R05/R01 TR: Sunset Meadow Trailhead, Roaring River Ranger Station, Big Bird Lake, Tableland

[robertseeburger]

Mike you are of course right.. there is an uphill in the beginning..sorry for confusion. I actually went over the pass , just to east..Marvin Pass.
It is approximately the same. Starts at 8400 feet and goes up to 9100 feet at Marvin Pass. I should have said if it is one of the only first days
where you go "net down". From Marvin Pass you go down..and while there is short rise, the Roaring River ranger station is 7400 or so..
But you are right you start going uphill.

[sekihiker]

As I recall Bill encountered me one other time, again unbeknownst to me.

It was going up the Copper Creek Trail. I forget where you and your packer friend were going which is not unexpected on my part since my brain was probably starved for oxygen from that unreal climb. You were surprised that some random hiker you didn't recognize knew who you were. I may run into a reference about the meeting in my journal someday.

[Jim F]

Bill,

Thanks (again) for another vintage TR. Personally, I like the title, as well as the cost of your investment ($195 for an 8 day trip).


Ranger Mike,

Thanks for sharing your SAR operation.

Over three decades have passed, but do you recall what plan of action the distressed hiker had formulated after his mishap? Just hope friendly rangers with a helicopter come?

Concerning investments, for those of us who travel solo off trail, devoting five minutes annually to review one or two techniques for self reduction (usually successful) of a shoulder dislocation (usually anterior) might be reasonable.

Jim

[Harlen]

Thanks Bill, for the vintage trip report from a cool area. Looks like we began our backpacking about the same time-- Late 70's. I believe I have you for awful sleeping bag used-- mine was a rectangular cloth bag, filled with cotton, which must have been about 20 inches in diameter, and weighed 8 lbs. I recall freezing every morning, and so would rise at dawn to hike about looking for animals and to warm up. I tried to call it a plus to use that cold bag.
I envy your Sierra trips with geology folks, don't they make the best company? (Unless you run into backcountry rangers like Mike.)

Thanks for your SAR tale Mike, I too wonder what the injured fellow was planning on doing; not just waiting to be rescued I would think?

Jim F asks:

Over three decades have passed, but do you recall what plan of action the distressed hiker had formulated after his mishap? Just hope friendly rangers with a helicopter come?

How long had he been at his accident site?

Thanks to you both Bill and Mike for posting your stories.

[oldranger]

Ranger Mike,

Thanks for sharing your SAR operation.

Over three decades have passed, but do you recall what plan of action the distressed hiker had formulated after his mishap? Just hope friendly rangers with a helicopter come?

Jim

Jim, Of course we didn't save his life but certainly made life easier. He had planned if no one showed up by the next day he would hike back up to the saddle and then seek help. He did not say whether he would head over Elizabeth pass and then to Bearpaw or just head down to Roaring River Station.

[oldranger]

Continuing my nostalgia trip I came across this pic of me and the upper part of the chute that Lo took while waiting for the helicopter to come and pick us up, This is a scan of a print.

[Harlen]

You look super fit Mike... and stylish, with the long gators, and short shorts.

[oldranger]

Long gaiters because I anticipated and found several miles of walking over snow. The boots I was wearing were LL Bean boots with rubber bottoms and special ordered vibram soles. One of the downsides of being a seasonal is that our clothing allowance didn't come close to meeting our needs. Barely covered our basic uniform needs, let alone heavy jackets for cold weather. Plus for on the job I needed riding boots, hiking boots, these special boots for snowy conditions, and saddle bags. The boots I could get with my clothing allotment were, as I recall, cheap Rocky Boots, which I passed on. My riding boots and hiking boots lasted about 2 seasons. My riding boots had very shallow vibram soles so my feet wouldn't get stuck in the stirrups. I frequently put a couple of walking miles on them, especially in the morning when rounding up my stock. I also wore them when stopping by a stream to go fishing, whoops I should have said "doing a fish survey!"

[Silky Smooth]

Great stories and great memories, thanks for sharing. Oldranger thanks again you rock.

Love the photos and the lighting of film cameras.