I definitely want to try and make it. What were the altitudes and the miles hiked each day? I will get ready for the trip as soon as I can. See ya'll next year!”

“Well we had 3 passes 12,000'each +or- along the way. Daily mileages varied all in all it was about 36-40 miles total.”

“The pics are great WW!

Love the trip report. Keep 'em coming!”

“karo -
Our final trip was approximately:

Day 1: From South Lake Trailhead (~9700 elev) to Dusy Basin (7 miles) - Over Bishop Pass (approx 12,000)
Day 2: to upper Big Pete Meadows (6 miles) - 4 miles down, then 2 up
Day 3: to unnamed lake on the JMT/PCT (4 miles) - all uphill
Day 4: to Evolution Lake via Muir Pass (7 miles) - Over Muir Pass (approx 12,000)
Day 5: to upper Darwin Canyon (3 miles) - cross country
Day 6: out to North Lake TH over Lamarck Col (8 miles) - Over Lamarck Col (12,880)

Total distance approximately 38 miles.

We had a short shuttle from South Lake to North Lake. But that was only a 20 minute drive.”

“karo - It seems like our pattern for the Llama-rama and SierraPalooza trips has been to gather on a Saturday. Start the hike on Sunday. Then Finish on the next Friday. That seems to give people travel time.

Now that I said that, next year will be totally different.”

“My first night at home was "still in the mountains".
In the wee hours of the morning I looked up and saw stars (I have glow in the dark stars on the celing). The light from the VCR was someone with a flashlight over in the group area, and the night light in the bathroom was a campfire behind some granite boulders.
It was a very strange, yet nice feeling.”

“
More from Dusy Basin”

“WW - Wow! You have lots of great pics there!!!”

“Thanks Phil....I took 309 :) I'm still going through them.”