EISPIRATEN

Dave G and i did a trip over the weekend in an attempt to hike Mount Sill. Turns out the recent snow in the higher elevations stuck! Who would have thought with the mild winter we were having that the punch it packed at the end would make 13,000 and 14,000 feet in the Sierra look like it was still winter in late June.

I had some friends that tried a Palisade traverse on Saturday and they were also thwarted by the deep snow. That made us feel a bit better that we were not so wimpy.

So our Mount Sill defeat turned this into just a backpack trip, but oh what a beautiful trip it was. As we like to remember it's not always the destination, but the journey...

my pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 6260962809#

Happy 4th!
norma

Looks like a great campsite.
Where was it, if you don't mind my asking?

Our camp was in Dusy Basin approx 3 miles in. Dave has a waypoint for it if you really are interested. Let me know.

Some friends of mine are heading up Mt Whitney this weekend. Because of the snow, it's just going to be a backpacking trip for them, too. They are going no higher than Trail Camp.

siminov,

i was on Whitney the weekend before and used crampons from the cables to Trail Crest. Dave G did not use crampons, though he used his ice axe on the traverse. he's been doing this longer than me. a family of 5 made it up and down safely in trail runners, but we thought they were foolish to risk it. most people turned around at the cables that day (Father's Day) since they did not have winter mountaineering gear. that will be two weeks ago this Sunday and if the warm temps remain, the ice by the cables will be gone soon as will the deep snow on the traverse.

i hope your friends have a great time! make sure they bring skeeter repellant for the Portal to 10,000 feet. they are biting and i'm still scratching!

i still have not posted my Whitney pix. maybe tomorrow?...

Nice work Norma, you guys are always out having fun, I agree it's the journey not the destination and with the company you guys keep it was a blast, I'll bet.

Great Photos as well, thanks for sharing.

norma r wrote: i hope your friends have a great time! make sure they bring skeeter repellant for the Portal to 10,000 feet. they are biting and i'm still scratching!

Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask you about the skeeters in the Palisades.

Those were great photos. It looked like a fantastic hike, except I can't stop thinking about the skeeters.

simonov,
oh yes there were skeeters! i felt Bishop Creek Canyon was worse than Dusy. there were none in the Palisade Basin. too high or too much snow? as you know, June and July is skeeter season unfortunately.

lilbitmo,
i can't help but have fun when i am hiking and hiking with Dave makes it "funner!" we have both commented that we'd like to share a trail with you. are you interested in planning something?

norma

If I may digress for a moment about an old peeve of mine . . .

When I patrolled the San Gorgonio Wilderness as a Forest Service volunteer about 20 years ago, I was always running into people who were only there to "train for the Sierras," as if our local mountains didn't count. Then at sea level I met lot of people who wouldn't bother with local mountains at all, for whom only the Sierras could deliver a satisfying backpacking experience.

But I reflected how superior our local mountains are to the Sierras in most ways that matter. For one thing, they are close. No need to waste a day of driving just to get to the trailhead (and another day getting home). And in these days when we worry about our carbon footprints, that becomes even more important.

For another, we have better weather. Afternoon thunderstorms are far more common - and therefore dangerous - in the Sierras than in our local mountains. The weather is more predictable here, which makes hiking the local mountains safer and more enjoyable.

While the San Gabriels can be pretty crowded, many of the trails in the San Gorgonio Wilderness are fairly isolated, and you will find fewer people on, for example, the Fish Creek trail of a weekend than you will find hiking into Cottonwood Lakes.

Finally, and perhaps most important (and to bring us around back on topic), we just don't have nearly the infestation of flying bugs they have in the Sierras. To me, this makes our local mountains far more enjoyable during early summer than the Sierras. It counts for a lot. In fact, I won't venture into the Sierras until August.

The scenery of the Sierras is unsurpassed, that's for sure, and I like to go there at least once a year. But the local mountain ranges have so much to offer, these Sierra Snobs I used to see are only cheating themselves.

I'm not pointing any fingers here, I was just reminded by your skeeter warning of why I prefer our local mountains. Those photos looked wonderful, but the unseen insects I know are there would drive me batty.

norma r wrote:my pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 6260962809#

Norma:

I think you need to change the address of the photos from:
BackpackIntoThePalisadeRegion6260962809
to
BackpackToThePalisadeRegion6260962809

HJ

Hikin_Jim wrote:

norma r wrote:my pix are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 6260962809#

Norma:

I think you need to change the address of the photos from:
BackpackIntoThePalisadeRegion6260962809
to
BackpackToThePalisadeRegion6260962809

HJ

P.S. Nice photos by the way.

simonov, in response...

