2011 Pictures
(click on photo to see full album)
River to Sea Trek: Colorado River to the Pacific
Harem Trip: Southern Yosemite
Mad, Marilyn and Diana atop Red Peak Pass
Tom and his Harem, Mad, Marilyn and Diana, started in Yosemite Valley and did a ten day circumambulation of the Clark Range, ending at Tenaya Lake. Their route took them up the Merced River past Vernal and Nevada falls then over into the Illillouette Creek drainage, which they followed to Ottoway Lakes. Then they crossed over the Clark Range at Red Peak Pass into the upper reaches of the Merced drainage. They followed the boisterous, flood swollen Merced downstream to below Merced Lake, then cut north to Tenaya Lake with a detour to Cloud's Rest.
Tuolumne Pass to Sonora Pass: Northern Yosemite
Tuolumne River at high water. Awesome!
Mike Palmgren met me at Tuolumne Meadows and together we hiked north to the Sonora Pass road. Our first three days were following the Tuolumne River down its Grand Canyon. The river, high and raucous, was our ever-present companion and a constant source of wonder to us. Then we had to climb almost 4,000 feet out of the canyon. Heading roughly north through Pleasant Valley, Bear Valley and Kerrick Canyon, we eventually joined the Pacific Crest Trail, following it to the Yosemite border. We then followed the Walker River drainage out to Leavitt Meadows and the Sonora Pass road.
Kaweah Basin: Sequoia
high cross country pass we had to cross to get into Kaweah Basin.
Mad and I decided this spring that we wanted to go to the most isolated part of the High Sierra, which we had learned from reading various accounts, is Kaweah Basin. It is high, lonely, barren and beautiful. We were not sure we could make it there because of the challenging cross country route we of necessity had to negotiate. We did make it. We saw not one other soul for over three days.
The hike encompassed ten days of hiking, starting in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia. For the first three days we were on the busy High Sierra Trail. Then we were off and on trail, eventually crossing into Kings Canyon via Colby Pass. We closed the circle via Cloud and Deadman Canyons, Big Bird Lake, the Tablelands, entering the civilized world again close to where we had begun.
The hike encompassed ten days of hiking, starting in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia. For the first three days we were on the busy High Sierra Trail. Then we were off and on trail, eventually crossing into Kings Canyon via Colby Pass. We closed the circle via Cloud and Deadman Canyons, Big Bird Lake, the Tablelands, entering the civilized world again close to where we had begun.
Mt. Brewer: Kings Canyon
Worshiping Mt. Brewer from Big Brewer Lake
Another goal for our summer was to spend time in the high, lonely reaches of the Great Western Divide, hoping to climb one of its signature peaks, Mt. Brewer. We loaded our packs with another ten days worth of food and ground our way up Silliman Pass. We camped atop the pass, with the whole of the GWD spread out to the east. A few days later we were among those peaks at the foot of Mt. Brewer. Again, once we left the trail, we saw few, if any, people. High on the slopes of Mt. Brewer we had views in all directions of the Sierra we love.
