Keep your pack on your back (and other tips)

I just found this great blog entry on sizing and wearing your pack. I'm pasting tha address here in the hopes that you might use the link if you are planning to backpack for first time.

https://www.fix.com/blog/packing-your-backpack/

Wear it as much as possible before you head out. It really helps!

Backpacker recommended

So a fellow backpacker recommended that I post the mosquito picture....
The Mosquitos were very intense/present/active in the sub alpine and alpine ranges while we were in the Sierra and Yosemite proper. Bug nets were "recommended" on this trip but perhaps (this year) might have been best "required". The bugs were "BAD". Perhaps some of the worst our guide had experienced recently.

And a grateful thank you from hiker Lesley:

Hi Wilson 

Great to hear from you. Thanks again to you and Sierra for a wonderful experience in the Sierra mountains.  

The professionalism you both displayed was admirable and your warm, supportive approach, much appreciated. 

Any man than can tolerate 7 women in the bush for an entire week (solo) deserves an award. I'm including Sierra in this number although she was definitely an asset, unlike the rest of us. Lol. 

We will definitely keep you in mind for future trips. Your knowledge allowed us all to feel safe and comfortable and your patience ensured a good time for all !  

Keep up the great work with those foodie recipes.  

Personally, on this trip I was hoping for beauty, physical  challenges, good food , and good chatter. We had it all including the desirable bonus of alcohol. Yes!  We had a great time.  

Thanks again. 

Cheers!

Lesley  

Lessons Learned

Along with her review, hiker Janet formulated the following email to SYMG in support and thanks for such a great experience.

What a great trip!  Wilson, thank you for your wisdom, humor and great food!  Sierra, your patience with my limited vision and sore knees was inspirational!  You both are leaders beyond your years.

I thought I would take a moment to summarize some of what I learned about myself and the wild:

·         Yes my feet were a size 9.  Just returning to size 8 now!

·         It is okay to drink the water if there are no beavers.-either way you have 2 weeks.

·         If the world were to end, there is not a lot of wild edibles in the California woods-best to bring cheese.

·         1 L of water weights 2.5 lbs.  If you drink it, it weighs 0lbs-outcome is the same.

·         Corn for breakfast…do I need to say anything more.

·         It takes an hour to walk a mile and a half.  Unless you are walking with Lesley than I think you can double the distance.

·         Dirty socks make great face clothes-just the right abrasiveness to buff in a healthy glow.

·         Lip balm gives you soft sexy lips but attracts the wrong element-do not keep it in your tent.

·         Always have someone else test the water slide first.

·         Hang it all on the outside…never know when you might need it.

·         If it is easy to dig a hole you probably should look for another spot.

·         Women wine less than men…hmmm I already knew that- I think I meant woman need more wine than men.

·         Yup still afraid of high spots and falling.

·         Always follow.  When you see others trip it is best not to step there.

·         Rocky-cone should be played far away from mystic circles.

·         Never catch stones on the back of your hand-or wait maybe your suppose too-sorry what were the rules again???

·         Sticks, pinecones, and small stones, all make great toilet paper substitutes.

·         When it is dark, you do not need a tree.

·         Dessert tastes best when set on fire first.

·         A rain suit is as good as bug repellant but goes on a whole lot quicker.

·         I really, really, really like chairs.

·         50 is the new 30 if you have good drugs.

·         Always swim before you shower.

So much imagine what I could learn in 24 days.  Look out world!

Follow up!

August 2016

Since this formidable trip, we have each given individual thought to our experiences in the Sierra. I'm not at liberty to speak for others, but know that I could write, and write, about my experience in, and love of, Yosemite.

In the meantime however we have written thank you's and accolades for our guides and this epic journey.

Here is the first of the comments sent into SYMG on our behalf.

The following is my email exchange with Ian of SYMG:

Hi Ian,
Sarah here, just settling back into work 😳 after a fantastic YGT with Wilson and Sierra. 😃
Just wanted to state the obvious: Wilson and Sierra are THE GREATEST GUIDES YOU HAVE!

Ok, I'm sure you have others (😜) ... The bios look great AND we met Fred on the trail... However our group couldn't say enough (positive, glamorous, star-studded) things about these two!

As you may know:
Both Wilson and Sierra are professional, respectful, intelligent, calm, supportive and patient (yes, in spite of having to get 6 women onto the trail in the mornings... Which by the way is like herding cats). They are wise beyond their years, genuinely, with great knowledge of biology, geology, backcountry skills, and history, which I find critical in this type of adventure. Their love of the outdoors was palpable and very real, which helped to thoroughly engage women who wanted to know about the Sierra.

