High Sierra Topix

Yes not hopeless Dave, but I haven't gotten out since May and really want to
use my new camera I bought back in June.
Illness in the family and moving have set back my expectations of getting to several
places in the sierra.
What lakes/area in the Silver Divide are you planning to visit?

Despite the Telegraph fire burning, I am still doing the trip from White Wolf to Pate Valley, up the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne to Glenn Aulin, then back to White Wolf via Ten Lakes Basin. We will be leaving Saturday the 2nd and returning Saturdaythe 9th. It looks like the wind will be blowing the smoke back into the Central Valley, at least for the first few days.

Here is a link to NOAA’a forecast site. Just click on a location for a seven-day forecast.


http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli ... 9&map.y=62

MountainMinstrel wrote:Despite the Telegraph fire burning, I am still doing the trip from White Wolf to Pate Valley, up the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne to Glenn Aulin, then back to White Wolf via Ten Lakes Basin. We will be leaving Saturday the 2nd and returning Saturdaythe 9th. It looks like the wind will be blowing the smoke back into the Central Valley, at least for the first few days.

Here is a link to NOAA’a forecast site. Just click on a location for a seven-day forecast.


http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli ... 9&map.y=62

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You must be interpretting something incorrectly. The upper windflow will be from the southwest towards the northwest thru at least Sunday. Especially since a closed low is forecast to wobble off the coast. If that were to drift over California in the middle of next week it would have to stall over the Mojave for an east or northeast flow. More likely scenario blowing smoke into the valley is after the low ejects east or dissapates would be for a usual eastern Pacific high to set up close to our coast causing a northern flow. Don't see that in the long range.

Maverick check your pm. I'm out of here and may get more smoke than I'd like. But I'm game.

SSSdave wrote:
You must be interpretting something incorrectly. The upper windflow will be from the southwest towards the northwest thru at least Sunday. Especially since a closed low is forecast to wobble off the coast. If that were to drift over California in the middle of next week it would have to stall over the Mojave for an east or northeast flow. More likely scenario blowing smoke into the valley is after the low ejects east or dissapates would be for a usual eastern Pacific high to set up close to our coast causing a northern flow. Don't see that in the long range.

Maverick check your pm. I'm out of here and may get more smoke than I'd like. But I'm game.

I was going by NOAA's info. Last night they were saying that Friday and Saturday the wind would shift to east northeast and staying that way, but this morning it appears that it will be returning to a west wind.

Regardless, I will be going

We returned yesterday, Monday, from our 6 day Silver Divide backpack. Pretty much weather went exactly as NWS predicted. Wednesday afternoon there was still quite a lot of smoke from the Midpines fire all over the San Joaquin basin including areas east-southeast due to the west wind. There was also smoke in the San Joaquin Valley from various smoke inversion and valley agricultural burning. Twas a bit worried arriving at our trailhead as I always have some doubt with forecasts. But with the wind changing to southwest overnight, that was the last we saw of any smoke the rest of the trip. In fact had excellent clear deep blue skies with a few high clouds. Only complaint was afternoons were rather breezy which of course is common. As we left Monday atmosphere was undergoing another change with a large tropical airmass moving north.

This Coolpix pic was Thursday about 10am eastward with beautiful blues even in this poor direction partially against the sun. Note the shadows on the distant peak slopes indicating this is a backlit direction. Any particulates in the atmosphere would have been very apparent. Bistort, paintbrush, and many other usual wildflowers were peaking along our route.



This Coolpix pic was the earth shadow dawn last Friday from the lake we were at towards the southwest. I set my 4x5 up on a bit wider composition that I'll get to see the results of in a week. Cloud shapes told me some moister air was entering the flow. A couple days earlier the hazy smoky air would have muted those pinks miserably.

Lovely! We lucked out too on our LeConte Divide trip; quite clear in the mornings, afternoons there was a little haze in the distance view, but nothing like it could have been given the fires all over the state.

So what was your route?

Just got back (Saturday) from 8 days doing GC of the Tuolumne and Ten Lakes Basin out of White Wolf. On the 2nd there was a little smoke in the air, but after that it was some of the cleanest air I have seen.

This thread has gone quiet.
Any recent reports from Yosemite/Minarets area? We were looking forward to hiking in that region sometime in the next few weeks, but it's a long drive (about 17 hours) and it'd suck to go that far and breathe smoke.

There were some good afternoon thunderstorms in that area last weekend, so the air seemed to be mostly cleaned out. A bit hazy look into Mono Lake and east, but good for back around the Minarets/RnB/Lyell and south. Before the clouds built up we could barely make out the Kaweahs on the distant horizon from Koip.

There was a fire in Lee Vining Saturday, but I think they got a handle on it quickly and it's out.

A bit hazy further south on Sunday from Gould, but not horrendous like the early part of this summer.

Pics for Yosemite are here: http://flickr.com/photos/moosepics621/s ... 807442197/
Pics from Gould are here: http://flickr.com/photos/moosepics621/s ... 807783193/

Hope this helps.

-L

Moosetracks,
I especially liked your photos from Gould, because they show that the fire that's burning in Tehipite valley (and making things look messy in Kings canyon) has not polluted the entire area.
Thanks!
CG