High Sierra Topix

I think about 36, but my mind is even fuzzier than my math. Peaks I can do exactly: 6, three of which were new for me.

Rlown: There's no such thing as a bad night (or day) in the Sierra! Even the mishaps become memorable adventures. I wish I could say that about the rest of my life.

27 total bag nights if I counted correctly, 8 with kiddo, 7 with friends, the rest solo. Pretty average for me, figure I spend about one month out of the twelve in a sleeping bag.

I feel very fortunate. Run my own business and have a kid, but there are people to take over when I go out cavorting in the back country. I try to do the same when my partners need time off to do their thing.

I am hoping for one more this year, an over-nighter in Yosemite if the weather looks nice for a few days in November.

This is an interesting thread. Wow, I'm really envious of those of you who've been able to go out just about every weekend thru the season (e.g. at 30 nights, if you went fri and sat each time, is 15 trips, so that's "almost every weekend" given the high sierra season length). How do you get anything else done outside of work hours? or are you all among those of us affected by the "economic downturn" and you don't have jobs? If so how do you pay for gas to get to the mountains?

I hardly camped at all for "a long time" while I was amongst those ranks, because I couldn't pay the $100/trip for gas. Now that I'm working again, personal circumstances have kept me from going as often as I'd like. So this year (so far) I got in a mere 8 nights...

Do you all work short work weeks? don't have jobs? have tons of PTO? own your own businesses like snusmumriken? Enquiring minds want to know

The relatively large amount of time I spent in the backcountry this year was due mostly to some special circumstances. A combination of graduating in May, working as a field tech in Kings Canyon and the Golden Trout Wilderness through July, and then heading up to the mountains nearly every weekend since beginning a typical Mon-Fri job in August has given me a lot of time to wander this season. I'm usually lucky to make around ten trips per year though, with maybe half of those being of the up-and-back day trip variety, so count me as also envious of those of you who are able to get out there so often.

I don't backpack anymore, but got one bag night on Whitney (Sept 29-30) this year. It was my first bag night on the trail since 2008, and reminded me why I don't backpack anymore. I sleep in my truck every weekend, usually 2 nights unless I'm in Mammoth (stay in our condo). I have not added up the number of peaks, nights in the truck or hikes, but its up there. The only number I keep track of is consecutive weekends, which is 249.

That's got to rank right up there with Joe DiMaggio's consecutive hits record!

THREE! (i'm embarrassed)

eric
fresno, ca.

ericZ wrote:THREE! (i'm embarrassed)

eric
fresno, ca.

Nothing embarrassing about having a busy life full of other activities and responsibilities.

One reason I like backpacking - it's not a competition, unless you really must have it be one in order for you to enjoy it. It can be any miles, any trail, accessible for anyone of any age or ability.

Three is great!!.. Some bag nights aren't all that much fun.. like 12 hrs in a tent, not fun.. I have to admit, having the wind deflect the tent and bumping me every 15 mins was pleasant, as the tent did not fold.. fun to watch how far you can deflect aluminum.

Sure there are fun moments during the day, but, time in the tent beyond what you wanted.. not fun..

As in recent years past my mountain sleeping nights are not in the 30 range that they regularly reached in the 90's:

For the true High Sierra in 2010 it is but one night on a backpack trip and one night on a car camp (both with kids) for a grand total of 2.

Now if we add in some geology-related camping (all car camping), there is one night after a geology conference (near Carson Pass), two more (Yuba R. area) getting grad students started on their thesis projects, and one in the mid level Sierra on a grad class field trip, for a Sierra total of 6.

I do a spring geology mapping exercise (camping in Bay Area--really), with 7 nights of camping. I will do another mapping class with 3 nights of camping in the Bay area--10 total nights in the bag outside of the Sierra.

Thus, the total number of nights in a bag for 2010 will be 16 of which 2 were for "recreation" and 14 were related to my job. I didn't fish much in 2010. Still, I managed to fish 10 lakes I haven't fished before, bringing my Sierran career total to 661; the total number of different Sierra lakes fished in 2010 was 19.