Dan's Outside

Outside Log 2005

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Outside Log 2005

2005December

***December 3, 2005
– Joined a big group of people at the opening of the Rancho Cañada del Oro open space preserve, and hiked to the top of the ridge.

***December 4, 2005
– First ski trip of the season! A beautiful day on the upper mountain at Squaw Valley.

***December 16, 2005
– Finals are finished and grades are turned in! Today I visiting Pigeon Point and hiked a short distance up the Waddell Creek trail from the coast.

***December 17, 2005
– Today’s outdoor activities consisted of an urban hike shortened by surprise rain, followed by a trip to the Christmas tree farm.

***December 21, 2005
– Little solstice hike up Deep Gulch at Almaden Quicksilver.

***December 23, 2005
– Nice foggy hike out on New Almaden Trail and then back to Buena Vista via Randol.

***December 26, 2005
– During a lull in this week’s rainy weather today I hiked at Quicksilver: from Hacienda out to Prospect #3 trail on Randol and back.

***December 27, 2005
– During a family trip to the Monterey area we walked around a bit at Point Lobos.

***December 30, 2005
– Managed to squeeze in a quick hike up Deep Gulch trail to the high point on the Castillero trail – in light rain.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005December

2005November

***November 6, 2005
– Some kind of hike but I’ve forgotten what and where… ;-)

***November 11, 2005
– Short-ish hike at Calero County Park, mainly with the goal of trying out a new lens.

***November 20, 2005
– Slightly different loop at Almaden Quicksilver. Up from Hacienda to the Almaden Trail turnoff and from there to near Mockingbird Hill, then out past Buena Vista Mine and back via Randol, Capehorn Pass, and Mine Hill.

***November 25, 2005
– Up Deep Gulch and down Mine Hill.

***November 26, 2005
– A new hike at Calero that took me out to the ridge on the Bald Peaks Trail

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005November

2005October

I’m afraid I neglected this log during the first part of the month. I know that I did a bunch of short hikes at Almaden in addition to those things listed below.

***October 8, 2005
– Sierra driving curcuit over Carson, Monitor, and Tioga Passes to take photos of fall color.

***October 9, 2005
– Some kind of Almaden hike.

***October 15, 2005
– Had planned on a two day pack trip into 20 Lakes Basin but my hiking partners – perhaps wisely – chickened out in the fact of a forecast of high winds and a small amount of snow. So I spent the morning at Point Lobos doing photography instead.

***October 16, 2005
– Some kind of Almaden hike.

***October 22, 2005
– Short loop hike at Almaden Quicksilver in fog. Would have been longer but I was distracted by photo opportunities.

***October 23, 2005
– Due to need to grade many papers, etc. I went for an urban hike today.

***October 30, 2005
– One-day trip to Yosemite Valley to see fall colors – and it was well worth the drive! Parked at Curry and hiked up Mist Trail to Vernal and then down via Muir Trail. Wandered around upper end of Valley.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005October

2005September

***September 2, 2005
– Finally back to New Almaden Quicksilver after not hiking there for a month. Went up Mine Hill to the summit trail junction and then returned via Castillo and Deep Gulch.

***September 4, 2005
– Another little hike at Almaden Quicksilver. This time, started at McAbee entrance and did the usual Senador Mine, Guadalupe Reservoir loop.

***September 5, 2005
– A slightly different loop today, all on familiar trails but with a slight twist. Started at Mockingbird Hill on New Almaden Trail, left at Prospect #3 to the ridge, left at Mine Hill and then on Castillero to English Camp. Down to Mine Hill and then back via New Almaden trail.

***September 8 , 2005
– Hiked in light rain at Castle Rock today.

***September 9, 2005
– Afternoon hike at Quicksilver. Up Deep Gulch, then to ridge on Yellow Kid and down Woods Road to the Hicks Road entrance. Retraced steps to return.

***September 14, 2005
– Urban hike.

***September 16, 2005
– Drove to Tuolumne. Visited Mono Lake.

***September 17, 2005
– Hiked up Budd Creek to the high point on the saddle between Echo and Cathedral Peaks.

***September 18, 2005
– Hiked to Spillway Lake, then cross country to Parker Pass, returning via the Mono Pass trail.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005September

2005August

***August 1, 2005
– Day 1 of the Talusdancers pack trip. We start at Agnew Meadow and hike past to Shadow Lake to camp at Rosemarie Lake.

