High Sierra Topix

I was doing a dayhike in redwood canyon in Sequoia this weekend at about 6,000 feet. Through the trees and brush I partially saw a large animal walking around. Thought it was a deer at first. It poked it's head thru a spot in the bushes and it now looked like a bear's face. But on second thought, I think it was a COW! Anyone ever see a rogue cow up that high in the sierras??

By the way, it was snowing heavily at 6,500 feet late saturday

MIKE

I have seen cows at the outlet stream just below Devil's Punchbowl before...I think that is 9,000' or so.

I didn't know there were supposed to be cows in Sequoia.

So far as I know, cows aren't supposed to be in Seki or Yosemite, so that would be a rogue cow, I guess, but the altitude is not unusual. Grazing is permitted in other Sierra wilderness areas as well as non-wilderness NF lands and I've seen cows up to the 9k level or so in several different areas. The highest I've seen evidence of is in and around Kaiser Wilderness, where I've seen cow poop somewhere above 9k.

Cattle grazing in high country areas of the Sierra is problematic because most of those areas have no fences thus just letting cows go where they might wander without someone controlling them is a formula that doesn't work. Cattle of course are often very bad for stream areas because they prefer to walk right up streams where they eat vegetation, drop their pies into the streams, and create huge hoof holes in the soft earth. Heck where ever those heavy beasts walk, is damage much worse than even horses. I hate what they do in the Ebbetts Pass area. I've written the forest service at times that always results in officially archived letters that get reviewed. Cattle ought to be allowed to graze in some middle forest elevation meadows, but there needs to be more done keeping them out of the more fragile high country areas. ...David

Greetings Calvin23,

Could you be a little more specific on where exactly you were hiking?

Hart Tree loop area of Redwood Canyon?

Thanks for the report.

I've never felt that they belong in the Wilderness Areas. Last time I was in Emigrant Wilderness (maybe 10 years ago), it was so bad that I 'blacklisted' it.

This rogue cow was lucky it was a light snow year, it might not have have survived overwinter last year. I've seen cattle skeletons in avalanche areas of the Sierra, Summit City canyon above Camp Irene on the Mokelumne ,(the Tahoe-Yosemite "trail"), had a couple when I passed through.

One of the most egregious areas for cattle grazing is Horseshoe Meadow, all the way at 10,000 feet. As SSSDave points out, the way their hoofs gouge and their pies festoon the land is a crime. Typically, the Forest Service makes efforts to keep hikers on trails that stay out of the meadow itself. Undboutedly, this is done to keep the meadow pristine for the cattle.

SSSdave wrote:Cattle grazing in high country areas of the Sierra is problematic ... Cattle ought to be allowed to graze in some middle forest elevation meadows, but there needs to be more done keeping them out of the more fragile high country areas. ...David

I agree. Well put. Cows just do not belong above certain altitudes and lifezones.

Rogue cattle have supplied me with many a fresh steak in the high country.