Wilson, with Sierra's support, thought of everything from great treats, snacks and meals, to beverages of choice for a bunch of Canadian girls, and what time to get up in the morning without too much grumbling. They were flexible and fair. The on-trail breaks  were always appropriately timed, and well appreciated, without any woman needing to say "are we there yet?!". Their great communication skills, group engagement ability and their allowance to have their unique personalities show through, was obvious.

In any case, just thought I would take a second to give a shout out to W & S and thank you, Ian, and SYMG for a formidable, epic, well planned back country experience.

I plan to be back! Before too long....

Sarah Harrison

Reply:

Sarah-

Can  I just say you made my day! I am so glad the trip was such a success on all levels. Just what we were aiming for. Wilson and Sierra are indeed gems and I will pass this along to them as well.

Let us know how we can help plan another adventure with you all in the future in the High Sierra, Patagonia or Costa Rica...

Stay in touch and thank you for your confidence in SYMG.

Sincerely, Ian 

Response:

Glad to make your day! My goal is to raise Wilson's status beyond the others, give him some more clout !! 😛 teasing. Sierra, I think, is a power woman so she too can hang that over the other's heads on your team! When our flights got delayed in Fresno on the 10th, you almost had at least two of us at your door asking to just STAY.

Genuinely, and jokes aside, they were great!

I'll keep in touch.

Sarah

Reply:

Their stock is rising indeed. Both great guides and just great people.

Ian

So Long Yosemite....Until We Meet Again

July 9, 2016

With heavy hearts, we woke early to make our way from Cathedral Lake to the Tuolumne Meadows access point in Northern Yosemite. We packed up camp for one last time, after a breakfast of Old Mill Oatmeal and delicious camp coffee. Sierra had plenty of time to read the info on the back of the bag in order to share with us the history of Old Mill Oatmeal! Hilarious! I think that I was actually too sad to recall much about this morning's routine, as it is a bit of a blur. I do recall, Sierra's face at my tent saying "Girls, coffee's ready", as she had SO respectfully, on each morning throughout our trip.

We left camp around 8:15am (or later, since we were usually later than Wilson wanted us to be) and headed out the remaining 4.5 miles  (7.25 kms) to the trailhead at Tuolumne Meadows where we would meet our shuttle.

We passed many day hikers along the way. Many were eager to reassure us that the trailhead would appear soon,  "just a little further". Some of them asked where we had come from, so they were ever so eager to tell us we were almost there. They were amazed by our stamina and praised our achievement. Some, perhaps, thought we were simply exhausted from a day hike....but perhaps hadn't smelled us up close! With each passing comment, I cried sadly at the thought of leaving the\is beautiful place.

 

As an aside, friend Piper snapped a close up shot of this plant, the "Toilet paper plant" that we picked along the way. We were careful not to take leaves liberally in order to maintain the species health. This leaf supported us in a "leave no trace" etiquette that meant we used less toilet paper, all of which needed to be packed out. 

When we reached the trail head we did not wait long before Cathy, our shuttle driver, pulled up in her shuttle bus. While we waited we unpacked some of our gear, using the bear boxes for tables. 

We had travelled the final 4.5 miles (7.25 km) in very little time.

About Bear Proof Food Lockers:

Bear proof food lockers are large metal food lockers available in every campsite (ie. High Sierra) , most trailhead parking areas, and at lodging areas with tent cabins (Half Dome Village, formerly Curry Village; White Wolf; and Tuolumne Meadows). Lockers are also available at Little Yosemite Valley and High Sierra Camp backpacker campgrounds.

While a bear can smell food in a locker, the bear can't get into the locker if it's closed and latched properly. Be sure to keep your locker closed and latched at all times, even if you are in your campsite.

Most trailheads in Yosemite have several lockers available. 

Please ensure that all your ice chests and food, drinks, and toiletries will fit in this locker; all these items must be stored in a locker.

N.B. Where we camped in the interior, there were no bear boxes. We used bear canisters [8x, one for each person] into which we packed all of our food for the trip. Each bear canister was packed into our backpacks during the day. At night, our stellar guides, Wilson and Sierra basically guarded our canisters from wildlife!

Friend, Rhona with "the dirty white shirt", near the bear lockers.

Before long, the shuttle arrived and out came the coolers of beer and water, that SYMG had sent us, to celebrate our achievement. 

We dodged across the street before leaving this wonderland for a group photo in Tuolumne Meadows with a view of the continuing JMT beyond (off to the right). It was 10:30am.

From this point forward, shuttle driver Cathy, was forced to endure the stench of 8 backpackers. The smell in the van was offensive.

We were fortunate to have time to stop at the Tuolumne Visitor Centre not far from the trail head. We ran to the camp ground washrooms with glee and washed our hands not once, but 2 or 3 times. Other tourists, grimaced at the smell (and sight) of us, and (quite obviously) stepped away from the sink area. Maps, hats, stuffed animals, books, t-shirts and more were purchased to commemorate the excellent adventure.