***August 2, 2005
– We hike on down to Reds Meadow. I take a different – and much longer! – route to the store/cafe.

***August 3, 2005
– We leave Reds Meadow (after a cafe breakfast) and hike south on the JMT to a campsite at the Deer Creek crossing.

***August 4, 2005
– Head on to Purple Lake.

***August 5, 2005
– After feeling less than great the night before, I reluctantly decide to leave the trip and hike out over Duck Pass. Ironically, I feel absolutely fine by the time I get over the pass. Motel in Bishop that night.

***August 6, 2005
– Since I’m in Bishop and I’m without obligations I drive up to the highest grove of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest and then return via Tuolumne Meadows.

***August 11, 2005
– Drive to Four Jeffrey Campground and stay overnight.

***August 12, 2005
– Leave South Lake and hike over Bishop Pass to lakes in upper Dusy Basin.

***August 13, 2005
– Day hike down Dusy Basin to just before the drop-off into Le Conte Canyon. Meet talusdancers and hike back up to lakes in Upper Dusy Basin to camp.

***August 14, 2005
– Up early to hike out over Bishop Pass.

***August 15, 2005
– After staying overnight in Mammoth, stop near Mono Lake, Tioga Pass, and Tuolumne Meadows to do photography on the way home.

***August 26, 2005
– Short hike from Tuolumne Meadows into Lyell Canyon. Camp at the junction with the Ireland Lake trail.

***August 27, 2005
– Up the trail to Ireland Lake and then over the ridge and cross-country to Fletcher Lake.

***August 28, 2005
– Fletcher Lake to Tuolumne Meadows.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005August

2005July

***July 1, 2005
– The month begins with another quick “training hike” at Almaden Quicksilver. This time I simpy headed straight up Deep Gulch to the old Rotary Furnace site and turned around and retraced my steps. (Along the way I met a nice group of folks from the New Almaden Mining Museum, who were comparing the current landscape to turn-of-the-centure photos showing old mining structures near English Camp.)

***July 2, 2005
– Another training hike, this time from Sanborn Park up through the Todd Creek Redwood Grove to Skyline Blvd, then retracing my steps back to the parking lot. It looks like about 7 miles and perhaps 1300′ of climbing.

***July 3, 2005
– Early morning hike from McAbee Road entrance to Almaden Quicksilver up the hill to Prospect #3 and then back the way I came.

***July 4, 2005
– Little hike around the McAbee entrance to Almaden Quicksilver.

***July 5, 2005
– Short urban walk.

***July 6, 2005
– Quick hill climb: Up Deep Gulch Trail to English Camp and then back down via Mine Hill.

***July 8, 2005
– A one-day run up to Tuolumne. Got up at 4:00 am and drove to Tuolumne, taking some pictures in the park along the way. Just before noon started out on the Mono Pass trail, heading to Parker Pass. On the return from Parker Pass I crossed the low ridge to Mono Pass and then headed back to the car.

***July 10, 2005
– Not exactly a wilderness hike, but a hike nonetheless. Started in the theatre district in San Francisco and walked down to SBC Park. From there I followed the Embarcadero to Embarcadero Plaza, from which I made my way back up to Union Square and then to the Curran.

***July 18, 2005
– A couple of urban walks today.

***July 19, 2005
– Up Mine Hill and back down English Camp at Almaden Quicksilver.

***July 20, 2005
– Another urban walk day.

***July 21, 2005
– A very short walk at Almaden Quicksilver after dinner. Close to sunset I drove down thinking the clouds might turn red and hiked up Mine Hill almost to Capehorn Pass.

***July 23, 2005
– From the McAbee Road entrance to Almaden Quicksilver I headed out on Mine Hill, turning right at the Providencia Trail and following that for perhaps 10 minutes to a point above a small lake. Backtracked to return to the trailhead.

***July 24, 2005
– A little urban hike today…

***July 25, 2005
– A somewhat longer urban hike…

***July 31, 2005
– Off to the Sierra for a planned 14-day pack trip from Agnew Meadow to South Lake. Car camp at Four Jeffreys campground.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005July

2005June

***June 4, 2005
– Nice little hike early this morning at Almaden Quicksilver – up Mine Hill to the summit, then back toward Castillero with a detour over on Wood Road, and finally descending back to the parking lot via Deep Gulch.

***June 11, 2005
– Did one of the standard loops at Almaden Quicksilver. From Hacienda out on Randol and then up Prospect #3 to Mine Hill. Followed Mine Hill along the ridge and finally descended Deep Gulch.

