High Sierra Topix

Hi Michael,
I'll second Ian's comments (and your's about him) and add the following summary from a research paper that appeared recently in the journal Nature. It concerns a metabolite that is generated during exercise and suppresses appetite. Obviously, this discovery is going to spur a lot of additional research, but for now, it seems as good an explanation as I've seen for the (counter-intuitive) diminished hunger pangs that I (but not on the same level as you) experience in the Sierra. If you want the full article, let me know and I can attach it to an email. Cameron

Exercise confers protection against obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases1–5. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate the metabolic benefits of physical activity remain unclear6. Here we show that exercise stimulates the production of N-lactoyl-phenylalanine (Lac-Phe), a blood-borne signalling metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity. The biosynthesis of Lac-Phe from lactate and phenylalanine occurs in CNDP2+ cells, including macrophages, monocytes and
other immune and epithelial cells localized to diverse organs. In diet-induced obese mice, pharmacological-mediated increases in Lac-Phe reduces food intake without affecting movement or energy expenditure. Chronic administration of Lac-Phe decreases adiposity and body weight and improves glucose homeostasis. Conversely, genetic ablation of Lac-Phe biosynthesis in mice increases food intake and obesity following exercise training. Last, large activity-inducible increases in circulating Lac-Phe are also observed in humans and racehorses, establishing this metabolite as a molecular effector associated with physical activity across multiple activity modalities and mammalian species. These data define a conserved exercise-inducible metabolite that controls food intake and influences systemic energy balance.

Michael,

Wonderful trip report with very nice photos. I agree with Ian that you managed to visit some beautiful areas despite the on-and-off crappy weather. Class 2 passes start to look much less attractive to me as well whenever the weather is so threatening. And thanks for all of the gear reports, I need to lighten my own setup and it's very valuable to read what equipment works well in bad weather and what doesn't.

It's funny how altitude affects people's appetites differently. On our recent trip my daughter often had trouble choking down her food, whereas my son and I, having finished our own dinners minutes earlier (in other words, seemingly forever), would sit trying to control our own sporks from digging into what was still left of hers.

I had a lesser storm experience but still the worst I've ever had just north of Donahue Pass last year. When you can poke the floor of your tent and watch the ripples traveling through it because of all the water below it, you begin to worry. Glad you made it through and had some good times to go with the bad.

As for the new filter, if it s a membrane filter, you might try soaking it in a basin of water for a couple of hours and trying it again. Sometimes you need to wet the membranes down to get them to work.

One last thing, when I'm worried about condensation, like while camping in a rain storm, I'll wrap my rain jacket around the bottom of my quilt just in case I slide into the side of my tent.

Feedback much appreciated and also very useful. Thanks!

@torpified …Yes, being there even in the most “Oh S--t!” times was totally worth it. I’m beginning to think I need a some of these ‘events’ on trips to keep me hopping, but am sure wary of tempting the Gods with that invitation!

@Harlen …Indeed, the view from the top of Little-Joe-somewhere-around-here-Ridge was maybe the best I have had in the Sierras to date. I suspect If I had found the ‘real top’ and been able to see the Kaweah’s etc. too it would have been…Golly!!!!!

Hah…Lightning + Thunder + my hearing thing…Physics helped:
Speed of light = 186,291 miles per second.
Speed of sound = 1,087 feet per second.
Speed putting my fingers in my ears when a blinding flash went off = Fast!
Of this I am sure you know, c/o the old “flash-to-bang” distance estimates, etc. Hence I survived intact.

@cgundersen …Thanks (really) for the medical referral about appetite and exercise. I have a fair amount of medico background and always gotta love this very common end note. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate the metabolic benefits of physical activity remain unclear. Like it’s kin for meds where: “MOA (mechanism of action) is not understood” is rampant.
Clearly there are some big differences in the observable subjects here (us backpackers in the high country), so I will stick with: “Some folks get ravenous - like @druid. Some folks do not”. After all, didn’t Ian propose a pure liquid diet for even longish trips??? Whisky, brandy and perhaps some vodka for a change?!
I’m looking forward to that one being written up for the scientific journals and our HSTopix chuckles.

@Lumbergh21 …Great suggestions! However, I went through TWO Sawyer Squeeze filter incarnations doing all the soaking and poking recommended to no avail. Just freak “hydrophobic” in manufacture. The QuickDraw is behaving the exact same way. I soaked it on the trail. No difference.
Both were plain sissies when it came to cold water at high altitudes. At home, with tepid water and low altitude they sorta, kinda, maybe grudgingly work. The new, new Squeeze I just took however, had great high flow in all conditions...Whew!

Excellent idea on the rain-jacket sleeping bag wrap-around for condensation!

