High Sierra Topix

NO LONG HAIRED FREAKY PEOPLE BEYOND THIS POINT

Two signs on Donohue Pass (2001): http://community.webshots.com/photo/218 ... pTkQnkSHGq

We got lost at Devil's postpile too. Too many signs and confusing. We backtracked on the JMT a few times to make sure we hiked the whole trail and didn't miss anything (no shortcuts, like at Muir Ranch).

Snow Nymph wrote:We got lost at Devil's postpile too. Too many signs and confusing. We backtracked on the JMT a few times to make sure we hiked the whole trail and didn't miss anything (no shortcuts, like at Muir Ranch).

Wow, you're hard core! That's OK, though: I've wanted an excuse to do it all again (my spouse thinks I'm nuts, and it is three thousand miles to the trailhead), and since I went the Fish Creek route instead of the True Muir Trail route and also went up Bear Ridge directly from VVR instead of taking the ferry back to my point of departure, I have my excuse, eh? What's this about the Muir Ranch "shortcut" though? Surely you don't insist on going all the way down to the junction with the Florence Lake trail and then backtracking to the Ranch (assuming you have to go there for a resupply)!?!?

BSquared wrote:

Snow Nymph wrote: What's this about the Muir Ranch "shortcut" though? Surely you don't insist on going all the way down to the junction with the Florence Lake trail and then backtracking to the Ranch (assuming you have to go there for a resupply)!?!?

It was pouring that day, so we kept walking. The other option was to take the shortcut, get to camp early and sit in the tent (or in the rain). We didn't want to go up the steep shortcut with the added 10 days of food when we continued, so we hiked to the junction, backtracked, picked up our resupply and camped. By then the rain stopped and we dried things out. The next day we hiked to Florence lake to meet a friend that was bringing a change of clothes and our fuel. That was a layover day, but we still hiked. We hiked back to the junction and didn't miss any of the JMT.

you can take the signs or leave them - either is okay with me, but don't touch those summit registers they are really special to me - especially the ones that go way back.

Regarding the summit registers, wassup with someone taking so many of them? I've read from Snow Nymph that so many of them are disappearing. I wonder who and why? That kind of stuff is part of our national heritage. It's such a shame.

From conversations I've had with other folks on "things being left in the backcountry", there are purists who think that even a summit register is trace of human presence, and as such, does not belong. This is especially true in areas designated as wilderness. This makes for a very good topic for discussion, but it can also get really heated!

15 years ago, Black Rock Pass had an engraved aluminum sign on top, "Elev 11600". That was 15 years ago though. Sawtooth Pass had nothing. I was surprised to see Shaun's photo of the post on Sawtooth. What's up with that? I recall signs at lower Monarch lake, pointing toward Sawtooth Pass. They had been knocked over, and chewed up around the edges by Marmots. Salt from hikers leaning on the sign? I would imagine these signs are now gone.

I was on Silver Pass around Sept 1 and there was a brand new pole and the old sign. On the way out around McGee Pass we ran into the ranger who did it. He had put up several in a couple weeks....chopped down trees, cut off all the branches and set them in the ground. Did a really good job of it, we told him we were grateful. If nothing else, it's an easy way to reset your altimeter...
Dee

On a side note, I had 2 signs from Mineral King when the Park Service took over from Sierra Nat'l Forest. One was Mosquito Creek, the other was Spring Creek. They were engraved with the Nat'l Forest designation. NPS replaced the signs, and we scored those 2. They were from crossings on the valley floor.