 

From the Visitor Centre we drove about 1 hour to a meadow below El Capitan where we were able to have a delicious picnic lunch. Sandwiches and special treats were prepared by SYMG in advance of our pick up, and ready in coolers for our final day.

 

NB. You can't see them....but there are climbers up there!!

The history of El Capitan is fascinating:

El Capitan (Spanish for The Captain, The Chief) is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about 3,000 feet (900 m) from base to summit along its tallest face and is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers and BASE jumpers.

El Capitan is composed almost entirely of Granite, a pale, coarse-grained granite emplaced approximately 100 mya (million years ago). In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley. A separate intrusion of igneous rock, the Taft Granite, forms the uppermost portions of the cliff face. 

Along with most of the other rock formations of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan was carved by glacial action. Several periods of glaciation have occurred in the Sierra Nevada, but the Sherwin Glaciation, which lasted from approximately 1.3 million years ago (mya) to 1 mya, is considered to be responsible for the majority of the sculpting. The El Capitan Granite is relatively free of joints, and as a result the glacial ice did not erode the rock face as much as other, more jointed, rocks nearby.^[6] Nonetheless, as with most of the rock forming Yosemite's features, El Capitan's granite is under enormous internal tension brought on by the compression experienced prior to the erosion that brought it to the surface. These forces contribute to the creation of features such as the Texas Flake, a large block of granite slowly detaching from the main rock face about halfway up the side of the cliff.

Once considered impossible to climb,^[7] El Capitan is now the standard for big-wall climbing.^[8] "El Cap" has two main faces, the Southwest (on the left when looking directly at the wall) and the Southeast. Between the two faces juts a prow. While today there are numerous established routes on both faces, the most popular and historically famous route is The Nose, which follows the south buttress.

The Nose was first climbed in 1958 by Warren Harding,^[9] Wayne Merry and George Whitmore in 47 days using "siege" tactics: climbing in an expedition style using fixed ropes along the length of the route, linking established camps along the way. The fixed manila ropes allowed the climbers to ascend and descend from the ground up throughout the 18-month project, although they presented unique levels of danger as well, sometimes breaking due to the long exposure to cold temperatures.^[10] The climbing team relied heavily on aid climbing, using rope, pitons and expansion bolts to make it to the summit. The second ascent of The Nose was in 1960 by Royal Robbins, Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt and Tom Frost, who took seven days in the first continuous climb of the route without siege tactics.^[9] The first solo climb of The Nosewas done by Tom Bauman in 1969.^[11] The first ascent of The Nose in one day was accomplished in 1975 by John Long, Jim Bridwell and Billy Westbay. Today, The Nose typically takes fit climbers 4–5 days of full climbing, and has a success rate of around 60%.

(Wikipedia)

Lunch!

 

Watching the climbers

Avidly watching the amazing climbers on

El Capitan.

From El Cap we drove away from Yosemite National Park toward Oakhurst. There was an insane amount of traffic heading in and out of the Park, which we learned was now common in this particular area. 

While passing through Oakhurst we stopped at Reimer's for Ice Cream and before long we were off to our drop off at the hotel in Fresno. We said an emotional farewell to Wilson and Sierra and resigned ourselves to the idea that this was the end of our journey. At the hotel we enjoyed hot showers, clean clothes, drinks and a hearty meal. 

Before long we travelled home, via San Francisco, to Toronto. 

With us we brought more than just souvenirs: courage; pride; unrivalled success; determination; strength, both inner and outer; wellbeing; stories; friendship; lessons of all sorts, some academic, some humorous; 800+ photographs; dirt; dusty boots; foot trauma, and much more!

The YGT

These are some tired bags @ Pearson Int'l

Following the JMT to the Cathedral!

July 8, 2016

Today, on our second last day, we followed the famous JMT into the Tuolumne region of Yosemite. We passed stunning alpine meadows and otherworldly glaciated peaks on our way to what many guides call the most beautiful spot in Yosemite, Cathedral Lake. Our hike ranged in elevation from 8,000 ft to 9,600 ft and was 8.5 miles (14 km) in length.

With a more leisurely start today than Half Dome day, we enjoyed breakfast of polenta, tomato, basil, and hot sauce. Delicious! Who knew? Note: For some, polenta is much like eating corn for breakfast and one should then plan on a few extra washroom stops.

We left the burn zone below Cloud's Rest around 8:30am. Much of the hike in the morning was uphill, gaining 2000 ft in elevation. Mid morning we ran into a young Ranger and ranger station at Sunrise Meadow. He checked our permits and chatted about the area, our trip, and park going-ons such as fires, distress calls, and animals. Around this time, we met a mule pack and guide bringing in restock items to the High Sierra. Along the way we enjoyed views of Mather (with its spinal looking crest), Echo with its several peaks, and Cathedral in the distance. 

