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Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:34 pm
by Cross Country
Opps, your right, my mistake. I must have been tired the night I wrote this. If not, maybe I have another excuse.

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report (part ii)

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:44 pm
by jsmurphy
lostcoyote wrote:sept 9'th and 10'th
i arrived to an empty crown valley station. can anyone here tell me what it is used for? .
That's Johnson's Cow Camp. A family from the San Joaquin Valley owns it. I stopped by there a few years back with a Scout Troop and they were there having a family reunion. Gave us water and invited us in for supper. Nice folks, but I wouldn't trespass when anyone's there. The old man was packing a large revolver and wondered what we were doing on his property.

Great post and pics.

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:09 am
by lostcoyote
'The old man was packing a large revolver and wondered what we were doing on his property."

ahhhhhhhhhhhhha, the old west.

===========================

i remember something funny that occured while i was at tunemah lake.
there were 2 wind currents blowing. the predominant one was blowing from the southwest across the lake. and then there was an opposing current coming up canyon from below.

occasionally, there would be a really strong updraft when the 2 currents met at the outlet of the lake.

on one such gust, i had not secured one of my sleeping pads and the wind scooped it up into onew of those "dust devils" and it made about 3 complete circles getting up to 40 feet in altitude - over the lake, then across the outlet and over the dropoff, then back over the lake again. i thought it would end up heading all the way down to the lower lakes below me but it ended up falling down into the lake near the shoreline. i was just standing there in awe of it's flightpath, circling higher and higher until the wind suddenly stopped and it floated back to earth and into the lake. then the gentle west wind blew it back to the shoreline.

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:57 am
by jsmurphy
lost coyote,

Really enjoying your pics.

I'm planning a fishing trip into Tehipite next year about the time you went, early-mid Sep.

Re: T 2 T 2 I - trip report

Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:59 am
by DoyleWDonehoo
'The old man was packing a large revolver and wondered what we were doing on his property."

This reminds me of a story when my pard and I were heading to Tahipite Valley. At the trail-head we met a horse party, and one of them was busy packing away his saddle Winchester rifle. I asked him why he thought he would need THAT? He said "Bears!". I suggested that the only bears he would meet would be running the other way and there were no habituated bears in that area. He looked at me like I wuz crazy or sumpin, and I returned the favor. My pard suggested I not argue with someone packing heat.
[-X :snipe:

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:40 am
by evan
Hello Lostcoyote-
Im new here to the HST and Im trying to become involved ie: give input where I can and obtain information where I can. I primarily go to the Fishing Hole link yet, have found some inspiration in the Backpacking/Hicking/Camping link and this is where I found your posting RE Ionian Basin. I was wondering if you could recommend any books detailing this zone ie: the fishing and enterance(s)/exit(s)? Any information is more than appreciated! Thanks!
-Evan

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:32 am
by maverick
Hi Evan

Welcome to HST.
Phil Arnot's book "High Sierra" is the best book describing off trail jaunts in the Sierra
which he includes numerous ways of accessing most areas.
He describes these areas very descriptively, and accurately.
Ionion, Kaweah Basin, Miter Basin, Big Brewer Lake, and many other beautiful, and
remote areas are in this book.
The only thing missing is the fishing which I'm sure you''ll find info about on in this site
or some books.

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:22 pm
by evan
Thanks Maverick for the info - I've got that book ordered through amazon!
From the little info Ive been able to gather here and there, its a day/ day 1/2 to get back into these zones. Im not sure but, is this type of thing not for someone whom only gets into the sierras 2 or 3 times a year? and is only used to on trail backpacking? or is something like Ionian a good place to start with the crosscountry backpacking? Thanks again!
-Evan

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:53 pm
by Jimr
Great TR. Some of my fondest memories are from upper Goddard Canyon. Some of my worst nightmares are from lower Goddard Canyon. The first time I was there, we went over Hell for Sure pass, then over the pass south (?) of Martha lake. The second time we accessed it over Finger Col.

I've been over Solomon pass once, in the midst of a hail storm with much thunder and lightning. Just south of the pass, we saw a flash and heard/felt the roar of thunder instantaneously. We threw our packs off and ran down a ways, then hid under a cliff face until we could count about 7 second between the flash and the roar. Nothing like a near miss to get your heart pounding out of your throat.

Re: tehipite to tunemah to ionian - trip report

Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:54 pm
by SSSdave
Good read Paul and a rather ambitious route like I would have done decades ago haha. Very nice image looking down canyon along lake 10232. Might shoot it a bit more tele leaving out the unbalanced ridge at left and the high sky. Guessing that is late morning from shadows. Would not be able to get that blue in the water until the sun altitude was that high. And likely it would only work so in September. Also allows that nice backlit green in the sedges. Ought to ask giantbrokkie about that pink mineral. Recall we passed some purple and pink slate when I climbed nearby Goddard back in 1981. Maybe some metamorphosized volcanics? The "pinemat manzanita" is actually arctic willow, salix arctica. When one is up in well drained peripheral areas of turf meadows above 10k in the summer get down for a closer look and you ought to see some of their characteristic willowy catkins. Some more on this dwarf tree that is a mystery to most high country visitors.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/Fall_2006/fall_2006.html

David