"Like the Seasons Changing, He Just Kept Coming"
You’ll have to pardon me for the string of 4WheelBob links, but a) I’ve met him, b) I’m incredibly impressed with his accomplishment, and c) I happen to know Tom Mangan, a member of his support team and outdoor blogger:
4WheelBob describes his epic hike. Bob Coomber shares the gritty details in a forum at Backpacker.com:
I’d been told by the team that once onto the final switchbacks it got flatter and easier. I was completely demoralized, once there, to find the opposite. The rocks filling the “road” were bigger and harder to gain traction. So much for the differences in perception of hikers and wheelchair hikers! But light was beginning to fade on the east side of the peak, and a cold rush of urgency spurred me to just look down and push forward. This was some kind of demon’s joke! It got so much more difficult and I was in so much pain that I felt like just sitting there, stopping and hoping something would change. I looked up, and the Summit Lab seemed almost within touching distance, all of a sudden! Yow! Maybe it’ll finally happen, ya think? I came up the final two turns, cursing like a drunken sailor at every rock, every slippery patch….and of course the final 20 feet were the toughest. It took all I had left to churn around the corner and suddenly be level with the Summit Lab, Summit Register…I was almost in tears. Only exhaustion kept me from completely breaking down like a kid on Christmas morning after getting his Red Ryder BB Gun. Tom, Rick and Cheryl took photos, and there was a completely unforced whoop of elation from everyone. Ten hours and 45 minutes after we’d set off, at 6:44 PM I made the summit – 14,246 feet.
This is what I recall: I got to the summit a few hours ahead and just dawdled, took a few pictures, soaked up the scenery, and looked for signs of Bob on the trail below. He was moving at a crawl, but like the seasons changing, he just kept coming. [Two-Heel Drive]
Great line, Tom! :-)
SFGate Fall Season Articles
***It’s time to take a pass and find great fall foliage
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Oops! More accurately, it is past time to “take a pass,” at least if you hope to find golden aspens this year. The article focuses on places to look for fall color in the Sierra. Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen during the past couple of weeks, a number of the areas described in the article have already passed their prime and may disappoint those heading up to the Sierra on their first Fall Color Hunt. From what I saw during the past two weekends, I suspect that Monitor Pass will not have too many leaves left and that Carson may have some, but not a lot. Of the areas I recently visited, I think the best bet might be Lee Vining Canyon along the Tioga Pass Road between the pass and the town of Lee Vining. There were still quite a few green trees there last weekend.
***Get a jump on the holidays and enjoy the fall –
This article describes various little seasonal goodies you might want, ranging from gadgets to clothing.
Seasonal Changes at Yosemite
Today’s Yosemite Blog entries include some news about changes that typically take place this time of year. For example…
A number of campgrounds outside the valley go into dormancy in the fall. Apparently Tuolumne Meadows campground is now closed. (This is the normal schedule, but I always wish they would keep in open another couple weeks.) Tamarack Flat and Porcupine Flat are still open on Tioga Pass Road, but on a first-come, first-served basis. (There are other campgrounds east of Tioga Pass that remain open a bit longer as well, but they are not inside the park.)
The Half Dome cables are scheduled to come down on October 17.
Things begin to quiet down in the Tuolumne area by mid-September, though the campground remains open a few weeks after that. There are far fewer visitors, though a steady stream of people continue to appreciate the beauty of oncoming fall conditions even after the Tuolumne campground closes – they come up for the day, camp at other campgrounds in and out of the park, or backpack.
Sometime around October 15 the Park Service no longer allows overnight parking along Tioga Pass Road. At about the same time Tioga Pass Resort shuts down for the switchover from summer to winter accommodations.
I and some of my friends try to schedule one last pack trip around this time of year, usually to Fletcher Lake. When conditions are right it is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year up there; on the other hand, when conditions are not right things can get interesting. Last year we cancelled this trip when the forecast called for 100mph winds over the crest. We’ve been (lightly) snowed on a few times, and we’ve also decided that day hiking made more sense than backpacking on occasion.
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School Is Out
I managed to get the last test scored and grades turned in on Thursday, so now I’m more or less free for a couple weeks. Today I drove over to the coast near Pigeon Point Lighthouse and visited the Waddell Creek entrance to Big Basin Park. More to come…
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An Indoor Weekend
As a teacher, I often have more opportunities than most for hitting the trail – but not this weekend. This is the last week of the fall term and finals start next week. Consequently, I have a lot of papers to grade today, tonight, tomorrow…
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Park corrals a rancho
***Huge addition to GGNRA virtually undeveloped
– SFGate:
Rich Allen rode his horse up a trail above the San Mateo County coast Wednesday and watched as a coyote trotted 100 yards away and a red-tailed hawk swirled overhead.
He was thrilled that Congress voted unanimously the day before to add nearly 5,000 acres surrounding his Moss Beach Ranch horse-riding operation to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. He and others hope the public will be able to hike, ride horses and perhaps bicycle there in a few years, while enjoying some of the Bay Area’s most sweeping vistas.
Yet another new park. (OK, an addition to an existing park, but still… :-)
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Lost Yosemite Hiker Found
An update on Yosemite Blog:
Great News!!! Our friend Leon has been found! He hurt his ankle, lost the trail, and took a few days to recover & find his way back. His is in good condition now.
That is great news. I hoped that something like this might be the outcome and was optimistic when I heard that he is an experienced backpacker.
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Report NOT Seeing the Missing Hiker?
A note at Yosemite Blog suggests that the Park Service would like to hear from people who were in the area of Yosemite where a hiker went missing last week – even if they did not see him. Apparently it may be useful to know where he isn’t as well as where he was.
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Backpacker Missing in the White Wolf Area
Seen at Yosemite Blog and elsewhere:
Yosemite National Park is asking for assistance from the public in obtaining information about a missing backpacker. Leon Zheng is believed to have started a solo trip around September 2, 2005 in Yosemite National Park.
A full-scale search for Zheng was initiated on September 7, 2005, involving about 30 ground searchers, dog teams, and helicopters. Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue is currently receiving mutual aid from Mariposa, Marin, Mono, and Santa Clara County Search and Rescue Teams.
Leon Zheng is described as an Asian male weighing approximately 150 lbs. He is 27 years old, with black hair and brown eyes.
Zheng is believed to have been backpacking in the areas around White Wolf, Tuolumne Meadows, Benson Lake, and Seavey Pass. Anyone in these areas between September 2, 2005 and September 7, 2005 is asked to call the Yosemite Search and Rescue office whether or not they saw a person matching the description of Leon Zheng.
Yosemite Search and Rescue can be reached at 209/372-0216 or 209/379-1992.
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New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association
On this morning’s quick Almaden Quicksilver hike up and down the Deep Gulch Trail (training for summer pack trips) I ran into a group from the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association. They were comparing old photographs of the English Camp area with the current landscape.
The old pictures were fascinating. Not only did they show some striking changes in the vegetation (now that it is no longer being used for mining operations) but there were a lot of structures on the hillside near English Camp.
You can find out more from the NAQCPA web site. (Well, actually you can’t. I just discovered that they apparently do not maintain the site. Instead, try a Google search on “New Almaden Mining Museum”. ;-)
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