Central Sierra: Yosemite NP, Humboldt-Toiyabe NF, Stanislaus NF

Halfmile maps i and j

This is where we start to come down from the high's of the Sierra's and into the land of the granite domes. Going to Yosemite has always been a dream of mine and being able to walk through it's Wilderness will make the experience even richer. From Tuolumne Meadows we trek from tourist mecca, across some beautiful granite outcrops and into the area less traveled. We pass by Mt Matterhorn in the Sawtooth range and thus passing what is considered to be the start/end of the High Sierra's.
Yosemite Wilderness ranges from the Lower Montane Forest of Yosemite Valley to the Upper Montane Forest and the Subalpine Forest. Maybe when near water you will be visited by a endangered Yosemite Toad.
From Yosemite National Park and Wilderness area we head into Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; the largest National Forest in the lower 48 covering 6.3 million acres mostly in Nevada and a bit over in California. Although large, it is not contiguous. The forest lies in 13 counties in NV and 6 in CA. We just pass through a patch before we head into the Stanislaus National Forest.
Stanislaus National Forest got national attention this past year. It was where the Rim Fire began in August of 2013. It grew to be the third largest wildfire in CA recorded history. We will no doubt see the damage from last years event. If you read the Forest Service Website, Stanislaus National Forest sounds dreamy. "You can swim near a sandy beach or wade into cold clear streams cooling your feet" now that sounds lovely. After many miles of hiking, I could probably use a good swim. Even though the website doesn't show any weakness in it's nature-perfect facade, I'm sure the dreaminess/insane beauty of this forest is also partnered with a great sadness. Fire may be necessary for life, but it still hurts my heart to see the impact of a large burn.

Carson-Iceberg Wilderness is partial in the two national forests above. The Silver King Creek within it's borders supports the only native population of Paiute Cutthroat trout in existence. I'm going to use this amazing fact to iterate how important it is as backpackers to respect water. Soap residue is become a huge threat in remote areas. Unfortunately the safest option for taking a shower with soap in the backcountry is also a pain in the butt; collect water needed for shower, walk 200ft, shower and poor grey water out (double check location to make sure no water sources are around). That seems hard for me to actually commit to on a trail. So I like using two options: 1) the easy and cheap option, don't use soap expect for hands and dishes (I am happy to cart a half liter of water 200ft)  2) if I really can't take it I can wet a pack towel and take a quick towel bath with soap 200ft from water source. Just please don't take a bath directly in the stream/lake with soap. I have made this mistake before because my soap didn't have any chemicals in it, but really adding anything to the environments we will be traversing would be detrimental to the small, local animal and plant populations.

The Mokelumne Wilderness is where granite and lava beautifully collide. This is Piero's view headed up Round Top. In most of the pictures I've hunted down, the wild flowers in this section look unreal.

Flora:
With this section a new tree is added to you usual suspects. Along with Lodgepole pines, jeffery pines, aspen, and juniper comes mountain mahogany.
Endangered to this area is the Slender Stemmed Monkey Flower

Mariposa Desert Parsley

Yosemite Woolly Sunflower

Phantom Orchid

Fauna:
Record where and when you see a California Condor, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep, and cutthroat trout as these animals have been having a hard go of it.

Rock Climbing:
Map i starts and ends with good climbing areas, but nothing is really marked in the middle. It starts with Tuolumne Meadows, which were covered in last blog entry, and ends with Sonora Pass. There is bouldering, route climbs (mostly sport) off Highway 108, and another area named Saint Mary's boulders. Then we jump to map j which starts with Sonora Pass and ends with Echo Lake. Same deal as with map i; good climbing at ends, nothing in the middle. Luther Rocks is a bit east from the trail off of the highway. Echo Lake rock climbing will be covered in the next blog with map k.

Southern Sierra: Kiavah Wilderness and Sequoia National Park

Halfmile maps f

From Cameron Canyon Rd aka Hwy 58 aka Tehachapi Pass the trail treks up by LaRose Falls and waterfall canyon. I'm curious if the beauty matches the name and might take a trail detour to check out the area. From the looks of the map, it seems like water in the Piute Mountain Range will not be an issue on the first part of this section. As we traverse around cache peak there area is littered with springs on either side of the trail but beware hikers get sick on this section so be careful, take some extra Vitamin C, and make sure your water is clean. After this short spurt of water it goes dry so carry a lot.

From the satellite view it looks like the trail comes down into dry lands before it hikes up into the Scodie Mountain section of the Kiavah Wilderness and Sequoia National Park, south east of Lake Isabella. In the screen capture below Lake Isabella is in the top left of the screen. The PCT traverses from the Piute Mtn range on the left side of the screen, directly below Mayan Peak (point A), and then north to the green range on the top right side (the Scodie Mtns.)

