TR: HST Wales Lake Meet-Up, July 2014

[JohnS]

Oleander,
Thanks for the wonderful report. Your photos make Shepherd Pass look inviting. The flower you asked about at the start of day two is most likely Primrose Monkeyflower. It the leaves don’t match try looking at Tilings Monkeyflower.
John

[copeg]

What a great report! Looks as though it was a trip of a lifetime. Quite surprised you saw a ratler that high up - never seen one above 8k. And your photos are fantastic. Absolutely love the Tulainyo shot with the flowers in the foreground.

[texan]

That is one of the best trail reports I have ever read. The pics, the details. Thank you so much for sharing.

Texan

[BakoGal]

"Oh my....." is what I said many times while admiring your photos. And your narrative was the icing on the cake. Thanks so much for taking us along via your trip report.

[sparky]

I really like that picture labeled "flowers". Awesome!

[oleander]

I really like that picture labeled "flowers". Awesome!

Sparky: Originally I tried to post that photo labeled with the actual name of the flower in question. Which is something like "cat paws," except the first word starts with the letter "p". Unfortunately, HST's child-safe screen decided my "p" word was a dirty word, and wouldn't let me indicate the name of the flower under the photo.

- Elizabeth

[Shawn]

Beautiful report Elizabeth!

[jessegooddog]

Rattlers vs gophers - coloring and patterns are similar with many variations, and when they are moving the pattern blends together. The head and tail may not be visible. The best way for me to distinguish between the 2 at a glance, even when they are some distance away, is the "heft" of the body - rattlers are thick and heavy bodied, and gophers are slim by comparison. If you can check them out at a nature center or zoo side by side the difference is easy to see; a good field guide will also help.

EXCELLENT report!!

[LMBSGV]

Great report and photos. I'm with Copeg on the Tulainyo photo. Thanks for sharing your insights.

[giantbrookie]

Wow, what a report! Great mix of photos mountain vistas, lakes, wildflowers, wildlife etc. and quite the narrative too. It both makes me wish I had been there and brings back memories of my one long trip into that area, which was a New Army-Shepherd shuttle with a lot of off trail detours (Sky Blue, Crabtrees, Wallace, Wrights, Upper Kern, Williamson Bowl) in early July 1996. It is interesting that your trip also corresponded to an incoming weather situation while going back over Shepherd. My crossing of Shepherd eastward was memorable for a fierce rain with pea-sized hail upon arrival at Shepherd Pass (from Lake 11440 in Upper Kern) followed by intermittent thunderstorms while doing a little side trip (daypacks only) into Williamson Bowl (all the way to lower lakes). Then, that evening, camped somewhere above the Pothole, another wicked thunderstorm came in with very short (< 1 sec) time delays between flashes and booms.

Anyhow your report really shows me what I missed in addition to those large orange-meated goldens described in the meet up thread.