R03/R04 TR: Pine Creek to French Canyon, Bear Basin, and Granite Park. June 22-30 2021

[SirBC]

Fantastic trip report! I've had a Granite Park/Bear Lakes trip planned the last 4 years but for various reasons have not been able to make the trip. This looks to be the year as I have a permit for this Friday. Your TR really got me fired up for my trip

I love the dog photos too! My wife got me a hiking/backpacking dog calendar called "Adventure Dogs" for Christmas and your photos would fit right in.

[Harlen]

grampy wrote, with regard to Lemon's paintbrush

So, like this ? Or is my identification wrong ?

No, you've nailed it-- that looks like a typical C. lemmonii. The most obvious differences, other than habitat, are the longer, and more linear leaves of the Wyoming, or Narrow-leaved paintbrush. Lemmon's paintbrush has a more dense inflorescense compared to C. linarifolia. For instance, with the calyx (all of the sepals) in C. lemmonii, they are 16-18 mm, compared to C. linariifolia's calyx: 20-35 mm. Same with the corolla (sum of the petals) C. lem.= 16-20 mm, and C. lin. = 25-45 mm. You can see this in the 2 photos-- the flowers in my photo are taller and looser than those in your photo of C. lem.
We love them both!

[wildhiker]

Thanks for another entertaining and beautifully photographed trip report! Your leisurely pace is exactly how I like to backpack - unlike some of your previous reports that were beyond my ability (thinking of Mt. Russell!). So nice to see so many wildflowers. Hope there are still some left when I do my big Sierra trip at the end of July. Pine Creek to Granite Park and upper French Canyon is one of my two finalist location options, so your report is very timely! And enticing!
-Phil

[austex]

Ian, The trip hit all the notes. Flowers, rocks, birds, fish, scenery, friends and dogs. The lupine here in TX are mainly blue. What I see there is close to purple. From what I know it's the composition of the soil that gives them the color variations. I've seen red/orange also. Great time for all and a rekindling of friendships I find on trips like this that are priceless; can't come close to this in the front country. Nice to see Wolfie getting some trail time as Lizzie, not that I haven't enjoyed a year of Bearzy. A spectacular trip. Thanks for getting me out there, virtually.

[gary c.]

Very Nice!! And your pictures are great.

[Love the Sierra]

As are all of your TR, just stunning and great details too. How do yo put in so many pictures? I always have so many good ones and then she I post a TR it tells me that there is a 15 picture limit.

[CAMERONM]

Nicely done, a great vicarious journey for me.

[rlown]

As are all of your TR, just stunning and great details too. How do yo put in so many pictures? I always have so many good ones and then she I post a TR it tells me that there is a 15 picture limit.

If you host pictures elsewhere, you can post all the pics you want. If you upload to the HST site, 15 is a limit. Most who choose to load via upload, pretty sure the limit stands. You always can do a part 2 or 3 to complete the story.

[Harlen]

Phil wrote:

Thanks for another entertaining and beautifully photographed trip report! Your leisurely pace is exactly how I like to backpack.

Thanks Phil, and others for the kind comments. We really appreciate them all.

You mention our slow, happy pace, and it really was that. Interestingly, in the quiet backcountry part of our trip we met no backpackers, but we did enjoy encounters with 2 pairs of intrepid day-hikers, both of whom were planning to do our entire ~45 mile route in one long day! One pair were going to consider an even more outrageous feat-- instead of heading over and back out via Italy Pass, they thought they might head over to Gabbot Pass from Dancing Bear. From there, down 2nd Recess, and up and over Mono Pass! I think they could call a friend for a ride from there; I can't imagine them returning to Pine Creek TH via that blown-out mining road-- 60 miles?! We were all impressed by these 4 young guys, but still much prefer our Slow M.O.

[sekihiker]

When I hovered over the report title, I was told, "No Unread Posts" or something like that. That didn't seem right. I'm sure glad I didn't believe it. Great trip report with so many top-notch photos. Thanks.