Best ~ Michaelzim

Hi Michael,

In think even Ian works some trout protein into the mix, but yes, he seems pretty serious about fueling his endeavors with alcoholic beverages. My buddy (who has similar inclinations) arrives tomorrow and we're going to go kill a few neurons with rum and vodka.......I'm trying to convince him that bourbon should be in the kit, too. Let's see how this year's cocktails shape up! Cameron

Thanks for another excellent report and photos. You showed a lot of flexibility in altering your route and goals more than once! I was hit by the same monsoon storms Aug 1-5 on my trip up in Yosemite Park. Makes for a dreary time to spend all afternoon in the tent while the storm rages - day after day. One day, it rained and thundered continuously from 3 pm to 7:30 pm. Then the sun shone in under the clouds from the west, where it was starting to break up, and illuminated a brilliant double rainbow in the mist to the east, leading to a very colorful sunset. I thought to myself, "Was this dramatic rainbow and sunset worth spending 4 hours in the tent?" My answer was a definite No! Glad to hear that similar wet times did not ruin your trip!
-Phil

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing.

For those who like some mysteries to be solved, I am sort of pleased to announce that two of those that occurred on my trip have been “solved”. I say “sort of” as only repeat circumstances will assure their veracity. I’m not too keen on inviting another storm of that magnitude for mystery #1. and am unlikely to be challenging the Kings-Kern Divide again re mystery #2. Hence I defer to the experts on both counts.

Mystery # 1. was how on earth my tent had those two leaks after doing what I thought was an exemplary seam-sealer job. The culprit is apparently…the loops! Said culprit in the pic below:

Door flap tie-up loops – Tarptent Rainbow.

According to the ever helpful people at Tarptent, in severe wet conditions the outside loops can start to act like candle wicks and wick water through the stitching and into their doppelgangers inside the tent. Thus the dripping from the inner tie loops…Huh! Well, makes sense I guess, and the solution is to use a solution of seam-sealer thinned enough to get really worked into those two outer loops. They need to soak it up. The object is to un-wick the wicks by making the loops impervious to water c/o the silicone.
Done!
Next big storm the inner loops will be under very close observation for deviant behaviour.
P.S. Maybe other brands of tents can exhibit this phenomenon too?

Mystery # 2. was Little Joe’s Pass. As in: “Where the heck is the thing and what chute does one use to get there?” As a refresher I will put the relevant photos in here, as in that Snakes & Ladders land up there one really needs to see it!
The answer though, is……is………Chute 7.

A. All chutes numbered.

B. Detail + Little Joe’s Pass.

C. Top of chute 7. – Ummmmmmmm.

Yeah, no wonder I ended up at a cliff. I was too far left/north, but if I had known would I have donned my trail pack and gone up chute 7 and made the top? Errrrrrrr, it looks kinda steep to me and a bit of a stretch for “a little scrambling here and there” Class 2. I think I would have, and will, defer.

So thanks for the clarification on this mystery Dave, and I will endeavor to put some of the detail photos in the HST Passes section. Seems kinda hokey seeing as I never even got over it, but for me, and maybe others, these ‘distance views’ are much, much clearer than trying to figure it out on Google Earth or topos.

Best ~ Michaelzim.

@sekihiker how was it coming down vs up for you? I've been up it twice and felt like it was a relentless slog but pretty straightforward going up. I'm not sure I'd want to go down it however. I haven't done Lucy/Millie/Harrison though I'm curious about Millie and had felt this area was better to go up vs down. I view LJ as the safest of the three (less consequentially loose than what I've heard about Lucy & Harrison) though obviously anything steep has some inherent risk to it. You lose the more scenic approaches of the alternatives in exchange for a more brutal but straightforward up.

@michaelzim too little too late perhaps with your upcoming trip, but here's my waypoints from the passes page overlaid on sat imagery. From the smaller "wrong" chute (which is actually probably the right one, I just stayed in it too long!) I would have cut left after ~100ft, kept in it and avoided the right split ~1/2 to 2/3 of the way up, then ~300ft from the top kept left again.

The top 200ft or so gets a little looser and is definitely the crux of it, but compared to the alternatives isn't that bad. Viewing angle will show it differently - looking up it's all slabs, looking down it's all sand and scree lol. Obviously just sand and scree resting on said slabby ledges, but it's an interesting perceptual effect.

Forgive the profanity in the top of the pass waypoint, but I felt it at the time and have kept it. The view from the top and slowly dropping down into the unfolding views of Tyndall Creek is definitely a reward from doing it.

I'd agree you were in the right chute (7), then took the wrong split at the end leading to (6), lining up forest and chutes from my overhead view against your long range photo. I'll add in a few photos from the top when I went up it this June. I think my entry in the passes forum has a shot looking down from the top proper.

Having done it I'd rate it as 2.5 in the system we've talked about - there's some high steps or mantles, but nothing that's really "climbing" though it's definitely a bit more than moving over uneven ground. If desired one could put their pack on top of a move and go up unencumbered etc.

I got that same weather in Dusy Basin and then even more a couple days later (Aug 4&5) in Palisade Basin. All that weather makes for "exciting" trips and in your case a great trip report

thanks for sharing