Maybe there is some shade to be found around the Pinyon Mtns. Even if there isn't that much shade to be found, there may be another treat. Pine Nuts from the Pinyon Pine. For those who can eat them, they are a tasty treat.

Flora:
It looks like another hot and sunny section. Even Scodie Mtn, which is supposed to be a reprieve from the sun looks rather arid.

But don't let it fool you, the plants we get to experience here are very special. The Kiavah Wilderness is one of the two places that can support Pinyon-Juniper woodlands in CA. One can also find Mormon tea, burro bush, Joshua Trees, grey pines, and a variety of wildflowers which are blooming April to June. The rare gem on this section of trail is the Walker Pass milkvetch, a endemic legume. It has only been recorded as seen three times. If you see it, please take notes and report it/ don't bother it. I will be hunting a few west facing hillsides for this little survivor.

Back to Desert: Angeles National Forest and Mojave Desert

Halfmile Project maps d and e

Angeles National Forest is the first national forest in California, historical landmark #717. Within the it rise the San Gabriel Mountains. They separate the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert and act as a water collection system for the surrounding areas. Mount "Baldy" (or Mount San Antonio) is the highest peak in Los Angeles County measuring 10, 068ft (3,069m). image from wikipedia on San Antonio. 

The National Forest has seen it's share of mishaps. You may or may not remember that in July of last year three campgrounds were closed in Angeles National Forest due to the discovery of a bubonic plague outbreak among squirrels. A fire scorched over 161,000 acres of land, that's 1/4th of the forest in August of 2009 which almost took out the Mount Wilson Observatory and the antenna farm which, among other things, broadcasts the police and fire department emergency channels. That would have sucked. The area is still in the recovery period.
Other fun facts: -Black bears are not native to this region, but in 1933 eleven rambunctious bears from Yosemite Valley were transferred here. -Baldy Camp was the hip nightlife of LA during prohibition.
The trail follows along side several sections of road, seem like map d and e are good places to have gear trouble or to strike up some conversations with day hikers or find some people with ropes to share for climbing. The trail dips down from the mountains at Aqua Dulce and then it heads back up where we tool around past Green Valley and continue to mountain roam.


Mojave Desert:

The trail descends from the mountains into Neenach, CA. From the town we will traverse through Antelope Valley, which is the western tip of the Mojave Desert. Then the trail ascends into arid mountain and canyon lands, passing through wind farms, until it exits into Cameron Canyon.
Antelope Valley was named after the abundant pronghorn sheep population, but after drought, too much snow, over hunting, etc the numbers now are few. I still hope to see one.

Flora: After spending quite a while in ponderosa, lodgepole, and jeffrey pines we will descend back into chaparral and then into sage brush and desert. The difference being we will have some new plants in the mix this time since Antelope Valley gets more rain and ground water than most. There is the California poppy (all the pictures of this massive bloom are beautiful but we will most likely miss it), the infamous Joshua Tree, the California Juniper, and many more plants that like this area.


Rock Climbing: Tunnel Crag is first to pass. It is barely out of the way and as long as there is somewhere to walk along Hwy 2. I will probably skip this one unless I meet someone with rope because it's 5.10 and 5.11 routes only. Past my free climbing comfort grades. Next up, a little more of a detour, Williamson Rock. Pretty much just sport, 5.6 -5.13. It looks real beautiful.

I'm most excited about Horse Flats. It just looks fun to mess around in with lots of bouldering and some trad climbs. Maybe a good place to take a climbing 0 day?

Sky Islands: San Jacinto Mtns and San Bernardino NF

Halfmile Project map section b and c. image from tree hugger international.

The trail traverses through San Jacinto Mountain Game Reserve, San Jacinto State Wilderness, San Jacinto State Park. The range is granite rock wedged between the San Jacinto Fault and the San Andreas Fault, sounds like perfect territory for finding some climbing along the way. Also rock slides could happen if a major earthquake occurs.
Along with the San Bernardino Mtns, the San Jacinto Mtns are humid islands in a sea of dry, desert. Most of the rain occurs from November to March, but thunderstorms can cause flash flooding mid July to mid September. Snow can persist above 8,000ft (about 2,440m) till June and above 9,000ft (about 2,750m) you will see some patches of snow all year.
Get ready for some aerobics, this mountain range goes from sea level to 10,000ft (about 3050m) in a few measly miles. It will be a wake up call to the legs. Hopefully by then our packs will be all light and figured out. Remember elevation gain and the temperature change will make us need more food and water.

