Dan's Outside

What's Up With the Weather?

Back in October I was all set to do my final pack trip of the season, but we backed out at the last minute based on reports of a big storm. In the end, it was a windy storm and it dropped a little snow but that was about it. Since then central California has been stuck in an Indian Summer weather pattern – dry and record warmth.

I know that we real winter (or what passes for winter in coastal California) doesn’t get going until somewhat later in the season than one might expect. But by November we have typically had at least a few decent storms come through, the weather has turned colder, and things are generally more damp. Not this year. Today and tomorrow there is a “red flag alert” in the Bay Area due to dry conditions that could lead to wildfires.
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November 20, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on What's Up With the Weather?

DanOnRocksYosemite

Photo of Dan Mitchell. Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park. © Copyright Patricia Mitchell.
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November 14, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on DanOnRocksYosemite

DanPhoto60x60

Dan Mitchell photo. 60×60 pixels.
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October 29, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on DanPhoto60x60

Happy Birthday Yosemite Blog!

Loyd of Yosemite Blog wishes his blog a happy birthday…

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to Yosemite Blog!! One year ago this week I began writing Yosemite Blog. Thank you everyone for the great feedback, the cool friends I’ve made, and all the great stuff you send me.

[Yosemite Blog]

I’ll join the celebration. Happy Birthday, Yosemite Blog!

October 29, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | 1 Comment

A Colorful Time to Head to the Mountains

From Tom Stienstra in SFGate (October 27, 2005):

The first hints of fall colors are now arriving to the Bay Area, but in the mountain country, it’s already a spectacle.

If the past 10 days in the canyons of the eastern Sierra have been a preview for the annual Halloween-to-Thanksgiving show, the coming weeks have a chance to be one of the best in years, from Shasta to Whitney — and selected pockets of the Bay Area.

Well, yes, but…

The colors peaked in the Sierra a few weeks ago, so he is right about the “past 10 day’s part.” Unfortunately, the colors are essentially gone now, undoubtedly with the exception of a few isolated pockets here and there.

On the other hand, although it isn’t the subject of his article, great fall colors are heading for lower elevations now. The lower levels of the western Sierra can produce great colors in certain areas and, believe it or not, there are some great color spots in the Bay Area if you look around a bit.

One last thing. Although the Sierra colors are way past their peak now, Stienstra does provide a nice list of some great places to visit in October 2006.

Aspens Near Silver Lake. October 8, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

October 29, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | 1 Comment

More About My Spider

When I posted a couple recent spider photos from Almaden Quicksilver Park, I asked if anyone could help me identify this creature. I received a couple interesting and helpful replies:

From an anonymous message:

Dan, The spider in your photo is an “Orb Weaver” also known as a Garden Spider. They spin those huge webs and catch flying insects. They are very useful for keeping the balance. They are usually very active during between late fall and early November. Summer is too hot and winter is too cold for these guys so you won’t see much of them in the days to come. I hope this helped identify the monster? By the way you have some very nice nice photos on your site. I am a frequent visitor to Quick Silver Park. I enjoy your photo’s of the area. Keep up the good work Dan.

And from Gena:

I have seen it called “banded Argiope”, “banded orb-weaving spider”, and “banded garden spider”. I searched online and found that adult females can be up to 20-25 cm (7-10″). Sorry I don’t know much more, I’m not too familiar with most spiders.

7 inches!? Yikes! I think I’m glad I didn’t run into one of those. (The spider in the photos might have been 1 1/2 or 2 inches long including legs.)

Thanks to both of you for the information!

By the way, if any readers see me on the trail please say ‘hi.” I frequently travel the following routes at Almaden Quicksilver:

• Up and down the Deep Gulch trail to access Castillero and the junction with Mine Hill – occasionally with a detour down Wood Road Trail.
• The New Almaden Trail heading more or less west and north from the Mockingbird Hill parking lot. (That is the area where I saw the spider.) On occasion I follow this route all the way to Prospect #3 to Mine Hill and then return via the ridge and then the steep descent from the south on New Almaden.
• On occasion I do the Senador Mine / Guadalupe Dam loop.

You can probably recognize me by the load I’m carrying… ;-) I often carry one or another fanny/lumbar pack, a camera over one shoulder, and a tripod bag over the other.
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October 28, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on More About My Spider

Point Lobos Photography

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Steps, Tree, and Trail. Point Lobos. October 15, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Trail. Point Lobos. October 15, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Dead Tree. Point Lobos. October 15, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.
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October 15, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Point Lobos Photography

Sierra Fall Weather

When contemplating a late-season Sierra pack trip – say a season concluding mid-October trip – one has to think long and hard about forecasts like this one:

“WARMING TREND CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY IN THE HIGH COUNTRY WITH HIGHS NEAR 70 THURSDAY AND FRIDAY….UPPER TROF MOVING IN FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE ACCOMPANED BY GUSTY WINDS FRIDAY EVENING AND RIDGE TOP GUSTS OF 100MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT….. WX TURNING MUCH COLDER SATURDAY WITH SNOW POSSIBLE IN THE HIGH COUNTRY AND EVEN IN THE TOWN OF MAMMOTH….UPPER PATTERN WILL SPLIT AND SO POSITION OF UPPER CUT OFF TO DETERMAN WHERE BEST PRECIP WILL BE. “”IF”” UPPER CUT OFF DEVELOPS LIKE 12Z NAM (ETA) THEN HIGH COUNTRY COULD GET GOOD SHOT OF SNOWFALL OVER THE WEEKEND…3 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE BY MONDAY AM. MAYBE 1 TO 3 IN TOWN…THIS IS JUST A “WAG” SO HANG IN THERE…UPDATE TOMORROW AM. [sic]

While October can be, as I’ve no doubt written here previously, wonderfully sunny and beautiful it can also turn in the opposite direction quite quickly – as it looks like it may do this weekend.

Last October I did a short trip to the Cathedral Lakes/Cathedral Peak area in Yosemite right about this time. (See here and here.) The weather was fine with the exception of a little afternoon snow flurry as we climbed a ridge.

However, friends who visited the area the following weekend encountered nice weather on Saturday, deteriorating weather in the evening followed by an incoming Sierra winter storm which closed most of the Sierra hiways.
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October 13, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Sierra Fall Weather

EnergyHog

The Energy Hog logo.
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October 4, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on EnergyHog

LeonZhengPhoto

Leon Zheng. Lost Yosemite hiker. September 9, 2005
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September 9, 2005 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on LeonZhengPhoto