TR 6/28-7/1 Woodchuck Country from Rancheria "Plus"

[giantbrookie]

"I LOVE backpacking. I wish I could do it more often." So said my daughter Dawn on the second night of the trip. I guess she speaks for many of us. Dawn had been requesting a return to Woodchuck Country for the past three years and this return was scripted with a relaxed game plan unlike any trip I've ever done: a four-day trip with a three night stay one place.

Our trip also exploited a trailhead I had not tried before, suggested to me by SSSDave, that one might call an "enhanced" alternative to the standard Rancheria entry. I did this because my June 7-8 trip to this area found a huge log blocking access to my usual Hoffman Mtn. takeoff. "Rancheria Plus" differs from Hoffman Mtn. in the sense that it places one on the Rancheria trail about 1.5 miles from (and significantly higher than) the normal trailhead, whereas only off trail routes lead from Hoffman Mtn. Rancheria Plus has a large parking area at its end, and a very short use trail spur that weaves between brush a short distance downhill to the Rancheria trail. The road spur (shown on USGS 7.5' quad but not on the USFS John Muir Wilderness topo) splits off from the Hoffman Mtn. road something like a mile and a half beyond the Rancheria trailhead, and as of this visit was narrow (in places brush scraped the side of my Pathfinder) easily drivable in 2WD with some spots of deep rutting and high crown that make high clearance desired. The junction of the use trail and the main trail is not really marked and the use trail not really prominent so you have to pay close attention to visual details to hit it on the way back (if, like me, you are not hiking with any sort of GPS-enabled device).

From this trailhead we headed to the high point of the connector trail to Woodchuck Creek and headed off trail eastward to cross the creek near Indian Springs and then ascend toward Woodchuck Lake. The hot, south-facing ascent line I took was a bit too westerly and I hit the Crown Pass trail just SW of point 9951 instead of near the intersection of the spur trail to Woodchuck L. This probably cost us a little bit of hiking time but we got back to our 2015 campsite on west of the lake overlooking its southern end in reasonable time (about 4 hrs 45 min from departure). For a comparison to the 2015 trip (including a much younger and smaller Dawn) see:viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13012

1107dawnreturntoWc.jpg

Our favorite campsite looked like it had not seen recent use; it is possible that it had not been used since 2015 (Dawn found our original "fire arranging" stick). This is not surprising given that this site is much farther from the lake than the numerous high-quality campsites atop this ridge to the north (particularly those north of the outlet). We like the "super high ground" campsite owing to view and the lower mosquito density compared to the other campsites but it is quite a workout to haul my collapsible water bucket up from the lake. I told Dawn that this was part of maintaining my strength training, plus this water hauling operation paled with the 200+ foot of elevation gain required to haul water to the ridgetop campsite Dawn and I used at Lillian Lake in 2019.

0741waterbucketcarry.jpg

Dawn has long joked that she brings rain with her on her trips, and this trip continued the tradition (all trips but two dating back to 2017). We knew this going in when I looked at the weather report. 30, 60, 60, 40 percent chance of rain forecast for the four days. I also saw the high and low temps forecast on the NOAA site for the location: high 70s on day 1 and lows each night in the 50s. These warm conditions seemed to forecast grim mosquito conditions. It did in fact rain on days 1, 2, and 3, but we got out ahead of the rain on day 4. We had a reasonably consistent breeze, so mosquito harassment was generally mild most of the trip, although we had some daytime moments of fairly high level attack. The rain resulted in us spending parts of days 1, 2, and 3 hunkered down in our tent. On day 1 we realized that we had to use a bit more self control to not gorge ourselves on snacks so much, because that made it a bit difficult to finish the three large fish we bbq'd on the grill later that evening; we skipped the usual "side dish(s)". For the next two nights we kept only a single fish, had it with our freeze-dried backpacking meal, and managed our in-tent snacking better. As a whole, we found that we packed in an excess of food. This was partly an overreaction to us being a smidge short on snacks on our long trip last year. We carried out a ton of food, but I'd rather be "over" than "under" in the food category.

