Fantasy trips/memories of 1977?

[Cross Country]

What a great commentary about the fire and the fire lines. Fire IS natural.

[Troutdog 59]

While I tend to agree with Balzac (too early to predict and it has snowed since the original post), and I certaily dont have any daring tales of adventure that others have posted of, I will chime in as I was backpacking back then. In fact, I took a 9 day trip into the upper Bear Creek headwaters, crosssed over to the Pinnacles Basins (East then West), and back to Bear Creek, in June of 77 (went in on 6/18 I beleive), and we saw little if any snow on the whole trip. Truth be told, I had no clue it was out of the ordinary as this was only my 3rd year packing and the previous years were low snow years as well. I took up snow skiing at the same time, so I didnt have a history of being in the mountains in the winters.

Ist year was 75 and I did one trip. The state was in the midst of the drought then, but I was hooked none the less. In 76, I did 5 trips (Mosquito Flat over Mono to Pioneer twice, Kearsarge Pass, Kern River (Forks of the Kern), and the Ruby Mtns in Nevada). Again a drought year, so we had no experience with snow packs, but we got pretty good at carrying water to make sure we had water at the many dry creek crossings later in the year. Again, it didnt really dawn on me why the creeks were low, I just thought this was typical.

1977 was about the worst year of the drought if I recall correctly. Mammoth Mtn was not open at New Years (76/77) as they hadnt recieved enough snow to open. My brother and my friend Glen and I took off for the Sierra the first weekend after school got out. We saw no snow pretty much at all until we went cross country over Gemini Pass from Seven Gables. I actually recall thinking seeing snow "this late" was pretty cool. My inexperince was pretty obvious. Regardless, we had an awesome trip and had some of the best fishing I ever had for big goldens. I was now officially a Sierra fishing addict to say the least.

The following year, I tried to go back in in late June with my GF of the time, and we got turned around at about 8,000" by snow and high flowing streams. I was somewhat puzzled, but my knowledge of the sierra snow packs was increasing like it or not. While I have hiked low snow years since, I do not recall another year in which there was basically no snow up to 10,000 feet in June!! Such years are bad for our water budgets, but actually pretty interesting as a back packer and the low snow years seem to allow better fish growth as some of my best catches have followed low snow years by a season or two.

I have dealt with large snow packs before such as last years. In October 1982, I took a job at the Sugar Bowl ski resort. If I recall corrctly, last years snow pack was only slightly less than the packs of 1969 and 1983. I went to work on my day off in early Jan 1983 as my boss had asked us all to come and help shovel snow. What a mistake. It snowed so hard they lost power and I was snowed in at work (I slept on a cot in the Ski Patrol office) for 4 frigin nights!!!! When we finally dug out, I went to the parking lot only to find I couldnt locate my car as it was under 10 feet of snow. Luckily I got a ride home from a friend and didnt have to spend night 5 on the cot.

I left Sugar Bowl on 1 May 1983 (they closed) and they still had 17' of snow. Me and some buds went to Mammoth, bought a spring pass for $125, and skied until mid July. A tad different than 1977 to say the least. Funny, but 1983 is one of three years I did not do any back packing trips. I saw so much white that year, I wanted to see sun and sand the rest of the summer, so I went back to So Cal and worked until there until the next winter, when I returned for more punishment.

[Wild Bill]

We still have a chance to get "caught up." We still have February, and March can be a good month for snowfall in the high country. It has been unusually warm for winter here on the east slope.

I love it when someone starts a post about long ago! For me, the college semester ended about the third week in May. Two friends and I grabbed our packs and drove to the Whitney Portal. We got a late afternoon start. I remember Lone Pine Lake and Mirror Lake were ice free. We camped above Mirror Lake that night. They didn't have as many regulations back in those days! The next day we we headed up the trail, and didn't see anyone on the trail that day! Trail was pretty much snow free all the way to Trail Camp. Consultation Lake was frozen. After going up a few of the switch backs, we finally encountered snow. We ended up making a straight shot up the snow to Trail Crest. Once at the top of the pass, there was no more snow. The trail was dry all the way to the summit. It was a beautiful, sunny day with little or no wind. The three of us stood on top and enjoyed the view for many hours. A beautiful sunset over the Great Western Divide. We spent the night on the summit of Mt Whitney. The next morning, clouds began to build, and thunder could be heard getting closer. So we packed it up and headed back down, still, not seeing anyone on the trail that day. An amazing trip by today's standards; having the entire trail, and the summit to ourselves.

[SierraMaclure]

1977.... Got married to my husband, Rick, on April 9, 1977. Honeymoon ski trip to Tahoe and then Mammoth where neither place had enough snow to really ski on. We hiked instead. Ended up coming home Ap.13 thru Tioga Pass. Had no idea at the time how crazy that was.

[rlown]

hmm.. the average age of people on this site is what? i'm guessing 50. Lot of info to give, not much time left. yeah, i'm over 50

[Wild Bill]

Over 50????

Well seasoned?

Experienced?

Still breathing? Heck yes!

If you are still looking down at the grass, it's a great day!

Remember the good old days when you could sit around a camp fire?
"Take only pictures; leave only foot prints."
Leather boots that always gave me blisters!
Listen to John Denver;
I never heard of a trail quota; a mountain yellow legged frog; or a bear can!
Kelty external frame backpack.
The big snow storm in August 1972.
Share stories with others your age!

I have had the opportunity to visit so many beautiful places in the Sierra over the years.
Over 50??
Yes. I just walk a little slower these days.

[sparky]

I was born in 77 los robels hospital in thousand oaks CA. That was quite a trip! Yes I do notice there are fewer people my age on the trail. Double edged sword.....i feel solitude might be easier to come by but will there be less awareness. I hope not.

[tim]

I was 8 in the summer of '77, not living in the US, so no memories of the Sierra then. Good point on the average age of backpackers but I think a lot is to do with having kids. I didn't backpack at all from soon after I left college (when work, marriage etc started keeping me busy) up until a few years ago when my kids were old enough. When the kids are small you either have to be incredibly dedicated (eg llamas) or have a very understanding spouse!

[slowhiker]

I agree with Tim's post, marriage, work and KIDS can distract. I was 23 in 1977 and did my first overnight trip (not in the Sierras). Finally (with a very understanding wife, who is far better outdoors than I will ever be) got back out in 1982 with 3 boys between ages 5 and 7 using three burros to carry the gear and went out of Florence lake to Goddard Canyon. Used burros for 3 trips in the Sierras, then switched to llamas (by then with 4 boys) for at least 5 trips in Wyoming. Finally, in 2000 switched back to actual backpacking in the Sierras. In fact last summer my wife and I did an out and back from Mcgee Creek trailhead to the Peter Pande Lake (in the Silver Divide area). so, yes we are older now, a little slower now, yet we still enjoy the experience.

[Fly Guy Dave]

I got my first taste of backpacking in 1977 when I was 11 and in the Boy Scouts. You'd think they would teach you the proper way to pack and what to carry (or not), so I recall a trip we took somewhere out of Camp Wolfeboro, near Bear Valley and Highway 4, when I was carrying a pack that must have weighed 50+ pounds, and I didn't weigh much more than that, so I wasn't liking the whole back packing thing very much. The scenery was great, as was the company, but I recall we got bargain freeze dried food and we ate the same thing the whole trip: Chicken a la king, nasty, glue-like stuff for dinner and pilot biscuits with "cheese" for lunch. Crappy food and exhausting hiking: no fun. It took a while of recovery after the trip to learn how to do it right and to eat better, but no thanks to my troop for that.