Dan's Outside

Lundy Canyon Aspens

Aspens in Lundy Canyon. September 26, 2004.
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October 28, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Lundy Canyon Aspens

Aspens on Monitor Pass

Aspen trees on Monitor Pass. September 26, 2004.
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October 28, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Aspens on Monitor Pass

Fall hiking at Almaden Quicksilver

Green and brown leaves on the Deep Gulch Trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 23, 2004.

It only rained for the first time last week, but the first green shoots are already coming up in the coastal hills.
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October 23, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fall hiking at Almaden Quicksilver

And just what does it mean to be lost anyway?

Continuing on with some other thoughts provoked by the “lost” Sierra backpackers, I was thinking once again about the concept of being lost.

Though at times I have been unsure about exactly how to get from point A to point B, I’ve only been “lost” once in any signifcant way, and this was many years ago. I was on a very early season trip during spring break, doing a low elevation loop just north of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and there was still a great deal of snow on the ground. We followed a trail around Hetch Hetchy and then followed another trail up from the water, from which we picked up another trail that purportedly looped back towards our starting point. A short time later we lost the trail in the snow but, knowing the general lay of the land, we navigated on without the trail. We finally figured out that we were not on the trail when we saw a valley below us that we knew we should be walking through, so we headed down the hillside until we reached a stream where we camped – still not on the trail.

The next morning we headed up the valley a little ways and briefly picked up the trail where it crossed a stream – only to find that it disappeared a short distance on either side of the crossing. We followed a low ridge that was in the general vicinity of the trail until we finally decided to exit the area and head back down to an area that was not snow-covered. We picked a valley and headed down, finding our way through trees and over some tricky rocky spots, and we eventually emerged near our objective.

Were we “lost?” I’m not sure. We knew where we were the whole time within a 1/4 mile or less – we just didn’t quite know where the trail was.

Today I often intentionally explore more-or-less trailless areas, and I often do not know the exact route (if there even is one right one) to follow. I very much enjoy this kind of travel, partly for the adventure and partly for the mental challenge of figuring out how to find a route.

My take on the “lost” backpackers of this past weekend is that none of them were actually lost. “Trapped by snow” perhaps, but it sounds like every party knew where they were.

To quote JRR Tolkien, “Not all who wander are lost.”
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October 22, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on And just what does it mean to be lost anyway?

Lost in the Sierra?

This week’s news stories about the rescues of backpackers caught in last weekend’s early-season winter storm obviously caught my attention. I was backpacking in the Sierra the previous weekend (and it did snow a little) and friends were in the Tioga Pass area the weekend of the big storm.

While October most often is a beautiful month in the Sierra with lots of sunshine, nice temperatures (but take your warm sleeping bag!), and no crowds, this is a time of transition in the mountains. It is not at all unusual to see some early winter-like storms drop some snow, though it usually is not deep and it mostly melts away in a few days.

Two weekends ago I experienced exactly that type of weather. A Pacific front came through and dropped a bit of snow on us on Saturday afternoon while we were travelling cross-country across a ridge near Cathedral Peak and Budd Lake in the Tuolumne Meadows area. We knew that there was some chance of “weather” (“20% chance of showers” at various times during the weekend) but we were prepared in several important ways.

• We changed our plans and did a shorter trip since one member of our party was uncertain about whether he and his gear would be up to a winter storm.
• We let lots of people know our plans – both the original plans and the revised plan that we improvised at the trailhead.
• We had sufficient equipment to weather any weather that could be expected: We had tents or other winter shelters, winter sleeping bags, extra clothing, and so on.
• When the front did come through on Saturday afternoon, we recognized that this was not the same kind of afternoon thunderstorm that we experiece during the Sierra summer – and that we could not assume that it would simply blow over. We got right back to our camp and secured everything.

In the end the storm passed quickly and we had a beautiful trip.

According to the news stories I read (and one must often read between the lines since they are frequently written by reporters with little actual backcountry experience) it appeared that all of the backpackers were prepared for the serious conditions that they encountered last weekend. They hunkered down in tents and worked to keep warm and dry. In one case they were actually brewing up some coffee when the rescuers arrived!
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October 22, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Lost in the Sierra?

Fall trees at Almaden Quicksilver

Oak tree near the Hacienda Trail. Almaden Quicksilver Park. October 16, 2004.

Fall trees near the top of the Deep Gulch Trail at Almaden Quicksilver. October 16, 2004.
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October 17, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fall trees at Almaden Quicksilver

People Photographs

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Photographers, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Waiting for Dawn II, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Waiting for Dawn, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, California. April 4, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Randy, John, Tom. Thanksgiving Dawn Hike, Mission Peak. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell

Owen Lee at Saddlebag Lake. Sierra Nevada. October 7, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Fisherman, Aspens. North Lake, California. October 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

A little something for visitors from TheTroutUnderground.

Caroline reading at Big Pine Lake #4 – Mt. Sill, North Palisade, Palisade Glacier in the background. August 9, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Hikers with Black Umrellas. Mission Peak. July 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Approaching Vogelsang Pass. Yosemite National Park. October 11, 2003. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

Tourists, Glacier Point. Yosemite, California. June 11, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

The Happiest Man on Mission Peak. January 22, 2006. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Hikers and Ireland Lake. Yosemite National Park. August 27, 2005. © Copyright Dan Mitchell.

Crowd, Vernal Fall bridge. Yosemite National Park. May 21, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

Fisherman at Guadalupe Reservoir. Almaden Quicksilver Park. March 13, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell.

ROMP trail maintenance crew at Santa Teresa Park. January 30, 2005. Photo copyright Dan Mitchell

Caroline and Owen descend Limekiln Trail in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. December 19, 2004.

Owen ascends El Sombroso on Wood Road Trail in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. December 19, 2004.

Owen and Jane cross a meadow near Lower Cathedral Lake. Yosemite National Park. October 10, 2004.

Jane crosses the ridge between Cathedral Peak and Budd Lake.

Dan, Owen, Mark, and Jane on ridge near Cathedral Peak. October 9, 2004.

Ryan, Leah, and Jeff at Lamarck Col. August 12, 2004.

Owen, Karen, Caroline, and Dan on Glen Pass. July 17, 2004.

Owen, Caroline, and Karen at Rae Lakes campsite at the end of the day. July 16, 2004.

Owen, Caroline, and Dan on Pinchot Pass. July 14, 2004

Owen skis off the top of Mammoth Mountain. May 30, 2004.

Shelley, Owen, and Dan on the summit of Vogelsang Peak. October 11, 2003.

Paul and Eric load the canoes. Ark Resort, Great Central Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 2004.

Ilsa and Valente on lunch break. Great Central Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 2004.

Owen and Caroline travelling cross-country between Fletcher and Ireland Lakes. Yosemite National Park. October, 2002.
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October 14, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on People Photographs

Backpacking near Lower Cathedral Lake

Owen and Jane cross a meadow near Lower Cathedral Lake. Yosemite National Park. October 10, 2004.
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October 14, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Backpacking near Lower Cathedral Lake

Fall colors at Cathedral Lake

Fall colors at Lower Cathedral Lake. Yosemite National Park. October 10, 2004.
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October 14, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fall colors at Cathedral Lake

Cathedral Peak

Cathedral Peak with approaching storm. Yosemite National Park. October 9, 2004.
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October 12, 2004 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Cathedral Peak