We accomplished an extra mile of ascent before lunch and were fortunate to stop for lunch below Columbia Finger. This would make our afternoon less gruelling with less climb. We enjoyed cheese and crackers and delicious fig loaf courtesy of awesome guides, Wilson and Sierra. We began to see several Bauldings Squirrels, common to this region, who appeared to be stalking us at each of our meals. 

 

At this point of the excursion, it became evident that we were in a very popular part of the park, as we came across more and more people along the trail. It was inspiring to chat briefly with 2-3 people who were hiking the entire PCT and a few who were completing the 220 mile JMT.

Before long we approached the Cathedral Range, and specifically Cathedral Peak and Cathedral Lakes. 

Cathedral Peak is part of the Cathedral Range, a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park in eastern Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The peak which lends its name to the range derives its name from its cathedral-shaped peak, which was formed by glacial activity: the peak remained uneroded above the glaciers in the Pleistocene. It was climbed for the first time in 1869 by John Muir. He proclaimed that he had yet to attend church in California, but that this would count as a first, as it resembled one so much.

In 1869, John Muir wrote in My first summer in the Sierra:

The body of the Cathedral is nearly square, and the roof slopes are wonderfully regular and symmetrical, the ridge trending northeast and southwest. This direction has apparently been determined by structure joints in the granite. The gable on the northeast end is magnificent in size and simplicity, and at its base there is a big snow-bank protected by the shadow of the building. The front is adorned with many pinnacles and a tall spire of curious workmanship. Here too the joints in the rock are seen to have played an important part in determining their forms and size and general arrangement. The Cathedral is said to be about eleven thousand feet above the sea, but the height of the building itself above the level of the ridge it stands on is about fifteen hundred feet. A mile or so to the westward there is a handsome lake, and the glacier-polished granite about it is shining so brightly it is not easy in some places to trace the line between the rock and water, both shining alike.  "

Because this area is so popular, it was important to get to Cathedral in good time in order to secure the best site possible. Upon arriving to the lake, we held one site while Wilson ran ahead to confirm that the best site was still available. With the premier site available, Wilson ran back and moved us along to a site by the edge of the lake. Looking East Cathedral Peak towered over us. To the west, looking from a beautiful alpine ridge, we could see Tressider Peak, Pywiack Dome, Polly Dome, and Medlicott Dome. The views in all directions, as had bene the case throughout the entire trip, were spectacular. 

 


After we arrived and set up tents, we were all keen to go for a swim in Cathedral Lake. The water at 9,600 feet is icy but refreshing. These lakes, the the many other lakes, rivers, and creeks we have visited, are fed mostly by winter snow pack and melt. Still, as we look around us at this altitude, there is snow not far from our tents. After bathing in the lake, we climbed the ridge to have a look around. As noted, the views from here in all directions were breathtaking. 

We spotted a marmot on the ridge, or rather he spotted us, just prior to our call for supper. The marmot's in this area are quite large, curious and ready to snack on anything you turn away from for even a moment. Wilson tells us that many of the marmots in this region are under study by various research programs who have determined that they have developed diabetes due to their feasting on backpackers meals. Sadly, the research has found that it is basically irreversible and is changing the genetics of this mammal. 

Supper began with baked apple slices followed by chili! Our first dehydrated, but delicious, meal. After supper, Wilson and Sierra suggested that we go back up to the ridge for the sunset and dessert. 

Once we were settled, Wilson and Sierra joined us with a fantastic Dark Chocolate, apple, and rum flambé! TO DIE FOR.  We enjoyed our chocolate feast while watching the sun set over Lower Cathedral Lake (otherwise known to these women as Rubber Ducky Lake due to its shape). 

We truly came to know the genuine meaning and beauty of "alpenglow" from this point. 

Alpenglow  is an optical phenomenon in which a horizontal red glowing band is observed on the horizon opposite to the sun. This effect occurs when the Sun is just below the horizon. Alpenglow is easiest to observe when mountains are illuminated but can also be observed when the sky is illuminated through backscattering.

Since the Sun is below the horizon, there is no direct path for the light to reach the mountain. Unlike sunset or sunrise, the light that causes alpenglow is reflected off airborne snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmosphere. These conditions differentiate between a normal sunrise or sunset and alpenglow.

Filled with awe, and some sadness that it was our last night on the trail, we made our way down from the ridge and into our tents.

 

 

This brought to an end our last evening in Yosemite, along the JMT. Tomorrow we would make the trek out to Tuolumne Meadows.