Dan's Outside

More on retreating Sierra glaciers

After I posted the story found below on this page, I remembered that I took a photo illustrating this situation when I climbed Vogelsang Peak just two days ago.

Drainage below McClure Peak (near Mt. Lyell) in Yosemite. Photograph from the summit of Vogelsang Peak, October 11, 2003.

Look in the shaded portion of the ridgeline at the far right side of the picture – directly above the rightmost lake – where you can spot two small, shaded permanent snowfields. Look down the slope below them to see older terminal moraines marking the previous extent of the glaciers.

Sierra devotees may recognize the following peaks, from left to right: Parsons Peak, Mt. Simmons, Mts. McClure and Lyell.

(Note: I am aware that many factors can contribute to the natural increase and decrease in the size of glaciers.)
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October 13, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on More on retreating Sierra glaciers

Retreating Sierra Glaciers

Drainage near Mt. Lyell photographed from summit of Vogelsang Peak. October 11, 2003.
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October 13, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Retreating Sierra Glaciers

Fletcher Lake update

It now looks like the weather should be beautiful – maybe as warm as 60 degrees during the day and down to the low to mid-twenties at night at 10,300′ Fletcher Lake. I’m already imagining my walk through the open meadows of upper Rafferty Creek at around 9:00 pm as the full moon rises over Fletcher Peak. :-)

By the way, I was wrong in an earlier post. I think we’ll climb Vogelsang Peak, not Fletcher Peak.
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October 9, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fletcher Lake update

Fletcher Lake Finale

My final pack trip of the year is coming up soon. Every year a few friends and I head up to Tuolumne Meadows in mid-October; for a pack trip to Fletcher Lake if conditions cooperate, or for something nearer the road if the weather turns wintery. Looks like it will be Fletcher Lake this year. Yay!

Since I teach until midday on Fridays, I won’t be able to depart for the Sierra until about lunch time. If things go well I can get to the trailhead in about 4 1/2 hours or a few minutes less. So, I expect to be at the trailhead around 5:00. I should be able to complete at least half of the 7-mile uphill hike before dark, so I can look forward to and hour and a half or two hours of hiking in the dark. Fortunately, I know this trail quite well and there should be some moonlight as I pass over the relatively open terrain on the upper half of the hike.

We have a tentative plan to climb Fletcher Peak on Saturday and spend that evening at Fletcher Lake again. We’ll hike out on Sunday, catch the final Tioga Pass Resort meal of the season, and then head back to the Bay Area.
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October 7, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fletcher Lake Finale

New blog format

I made a formatting change to this website that should make it easier for me to post updates. A side-effect is that several recent posts no longer appear on the home page. However, you can use the calendar on the right side of the page to go directly to their posting dates.
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October 4, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on New blog format

Fall leaves at Almaden Quicksilver Park

I thought it might be ironic to capture spectacular fall colors… in black and white.
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October 4, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Fall leaves at Almaden Quicksilver Park

2003.10.04

***Oil Rush in Siberia Puts Other Treasures at Risk.
A remote expanse of green in the heart of Siberia is part of the largest wetland on earth. It also holds oil, lots of it. By Sabrina Tavernise. [New York Times: Science]
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October 4, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.10.04

2003.10.02

***Sponsors Ease Bill on Gases That Warm the Climate.
The two senators who are sponsoring legislation to fight global warming announced on Wednesday that they would soften the bill to gain support for a vote expected this month. By Jennifer 8. Lee. [New York Times: Science]

***Senate Democrats Boycott Hearing on E.P.A. Nominee.
The boycott of a committee hearing on the nomination of Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah to head the environmental agency delayed a vote that would have moved it to the Senate floor. By Katharine Q. Seelye. [New York Times: Science]
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October 2, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.10.02

2003.09.30

***GPS Users Still Lost in the Woods.
As GPS navigation services and gadgets become more popular, people are discovering they can still lose their way — even when they know their exact coordinates. By James Bernard Frost. [Wired News]

“I’ve heard stories of people being lost in the woods with thousand-dollar GPS devices,” says volunteer Shawn Gillogly. The biggest problem with GPS “is that it assumes you know how to use it. Nothing can replace proper orienteering skills and training.”

So far I have resisted the techno-lust lure of GPS units… but sometimes I catch myself slipping.

Several years ago I was associated with a school group that was backpacking on a little-used Sierra trail. They lost the track in an unmaintained section. The leader had a GPS but was unable to use it to get out of the situation because he could not relate the precise GPS coordinates to the map that he had. As he said, “I knew exactly where we were lost.” They finally extricated themselves using the traditional route-finding skills that are still critical.
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September 30, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.09.30

2003.09.28

***Fall leaves at Almaden Quicksilver Park

I thought it might be ironic to capture spectacular fall colors… in black and white.

***A fall hike with a breathtaking payoff
[SFGate] Tom Stienstra writes:

The hike to the Mount Tallac summit is like a slow-burning fuse to a case of dynamite. On the slow trip up — even though you know the explosion is ahead — nothing can prepare you for the magnitude of the event.

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September 28, 2003 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on 2003.09.28