Spring Backpacking

Near Round Top Lake

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Carson Pass Management Unit, El Dorado National Forest.

9360 Feet.

June 8, 2009 

The flowers were just beginning to burst out of their pods.

This flower was very early. The majority of the terrain was still covered with Spring snows. Here's a picture of the snowcover from that June 2009 trip:

Snowplant lifecycle

The five images of Snow Plants growing out of dry soils are from Dumonts Meadow to Falls Meadow along the East Fork of the Carson River. It's dry up in there.

The one completely vibrant Snow Plant is growing in the saturated soils of the South Upper Truckee River during the height of the Spring Thaw just below the snow line.

Below: Snowplants bursting through ground.

Bear, Black, Tracks, High Sierra, Carson Iceberg Wilderness 

April 24, 2004

 The weight of the walker, in this case a bear, compresses the snow as they pass, leaving tracks.

As the snow mass melts the compressed snow creating the tracks melts much slower than the surrounding snow, pushing the tracks above the receeding snow.

Lightening Safety for Backpackers: Caught Out.

I have observed Summertime heat weather in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range for decades. The recipie is simple. Heatwaves in the Valley fill the atmosphere with hot evaporated moisture, a gentle onshore breeze pushes it up the Sierra Crest, and the cooling does the rest.

Flat Rainbow, Carson Iceberg Wilderness. High Sierra Nevada mountains. Sometime in the '90s. I'll look it up... 

Matt Wieser is an excellent reporter for the Sacramento Bee, and a fine observer of man and nature to boot. The heavy snows of Spring 2011 persisted through August all along the Sierra Crest.

Questing Veterans Update:

June 18, 2011

Questing Veterans

 From Jean's Website, Questing Veterans: Questing Veterans is an expedition around the United States via foot and horseback. The purpose of the ride is to provide Veterans a buffer zone and time between Military and Civilian lives.

Howdy y'all!

Questing Veterans Update: June 12, 2011  

Who is Questing Veterans?

From Jean's Website, QuestingVeterans:

Questing Veterans is an expedition around the United States via foot and horseback. The purpose of the ride is to provide Veterans a buffer zone and time between Military and Civilian lives.

Hey Y'all!

It's been a fairly quiet 2 weeks since last Major update.

Check out Doc's Spring Snow May 2011 trip from Little Yosemite Valley to Sunrise Lakes in the Snow Section.

This article features a look at the tremendous Sierra Snow pack that is sitting on the mountains on June 1, 2011.

Doc sent us this report and photos about his Late May Spring Snow trip from Little Yosemite Valley up to Sunrise Lakes and back. Doc's original goal was Tenaya Lake, but the storm held him a little short. Disgression is the better part of valor!

Doc's trip began on Thursday the 26th, and was turned back by the weekend storm we experienced on the 28th and 29th.

This report will inform Pacific Crest Trail hikers as well as early season John Muir Trail hikers as to the deep snow at elevation in the Sierra Nevada.