First hike plans?

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markskor
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First hike plans?

Post by markskor »

Also been thinking about where to go Sierra - that ol' "first hike of the season" thing...(my legs are hiding out there somewhere.)
So far, looks like an above average winter - not great but good. February was dry but, other than that... Recent storms - wet, crappy, Sierra cement..."more waves are lining up" forecast too. Hopefully the white stuff consolidates...lots of layers now, the stuff that later evolves into suncups - posthole heaven.
If considering hiking at 8 - 10 thousand feet, it might be late May...mid June until things open up high.

Thinking of Yosemite for a change, if/when Tioga opens -(am guessing May 23ish?...YARTS 120 starts on May 30 and only runs weekends till full time July 1). Intend parking my jeep in Valley - Thursday, plan on eventually taking the evening bus up to Tuolumne BP - Olmsted Point - top of Snow Creek - North Dome - top of Yosemite Creek - down...the rim route.
Why? Art in Yosemite! With all the bad news recently, a big shout out here to Yosemite Art center, Valley, in the Village...(just south of the big store.) BTW, no name change here. http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/yosemite-art-center
World famous artists, (changes weekly, see posted artist schedule) http://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/site ... _final.pdf), teach 4 hour classes - plein air. $10 a class - 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Small classes - 15 max... Bring you own supplies or buy them there ($$). FYI, great watercolor instructors late May and early June...say hi to Aline.
If my plans work out, would include 2 days of classes before - bus up TM - 4 - 5 days later, another 2 classes...and my hiking legs.
Mountainman who swims with trout
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KevinDo
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by KevinDo »

Well..my first hike this year was snowshoeing around badger pass/crocker point. In a week, if the weather gets better, I'm hoping to make it up to Clouds Rest. Forecast past Tuesday looks good!

When Tuolumne finally opens, I'm hoping to hit up the Ten Lakes basin area.
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AlmostThere
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by AlmostThere »

We've already been to the coast a few times and we may go spend the night in the snow before it's gone. I have a weekend in Henry Coe coming up and more Big Sur overnights in the near future.

A week in the Sierra in August, a long weekend in the Rubies in September, and likely many weekends to come as the snow melts and we can get to our single night destinations easily. I may make it to Jack Main in May.
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NoBoHiker
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by NoBoHiker »

First Backpacking trip was in mid Feb to Henry Coe State Park. It was beautiful as always there, I just noticed a lot of dead trees, the lack of water definitively shows.
First multi day trip is planned in Yose on Memorial Day weekend, I hope Tioga is open to allow access to some of my favorite trailheads..

Happy Trails.
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robow8
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by robow8 »

I can only get one week off of work, (one of the joys of working for a family business) so we're doing the Rae Lakes loop beginning August 1, if we don't get rerouted again by fire.

We try to get out into the San Gabriels once a month and will be doing Chantry Flats to Mt Wislon to Chantry Flats this coming weekend for our anniversary! :unibrow:
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SweetSierra
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by SweetSierra »

I've gone on three backpacks within the last month on overnighters in the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona. I'm going on another backpack in April to the Secret Mountain Wilderness north of Sedona, AZ. I hope to go on a several day solo backpack in the Golden Trout in June if all works out. Then Montana for an 8-day backpack in July (Bob Marshall Wilderness), and back to the Sierra to Mineral King in August for an off-trail (partial) 8-day trip.
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psykokid
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by psykokid »

My first trip up to the Sierra of the season will be with my son's boy scout troop up to Cottonwood Lakes the weekend before Memorial Day. A lot of the boys in the troop have done some backpacking up in the San Gabriels here in but none up in the Sierra so I'm hoping the relatively easy trek into Cottonwood Lakes Basin will whet their appetites to get up in to the high country.
We try to get out into the San Gabriels once a month and will be doing Chantry Flats to Mt Wislon to Chantry Flats this coming weekend for our anniversary!
Nice! That trek is in my back yard so I do it pretty often. I dislike the slog going up Sturtevent or up Winter Creek to Mt Wilson so I usually go up the Gabrielino Trail to Newcomb Pass and head up the Rim Trail on the back side of Mt Wilson then come down the Mt Wilson / Winter Creek Trails back to Chantry Flats. IIRC its about a 15ish mile loop. I usually get there right when the gate opens so I usually dont see another person on the trail until I get to the top to Mt. Wilson.
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robow8
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by robow8 »

psykokid wrote:My first trip up to the Sierra of the season will be with my son's boy scout troop up to Cottonwood Lakes the weekend before Memorial Day. A lot of the boys in the troop have done some backpacking up in the San Gabriels here in but none up in the Sierra so I'm hoping the relatively easy trek into Cottonwood Lakes Basin will whet their appetites to get up in to the high country.
We try to get out into the San Gabriels once a month and will be doing Chantry Flats to Mt Wislon to Chantry Flats this coming weekend for our anniversary!
Nice! That trek is in my back yard so I do it pretty often. I dislike the slog going up Sturtevent or up Winter Creek to Mt Wilson so I usually go up the Gabrielino Trail to Newcomb Pass and head up the Rim Trail on the back side of Mt Wilson then come down the Mt Wilson / Winter Creek Trails back to Chantry Flats. IIRC its about a 15ish mile loop. I usually get there right when the gate opens so I usually dont see another person on the trail until I get to the top to Mt. Wilson.
We're spending the night at Spruce Grove on Friday night. And that slog from there to Wilson with full packs isn't fun. But you have piqued my interest on the Gab/Rim trail alternate. How is the Rim trail from Newcomb?
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psykokid
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by psykokid »

robow8 wrote: We're spending the night at Spruce Grove on Friday night. And that slog from there to Wilson with full packs isn't fun. But you have piqued my interest on the Gab/Rim trail alternate. How is the Rim trail from Newcomb?
The trek up the Gab/Rim trails adds a little mileage but the grade up is a lot more consistent. Trail was in good shape the last time I hiked it back in December. Mostly shady except a small bit between Spruce Grove and Newcomb Pass. Here's my GPS track from then: http://caltopo.com/m/CK22
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Re: First hike plans?

Post by SSSdave »

We always have at least one short 2 or 3 day warm-up backpack each summer. Because of my winter skiing at Tahoe then spring wildflower landscapes work, I have usually been rather active in the preceding months but just not used to carrying my usual crushing loads. For an old guy at retirement age and someone still holding down an 8-5 m-f hi tech job, I managed to get out in the field a great deal during 2015 before summer and this year has been rolling out the same way.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_C ... les-0.html

But unlike a fair number of members here that only seem to have interest in the higher elevation areas, in June I stay well away from the melting snows soggy chilly dormant brown and flowerless high country and instead enjoy the middle Sierra landscapes that are often in their prime warm, dry, and flowery during the early season. Places like Vernon Lake and wilderness areas north like Emigrant, Mokelumne, and Desolation. And tend to settle on destination at short notice because there is no need to worry about trailhead quotas.

Decades ago I learned to greatly dislike walking across melting spring snow areas especially in forests where there are usually greater depths of snow beneath shading trees and shallow depths where sun shines through. The result can be an uneven surface like giant suncups easy to slide around on and sometimes the shallow areas have ice puddles. Although some non-skiers who don't get out in the snow during winter may think those melting summer landscapes novel and to them aesthetic, as someone that has been a decades old powder skier, the real beauty with snow landscapes by far is right after fresh snow has left winter wonderlands across landscapes.

David
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