Flora:
From the desert, the trail starts to climb through sage brush, chaparral (see last post for definition), and, as you climb higher, through pine trees. Above about 5,500ft (about 1680m) we will start to see ponderosa pines, lodgepole pines, jeffrey pines, incense cedars, white firs, and red firs. Between the slabs of granite rock and pines and cooler temps, it will feel like CO.
Special Interest:
Tahquitz Peak (8,750 feet/2667 meters)On the way through, I want to check out this classic climbing. Tanquitz and Suicide Rock are both above Idyllwild. It's all multi pitch and so I might not be able to do too much but I will go and free solo parts of the easier routes. Really I would just be psyched to be there. There is also a bouldering area in Idyllwild County Park and you can even camp next to some good bouldering (sites 55-78, save me a spot.)

San Bernardino Nation Forest. image from parks website

Welcome to gold rush territory. The San Bernardino Mtns have a long history in resource management. It was over logged, mined, and has been used as a water source to the surrounding cities for a long time. In the 1900s the range was made a national forest and it still used as a reservoir to supply water to the dry, urban areas surrounding them. The California Aqueduct runs through as well as a few highways. 
The Mtns provide the most reliable powder south of the Sierra's so ski resorts are common. They have the same rainy/snowy seasons as the San Jacinto Mtns, but the San Bernardino's are more likely to have snow since they often get more precipitation and are generally higher.
Erosion is a huge problem here, probably because it is right on the San Andreas Fault and people have been poking around for a long time. Sediment and rock erode and deposit in massive alluvial fans. These act as water highways into the groundwater basins below. Be wary if it is storming, these alluvial areas flash flood. Side note, crossing a wide alluvial channel, balancing from rock to rock, can really get annoying on the knees.

From the San Jacinto Mtns. The trail dips down into San Gorgonio Pass (by Cabazon), skirts around the sides of some San Bernardino Mtns, then head down again into Whitewater Canyon, and then follows a canyon vein back up into the Mtns, heads through alpine basin territory, and then checks out Big Bear Lake and later Silverwood Recreation Area.

Fauna: On the endangered end of the animal spectrum there is the San Bernardino flying squirrel, California spotted owl, Mountain yellow-legged frog, Southern Rubber Boa, and Andrew's Marbled Butterfly. Please make notes and report if you see any of these.

Special Interest: There is a load of climbing to be done by Big Bear Lake, from bouldering to trad and sport. I'll probably head to North Shore Boulders and The Gardens for a nice V0-2 warm up and then trek over to Holcomb Valley Pinnacles and Central Pinnacles area to check out some routes that are along the PCT. 

Desert: General Overview

On my run today I started thinking about food on the hike, but then realized I was getting ahead of myself in planning. I shifted my thoughts over to the climates we will face on the PCT. For most of us, that will be starting in the desert.

The amount of dry territory thru hikers must cover is daunting. Take it from someone who grew up in Burkina Faso, heat can make you a bit loopy. The unforgiving sun, the constant cotton mouth, the desire for just a little bit of shade, the lack of privacy (low and sparse brush)  I'm excited for all of it. At least it is dry heat. That makes it feel not quite like 100F.

Temperatures should range between 50-120F (10-49C). In April the Pacific brings storms but the area is pretty dry by mid May. The trail follows the mountain range mostly, going through the San Jacinto Mtns, the San Bernardino Mtns, and the San Gabriel Mtns where pines should make for a much welcome respite.

The obvious problems in the desert are sun, heat, and water. I will hike nocturnally and only be eating uncooked/previously prepped food to save my skin, water, and weight (I won't have to carry a cooking system for awhile, if I really start missing it I can have someone send it to me.)

I feel like after all of this I need to inspire myself. The desert is typically where people go to find themselves. You mind starts mimicking the landscape; there is no place to hide. What is often considered infertile ground becomes a place for plants to adapt and specialize against all odds. This landscape is the perfect metaphor for the beginning of our journey.

"Time and space. In the desert there is space. Space is the twin sister of time. If we have open space then we have open time to breath, to dream, to dare, to play, to pray to move freely, so freely, in a world our minds have forgotten but our bodies remember. Time and space. This partnership is holy. In these redrock canyons, time creates space--an arch, an eye, this blue eye of sky. We remember why we love the desert; it is our tactile response to light, to silence, and to stillness." - Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patients in the Dessert

"“I’ve crossed these sands many times,” said one of the camel drivers one night. “But the desert is so huge, and the horizons so distant, that they make a person feel small, and as if he should remain silent.” (76) Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist


"Lion King" shows how his trip began and shares about the brutal heat.
http://www.youtube.com/v/AM1V-JZit5M?version=3&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1&autohide=1&attribution_tag=gRl_FbX6GWFCyH5Op_WZGA&showinfo=1