High Sierra Topix

So, It's been a long 2012 season. Lots of new people and lots of potential Trail Reports to be posted. To kind of take your mind off watching just one thread as we wait and hope, it's also good to focus your energy into putting your TR's together from the season and posting them. I know a few here who have been out but have yet seen nothing (I'm one).

Not only are they entertaining sometimes, but they can also help others to be safe when entering certain areas.

Anyway, those who did travel this season, please post your TR's! If you haven't done one before, open a new topic and compose your own thread. Not on this thread. Pictures and maps are very helpful. You might want to compose your text beforehand in a separate tool like MS Word so you don't lose everything if there's a network glitch.

Start writing and have fun.

Russ

I went out but didn't do anything interesting. No one would wants to read anything.

I wish I could say I have a report coming but for some reason this year I haven't felt like I had anything to write about or that it will just be boring. What I did last year seemed too long and detailed. I only have up to the end of day 1 written and nothing else.

Thoughts on what I should or shouldn't be writing about?

I tend to take my TR's to things that surprised me on the trip.

So my last trip after doing it 3 years in a row now up Piute. This caught my eye:
Thought the rocks looked cool. Fish, rocks, panoramas, landscapes. Rogue you already contributed heavily this year with the cross country passes and even day one. So, just make yours like a synopsis. Maybe every other footstep

Anyway, If you haven't done one, do it.. you won't be sorry.

I think most of us really enjoyed reading about your adventures last summer, Rogue. And if you don't feel like writing up the whole trip, maybe just touch on a few highlights?

What was your favorite peak? Worst creek crossing? Nicest person you met? Weirdest thing you saw?

Once you get started, I hope you won't stop!

We've posted ours here, usually within a couple of days of when we returned. But they are also all on our website...so you can wander around there and see more of them

Rogue- You now probably know as much as most who write guidebooks. Write a guidebook! Heck, I would buy one.

I enjoyed your last years reports. I kind of like long and detailed stuff. But I know it is a lot of work to write up all that, so whatever you decide to write, I will read it. My only suggestion is to pick the best photos and put them in one place (say the best 50).

It's not that I don't want to write it but it seems boring. How many times can you say I climbed up this hill and down another. There are so many days that not allot happens. You get up do the typical routine, hike, it's beautiful, peaceful and then you get to camp and set up, relax, eat go to bed and do it again.

I'm sure i'll think of something.

Engage interview mode:

What was your favorite peak? Although it seems like every peak I did offered a unique experience beyond just a beautiful view I think Clyde Minaret was my favorite. It took class 3 scrambling to the next level for me. Combine that with the adventure of losing the Rock Route. I had done a very difficult semi inverted climb that I had first judged to be impossible. Once I had completed it I knew there was no going back it was the top and a new route or bust!

Worst creek crossing? The snow year was so low that I did not encounter any difficult creek crossings at all. The worst would have to be defined in the amount of time I spent in absolutely freezing water. The type of crossing that before I get to the other side I am in extreme pain which unfortunately were many.

Nicest person you met? I'm not sure I can pick a person here. I met so many nice people that it's hard to keep track. From the man that gave me his tent stakes after I had lost mine on day one of my hike to the two laddies that drove me down to the Pie in the sky Cafe and bought me pie and tea and then took me back to the trail head, to the PCT thru hiker Blake that gave me company for 5 days of hiking. and generally the great number of people that bought me a dinner or lunch so many times. There is just too many to name.

Weirdest thing you saw? There aren't too many things that I could say were really strange. There was finding a 25L stuff sack along the Big Arroyo that was half buried in the ground. It had clothes in it, food (not long term storage items), cooking items, contact lenses and much more. It had clearly been there a very long time. There was climbing to the top of the remote peak 11,255 to find it was completely swarmed by some sort of insect that I still cannot identify. They were all over me and a strange scent was coming from a rock they seemed to be coming out of. I could hardly take a photo without them being in the shot. Perhaps the strangest things I see happen while I lay out and stare at the stars. I'm not sure who is flying around up there but I see a great deal of strange activity coming from space at night.

Rogue- You now probably know as much as most who write guidebooks. Write a guidebook! Heck, I would buy one.

I was told by more people then I could count that I should write a book. Who knows maybe some day.

I'l make a suggestion for you, Rogue - just start with an outline. Like, "Day 1, started here, went over this pass, down this canyon, up to this lake. Day 2 -" etc. You have covered so much ground that lots of folks would like to see just that. And then if you later get the urge to write more about some part of it you can always do that as well. Plus the outline will bring questions, and often it's easier to respond to a question than to decide what to say out of thin air.

Russ,

OK, good idea. "Sport" and I will saddle up and pack out tomorrow morning. We will take the two JR Terriers out to chase some chipmunks.

Hopefully we can find something interesting to post. We will try and post a TR by early next week.

-Russ

Good idea Russ. I don't really have any TRs from this year since it was mostly car camping, but I posted a few pics from the season on the Photography Board.

Thanks for the answers, Rogue. And keep the comments coming.

I agree that you should at least start writing down a log of what you did and where. that way, in the middle of winter, when you start getting those itchings to get out on the trail, you can spend a few hours filling in the blanks.

i promise you that we'll read the result!