High Sierra Topix

On our last trip into the eastern High Sierra, we found ourselves camped at a lovely lake at about 10,000 feet that had all the amenities, minus one: the water in the lake wasn't as crystal clear as we'd come to expect.

And since we were using a filter to pump our water, we've learned that sediment or algae in the water can plug up the filter, and make pumping more difficult or even impossible. So we pre-filtered by putting the water through one of our bandanas first, and then pumping it through the filter. This is a great system, and gives you a much longer life on your filters.

So we pumped away about 6 p.m. in the evening, and then hung the soaking wet bandana up to dry in the sun. An hour later, we realized that we needed more water for the morning, and grabbed that bandana. It was bone dry.

We pumped away, and then put the bandana back up on the log to dry again. By the time it was getting dark, about 8:15, the bandana was dry again.

Not a lot of humidity up there.

Dry air is the one thing about the sierras that always bothers me. I always get a bloody nose when the air is really dry in the winter here at home, and when i go to the sierras with all the dust and dry air i am always worried that i will get a nose bleed. And according to Brick Tanland, bears can smell blood!!

gotta love Anchroman!

Did a whirlwind trip to Lassen last weekend, camped at Southwest walk-in. At 4:00 am I heard the gentle patter of rain on my tent, so I threw on pants & a rain jacket and ran out to put up the rain fly. Couple bright white flashes, thunder a few seconds later. I got snug back in my tent and waited it out...sporadic rain, the last of it ending about 5:15.

At 5:25 I got up and checked the stuff that had been left out (camp chair, stove, etc.). Bone dry. Rain fly? Dry.

Yup, it's dry up there all right.

Couple weeks ago we got all our clothes and gear soaked (except what was in the tents, sleeping bags were ok) in a storm. Everything dried out in a few hours spread out on rocks and tree branches, except for one shirt I had - cotton/polyester blend, red, SAR printed on the back.... I had to hang it on the pack while hiking the next day.

I am told that we are getting new shirts that are not made of "death cloth."

Classic! The one thing that doesn't work is the SAR shirt!