2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

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oldranger
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2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by oldranger »

I am so retarded in my trip reports that I'm just going to post pics from the epic fish slaying trip markskor and I took in 2012 and as recounted by markskor in 2012 but without pics. The following pics roughly depict our route that began at Tenaya Lake and ended 19 days later in Tuolumne Meadows for me and the Valley for Mark--no we didn't get mad at each other and split up, it was planned that way--we both had different objectives for the last couple of days. There are no fish pics as those were posted in 2012 to document our Yosemite slam. But it was far more than a fishing trip--one of the things that Mark and I agree on is that the Upper Merced is about our favorite High Sierra haunt. This will take a few different episodes to get through and I have yet to select pics past the first 6 days. But this is a start!

Day 1 to day 3 1/2



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I had planned a detour before heading to Vogelsang but the nasty weather made me reconsider so it was a relatively easy, mostly downhill walk to the Raferty Creek where we met numerous people with tiny packs heading down the trail, obviously having spent the night at the High Sierra Camp. It was blustery, cold and rainy as we headed up the trail to Vogelsang.

to be continued …

Mike
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Mike

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Mike M.
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by Mike M. »

Nice! Looking forward to seeing more.

Mike M.
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justm
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by justm »

Really nice pics, I've never explored that area. I hope to head up there soon !!
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by markskor »

Just to refresh the memories...my TR of this trip - 2 years ago:

Being as OldRanger Mike was obviously in a hurry above, this leaves it up to me to provide some salient “Slam” details. Pardon my ramblings but that’s just how things roll around here.

A little prologue first: Many here spend hours planning routes, scouring maps and searching various fishing resources (books, internet forums, and Google) probing for the perfect Sierra summer trip. IMHO, much better to just linger, realizing that someone else will invariably do all the “work” and just wait to be invited along. Being good company, fun-loving, and having the ability to cook trout always makes possible a whole slew of intriguing backpacking invitations…maybe just lucky but the best here at HST always need some good company…sigh…that even includes Mike too.

Somewhere back in April, Mike sends me this detailed but somewhat confusing itinerary… (More of a demand really)…a 19 day trip and a serious try for the Sierra 5 slam – catching all 5 species of Yosemite trout in one continuous trip. (Turns out that his wife Kathy actually wanted to get rid of him most of all summer (who can blame her) and would feel better if someone still continent would accompany the old goat to watch out for him as he is getting somewhat decrepit, old, and senile. How could anyone refuse such an invite? July 14th finds us in front of the Tuolumne Stables, shipping out 30 pounds of gear/food/alcohol @ $5 a pound to Voglesang via their mule train. (FYI, both the Valley and Tuolumne Stables ship to all the HSC’s 3 times a week – Mon, Wed, and Fri and will hold a stuff sack inside any of the HSC main rooms safe…no bear can needed on the mules…$150).

Next, a quick trip to Tuolumne Wilderness office produced the required Wilderness permits needed. BTW, I had previously warned the Rangers there about Mike but the Rangers Jen and Greg must have felt sorry for him (or just forgot) and in spite of my warnings, gave him a permit anyway. FYI, We each had our own permits… (In case something happened to Mike in on the trail? Who?)…Mine said merely Tenaya Lake – Happy Isles…19 days.

It would be foolish to give day-to-day dissertations on the first 5 days of the adventure (never my style)…suffice it to simply give out our route and you can fill in the details yourself.
Tenaya – Sunrise Lake #2 – Matthes – Nelson – Reymond – Voglesang… (A lot of X-country here)

Some items of note:
We did run cross paths with another HST member (Rosie – looking good too and doing a 30 day JMT adventure) at Sunrise HSC. Interesting that she sported a Gregory Diva 85 pack which looked a bit large - overkill... differed in size from ours – mine a size 60 and Mike’s a mere 58...interesting.

BTW, after sampling Mike’s cooking/his butchering of some simple pasta dish the week before, we made a deal – For the rest of the trip, I would do all the communal cooking if he didn’t…worked out for the best. We ate trout at least 10 nights, cooked wrapped in foil...delicious if I say so myself. Found a great addition to the way I usually cook foil-wrapped-trout : add Sun-dried tomato oil to he center of the trout, plus spices, and olive oil...and use a hot-coal fire.

He took over the bar-tending... in charge of Happy Hour fixings – ice, 151, and Crystal Lite…aged Gouda, Asiago cheese, and something akin to Wasabi peas each night...promptly, every night now - at 5:00.

At Reymond we got into some weather - rain and blowing snow while going over Rafferty Pass and working our way back down to the main trail. FYI, since it was raining and bitter cold that day, after we hit the HSC, Mike opted for warmth, securing the next 2 nights for himself a bed in those white, canvas HSC tent cabins of Voglesang… He broke out the plastic and stayed warm while I froze outside. What a putz! Turns out he just wanted to see if he would be the youngest guy in the 4-man tent cabin…He was.
BTW, I did visit him in his cabin before dinner once and the room seriously smelled like old-man farts…More on this later.

