Backpacking

[BigPiney]

This place sounds like one of those areas where you might be asked to pack out your own poop. True?

Just hold it

[Jeff Lebowski]

This place sounds like one of those areas where you might be asked to pack out your own poop. True?

That's a bridge too far for me.

[BigPiney]

Over the 4th, my wife and I went on a small backpacking trip. I finally climbed the big mountain, Mt Tom, that dominates the valley where I work. I have seen this thing for the last 23 years and have just never made time for it. It rises 8,500 ft from the valley floor.

Here it is during the winter.



We hiked up to the lakes that sit in shoulder to the south and camped there the first night.



This mountain is an old mining area, so the trail was an old mining road that went to 12,000 ft. Super interesting. And up at the mines (Tungsten) all the junk was still lying around.



At about 12,000 ft the road ended at the mine and so did the trail. It was a slog up 1600 ft in a 1/4 mile of very loose rock, but the view from the top of the Sierra crest to the east was awesome. Too bad my wife got freaked out and stopped after a bit. She has a healthy fear of heights.





Finally made it back down to camp and enjoyed a very cold swim.




Short but sweet trip.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That looks fun.

[Pelado]

That looks fun.

Except for that whole walking uphill thing...

[Bo Diddley]

Very cool, BP.

[Clark Addison]

That seems like the sort of trip that would give me a hernia. I’m glad you aren’t a wuss like me!

[BigPiney]

That seems like the sort of trip that would give me a hernia. I’m glad you aren’t a wuss like me!

turns out it was not a hernia. Just over-active lymph nodes. Feeling much better today and I ran 4 miles this morning.

[falafel]

Over the 4th, my wife and I went on a small backpacking trip. I finally climbed the big mountain, Mt Tom, that dominates the valley where I work. I have seen this thing for the last 23 years and have just never made time for it. It rises 8,500 ft from the valley floor.

Short but sweet trip.

Looks awesome. How long were you gone? 2 days?

[BigPiney]

Looks awesome. How long were you gone? 2 days?

2 nights. Doing the same this week with a friend.

[bluegoose]

Great pics as always, BP. Those eastern sierras are pretty spectacular.

[BigPiney]

Went out for only one night last weekend. The guy I went with was ambitious in his planning, but not in the shape needed or have the skills necessary to complete the route. Still was pretty, but we ended up turning around when it got rough, and granted it was getting scary, but I would have like to try and get in it to see how bad it really was.

The trail starts at South Lake. This is the view about 1/2 mile up the trail:



2 miles up the trail we hit Long Lake. Great day hike and fishing, and lots of camp sites.



After passing a number of other lakes, we got to our destination for the night, Bishop Lake. My friend fished. I grumbled, because he was super slow hiking, only to find out that he brought a cot, a chair, and a fishing rod. But I brought a kindle, so I read my book. He caught 20+ fish in about 30 minutes.



The next morning we headed up to the "pass" that my frind had planned going over. IT is that left notch in the above picture. 4 hours later and only hiking 1 1/2 miles it looked like this up close.



Needless to say it was scary up close too, so we turned around and headed home.

This was the view from up there. The lake we stayed at is the first one.



On the way back to the car (5.5 miles) we stopped at a small lake on the way and my friend fished while he rested. I took the opportunity to hike a 1/4 mile off the trail up to a lake that was up a side part of the canyon. Too bad it wasn't sunny, because I would have taken a swim. The color of the water was incredible.



My plan is to go back there (this is only 3 miles from the trailhead) on a short trip and go over that cross country pass above it (low point in the picture) and into the Treasure Lakes Basin. Looks doable.

So short trip but not too successful.

Next week we are taking the whole family (all the kids are coming home) out for 5 nights into an area I have never been, so super excited for that.

[BigFatMeanie]

Is your friend fishing with a mosquito net over his head but open sandals on his feet? If so, that seems a bit, ummm, incongruous.

[BigPiney]

Is your friend fishing with a mosquito net over his head but open sandals on his feet? If so, that seems a bit, ummm, incongruous.

Yes. Soaked his feet in deet. But I agree.

[Clark Addison]

That looks awesome. Is there a Holiday Inn there so I wouldn't have to sleep in a tent?