High Sierra Topix

High Country News had a climate change fiction issue (speculative journalism) where authors contributed short stories - one of them was about AR goggles that would overlay historical glaciers over the now dry landscape that were created for tourists (edited out spoilers, here it is for anyone to read).

I've joked that someone just needs to hike the PCT and record the whole thing on a go-pro, then people can get treadmills that adjust elevation and do group calls with their friends and just "hike" it at home. Half of them are staring at their shoes listening to audiobooks so it wouldn't be a vastly different experience.

The use trail thread would be interesting to dig up - I think it's definitely one of those non-answerable but interesting to talk about questions.

I feel like the semi-arid terrain of the Sierra would keep designated campsites etc non-necessary except in extreme areas of overuse (LYV and Pear Lake come to mind). In the PNW, Glacier, BC etc I think it's mostly due to terrain either being soggy or overgrown, so in most places it's sort of best to set up in a pre-made litter box. Not having dispersed camping (or many realistic XC opportunities) in Patagonia & NZ really made me appreciate what makes the Sierra special even if the ranges were more spectacular in some ways.

erutan wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 11:18 am I've joked that someone just needs to hike the PCT and record the whole thing on a go-pro, then people can get treadmills that adjust elevation and do group calls with their friends and just "hike" it at home. Half of them are staring at their shoes listening to audiobooks so it wouldn't be a vastly different experience.

This is happening in cycling (Zwift). Not just for recreation (e.g., "ride the tour de france") but also racing series on that platform: https://www.wtrl.racing/zrl/Zwift-Racing-League.php

erutan wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:06 am ..Lamarck is an official trail now as well as Langley...

@eutran
What is your source for this information? There is a sign at the top of Lammark Col, but that has been the case for more than least 20 years, so that itself doesn't mean a freeway is in the plan! As for Langley, what "official" route are you referring to? There are two official routes and two XC routes, all starting from Horseshoe Meadows TH, sharing a final push to the summit; and the mountaineer's route (it probably gets more use as a winter ski trekkers route) coming up from Tuttle Creek. Are you commenting on one of these, or something altogether different?

Ed

Good question. I have heard that FS has put up lots of cairns on Langly route. Not sure they call it an official trail.

I cannot imagine putting a "trail" through the talus in Darwin Canyon. Maybe cairn a route.

Or does putting lines on a map make it an official "trail"? I have found that the FS maps usually only show maintained trails, whereas older USGS maps often have trails that are long gone. Not sure if there is any standard policy for FS maps nation-wide.

i can say that i did lamarck col in late august last summer and there is a relatively decent switchbacking trail that runs up the north lake side (just to the left of the remaining permanent glacier if headed up) and drops you right at the kings canyon sign. i was kind of surprised by this: i figured that until the last couple decades, the specific spot we were ascending had been covered by snow or ice virtually all the time. when was a trail built and/or use trailed into existence?

(as you said WD, the darwin side is a total mess. many trails, though none of them useful in our brief experience.)

My source of information for Langley & Lamarck Col being formally adopted is the former trails manager of SEKI (David K) I mentioned up at the top of the thread. We chatted for around an hour and a half or so along the shore of Portal Lake last summer and have had a few email exchanges since.

As I said earlier trailwork on the trails had been delayed due to COVID but they have been mapped by SEKI (GPX of spiderwebs) and there are plans to introduce a single route at least over loose areas to reduce erosion and visual impact, most likely similar to the work Yosemite did on Bubbs Lake / Cathedral climbing approach & Dana. I suppose since they are probably not entirely completed we can parse out whether they are official trails or proposed / partially completed official trails etc if people are interested enough. I was casually replying to enigmagic's statement " I will try to improve heavily trafficked use trails like Lamarck, official but poorly maintained trails like Langley (this is an official trail now btw)"

I felt like there was far more of a trail once I was down a ways on the Darwin side last August as well - both my partner and I commented on it, I don't recall it being there in '19 (or many previous summers), but that could just be from so many boots being on it these days. The top is still a shitshow.

I was looking for a list of maintained vs unmaintained trails in SEKI (as well as their development class ratings) and stumbled across the Langley Trail on their interactive Park Atlas as I was wondering about the status of the trail up to Miter Basin & Upper Wallace Creek etc (calling the latter minimally developed seems an overstatement).

Langley:

https://experience.arcgis.com/experienc ... er-26:2285

Lamarck Col:

https://experience.arcgis.com/experienc ... er-26:1566