At Voglesang HSC camp Mike had pre-arranged for 2 nights of dinners and breakfasts for both of us. Nice food…soup, salads, fresh bread, a pulled-pork dish one night, and chicken with a secret Marmot sauce the next…we ate very well…seconds on everything too…a gooey chocolate cake for dessert.

While spending those 2 nights at Voglesang, we visited/fished Hanging Basket and Upper Townsley…by the time we went over Voglesang Pass 2 days later, we had fulfilled the Brookie and Cut requirements. Picking up our waiting food stash, our packs now heavy again, we headed out down the trail and over the pass, intent on getting the other 3.

The route - Bernice (alas once good in years past, now a stunted Brookie lake), then 2 nights at Lower then Upper Florence (‘Bows), X-country to pick up the high trail, past Cony Crags, down to the Lyell Fork of the Merced, and finally up... to Upper Harriet. Here big cruisin’ ‘Bows (17+”) provided our dinner. We eventually worked our way down X-country to the Isberg Triple Fork junction before rejoining the trail again. We then worked our way up towards Edna…looking for some truly bigger fish.

Before going on, it is important to tell you about Mike’s unique hiking style and a particular trait he utilizes as he goes uphill off-trail. First of all, he is an animal, a hiking beast…he just does not stop. On off-trail 1500 foot up sections, it was not unusual to do 500 feet of steep uphill before pausing for a break – truly impressive. If you cannot keep up he regales you with sarcasm…What a buddy! What he does do is slow way down – puts it in a lower gear and just continues to keep on moving. What happens then though is that he keeps on getting slower and slower until he almost stops…You wind up getting closer and closer to him and soon enough you find your nose just behind his ass, especially on the very steep, off-trail sections…and then he lets go with clouds of horrendous flatulence. We are talking multiple notes, complex chords, maybe 16 bar musical segments…a real rectal bugle. He then laughs and laughs. This happened at least 20 times over the course of the trip. (You would think I would eventually learn but…sigh.)

Edna was certainly the best fishing lake of this adventure, hard to get to but worth it…multiple big hits...16, 17, maybe 18 inches long with broad shoulders…we are talking some giant ‘bows here…2 + pound lunkers. I hooked into one that looked like a Salmon, running out and taking ½ of my 6-pound line before breaking me off at the reel. That reel sang for a good long while too...ah...Edna!

Down the Red Devil drainage, up and over a few 1000 foot ridges, led us up to Adair – maybe a 10-mile X-country jaunt, and by the time we rejoined the trail and hit Washburn a few days later we had 4 species officially caught.

Mike had pre-arranged another night of good food (and a hot shower) at the Merced HSC. Unfortunately they served Salmon (now a lil tired of fish actually) that night but featuring steak and eggs for the next morning’s breakfast. A little fly and bubble action after eating finally/ easily secured the last trout needed…FYI, many Browns are readily found at Merced Lake... and our Yosemite 5 slam was now history.

We split up good company just below Merced Lake in Echo Valley, him going up to Echo Lake and me heading down following the Merced to take another art class in the Valley a few days later.
Just an epic fishing trip and a most grand Sierra adventure.
Bottom line: ~95 miles, 19 days, 5 species of trout, and too many lakes to count.
Thanks mucho Mike, anytime buddy…just ask, I will be there.

Mark
Mountainman who swims with trout
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oldranger
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

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days 3 1/2 to 7

Arriving at Vogelsang HSC cold and wet and being the wimp that I am I asked if, by chance, they had a cancellation for a bed in a tent cabin. Sure enough they did! So for the next 2 nights I slept on a bed and that first afternoon had the benefit of a nice wood stove. Mark opted for the backpackers camp but was not above Jonesing for a little heat.
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A few views around Vogelsang.
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After two nights we headed over Vogelsang Pass to Bernice Lake after adding 30 lbs of food and gas to our loads that we had packed up to Vogelsang by mule.
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Then on to Florence Lakes. By the way this was an audible and not part of the plan. We obtained some info that the fishing might be special (not!)
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That evening the clouds made for spectacular lighting.
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to be continued

Mike
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Last edited by oldranger on Fri Mar 28, 2014 7:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mike

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iHartMK
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by iHartMK »

Beautiful area! Thanks for sharing.
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TahoeJeff
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by TahoeJeff »

Where da fish pics at?
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oldranger
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by oldranger »

TJ

Search Yosemite Slam, posted in August 2012. Just one example of each.

Mike
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by TahoeJeff »

Here they are:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8177&p=59252&hilit=Slam#p59252" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: 2012 Yosemite Slam Trip Pics

Post by Shawn »

Great pics OR; what a trip. Thanks for posting.
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