0745bbqbrookies2.jpg

The campsite has superb views and the sunsets are marvelous. Dawn enjoyed snapping sunset photos each night, just as she did in 2015. Wildfire smoke was an issue in 2015 and less so this year although an alarming smoke plume (seemed at first like a "just-started" sort of thing) crept into our westward view from the north the second evening. The westward view also features the city lights of the Fresno area.

0754sunseteve1fv.jpg

We dayhiked to Old Pipe Lake on day 2 (6/29). This was the only "new" place in this area for me, but this was also mosquito max for this trip and that drove us out of there fairly early. I had planned to dayhike to Crown L. and vicinity on day 3 but our early bail out of Old Pipe made me decide to head for Crown L even though the storm was about to dump. We arrived at Crown just as the rain began. With our raingear we spent two hours at the lake before the rain became heavy enough to drive us into the shelter of nearby trees. We hiked back to Woodchuck during periods of lighter rain, taking shelter once en route when the downpour became especially heavy. We had an especially relaxing day 3 with minimal hiking.

1111DawnCrownFinger.jpg

1113scramblebackfromOldPipe.jpg

The last night was also much cooler and I think that helped us get our best sleep of the trip, so we were nicely energized to hike out. It is easier to navigate downhill because I have a better line-of-sight on landmarks to steer an optimal line, so my off trail exit route was much more efficient than our entry. The better route, as well as the fact we were descending, shortened our hike out time to 3 hrs and 20 min. The last little uphill to the car on the south-facing slope was hot and harsh, but mercifully short, so we were soon riding home in our air-conditioned vehicle after another fine trip. We had the mix of all of things we enjoy: nice scenery, some adventure, and fishing.

1126BackAtTrailhead.jpg

Fishing. As per the usual tradition, I report these results last and "asynchronous". There are a number of fishing lakes in this area including two within spitting distance of the lake we camped at, as well as three more within reasonable dayhike range. There have been changes to the way these places have fished in recent years owing to changes in fisheries management policies. In this case, several lakes that have received regular aerial fingerlings air drops in the past have not been air dropped in several years. For several lakes the cessation or gap in air drops has resulted in either fishless lakes or lakes in which the population density is so low that fish were not apparent during my visits (includes my June 7-8 trip to this area). One lake has not been air dropped for some time and its natural reproduction has clearly sustained a good fishery. Another lake seemed to have too many fish and a reduced top end size while being air dropped, so much so that at least one person I know did not consider it worthwhile. The cessation of air drops there seems to have contributed to a significant rebound in top end size, bringing it back to how I experienced it in 2007 and 2008, in contrast to the "diminished" sizes in 2015.

Old school High Sierra fisherfolk will often talk about "The Way it Used to Be" referring to an apparently bygone era recorded in the writings of folks like Charlie McDermand, when fish of 15" or better were caught out of many lakes. Because many such fisheries had recently-introduced fish eating up previously unexploited food sources (some of which would be permanently eliminated), this turned out to be a relatively short-lived era for many lakes. But not all. Nowadays one can still find places in the High Sierra that have an optimal ratio of food supply to fish population numbers and "The Way it Used to Be" can be Now. Without question our trip experienced The Way it Used to Be. I don't think I'd call this my best all time High Sierra fishing experience because one cannot measure those sorts of things with statistics alone. "Best" for me includes surprises and exploration of places I haven't been to before, in contrast to returning to old favorites.

On the basis of statistics, this trip's results eclipse any of my past trips by a wide margin. Brookies we caught ranged from 13-17" (only two fish were under 15"; one of these was 13" and the other 14"). Rainbows ranged from 16-20". The 20-incher I caught is my largest backcountry rainbow and the only backcountry fish of 20" or better I've caught outside of Desolation Wilderness. Dawn broke the old family standard for most fish in one trip of 15" or better. She caught 12, and the old family standard was 9, which I had done in 2015 in the same area, and in 2004 at a lake-trout-bearing lake in Deso. However, Dawn did not set the new family record, which now stands at 20 as a result of what I caught on this trip. The 20 fish of 15"+ exceeds my best single season to date (2015, which totalled 15; my 2021 season total is now 31). I can't remember so many fish taking out line with blazing runs. Several were so strong I was really sure I had hit a lure-terminating snag until I was able to budge them. I was broken off once, although I think this was probably more a consequence of a frayed terminal knot than exceptional size (brookie that looked to be in 17-18" range). One two-hour stretch is the best big-fish experience I've had in my decades of fishing the High Sierra. With the rain pouring down, I told Dawn "ten more casts". Cast no. 3 landed a fat 16" brookie, one of six in this size range I caught during that session. I had six blank casts, which was the most blank casts during this hot streak, then came the goodbye cast no. 10. The fish was clearly large and it ran all over the place, but the other 8 fish I had caught during the hot stretch did too. As I beached the fish I knew it was a bit bigger than the others (biggest to that point had been a 17" rainbow) but I didn't realize how large it was until I pulled out my tape measure before releasing it.

1109dawnbrookies1.jpg

1123finalbrookie.jpg

Dawn summed the experience up during one moment: "This really gets my adrenaline pumping". Mixed in with all the success was also a good illustration of how fickle fish behavior can be. We had one amazingly long dry spell at a usually reliable lake. In many previous days of fishing at this place spread over the years I think the longest "dry spell" of blank casts I've had was about 15. Dawn and I probably exceeded 40 blank casts apiece before giving it a rest. Photographic documentation of fish is limited owing to the fact that we released most of the fish, but we have enough photos that will remind us in the future of what an amazing experience we had. The Way it Used to Be can be Now.

[Wandering Daisy]

Nice trip report. I am always envious of the big fish you catch! Thanks also for the detailed description of this alternate trailhead.

[Lumbergh21]

Wonderful trip and report.

[Ikan Mas]

Thanks for the report. We will be in the same area at the end of July (conditions permitting).

[windknot]

Thanks for the report and photos! You capture the joy of backpacking (and fishing) well. I also liked that view east over Crown best.

4 hrs and 45 minutes backpacking into the first lake from the Rancheria Plus trailhead is pretty fast. I think it would have taken me at least that long to hike cross-country from the Hoffman Mtn. road and likely longer if one follows the common rule of 1 mile/hour for backpacking cross-country.

[LMBSGV]

Your reports are always fascinating and a joy to read. Your choice of routes show an originality of being able to look at a map and imagine possibilities. As Windknot said, you wonderfully capture the joy of backpacking.

[sekihiker]

I love that area. You sure know how to get around in that country. How many of us have been to Old Pipe Lake?

[balzaccom]

Lovely report. The combination of a trip with your daughter and great fishing is really fun!

[Harlen]

Giantbrookie wrote:

...documentation of fish is limited owing to the fact that we released most of the fish

Yes, but where did you put them?!

John, we are very happy for you for your great fishing trip! You must have been thrilled to find the fish you desired, and especially nice to share the adventure with your daughter. We envy your backpacking children even more than your giant fish! Kudos to you both, Ian and Lizzie.

[giantbrookie]

4 hrs and 45 minutes backpacking into the first lake from the Rancheria Plus trailhead is pretty fast. I think it would have taken me at least that long to hike cross-country from the Hoffman Mtn. road and likely longer if one follows the common rule of 1 mile/hour for backpacking cross-country.

Your comment echoes my thoughts when we reached the area on the east margin of Round Corral Meadow where the route from Hoffman Mtn meets the Rancheria route (same route after that). I don't recall exactly what our time was to that common point, but I remarked to Dawn that we would have been hard pressed to make it there that fast from the original Hoffman Mtn. kickoff, let alone the "revised" (log-blocked) one. The off trail segment from Hoffman Mtn to Round Corral Meadow is more difficult than the remaining off trail travel (to Woodchuck L), too.

The bottom line is that it seems to me that Rancheria "plus" is a better launching point than Hoffman Mtn. I think it also offers more versatility, too. Whereas it appears to be equal or slightly better than Hoffman Mtn. for any trip aimed at Woodchuck L to Chuck Pass, it also shortens the distance to the southern destinations such as the Chain Lakes. This allows for a greater range of loop routes than Hoffman Mtn. The only minor disadvantage the Rancheria plus spur has vs Hoffman Mtn is that it is a super narrow road (Hoffman is very wide all the way to the usual parking area or the road-blocking log), so that in the one-in-a-million chance that one encounters a vehicle headed in the opposite direction one might have to back a long way to find a wide enough spot for two cars to get past each other.