I love the San G Wilderness and if i lived closer i would apply to be a volunteer ranger there. i love hiking in the snow and find that the local mountains offer better access than the Sierra. so in the winter you will find me in the San G Wilderness on San J or Baldy. but come summer i head to the Sierra since i love the majesty of the size of the mountains and the wildflowers. wildflowers need water to bloom, the Sierra has and gets plenty of water, water attracts mosquitos and you know the rest...

In addition, i also like desert peaks. in the winter and spring i make trips to JT, the eastern Mojave, Death Valley and the Inyo Mountains. if anyone is not familiar with desert peaks, they have their own amazing beauty and i have favorites i can recommend.

The year before last was the first time i had been to Colorado in the summer. i was only in Durango (to mtn bike) but i took a day to hike Engineer Peak and was blown away by the beauty and the flora of the Rockies. the Sierra's look like desert peaks compared to the Rockies!

I have lived for over 30 years in eastern Ventura County and the good fortune to have mountains all around me. albeit small compared to the others, but they are beautiful and i hike and bike (and used to run) in them all the time. i have said for years that i live "In God's Country" since i can walk out my door an onto a trailhead.

I can honestly say i have never seen a crowd at the Cottonwood Pass or Lakes area. yes, you will find a larger number of people at the Whitney Portal or resorts like Mammoth and Tahoe and of course Yosemite. that's to be expected because they have a more recognizable name than San Gorgonio. and that's what keeps San G precious. it's like a hidden secret!

As a resident of Ventura County it takes me 2.5 hrs to get to the Vivian Creek trailhead "without" traffic. and we know what happens to I-10 many hours of the day. to San Jacinto it's a greater commute. Lone Pine is 3.5 hrs away and there is only traffic where the 5 and 405 merge. so for me there is not that much difference in drive time.

So, yes i love the Sierra but i enjoy all the mountain ranges here in southern California. i will be staying local this weekend and you could put money on the fact that i will be hiking Sunday at Baldy or somewhere...

btw... I have not been to the Fish Creek Trail but i have seen you mention how much you enjoy it and it has made me curious to explore it the next time i get to San G.

have a great weekend!
norma

thanks Jim for noticing the error. i eliminated the "in" and did not think that it would affect the link. duh!

correct link: http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 6260962809#

btw... if you know what the yellow rock flowers are, please let me know, as i am stumped. http://picasaweb.google.com/ryan.norma8 ... 8377474130

norma

norma r wrote:As a resident of Ventura County it takes me 2.5 hrs to get to the Vivian Creek trailhead "without" traffic. and we know what happens to I-10 many hours of the day. to San Jacinto it's a greater commute. Lone Pine is 3.5 hrs away and there is only traffic where the 5 and 405 merge. so for me there is not that much difference in drive time.

So, yes i love the Sierra but i enjoy all the mountain ranges here in southern California. i will be staying local this weekend and you could put money on the fact that i will be hiking Sunday at Baldy or somewhere...

Then I hope you can post some trip reports of hikes in those mountains, I don't know what they are called, north of LA and west of Gorman and Frazier Park. That is some of the most remote and wild country in Southern California and I have always been curious about it. My own experience out there has been limited to spending a couple drunken weekends years ago at a place called Camp Scheideck.

Here's my pix from the Sill attempt: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 770986572/
And from the previous weekend on Whitney & Muir: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21042415@N ... 170181013/

I agree with Norma, for the most part, re the Sierra vs "local" mountains. I have to admit though that I view Baldy, and much of the San Gabriels, with all of their "urbanization" as somewhat of a training ground or gym. San Gorgonio and San Jacinto offer a much better experience with only an extra half hour of driving (for me). The Sierra trips are both more expensive and more dangerous. Not because of the climbing/hiking difficulties, but because they generally involve marathon driving stints while fatigued. I know far more people who have been killed or injured by the road, rather than the mountain.

Dave G wrote:The Sierra trips are both more expensive and more dangerous. Not because of the climbing/hiking difficulties, but because they generally involve marathon driving stints while fatigued. I know far more people who have been killed or injured by the road, rather than the mountain.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.