R06 TR: 7/5-7/9 2024 Emigrant from Kennedy Meadows

[giantbrookie]

GB- what do you think is the odd rock feature shown on the third photo? Is it natural or maybe a human artifact?

The circular "trench" around the central hemisphere doesn't look like any sort of cooling or weathering joint I know or can explain. I would guess that the cutting of the "trench" and rounding of the hemisphere was the work of humans.

Regarding the fish in Lewis Lakes they had medium sized brookies (topping out at around 11") when Judy and I fished them in 1991. That was during the air drop era and I think the lakes were in fact receiving regular brookie fingerlings then, just as Ridge, Sardella, and Iceland were receiving golden fingerlings (we caught goldens there). Since cessation of air drops, brookie populations have persisted with robust natural reproduction in the Lewis Lakes and I think Middle may produce somewhat bigger fish than Judy and I encountered, based on CDFW gillnet data (may top out in foot-long range). Of the golden lakes, I think Sardella and Iceland (which once grew some pretty large fish) are now fishless, but goldens persist in Ridge.

Regarding black flies, I don't recall having been actually bitten by black flies in the Sierra, whereas I have always been a mosquito target, until last year when I took a beating from some sort of fly in addition to mosquitoes while bushwhacking between Lake Vernon and Branigan Lake. They were pretty itchy, perhaps a bit more so than the mosquito bites, but they were nowhere near as vicious as the black flies that harass folks on the East Coast (not sure if it's entire East Coast but certainly the NE). The "other" type of black fly was public enemy no.1 in my 2022 and 2023 Newfoundland fieldwork and that sort of black fly attacks very differently than the flies of the Sierra. The Sierra flies attack exposed skin and bite through thinner and close-fitting clothing much as mosquitoes do, but the nasty ones that attacked me in Newfoundland attack exposed skin but commonly also crawl beneath clothing to bite in places they could not through clothing. Their bites didn't seem to swell up as much as the mosquito bites (got a lot of those in Newfoundland, too), at least for me, but these bright red spots would develop and they were super itchy--poison oak level itchy (to put it in a field geologist's comparative itch scale).

[Wandering Daisy]

here is a photo of one of the fish I caught at Ridge Lake fall of 2015. I think it is a rainbow?

fish from Ridge Lake 2015

As for the odd rock ball- yes, human probably had something to do with it, but not sure if it is an artifact of Native Americans or more likey a kid finding a round rock and scooping out the little trench. It was close to the trail.

[Harlen]

WD wrote:

GB- what do you think is the odd rock feature shown on the third photo? Is it natural or maybe a human artifact?

If that was within a sedimentary formation, then I'd guess it is a concretion. Our creeks are full of them-- that's in the Monterey shale geologic formation.

[SSSdave]

Headland sandstone erosion formation at Salt Point State Park this May 2024:



https://www.davidsenesac.com/2024_Trip_ ... 024-6.html


Depending on species, black flies vary in aggressiveness and anticoagulant potency. In my experience, were far more common during spring in Utah high desert region, especially along the Fremont River than any places I've ever been in California. Seem to be few at higher elevations. Way more aggressive than mosquitoes that were only discouraged using freshly applied 100% DEET. We often wore head nets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_fly

A black fly or blackfly(sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 species of black flies have been formally named...

Bites are shallow and accomplished by first stretching the skin using teeth on the labrum and then abrading it with the maxillae and mandibles, cutting the skin and rupturing its fine capillaries. Feeding is facilitated by a powerful anticoagulant in the flies' saliva, which also partially numbs the site of the bite, reducing the host's awareness of being bitten and thereby extending the flies' feeding time. Biting flies feed during daylight hours only and tend to zero in on areas of thinner skin, such as the nape of the neck or ears and ankles.

Itching and localized swelling and inflammation sometimes result from a bite. Swelling can be quite pronounced depending on the species and the individual's immune response, and irritation may persist for weeks.

[Wandering Daisy]

The round feature was in hard rock- I hesitate to say granite- but definitely NOT sedimentary. It was not the same as the black volcanic? rock north of Summit Creek.

[texan]

here is a photo of one of the fish I caught at Ridge Lake fall of 2015. I think it is a rainbow?

2534_Fish_RidgeLk_edited-1.jpg

As for the odd rock ball- yes, human probably had something to do with it, but not sure if it is an artifact of Native Americans or more likey a kid finding a round rock and scooping out the little trench. It was close to the trail.

That's a rainbow. Next time you go fish Emigrant Meadow Lake. They have big brookies and decent rainbows. I always went in August because that's when the skeeters start to calm down. Thank you for your Trail Reports. I always enjoy reading them.

Texan