2017 Summer Hike with RoguePhotonic

[SSSdave]

Predict you 2 will have your deepest ever tan this decade.

[rightstar76]

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[alpinemike]

Well the time has finally come... second time around. After some major health complications with my girlfriend I was not able to make it out on the 1st section like Rogue mentioned. But alas I'm on my way to the Taboose Pass Trailhead from Mammoth right now. 2nd section begins tomorrow with a long hike hopefully up to the top of the pass. Updates when I get out.

[bbayley80]

Rogue.
i will miss reading your epics, mostly read with Tom Harrisons on the table tracing your lines, but i'm stoked to hear of your newfound happiness out of the mountains! thats really great. happy for you

[RoguePhotonic]

Well if I can ever get back to writing them you can read them for some time.

[Harlen]

Well Rogue, it sure looks like you've had a hell of a run through the Sierras, but I wonder if you just need a period away, to delve into other wonderful parts of life? Best wishes on your journey through life with a new partner and some children.

Keeping this post to mountain traveling though, I have one suggestion: explore other ranges! For one, it might reinvigorate the mountaineer in you- it's so great to find that your Sierra skills will work in many other ranges. I love to explore a new mountain range, and I expect you would too. Secondly, it will make you appreciate the amazingly benign weather we have in the Sierra. A climber and winter skiing acquaintance who comes from Washington, told me that about every other climbing trip in the North Cascades, and coastal AK. involves getting absolutely hammered by the weather, and that if you do get to a summit, enjoying the view is a rare thing! This same guy said to me about his new home range the Sierra: "It's almost too easy! Every trip- blue skies and fine weather." That allowed him in one of his winter tours to ski the whole JMT solo, and without any real difficulty.
So, Rogue, after your hiatus, you might try another range or two, and when you return to the Sierra, you will really appreciate that you can often sleep right out on a high pass with your new family- usually without a tent, and stare at the views and stars.

I for one, cannot imagine a life without the mountains, and when I can no longer hobble into them, you'll find me crawling from the road out into Toulumne Meadows to gaze up at Cathedral Range. I hope I meet you out there too Rogue:

".... feeling like [you] always did of being back home in the mountains."

[Shhsgirl]

Rogue, groom those kids to hike with you. Start small, be patient and positive, and you will be surprised how they take to it. With my husband and our four kids, I never mourned giving up my own, lonely, so-called "freedom," because I got so very much in return.

[RoguePhotonic]

Yeah I hope one day to have them hike with me. And even if they don't I'll still go out and do some hiking anyway.

I'm sure some day i'll hike in other ranges but it's certainly more involved to drive for 2 days to get to another one!

[Shawn]

Hey Rogue -

Congrats on lifes' changes and a new passion. Much respect for your 800 days spent in the mountains in the last 9 years. That is a huge achievement for which most of us mortals would never get close to in a lifetime. You have made some serious contributions here which will be to the benefit of many of us, and many more to come through HST for beta.

Hope to see you around.

[alpinemike]

Well the first section is done. Albeit a little differently than planned...naturally.

My girlfriend and I made it up to the top of Taboose in one long day, which was pretty impressive considering she had something like 16 days worth of food on her back. She packed too much food for our 12 day trip. The next day major thunderstorms rolled in and we were forced to stay in camp all day at the top of the pass. The following day proved similar but it never really rained but threatened too all day. The following day we climbed Goodale and the day after that I climbed Cardinal. That day we headed to Bench Lake for the HST Meetup, which was a fantastic time.

The next day we headed over Arrow Pass and camped in the Arrow Creek drainage amid some of the worst mosquitoes I've ever dealt with. I'd call them an 8/10. We climbed Pyramid Peak and then climbed Arrow the following day. We bailed out of there since we just couldn't stand the mosquitoes anymore. We had excellent weather those days. After climbing Arrow we camped at Bench Lake again and then headed to Lake Marjorie where there were still plenty of mosquitoes.

So... the next day we decided it's time to go. We actually went from Lake Marjorie over Pinchot and down and up Sawmill Pass and out in one very long day! From 12,100+ Feet at the top of Pinchot to 4,500 Feet at the bottom at the Trailhead. Now that's called a drop! I think it's something close to 20 miles so a Marathon hiking day. We ended up getting back to the car around 3 am. I personally liked hiking in the desert at night, since I hate the heat and the desert heat did not sound very pleasant or fun. We even saw a small scorpion on the trail a couple miles from the car in the desert.

All in all a good section that would have been a lot better had there not been a ton of mosquitoes. Hoping that Miter Basin is better in that department.

Since we got out a few days early we had a full day to refresh in Bishop. The following day we did a dayhike up to the top of Kearsarge Pass, which was a first for me and it was beautiful. We slept at the TH there that night and had a grand thunderstorm show. Now we're in SoCal and headed to a wedding today.

Back out on the trail tomorrow!