***June 26, 2005
– School’s out! After two weeks of being out of town and then dealing with end-of-school issues (grading finals, etc.) I finally got out today for what I hope will be the first of many summer hikes. Went to Almaden Quicksilver and hiked from Hacienda out on Randol. Turned right at Prospect and headed down the hll to the New Almaden trail. Took this back toward Mockingbird Hill but left the trail on the lateral to Buena Vista Mine. From there I picked up the Randol trail and headed back to my starting point.

***June 29, 2005
– Time for a little urban hike today. Did what was probably about a 7 mile roundtrip on the Los Gatos Creek trail. Need to start getting in the walking miles before pack trips begin.

***June 30, 2005
– Ending a month that did not include a lot of hiking, today I did a 7 mile out and back at Almaden Quicksilver. This was a different hike than I usually take. Starting at the McAbee Road entrance I headed up to connect with the Mine Hill Trail, following it to the high point on the Castillero Trail. I retraced my steps to end up doing about 7 miles that included a decent climb.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005June

2005May

***May 1, 2005
– It finally felt like a real spring day today – actual warmth on my short loop hike at Almaden Quicksilver. Mockingbird Hill out past my favorite canyon with flowers (many Fairy Lantern flowers) and then up the further lateral to the trail down via Buena Vista mine.

***May 7, 2005
– Up Mine Hill and then Castillero to take pictures of the white lupine on the ridge, then back down via Deep Gulch.

***May 8, 2005
– In light rain I did a short loop from the MacAbee Road entrance to Almaden Quicksilver out to Guadalupe Reservoir, taking some trails that I had not taken in the past.

***May 14, 2005
– A beautiful spring day! Hiked up Mission Peak the usual way and then descended via “Horse Heaven” trail.

***May 15, 2005
– Despite fog and drizzle in the Valley, it was a beautiful sunny day on the ridge at Castle Rock. Hiked out past Goat Rock, then down the lateral to return via the falls.

***May 21, 2005
– The Waterfall Trip. Did my annual one-day blitz of Yosemite waterfalls. Began at Bridalveil, which was flowing so strongly that the path the base of the falls was under nearly a foot of water at one spot. Drove up the valley, stopping to view El Cap, flooded meadows, and Yosemite Falls from across the Valley. Parked at Curry and hiked up to the top of Nevada Falls, ascending past Vernal via the Mist Trail and then returning by the Muir Trail route. Ended the day at Yosemite Falls at the last light.

***May 27-30, 2005
– The Annual Eastern Sierra Memorial Day Weekend Ski and Desert Camping Trip.

• May 27: Left home at 12:30 and met Owen and George at a restaurant in Bridgeport at around 6:30 p.m. (They were just finishing dinner when I arrived.) Headed on south, stopping for photos near Conway Summit and then at Mono Lake. Arrived in the desert and camped.
• May 28: Up early to have breakfast at Mammoth before starting to ski around 8:30. Finished up at 1:00 and hung out at the lodge until heading back to camp to clean up. Maureen arrived just in time to head up to Lakefront Lodge for dinner.
• May 29: Up not quite so early and then to Mammoth for a slightly later start. A cold morning with clouds and wind. Skied until nearly 2:00. Headed back to the desert and finally gave up on the barbecue (too windy) and went back to town for dinner.
• May 30: Up at 5:30 and on the road by 6:00. Stopped near Mono Lake for some photos and then headed over Sonora Pass and back home.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005May

2005April

***April 2, 205
– Up Mine Hill to the summit and then back down via Deep Gulch.

***April 3, 2005
– With limited time – and cloudy weather – I just did the New Almaden Trail to Buena Vista Mine to Randol to New Almaden Trail loop out of Mockingbird Hill.

***April 10, 2005
– Javelina Loop at Calero Park. Flowers are just about at their peak and some grass is starting to turn brown.

***April 16, 2005
– Mission Peak. Ascended (in fog until near the top) via the busy main trail, taking a lot of photos along the way. Spent a half hour on the top and then descended the alternate route via Horse Heaven and other trails.

***April 17, 2005
– Time for a quick hike up Deep Gulch at New Almaden. Went past the mill on the summit ridge and partway down Wood Road looking for flowers. Returned the same way.

***April 24, 2005
– Short photo loop at Castle Rock in drizzly, foggy weather. Flowers are coming up everywhere.

***April 30, 2005
– Another photo walk at Castle Rock – not drizzly or foggy, but overcast.

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December 31, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2005April