R04/R01 TR: Woodchuck Country and Tunemah June 2018

[SSSdave]

Welcome to the Hoffman Club that now has 3 forum members. I have the world's largest collection of mylar balloons that landed in the Sierra. However have not added to that collection during the last decade.

Interestingly the biggest trout in that zone are arguably in the nearest lakes, Woodchuck and Crown.

[Dwwd]

Sounds like the last days were very tough hiking, sans map. I am glad you made it out ok.

[tomba]

Thank you for the very nice report.

I went there two years ago, late August. From Mt. Hoffman trailhead through Round Corral Meadow, cutting to Indian Springs. I think I got this idea from a report by giantbrookie.

Maverick asked if I had a picture looking down into Goddard Canyon

Here is a panorama (click to enlarge):

I remember looking down and thinking that it may be possible to go that way. I went back through Libby Pass.

I didn't know there was a fire that went thru there in recent years.

This was probably Rough Fire, in 2015. I actually planned to make that hike that year, but they canceled my permit due to the fire.

There were lots of ducks, especially from the pass north of Burnt Mountain down to Blue Canyon.

This map https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=36.9642 ... o=r&n=0.25 shows the trail going south of Burnt Mountain. I guess the current route/trail is different.

I have never found seven mylar balloons on one trip.

[robertseeburger]

Thanks for the replies..a couple of things.

On Pato post.. I remember reading your post! It is nice to see someone else finding just the same exact spot. It is just a great location. Every once in a while, I get enticed to see a specific spot---the next one on my list is from a picture by alpinemike called the pools or the ponds or something like that in the valley between Bench lake and Arrow Peak. Did I consider going down the gorge from Tunemah direct to Goddard Creek and then down to Simpson Meadow? No.
I mentioned I had done a lot of research. Well the most important research was in person. I had a chance meeting with Roguephotonic and Alpinemike in 2016 at the lake between Mather Pass and Split Mountain. I asked them about going down Goddard Creek with the intent of saying...is it really that bad? I saw the look in their eyes as they described the brush. I went back and read their post, and I remember the shot of Roguephotonic with brush over the top of his head. It was at that moment that I decided...I dont have to do this route. The descent to Goddard Creek from Tunemah didn't bother me, but the brush from Goddard Creek to Simpson Meadow was something I didn't want to tackle. I know there is supposed to be brush going down the old Tunemah trail also, but in looking at Googleearth it didn't look as bad. (This was a risk). In any event.. I will not ever go down Goddard Creek all the way. ( I still in the back of my mind would like to do the Enchanted Gorge and up Goddard Creek, without a pack, late in the season, with watershoes....some day maybe.)

On Tomba post..your map is fascinating! I have never seen a map of the Tunemah trail. The 1968 Sierra South route definitely describes the route north of Burnt Mountain, and I did find an extensive duck network there. But your map shows an actual trail long ago . ( I wonder how old the map is!). I was wondering what I would find.
I didn't expect to find a trail. I thought I might find some sawed off old logs and a packer type campsite or two. But I saw nothing. I guess 100 years of non use is enough to obliterate anything.. but I will be interested in seeing if anyone on HST ever does the route on your map.

On Tunemah Lake fishing.. I suspect I was too early and only able to fish a very small portion of the lake... I wouldn't put much value in my not seeing anything.

[SSSdave]

This is the primary brush plaguing those areas, huckleberry oak:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... 07#p137307

[maverick]

Thanks Tomba for the pano, was just interested in seeing what the conditions looked like.

[Jimr]

Robert, go to CalTopo. On the right click on maps and choose UGSG 7.5, then underneath, additional map layers, 2/3 of the way down have options for map layers that go back to 1885. It is a very cool option. Check out the old Tunemah to Simpson in the 1885 map and play with the opacity %. Have fun. Oh, very nice report. Lisa and I hiked it Rancheria, past Crown Valley and into the heavy fallen and burned tree section about 3 weeks ago. We decided to camp at that old cabin, then return the next day.

[giantbrookie]

The stuff of dreams.... Nice. Thanks so much for the post. I was away when this posted, but my own trip to the Sierra was much less interesting.

[Snowtrout]

My wife and I are headed to this area in two weeks and have a few questions about the Hoffman trailhead discussed on here. Looking at my maps, there are two roads above the rancheria trailhead: one that starts at 7913' and goes south to nearly intersect the trail and a second road that says restricted with a trail starting around 8727'. Are both of these roads open and is there an actual trail off each?

I know most do the off trail shortcut that goes north of Hoffman Mountain and Finger rock into Round Coral but that might be a little too much for our dachshund to handle.

[robertseeburger]

I am replying to Snowtrout post about Rancheria.

The road that starts at 7913 and goes south is a branch off the road from Rancheria to Hoffman trailhead. This is the road I took back on my return.. a little bit ( like 20 yards) of cross country from where it is very close to the trail about a mile east of Rancheria trailhead. This is a good road, easy to hike.
There is a gate right at 7913, and I have heard that it is typically closed, but it was open when I was there. ( sample size of one).

The Hoffman "trailhead" continues north from here for 3/4 of a mile until it does get to a locked gate, at around 8360 feet. I dont know what you mean by 8727. Maybe we aren't looking at the same thing. But at the end of the road, there is no trail..it is just the cross country route that you reference. Unless you gate the road beyond the gate at the end of the road..but this goes nowhere..

This is my understanding anyway. I think in order to use the Hoffman trailhead you probably need to use the cross country route for the start. You probably should use Rancheria.