2015 Group Trip ?

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SSSdave
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

Post by SSSdave »

giantbrookie wrote:For a multifaceted basin that is about equal hiking time from E or W there is Bear Basin. It's rather centrally located and has all the bells and whistles including many fishing and peak bagging options.
All the Bear Creek areas are at the top of my favorites. Well from the east like Pine Creek or North Lake, the East Fork of Bear Creek basin is a tough 2 days. From Bear Diversion Dam it is 15 miles. Again 2 strong days. Even Marie Lake in the South Fork basin is 13 miles from either there or Florence. Not the kind of effort one is going to plan for a one day out and back that is more a social gathering. Anything more than 8 miles is probably better for a longer trip with smaller groups.
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SSSdave
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

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oldranger wrote:While I appreciate the desire for a bunch of great people wanting to get together in the backcountry I have always had a problem with large groups. I think choosing a remote location works great as not many people regardless of what they intend will actually make it. ...I would think a front country location would be much more appropriate for a large HST gathering. Just my pov.
Mike
Well that could be the situation depending on what becomes large. Yeah if that means a couple or three dozen haha. The permit quota system is somewhat self limiting. My vague expectation on the thread was that I would be surprised if even a dozen of us actually would meet up at the same time in the backcountry although more would likely say they would until the last few days before much like this summer's event. And a dozen people in most of these vast places is invisible unless one plunks down at heavily used trail or lake side camp spots.
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The hermit
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

Post by The hermit »

Its interesting that about 8miles is my max on day one but after 4or5days I can do 16(I spend several days at elevation to acclimate). Pizza salad and beer have a strong pull!
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

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LMBSGV wrote:
I would think a front country location would be much more appropriate for a large HST gathering. Just my pov
Also my pov.
Sure car camping could work too and just 3 days would fit. The issue is sure to be finding a car camping location that would be interesting enough for people to actually bother to make all the effort for?
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

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[quote="Cross Country"]Cathedral Lakes or Ten Lakes Basin from Tioga road are not to hard and afford you the option of a little more. ...quote]

Yeah thought about those and some other SR120 destinations in Yosemite. Superb in all but one category. Fishing enthusiasts would have little to do. And wilderness permits for those very popular destinations would face quota issues. Other suggestions are relatively strenuous. And the Tuolumne Meadows Campground would certainly be of interest as a car camping destination meet up were it not for the heavy demand for sites mid summer.
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

Post by AlmostThere »

I seem to recall throwing back about two dozen brook trout per day, and packing the larger ones in snow in the bear can for the trip home, the first time I stayed at the lower Ten Lakes.
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

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AlmostThere wrote:I seem to recall throwing back about two dozen brook trout per day, and packing the larger ones in snow in the bear can for the trip home, the first time I stayed at the lower Ten Lakes.
Thanks AT. If that was a trip recently say in the last decade, great. Well qualified in all other ways. Certainly would be one of the shorter drives from Northern California areas. I visited the basin decades ago and in that era many lakes in Yosemite had fine fishing even just a few miles from trailheads. But the end of stocking and heavy pressure of day hiking in this era has changed that in many NP waters.

Obviously the most difficult enthusiast group to satisfy in this Internet era on a group trip of just a few days one day in and out from trailheads, is going to be our considerable fishing members. There are fair numbers of short destinations that would satisfy peakbaggers, terrain explorers, and photographers like Cathedral Lake however fish in such places have been severely reduced simply because they are easy to hike to. Backcountry bodies of water with larger fish close to trailheads today are very few and if so are otherwise probably difficult to catch. Not a few such places during the last couple decades have gone from good or ok to rather fished out simply due to web information and forums. Any suggestion is not going to satisfy the lunker enthusiast though there are waters where fishermen can at least expect to catch some smaller fish.
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

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oldranger wrote:While I appreciate the desire for a bunch of great people wanting to get together in the backcountry I have always had a problem with large groups. I think choosing a remote location works great as not many people regardless of what they intend will actually make it. As an individual, encountering a large group in Bear Basin would just seem wrong to me and I would hate to do so at the end of a long day with little ability to move on. That is why I keep my groups small and in locations where others would expect to find company. I remember once when Tehipte Tom and I spent the night at a small lake with over 20 boy scouts camped near us (we had already spent one night when the scouts showed up) even if they hadn't been young and boisterous the shear number was disturbing.

I would think a front country location would be much more appropriate for a large HST gathering. Just my pov.

Mike
Excellent points, and I think it brings up the question of what we want this to be: a reunion of as many HST people as possible (which should be frontcountry), or a meet-up of just a few?

IMO, if it isn't the former I'm not sure I see the point. Smaller groups can always arrange to meet up in the backcountry (and do--see the Old Farts trip reports).
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

Post by TehipiteTom »

SSSdave wrote:
LMBSGV wrote:
I would think a front country location would be much more appropriate for a large HST gathering. Just my pov
Also my pov.
Sure car camping could work too and just 3 days would fit. The issue is sure to be finding a car camping location that would be interesting enough for people to actually bother to make all the effort for?
Cold Springs (Mineral King) would be ideal, if someone could snag sites (no reservations). Any of the Kings Canyon (proper) campgrounds would also work. Or maybe Jackass or Vermillion.
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Re: 2015 Group Trip ?

Post by Cross Country »

If you want to have a place that is only one day hike and still good fishing I suggest Laurel Lake out of Hetch Hetchy. Also the camping possibilities for a large group there is excellent. Even I might be able to go there. I know how to fish that lake too (did so about 25-30 days) I usually fished it one day on my way in to Edith and one day on my way out of Edith. One time I hiked all the way out from Edith but that wasn't any fun. It was ALWAYS a pleasure to fish Laurel so I nearly always stopped there for the afternoon and fished it.
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