R04 TR: 2013 Old Fart Trip
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:01 pm
This trip continues a tradition began in 2009 when markskor, Tehipite Tom and I first met up in the upper Merced during 3 independent trips but with a planned rendezvous mid trip. Since then I have invited a few HST members to meet up with me at a new location for me so that I can expand my horizons in the Sierra. The trips are short and the numbers are small as my tolerance for groups in the backcountry is limited even though the people I am with are great and good companions. I am just a little too curmudgeonly to deal with group dynamics for too long.
After completing our trip to Waterwheel Falls and a couple of nights in Tuolumne Meadows I kissed Kathy good by and headed toward Shaver Lake with Markskor. Enroute we picked up our wilderness permit in Prather. Next AM we met up with rlown and drove up to the TH to begin the hike about 1 PM.
We were expecting to meet up with Tehipite Tom and possibly maverick and giantbrookie during the trip. Troutdog 59 had opted out of the trip at the last minute due to the lame excuse his wife was having surgery!
Due to the fact that one of us had driven up from sealevel that morning the trip was slow and a little worriesome. We opted to call it a half day at first Dinky lake where later that evening markskor and I played with the dinky brookies using fly and bubbles. I also found a geocache near our campsite, which I consider totally inappropriate for a wilderness. In my book it is nothing more than littering.
I was expecting to find giantbrookie and his family at the lake but it turned out that circumstances resulted in a canceled trip.
Soon mav actually showed up after embarking on a scouting trip for photo site. I first noticed the effort he took to set up his photos in 2009 and I’m still amazed at the time and effort involved in his photography.
It convinced me to focus on fishing and to be happy with my snapshots! Consequently I headed over a low ridge and dropped down to Fingerbowl lake where I enjoyed a couple of hours of fishing for 11” rainbows before returning to camp.
A little later Tehipite Tom arrived. 5 HSTRs at one time! and a good time was had by all.
The sunset was spectacular. Last year maverick posted his professional pic of the storm over the Minarets and here is my amateur version.
Next morning Tehipite Tom, maverick, and I decided to do a traverse of the Three Sisters. Tom and I stuck together while initially maverick went his own way.
We joined up on the middle Sister and completed our trek together.
rlown and markskor fished Fingerbowl together and rlown presented my lure box to me that I had left at Fingerbowl.
On the following day Tehipite Tom returned to the Dinky TH and maverick headed out to the Cliff TH. I accompanied mav and we retraced the end of the previous days hike by heading up the saddle se of Island lake then worked over to the ridge above Cliff lake we split up at about the 9600 ft. level, maverick heading down the ridge and over to the trail while I dropped off the ridge and down to Cliff lake where I fished the w side of the lake for 10-11” brookies.
Leaving Cliff it was about a mile by trail over to Rock Lake where more small brookies were waiting to be caught. The last night was just markskor, rlown and myself.
This turned out to be a great social trip. markskor, rlown, and Tehipite Tom got to meet maverick for the first time. The fishing was not great--notta out of Island. The mosquitoes were nasty. And no one got pissed off at me! But getting this group together for just the right amount of time was really great.
The hike out was uneventful except for the almost ritual of leaving my hiking gloves at a rest stop. After returning to Shaver rlown took markskor off my hands for a few days by delivering him by some bizarre route (which they cannot describe) to highway 41 where Mark hitchhiked into yosemite. I then down to Fresno and managed to meet up with Troutdog for a Beer. After visiting with old friends in Squaw Valley I drove up to Yosemite a day later and markskor magically appeared in my rig asking, “Where to next?”
Mike
After completing our trip to Waterwheel Falls and a couple of nights in Tuolumne Meadows I kissed Kathy good by and headed toward Shaver Lake with Markskor. Enroute we picked up our wilderness permit in Prather. Next AM we met up with rlown and drove up to the TH to begin the hike about 1 PM.
- Entering the Wilderness
Due to the fact that one of us had driven up from sealevel that morning the trip was slow and a little worriesome. We opted to call it a half day at first Dinky lake where later that evening markskor and I played with the dinky brookies using fly and bubbles. I also found a geocache near our campsite, which I consider totally inappropriate for a wilderness. In my book it is nothing more than littering.
I was expecting to find giantbrookie and his family at the lake but it turned out that circumstances resulted in a canceled trip.
- Sunset at First Dinky Lake
- Maverick setting up for photo
A little later Tehipite Tom arrived. 5 HSTRs at one time! and a good time was had by all.
- Tehipite Tom, oldranger, maverick, markskor, rlown
- Storm over the Minarets
- Looking down on Finger Bowl Lake
- Tom nearing top of chute taken to get to Three Sisters Ridge
- Swamp Lake (ohv accessible)
- Obligitory Flower Pic
On the following day Tehipite Tom returned to the Dinky TH and maverick headed out to the Cliff TH. I accompanied mav and we retraced the end of the previous days hike by heading up the saddle se of Island lake then worked over to the ridge above Cliff lake we split up at about the 9600 ft. level, maverick heading down the ridge and over to the trail while I dropped off the ridge and down to Cliff lake where I fished the w side of the lake for 10-11” brookies.
- Cliff Lake
This turned out to be a great social trip. markskor, rlown, and Tehipite Tom got to meet maverick for the first time. The fishing was not great--notta out of Island. The mosquitoes were nasty. And no one got pissed off at me! But getting this group together for just the right amount of time was really great.
The hike out was uneventful except for the almost ritual of leaving my hiking gloves at a rest stop. After returning to Shaver rlown took markskor off my hands for a few days by delivering him by some bizarre route (which they cannot describe) to highway 41 where Mark hitchhiked into yosemite. I then down to Fresno and managed to meet up with Troutdog for a Beer. After visiting with old friends in Squaw Valley I drove up to Yosemite a day later and markskor magically appeared in my rig asking, “Where to next?”
Mike
