Splitboarding-Backpacking to Saddlebag L k (CA)

“Fri & Sat, June 10-11, 2005

Splitboard-Backpack trip to Saddlebag Lake (trip cut short)
PHOTOS: http://community.webshots.com/album/368314638qMLaND


This was a 3 day backpack-splitboarding weekend at Saddlebag Lake. SnowDude and I met up with SmokinFatBob, GirlRider and Bailey a few hours later than planned. Bad planning on our part, not organized and it took a lot longer to get everything together and get our butts up there. They had trouble getting it together too, and we got to the start of the hike 10 minutes after them.

I found out backpacking with 50+ lbs is not my thing. I worked so hard to get my packweight under 30 lbs, which is comfortable for me to carry. But adding 25+ lbs of splitboard and avy gear (shovel, beacon, probe, split-crampons, regular crampons, skins) puts me at 50% of my weight, which is too much for someone my size. The result was pain in the knee, mainly from postholing with the extra weight. Then SmokinFatBob got altitude sickness pretty bad. You can't go from sea level to 10,000' in less than 10 hrs if you're susceptible to AMS (I have a hard time with it too). So we set up camp and after vomiting for what seemed like a long time, SFB went to bed. The rest of us drank a bottle of wine that I carried up and had a mini-belated birthday toast for GirlRider (last week) and SFB (this week). I apologized for not carrying a cake up this year. We had a great campsite and we sat out til midnight.

Saturday morning we took our time packing up, enjoyed the beauty of the area, and watched guys hiking and skiing/riding False White. I already knew I couldn't hike, and SFB was still weak and nauseous. SnowDude took of an hour before us to drop his gear off at the jeep. He hiked back to where I stopped skinning (good timing!), and carried my pack down . . . I carried my board. Another great meal at Whoa Nellie Deli, then back to Mammoth. SFB, GR and Bailey went back to Torrance.

Even though the trip didn't go as planned, the camping and hanging out with friends was fun. We will be doing only day trips on the splitboards from now on.



Sunday, 12 June 2005

Snowboarded at Mammoth Mountain and hooked up with friends that we haven't seen in awhile! Great snow and great company!
PHOTOS: http://community.webshots.com/album/369254922nxcHRs
last edited: 6/15/05 2:19:56 AM”

“Too bad the trip didn't work out as you had planned - that snow looked miserable! It was great seeing the same area where we were in January....

Send my b-day wishes to GirlRider!”

“Ha ha! Why did these two statements together put a smile on my face? :^D

I found out backpacking with 50+ lbs is not my thing. I worked so hard to get my packweight under 30 lbs...

The rest of us drank a bottle of wine that I carried up

Whew doggy! Still, a great adventure that you'll remember forever! And that's what it's all about.”

“Isn't wine one of the ten essentials??”

“50 pounds - that just doesn't sound like much fun. Those heavy winter packs are tough to deal with. I think I'll stick to day hiking in winter conditons - my day pack is heavy enough in the winter.”

“Too bad things didn't go as planned...do they ever? Looks like you had a good time anyway! Thanks for posting the pics!”

“Buck never misses an opportunity, funny stuff, my knees and stomach hurt just reading this.
Sounds like one to remember, great pics, looks beautiful up there. 50 lbs is sometimes my
summer pack when I bring enough camera gear for sore feet. SN, I'm coming up again next week, I want dry dirt and liquid lakes, so think I will go back to Big Pine for some Temple Crag sunrises. Might be around Mammoth 24th and 25th.”

“Sweet Bailey! Always love seeing pictures of her...and her yellow snow shovel doggie dish...how cute is that!
Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures of the Sierra's with all that snow. Gosh what a difference in weight with all the winter gear..50 pound pack is dang heavy!
Looks like a nice dry campsite you all had with great views. Corinne is the Tioga pass road open a ways up?
I Love the Whoa Nellie Deli!....Hope SFB is feeling better form the altitude sickness.”

“Hey madeintahoe - I've been enjoying the almost daily updates the NPS puts up on their Tioga Pass Road progress. They even put recent photos up! Here's the URL: http://www.nps.gov/yose/now/tioga.htm

Baseball is over for BowlderSon for the year, so it looks like we'll have some more opportunities for backpacking than in the past 2 summers. Maybe I can sneak over to the Eastern side for another trip with you, Snowy! (I'll try not to bring another snowstorm with me, though....)”

“LOL! Buck, I normally don't carry wine, or at least not a whole bottle. This was a splitboarding gathering with ~19 people so I wanted to bring something I could share. Someone mentioned wine and cheese, so I brought more wine. I'm glad we had it for Friday night! What a treat!

BM, it didn't work out as planned, but we learned that its not our thing. We'll be doing more day trips instead of lugging all that weight around. SD was glad to hear that the road was open last year, and they took the boat across to Greenstone, so not much hiking with the weight. We'll wait til the road is plowed before trying this again. And yeah, the suncups sucked!

WD, After this trip I weighed the splitboarding/avy gear and its close to 25 lbs. My shared gear weight is 26 lbs, my solo weight is 28-30 lbs. I even left the ice axe behind on this trip.

HM, Scenery always makes it a good trip! I used to always get altitude sickness, but the beauty of the Sierra kept bringing me back! Guess that's why SFB keeps coming back. This is the worst case he's had.

Doug, I'll be in Mammoth on the 25th/25th. If you're around, call me and we can get dinner or a drink.

MiT, Shhh! Don't let Bailey hear that! Bailey is a boy! He is sweet, though. The views were great, and so was our campsite. I slept soooo good out there. Unfortunately, GirlRider and SFB didn't sleep very well. BM answered your question on Tioga Pass.

BM, The last time we backpacked was 8 months ago, and you brought the big storm that opened Mammoth Mountain a week later! We'll call you Snowman! Yes! Lets go backpacking!

I'm heading up to Mammoth again, and there's snow in the forecast. Depending on conditions, I might go to Sonora Pass for some splitboarding on Sunday . . . and I heard the snow goes all the way down to the road!”

“Ha ha! Oh man, Snow Nymph, you say the darndest things! I love it!

BM, it didn't work out as planned...

I hate when that happens! :^D”

“awesome pictures.and lot of fun. If I could keep my butt up on a snowboard I would try it one day...lol...but I doubt I could.”

“That sounds like kind of an odd snowboarding technique....”

“BowlderMan, Gemini only tries extremely advanced techniques when she tries new stuff. The only way you can keep your "butt up" on a snowboard is to do a backward double-knee-tuck-handstand. Yes it is tough to master, no doubt, and I think Gemini shouldn't be so hard on herself.”

“One thing I can guarantee: you'll never accomplish the "butt up" snowboard technique if you don't try.”

“Doh! Buck, you would catch something like that! LOL!


Gem, there are plenty of guys to help keep your "butt up" on a snow board! http://community.webshots.com/photo/357628668/357592663HNlmtA”

“Okay....so u got me there. see how much I know? Heehee

LOL SnowNymph I saw that picture a couple weeks ago.”

“Ooooo, I'm tellin' webshots, I'm tellin' webshots....”

“Awesome pix & TR as usual, I admire you and SnowDude for being able to get out so often regardless of the weather and other forbidding circumstances. And do you remember my cartoon about the demise of Webshots ;-) ? You have a lot of albums!!!”

“Dear Bailey Boy! Please except my apologizes, I am so sorry.

SN......I must have been a ding dong when I wrote that!!! I remember asking you if Bailey was a he or she...and I know you did tell me Bailey is a boy a while ago. Im so sorry. BM thanks so much for the website link!”