It seems that once a week is about as often as I can get off on a hike right now. Today I hiked up English Camp and Castillero Trails to Catherine Tunnel at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. I came back via the Mines Trail.
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(Before I arrived) Owen and Shelley drove up to the Tuolumne area on Thursday. From what I recall, they camped somewhere just outside of the park that night - perhaps at Tioga Lake - since the Tuolumne Meadows campground is closed for the season. They had Thursday morning breakfast at TPR before hitting the trail [...]
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 [...]
Drainage near Mt. Lyell photographed from summit of Vogelsang Peak. October 11, 2003.
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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 [...]
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. [...]
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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I thought it might be ironic to capture spectacular fall colors… in black and white.
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***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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Two hikes - one park
On this strangely hot last weekend of October I managed to get out for two hikes at Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Yesterday I did my shorter loop up Mine Hill Trail and then back down via Castillero and English Camp. Today I went further - speed-hiking out on the Randol Trail, up Prospect #3 to [...]