High Sierra Topix

I travel mainly off-trail in the Sierra and have been finding balloons and other garbage for many years.

Here is a link to some images of my dead balloon collection:
http://flickr.com/photos/shish-aer/sets ... 2785514214

Last summer, Nine Lakes Basin and about a mile up from Hutchinson Meadow on a granite island we camped near. Two for the two trips we did. Year before that I found one...but can't remember where. So the next time you see a balloon release in the valley at a football homecoming, graduation or what not...you'll know where the tough ones will end up. I"m fortunate in my job working for a school district of 33 schools that when asked if they can release balloons for whatever event...they get a resounding NO...even when they tell me they're biodegradable. I tell them there's no such thing...but also, we're in a approach/take off zone for an international airport so it's easy for them to swallow cause I just ask them if they want to be responsible for the resulting crash when their balloon is ingested into the jet engine...

I was at Thousand Island Lake on Saturday and found a green latex (non-mylar) balloon in the water. The strange thing is, I had never seen a balloon in the back country until I read this thread. My best guess is that it must have blown in from Mammoth(?)

I agree with Bearman -- the timing of this thread is uncanny. I've often seen balloon fragments in the backcountry, but saw my first inflated balloon just 2 days ago, on the ridge between Soldier Lake and Miter Basin. It was a regular balloon -- not mylar -- so I was assuming that it had been released by some boorish hiker.

being a desert hiker also - we find balloons all the time. My friend who is a tortoise walking biologist says they usually take 2-5 per day of walking. they have even developed a point system - bonus points for the most rare.

While hiking in Centenial - found a sponge Bob complete with accordian legs and arms as I came over a ridge. put Bob on my hiking pole - as the others approaced - I popped Bob up and made him "dance" along the ridge. my friends were very surprised

Funny thing about those balloons. I haven't found any mylar types around my neighborhood in AK., but I have found 2 weather balloons. There must be some kind of eddy in the atmosphere that deposits them in the area near me. I found them both within 1/4 mile of each other. jls

Funny, first one I saw was on my trip 3 weeks ago. Was fishing Stoney Ridge lake and watching a 'plane' off in the distance. Then the 'plane' dipped below Stoney Ridge and I realized it was a mylar ballon. Watching it dance around in the wind for about 5 minutes before I lost it behind a hill.

i found 2 on my trip this year. 1 was about 10 yards away from Cunningham Creek(36 41.101N - 118 29.563W). The other was about 1 mile or 2 East of MacLeod pass.