2003.09.08
******Still no time to post pictures
what with several meetings and work to get some computers ready for the upcoming start of school. So a text description will have to suffice for now.
On Friday I drove up to Tuolumne Meadows, arriving about 11:00. I managed to kill an hour eating a slightly-early lunch, changing into my strange-looking trail clothes, and loading up the pack. I hit the trail just after noon and adopted a steady pace – rather than my sometimes-too-fast approach to this route, the Rafferty Creek Trail to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp and Fletcher Lake. To my surprise, after hiking 2 hours without a break, when I finally felt like stopping I was halfway there. I headed on after my brief rest, soon entering a beautiful long alpine meadow that rises to Tuolumne Pass. From there it was less than a mile to Fletcher Lake and I arrived about 4 hours after I left the car.
On Saturday I got up late, waiting for the sun to warm my little tent. After completing various morning chores I finally headed out for a cross-country adventure. My goal was vague – I only knew that I would start by heading cross-country to an open alpine plateau above nearby Townsley lake, and then up a 11,000 foot ridge overlooking Ireland Lake. I stopped on the ridge for lunch and considered a high drainage across the valley on the other side of Ireland Lake: “I wonder what it would be like up there?” Since it didn’t look too bad on the map, and since I still had at least a couple of hours before my pre-determined turn-around time, I headed across the valley to the outlet stream of Ireland Lake and started up the drainage, looking for the line of least resistance. To make a long story short, I finally ended up at a narrow saddle next to 12,000+ Parsons Peak, looking into another drainage that I wanted to investigate. However, descending a steep section of loose rock on an unknown route by myself didn’t seem wise, so I snapped a few pictures (I really will post them eventually) and retraced my steps back to Fletcher Lake. In total, I hiked about 8 miles cross-country.
Once again I slept in a bit on Sunday (anyone see a pattern here?), finally starting back down the Rafferty Creek Trail a bit before 11:00.
***A Battle for Turf Where the Grizzlies Ruled.
According to some experts, a tiny population of grizzly bears of the Cabinet Mountain group may be doomed due to inaction by federal agencies. By Jim Robbins. [New York Times: Science]
—–
September 8, 2003 -
Posted by gdanmitchell |
Commentary
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Dan's Outside 
2003.09.08
******Still no time to post pictures
what with several meetings and work to get some computers ready for the upcoming start of school. So a text description will have to suffice for now.
On Friday I drove up to Tuolumne Meadows, arriving about 11:00. I managed to kill an hour eating a slightly-early lunch, changing into my strange-looking trail clothes, and loading up the pack. I hit the trail just after noon and adopted a steady pace – rather than my sometimes-too-fast approach to this route, the Rafferty Creek Trail to Vogelsang High Sierra Camp and Fletcher Lake. To my surprise, after hiking 2 hours without a break, when I finally felt like stopping I was halfway there. I headed on after my brief rest, soon entering a beautiful long alpine meadow that rises to Tuolumne Pass. From there it was less than a mile to Fletcher Lake and I arrived about 4 hours after I left the car.
On Saturday I got up late, waiting for the sun to warm my little tent. After completing various morning chores I finally headed out for a cross-country adventure. My goal was vague – I only knew that I would start by heading cross-country to an open alpine plateau above nearby Townsley lake, and then up a 11,000 foot ridge overlooking Ireland Lake. I stopped on the ridge for lunch and considered a high drainage across the valley on the other side of Ireland Lake: “I wonder what it would be like up there?” Since it didn’t look too bad on the map, and since I still had at least a couple of hours before my pre-determined turn-around time, I headed across the valley to the outlet stream of Ireland Lake and started up the drainage, looking for the line of least resistance. To make a long story short, I finally ended up at a narrow saddle next to 12,000+ Parsons Peak, looking into another drainage that I wanted to investigate. However, descending a steep section of loose rock on an unknown route by myself didn’t seem wise, so I snapped a few pictures (I really will post them eventually) and retraced my steps back to Fletcher Lake. In total, I hiked about 8 miles cross-country.
Once again I slept in a bit on Sunday (anyone see a pattern here?), finally starting back down the Rafferty Creek Trail a bit before 11:00.
***A Battle for Turf Where the Grizzlies Ruled.
According to some experts, a tiny population of grizzly bears of the Cabinet Mountain group may be doomed due to inaction by federal agencies. By Jim Robbins. [New York Times: Science]
—–
Share this:
Related
September 8, 2003 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary