Lassen Volcanic National Park Field Trip

This fall I’m taking two classes: one is an Introduction to Geographic Information Systems at Diablo Valley College, and the other is a field studies class through Merritt College: Biol62H — Natural History of Lassen Volcanic National Park. This past weekend I went on the field trip portion of the natural history class to Lassen Volcanic National Park. I camped at Manzanita Lake Campground in the northwest corner of the park on Friday and Saturday nights in the “Tents Only” loop D.

Day One:

1. We met at the Loomis Visitor’s Center/Museum at 8:30 am to check out the interpretive displays and watch a film about the park.
2. Drove to the northeast section of the park and did the hike to Cinder Cone rim near Butte Lake.
3. Later we did the Lily Pond Nature Trail with an additional walk around Reflection Lake.

Day Two:

1. We met at the Manzanita Lake boat launch to do some bird watching but there was not too many birds out. We did see a Dipper (water ouzel), American Robin, a Stellar's Jay, Belted Kingfisher, and an immature Wood Duck.
2. After, we drove to the Devastated Area to do the interpretive trail there, but it was closed for trail work.
3. Met the trailhead for Lassen Peak (trail also under construction) for a short discussion about the flora/fauna/geology of Lassen Peak area.
4. After we drove to the Bumpass Hell trailhead for a hike into Bumpass Hell, an active hydrothermal area.

A few volcanic fun facts I learned about Lassen on the trip:

• Lassen Peak is one of the largest lava plug dome volcanoes in the world.
• Currently, it is the last volcano to have erupted in California with major events happening from May 14, 1914 through May 22, 1915.
• Lassen V. N. P. has examples of all four types of volcanoes: sheild—Prospect Peak, cinder cone—Cinder Cone, lava plug dome—Lassen Peak, and composite/stratovolcano—old Brokeoff/Tehama.
• Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument were both established by Theodore Roosevelt on May 6, 1907.
• After the eruption of Lassen Peak, Congress created Lassen Volcanic National Park in 1916.

A few common species of trees in the Lassen area that we identified:

• White fir, Abies concolor
  
• Red fir, Abies magnifica
  
• Mountain Hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana
  
• Jeffrey Pine, Pinus jeffreyi
  

• For more information visit the official Lassen Volcanic National Park website: www.nps.gov/lavo
• View my photo album slideshow on flickr

~OR~

• Here is my GPS track map with photos at Everytrail:

Lassen Volcanic National Park Field Studies
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Backpacking: Point Reyes National Seashore—Sky Camp

I went on my first official backpack (not including snowcamping) of 2010 this past weekend in Point Reyes National Seashore to Sky Camp near Mt. Wittenberg. On Saturday, I hiked in by myself, but planned on meeting up later with some friends from a Yahoo! hiking group I’m a member of—Nor Cal Hikers. I really liked hiking in alone and then meeting a fun group of people in camp. I was able to have a leisurely no rush morning and peaceful hike at my own pace and then an evening of laughter and good company.

On Sunday it rained on and off in the morning, so I decided to try cooking in the partially open vestibule of my tent. Luckily the tent was a steal of a deal on clearance for a third of the original price, so I was not heartbroken when I discovered I melted a little hole in the vestibule fabric that drooped near the flame—nothing a little duct tape can’t fix!

I hiked in via Mt. Wittenberg Trail and out via Meadow Trail. Round trip mileage from Bear Valley Visitor Center to Sky Camp and back is less than eight miles (with a side trip to the disappointing summit of Mt. Wittenberg) but a good climb. An easier and shorter route is from the trailhead on Limantour Rd. via Sky Trail which is the route my friends took.

Related Link:

• Point Reyes N.S. Backcountry Campgrounds

View my pictures and GPS track & Map on EveryTrail:
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Sweeney Ridge GGNRA Night Hike

On Wednesday night I drove to San Bruno to meet my friend Marie for a night hike at Sweeney Ridge—part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). We started from the Sneath Lane trailhead and walked along the paved Sneath Lane Trail to the top at Sweeney Ridge trail. It was foggy higher up so we couldn’t see anything except mist, but lower down under the “fog line” I was able to get a shot of the city lights below us. The only wildlife we encountered was a banana slug that seemed a little out of place slithering along the pavement. We did see a dismembered fawn’s leg along the trail—probably the remnants of a coyote or mountain lion kill.

Trip Stats:

• Trailhead: Sneath Lane (end of the road).
• Mileage: ~3.75 round trip
• Elevation +/-: 760 ft.
• High Point: 1214 ft.
• Low Point: 600 ft.
• TH Facilities: None

View a few photos here on flickr.

View map with photos of my route on EveryTrail:

Sweeney Ridge GGNRA Night Hike

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First Hike of 2010

My mountaineering friend Emilie invited me to go on a day hike with two of our friends at Huddart Park, a county park in San Mateo near Woodside, California. I haven’t done much Peninsula hiking and have never been to Huddart Park, so I thought it would be nice to start the new year with a hike in a new area.

The weather was nice and foggy with a little mist—perfect for hiking in redwood trees. With the moisture came lots of fungi, moss, lichen, and banana slugs. We even saw two rough-skinned newts cruising around with each other. We did have to dodge some horse apples, but the trails were remarkably root-free and not too muddy. Some trails where even paved, which was a bit odd, but minimized my normal stumbling on every rock and bump.

Overall it was a nice park, worth the small entrance fee, and a pleasant way to start the new year!

Trip Stats:

• Location: Huddart County Park, Woodside, CA
• Trailhead: Ranger Station Parking Lot
• Mileage: 8.14 round trip, figure-8 loop
• Elevation Gain/Loss: ~1,760 ft; low point 666 ft, high point 2,010 ft
• Trails Traveled: Dean Trail, Chinquapin Trail, Archery Fire Road, Dean Trail, Crystal Springs Trail
• Terrain: Well-maintained single and double track, some trails with asphalt. Good sturdy trail signage. Only a few obstacles—a couple downed trees, a few locked horse gates.
• Flora & Fauna: Redwood forest and mixed evergreen with lots of madrone and tan oak. Lots of moisture, fungi, banana slugs, fog, spider webs, newts.
• Facilities: Bathrooms with water at various picnic areas in park. $5 entrance fee. Maps available.
• Flickr photo album

EveryTrail GPS Track with Photos: Huddart Park: First Hike of the New Year

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Berkeley Fall Geocaching Bike Ride

K.G. riding “red bike of unknown label” under a golden canopy.

I went on a nice little bike ride today with a friend that lives in Berkeley to do some Geocaching. We were in the fancy part of town with lots of golden deciduous trees displaying their autumn finery. One of the highlights was discovering a park named Monkey Island Park. Who names a park in a fancy residential area Monkey Island Park?!

We found three caches: two “micro” caches (basically film canisters with a paper log inside) and one medium cache that I took a trackable “geocoin” out of with plans on relocating it in a different cache this weekend. Trackable items are things that the owner wants the finder to log the item’s journey and sometimes it has a mission of reaching a certain place or traveling a certain number of miles.

What the heck is geocaching you ask? Well it’s a coordinate based treasure hunt often employing a GPS receiver. “Geocaches” (i.e. treasure chests) are listed and logged on the internet. To find out more about what this geocaching business is about visit www.geocaching.com.

Berkeley Fall Geocache Bike Ride at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Trail Maps

A Letter To Our Representatives RE: State Park Closures

I just sent a letter concerning the closure of California State Parks via the California State Parks Foundation website, text follows below. If you are as disappointed as I am, feel free to write your representatives too. The link is at the bottom.:

Dear Legislators and the Governor,

I am seriously dismayed at the threat to basically shut down 80% of California's State Parks and pretty much all of the state parks in my region. I think it would be a mistake to shut down OUR parks for the following reasons:

1.) The State Parks represent a fraction of the state budget yet they attract millions of tourists and millions of tourist dollars from all over the country and the world. 

2.) Many small communities are heavily dependent on the tourist dollars that their local State Parks attract especially in places where they've transitioned from resource destruction to environmental conservation (i.e. from logging to eco-tourism). Park closures would destroy many of these communities.

3.) This one's for the governor: I hated exercise until I discovered hiking. Hiking is one of my main sources of exercise. Most of my favorite places to hike are in my State Parks. What if somebody threatened to shut down all of your gyms when you were becoming a body builder? 

4.) California State Parks are home to THE TALLEST trees in the world, hundreds of miles of protected coastline (a precious commodity considering our ever increasing development), endangered animals such as the California condor, and many also protect important watersheds that provide clean water for our communities. If there are no employees stationed to protect our parks, they will fall prey to unauthorized trespassing and potential abuse & vandalism (and what about those destructive illegal pot farms springing up on public lands guarded by outlaws with machine guns waiting to shoot a stray hiker?!?).

I voted yes on most of the latest propositions (except for 1C—we need to stop borrowing money we can't pay back). However, even though I was in the minority, I know how the majority feels, and to say that California voted down the latest propositions because "they don't want to pay for it" (it being services) is disingenuous. We are just tired of paying for waste. If we felt our money was being used as efficiently and usefully as possible we would have no problem paying more.

And because I don't want to see my parks shut down but realize the money needs to come from somewhere, this is what I propose: There were 33.2 million registered vehicles in California in 2006. So if there was a $20 state park fee added to the registration of each of those vehicles that guaranteed California state residents free entry (but not covering other fees, just entrance fees), that would mean $662,000,000 in funds to keep our parks running and maybe even allow them to catch up on some badly needed maintenance! And since registration fee payers are getting something in return (free entrance), it makes it much easier to swallow.

Like many I've been hit hard financially by the current recession, but would gladly find a way to pay that extra $20 if it went to my state parks and guaranteed me free entry into those beautiful places.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Bond

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More Friends Doing Good Deeds on Bicycles

(Ray and Steve in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills on a training ride. Photo credit: Steve Burton.)

Last year I was a little shocked (actually more than a little) when my friend Ray told me he and his husband were going to ride bikes 545 miles in the AIDS LifeCycle from San Francisco all the way down to L.A. Not that I didn’t think Ray could do it, but I know him to be more of the lounge by the pool with a nice cocktail type rather than the endure lots of breathlessness and muscle pain on a bicycle type. But in spite of my shock I was super proud of him for “pushing his limits” and “getting out of his comfort zone” as they like to say, while raising funds for HIV and AIDS awareness and research. And this year I'm double proud because he and Steve are going to do it again.

Friday night they had a fundraiser at Buck Tavern in S.F. complete with raffle, beer bust, and drag show. I went and it was a really good time. Unfortunately my pictures from my phone are just a blurry mess so I had to steal one of Ray and Steve's photos off of Facebook. I love this photo and I love the little furry ears growing out of their helmets... (I'm so jealous. I hate my bike helmet.) Anyway, I wish the both of them the best of luck and success on their journey.

More Information:

• Ray’s fundraising page
• Steve’s fundraising page
• AIDS LifeCycle official website

Hike #2 Trails Challenge ’09

Yours Truly contemplating the interesting trickle that was Murietta Falls on our visit.

Ohlone Regional Wilderness: Lake Del Valle to Murietta Falls & Stewart’s Camp Backpack For my second Trails Challenge 2009 hike (see original post about EBRPD's Trails Challenge) I chose a recommended hike that I’ve wanted to do for quite awhile now—Murietta Falls in the Ohlone Regional Wilderness south of Livermore. Murietta Falls is supposedly one of the tallest waterfalls in the Bay Area falling 100 feet over a huge chunk of serpentine rock jutting out of the surrounding grassy oak savanna and draining into La Costa Creek. The Trails Challenge trail guide lists it as “the longest continuous drop waterfall in Alameda County.” This waterfall however doesn’t have much water volume and can be less than spectacular or even dry if visited too late in the season or in a low water year like this year. The Trails Challenge guide lists it as a “winter” hike just for this reason, but I was willing to risk it as the weather was still cool—the San Francisco Bay Area's valley interior can get blistering hot—and since spring has sprung, I was hoping that the wildflowers would be out. Another consideration was that all of my trail guides stress the strenuousness of this trail. I figured I would better enjoy this hike as an overnight backpack which shortens the daily mileage and elevation gain/loss, and luckily, since stewart’s camp trail camp was available and only half a mile away from the falls I could. On our visit it turns out the falls were more of a dribble than a gush, but fortunately my hiking partner Amy's and my efforts were more than rewarded with vast views of lush green hills, fields of beautiful wildflowers, soaring raptors, frog-filled ponds, coyote howls and sweet solitude. View all of my photos from this hike on flickr. Trails Challenge Hike #2 Stats: Date Completed: April 2 – 3, 2009 Location: CA, Ohlone Regional Wilderness (south of Livermore) Mileage: ~14 mi round trip Elevation: +/-4485' RT, ; lo pt 750; hi pt 3,372' Trails Challenge Total Miles: 21

Google Earth image of our route. Click for larger view.

Topographic map of my route. Click for a larger view. More Information: Ohlone Regional Wilderness official site Two-Heel Drive’s Murietta Falls day hike report Calipidder’s Murietta Falls day hike report Tom Stienstra’s Ohlone Wilderness article on SFGate

Trip Report: Sierra Club Snowcamping Training Group 5 Trip 2— Carson Pass to Winnemucca Lake

February 20, 2009: Friday hiking in pleasant weather conditions towards Winnemucca Lake with Round Top peak in the background.
Last weekend I went on Group 5’s second trip of the Sierra Club’s Snowcamping Training Series. Originally we were supposed to go to Lassen, but due to a good amount of snow during the week the avalanche danger was rated as “extreme” and the weather forecast was for more snow, so the plan was changed to Winnemucca Lake near Carson Pass. This trip started out sunny and mild. The first day for the hike in was warm and no wind to speak of. But Friday night late the winds kicked up. Saturday morning was sunny, but by early afternoon the sky had turned a mean gray and the wind gusts were getting wild. Saturday evening the gusts got so bad that they completely obliterated one of the tarps covering the snow kitchen. Sunday morning we woke up to white out conditions.
February 22, 2009: Sunday morning hiking out back to the trailhead with low visibility. A few wind gusts almost knocked me over and I’m no feather.
Snowcamp Stats: Dates: February 20 – February 22, 2009 Location: CA, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Eldorado National Forest, Mokelumne Wilderness, near Winnemucca Lake Mileage: ~4.5 mi round trip Elevation: +/-450´; lo pt 8,595´; hi pt 9,055´ Trailhead: Carson Pass Sno-Park Sno-Park Lat/Long.: 38.69498062, -119.989357 Sno-Park Facilities: porta-potties, trash bins, no water; parking permit required. Winter Trail Route: cross-country, loosely following the Pacific Crest Trail south towards Winnemucca Lake and Round Top peak. Route Type: out and back. Trail Terrain: semi-popular cross-country route; rolling; mild ascent to Winnemucca Lake; altitude makes it feel harder. Campsite: an exposed plateau north/ above Winnemucca Lake with sparse Juniper tree cover. Why go?: views down to Caples Lake and surrounding peaks Red Lake Peak, Round Top, The Sisters, Black Butte, Elephants Back. Non-technical climb up the south side of Elephants Back. Caveats: Wind is a problem here, as I experienced first hand and learned after the trip second hand. Website: Eldorado National Forest Winter Recreation Wilderness Permit: Mokelumne Wilderness Parking Information: Sno-Parks California OHV View my photo album.
	The white haze at the surface is spindrift. Even though this morning was sunny we were still getting “snowed on” due to the wind picking up the loose surface snow and throwing it around.
Spindrift is Not Your Friend I was first introduced to the word “spindrift” unwittingly through my friend Mary, who is an actress, and sometimes does productions with the Pacifica Spindrift Players. One time buying tickets to see her perform I got curious about the name so I looked up the term— SPINDRIFT: spray blown from the crests of waves by wind. Also, blowing snow or sand. For our purposes I’m talking about blowing snow—one of the reasons why most three-season tents with their generous mesh inner walls are not good for snowcamping (or camping in Death Valley during a wind storm, but that is a another discussion). The first night, in the middle of the night, the wind kicked up—I would guess 30+ MPH gusts. Despite being snug as a bug in my 0 degree Marmot Teton mummy bag, I kept getting rudely awakened by ice cold spittle hitting my face every time a gust would come by. I cinched up my sleeping bag hood and pulled down my beanie and pulled up my fleece neck gator, so only a sliver of my face under my nostrils was exposed, but the freezing spittle still managed to find skin.
	My tent window Saturday morning with a lovely view.
Damage Control In the morning, I rose to find a nice layer of finely sifted snow blanketing me and everything else inside my tent. I shook everything off as best I could and launched a campaign of spindrift damage control. First, everything inside my tent including my sleeping bag got tossed in plastic bags. Second, my sleeping pads got flipped upside down so the snow would collect on the waterproof bottom and not on the surface I would be laying on. Third, I would construct a windbreak composed of snow blocks (see picture below). Almost everybody else had a spindrift problem, even the snowcave dwellers, as we all misjudged the direction of the wind. It was predicted to come out of the Southwest. Unfortunately, the wind decided it wasn’t going to be pigeonholed and it would come out of whatever direction it damn well felt like—which was every direction.
	My tent post construction of wind wall/ spindrift block with upside down Nalgene.
The “W” Word and I’m Not Talking George W. In the context of camping, my dad hates wind. It is the one weather condition he finds miserable and I tend to agree. Therefore nobody in his camping party is allowed to call it by name. He is superstitious about it.We call it “the double-u word”. To utter the w-word is to taunt the weather gods and anger them. Last weekend, we must’ve really pissed ’em off. During the group morning shelter fortifications, several people banded together to tie up some tarps to cover the snow kitchen. All was well until in the late afternoon as we were gathered to prepare our evening meals a giant gust came through and ripped one of the weaker tarps to shreds. It tore the grommets straight out. Everybody jumped up to grab an end of the remaining tarps, but efforts to stabilize them where in vain and they had to be taken down. At this point the weather gods decided that the tarps were not satisfying enough. They decided it was a good time to make me slip on an icy spot in my down booties and twist my right ankle.
	My tent window Saturday afternoon covered in spindrift
The Princess and The Pea It wasn’t the worst sprain-job I’ve ever done on an ankle, but it did make a popping sound, which disturbed me. I’m just glad it wasn’t my left ankle. The left is kinda screwed from being sprained too many times. The leaders sent me to my tent. I felt like a child being grounded and I was acting like one too (it didn’t help that my lower back was painfully acting up the whole trip either). Our medical leader wanted me to elevate and ice my ankle, but the idea of putting a baggy of snow against my skin whilst shivering in my tent sounded irrationally horrifying. At this point I was a little off my rocker. Finally we struck a deal and I would only have to ice it for half an hour. The upshot was that I got my soup and dinner served to me in my tent like a little spoiled princess.
	My tent window Sunday morning is somewhere behind a not-so-thin layer of slushy wayward snow.
A Nylon Ripstop Snow Globe Saturday night the gusts would reach 50 MPH (I checked the weather history after I got home). I could hear the gusts approaching before they hit as they whipped up the valley through the trees. I imagined a rabid gang of faceless phantoms flying past my tent as it would shudder and flap and the abrasive sound of ice granules would scrape harshly against my rainfly and then subside. The snow-wall/windbreak I constructed wasn’t as helpful as I had hoped. Since the gusts would change direction throughout the night I probably should have built a four-foot wall surrounding my tent, but I had constructed a variable height wall—only two to three feet high on the west side and north sides and one foot high on the east and south sides of my tent figuring that side would need the least protection. Spindrift made it inside my tent anyway (I shudder to think how badly if I had not made the wall—see the picture above). Throughout the night I would knock off the collected snow from the mesh body so that my hot breath could escape, and in theory, wouldn’t condense and create rain from the inside. However, when I did this even more spindrift would fall on my sleeping bag and melt. At one point in the night the gusts calmed down for a bit and thus the trapped air inside of my tent got “too warm.” With no ventilation near the roof (I had closed the vents) collected snow on the top of the mesh melted and dripped all over me. When the sky began to lighten, I was more than happy to pack up and leave.
	Packing up Sunday morning in the snowstorm.
Post Script Besides spindrift, the other reason why a 3-season tent is not always a good idea for snowcamping wasn’t really an issue this time—that reason being heavy snow-load, the weight of lots of falling snow bearing down and bending the poles or tearing the tent fabric. The actual snow falling this trip was only a few inches overnight and the wind wouldn’t let it collect thickly on top of my tent (on the inside obviously a different story). In conclusion, no more two-night snowcamping trips until I get some better, lighter, 4-season gear and that requires having a job. I also need to increase my fitness level so I don’t get run down so easily in the cold. Gear-wise, primarily I would like a light yet snow-resistant single-wall tent; light down-insulated pants (not the fleece pajama bottoms I’ve been using); and also warmer winter boots that don’t constrict my circulation, so that my feet stay warm while relaxing around camp while providing some ankle protection (the down booties are cozy but slippery and non-supportive). Without the above improvements, I mentally can’t shake the idea of becoming the next “Ice Man” discovered thousands of years later perfectly preserved frozen to death with the look of terror still plastered on my face. But, then again there is global warming to consider, so I would probably just end up a putrid defrosted mess.
Google Earth 3D image of our route. Click for a larger view.
Topographic map of our route. Click for a larger view.

Trip Report: Sierra Club Snowcamping Training Group 5 Trip 1 Rematch

February 1, 2009: Group 5, Trip 1, Sierra Club Snowcamping Training Series on top of Andesite Peak elevation 8,219’ with Basin Peak in the background on the left and Castle Peak on the right.
A couple years ago I had read somewhere that the local chapter of the Sierra Club offered training in snow camping skills. I thought, “Wow, how fun! I bet I would learn a lot of additional survival skills too.” But the image of snow that was running through my mind was like that of a small child seeing snow for the first time from within the protection of a warm car — pretty and fluffy and soft — completely disregarding the “burning cold and wet” reality. So, I signed up. For last year’s first trip was forecast a bit of snow and wind. We went out anyway. It is good training to deal with less-than-ideal weather — that is the point isn’t it? Well we got more than a bit. We got two to three feet of snow overnight, cold temperatures, crazy winds with accompanying wind chill. We got white-out conditions. We got a blizzard. In fact, this is the weekend that two skiers got lost nearby and landed themselves on the news here and here.
	Me digging a snow trench on my very first ever snowcamping trip last year February 2, 2008. Photo credit: Ted Pekny/Shonna Moodie.
The following events highlighted last year’s trip one, my first ever snowcamp: Because I was so cold, and tired, and queezy, I went to bed at about 7:00pm. After my body heat reluctantly warmed my sleeping bag and trench (a sleeping ditch dug into the snow) I finally fell asleep around 1:00am. Some time shortly after dozing off, three assistant leaders were sent out to find and unbury me. Because all traces of my location were wiped out by the heavy snowfall they ended up standing on my “roof”. I heard scratching noises. In a half-dream state, I thought it was a bear. I heard voices. I saw my roof suddenly sag deeply. I yelled at them to get off the barely supported tarp, but they could not hear my voice muffled by deep snow and howling winds. One of them ended up collapsing the roof. All of my gear was now buried in snow and wet. I was cranky and ungratefull. I whined, “But I was warm!” I was removed to a tent. My new tent partner was having a panic attack. We anxiously waited for morning. I proclaimed to never do snowcamping again. Morning came. We packed without breakfast. We began the hike out. We were sinking up to our thighs and falling in tree-holes. We were on a steep hill. We heard a deep “WHoOMPF”. I panicked. I fell over. I was helped back up. We got our asses off that hill. We could have triggered an avalanche. We got back to the cars. They were buried. We began to dig...
	Returning to our cars last year February 3, 2008. Photo credit: Jesse Costello-Good.
Fast foward to 2009. I am now privy to snow’s evil deception, it’s come-hither looks yet lethal bite. So what do I do? I sign up again. I’ve gone on four more snowcamping trips since that first trip, three being with the Sierra Club—each mostly dominated by sunny skies and mild weather. Last weekend, I went out again with Training Group 5. Even though I “graduated” last year, I rejoined the training groups because they offer plenty of opportunity to try out new techniques, experiment with different gear choices, and practice navigational skills in the context of a supportive group with designated leaders and assistants. Snow Camp Stats: Dates: January 31 – February 1, 2009 Location: CA, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Ranger District, Castle Peak/Round Valley Area Mileage: ~8.5 mi round trip Elevation: +/-1,674´; lo pt 7,185´; hi pt 8,219´ Trailhead: parking at Donner Summit Sno-Park near Boreal, trail starts on the other side of I-80 north of the overpass. Sno-Park Lat/Long.: 39.33956146, -120.3453979 Sno-Park Facilities: porta-potties, no water; parking permit required. Other facilities at Boreal ski resort Winter Trail Route: Forest Service Road 80-50/Castle Peak Rd along Andesite Ridge through Castle Valley, Pacific Crest Trail at Castle Pass through Round Valley, bits of cross country here and there. Route Type: figure 8 lollipop loop. Trail Terrain: mostly compacted snow—heavily traveled route, some cross country/trail breaking if desired; mild climbing through Castle Valley then steep over pass, then mild through Round Valley. Ascent of Andesite Peak steep from northwest side and steep decent on east side. Campsite: north end of Round Valley, below Basin Peak Why go?: Travel through some fir forest and plenty of open exposed areas with views of Donner Pass area, Castle Peak, Andesite Peak, Basin Peak, and more; nice alpenglow opportunities; near Peter Grub Hut if you don’t want to snowcamp (hut reservation required). Dogs allowed. Caveats: Popular = lots o’ people; Exposed areas can be very windy. Dog poo along the trail! Snowmobile area nearby (potentially noisy). Land Manager: Tahoe National Forest, Truckee District Parking Information: Sno-Parks California OHV View my photo album.
	The porch at Crystal Springs Inn, Alta, CA—our excellent pretrip accomodations for 2008 & 2009.
Group 5, Trip 1, Wash, Rinse, Repeat? Like last year, we all met the night before at the very affordable Crystal Springs Inn in Alta, CA—a labyrinth like Victorian bed & breakfast owned and operated by the very fun JoAnn Blohm. And also like last year, we regrouped the next morning at the same Sno-Park next to Boreal. But that is where the similarities end. Unlike last year, the weather forecast was for sunny skies and warm temperatures. (Note: After returning home I checked the weather history. It would get up to 50 degrees F this day.) So, we headed north towards Round Valley near Peter Grubb hut in the Castle Peak area of Tahoe National Forest which was about four miles in with ~1,140 feet of elevation gain and ~400 feet of loss. Conversely, last year in the deep unpacked powder of a blowing snowstorm, we only made it one-and-a-quarter miles with only 200 feet elevation gain/loss to arrive at Flora Lake, south of the same trailhead in about the same amount of travel time.
	Our fearless leader Shonna at the crowded trailhead getting ready for a group map check.
	Me with Castle Peak in the background on the left. It was so warm on Saturday at one point I proclaimed, “This sun is brutal!”
A Snow Kitchen Dance Party After setting up camp and a little relaxing in the remaining sun, we gathered around the snow kitchen to cook our evening meals. I noticed Rob was digging around in his pockets with a mischievous grin on his face. Out came an orange iPod Nano and a teeny tiny set of folding speakers. He had a surprise for us. Rob cranked up the volume: “Snowshoes and solitude is what we dream of. World of wind and water to explore. Keep a fire burning in our shelter...” Les Stroud a.k.a. the Discovery Channel's Survivorman apparently is also a musician and the above lyrics are from his song “Snowshoes and Solitude”. Rob had made us a special snowcamping play list. Shortly thereafter, somebody broke out some whiskey, another some rum, another some bourbon, next thing we know we are shakin’ our down booties and doing “The Hustle”. At one point we had a conga line going through the center of the kitchen, an official “Hustle” demonstration, yoga practice, air guitar/ banjo/ fiddle contest, and several group sing-a-longs.
	Chris and Shonna dancing in the snow kitchen.
From 0 to 30 MPH in 8 Hours Warmed up from the dance party, I decided it was time for bed a little before 10:00pm. Crawling into my tent I noticed thousands of little ice crystals had formed on the inside and outside of my tent rainfly. This didn’t concern me too much as long as they didn’t decide to shed themselves and melt on top of my down sleeping bag. I checked my little zipper-pull thermometer. It was just a hair over 10 degrees F (low teens) inside the rainfly. The ice crystals did not last long as a breeze kicked up just before midnight and with it the temperature actually rose. I rechecked my thermometer and it was about 20 degrees F. I performed my usual backpacking insomnia routine as the wind slowly picked up and the hours ticked by. My emergency-blanket-cum-ground-cloth was driving me nuts flapping and crinkling in the now gusty wind. My thoughts turned to those in the group that camped out in the open with no cover and hoped they were doing ok as I tucked the loose e-blanket corners under and burrowed into my zero degree bag.
	Inside my REI Half Dome 2 HC Tent in the “minimalist shelter” configuration using just the rainfly and footprint—no tent body.
The sky began to lighten, and I crossed my fingers that the wind would calm as the sun rose over the ridge. Alas, the wind was insistent on continuing in spite of the day. Resignedly I got up and began the process of feebly lighting my stove and not trying to burn my braids off like the night before (we won’t talk about that). It took three tries but I got it going and soon much-welcomed hot cocoa would fill my gullet. (After getting home Sunday night I checked the weather history and wind gusts were up to 30 MPH.) As the bright sun rose higher and we began the hike out, I was now thankful for the wind as it tempered the heat generated during our uphill slog. Our leaders the night before decided we would take Andesite Ridge and do a little bag of Andesite Peak — my first winter “summit” (a puny one but you gotta start somewhere right?). On the decent of the ridge, and to hook back up with the main trail through Castle Valley, we basically went cross country straight down the east facing side of Andesite Ridge below Andesite Peak which was pretty fun, like running through a giant marshmallow pillow. Being Superbowl Sunday, there was little traffic on the trail and on the road so we made pretty good time with a stop for dinner at the brewery in old-town Auburn. I had a well-earned order of fish ’n’ chips.
	The view of our camp location from Andesite Peak, 8,219´. Basin Peak is the tallest point in the background.
Google Earth 3D image of our route. Click for a larger view.
Topographic map of our route. Click for a larger view.

Trip Report: Emilie’s Training Hike Mount Diablo State Park

Ksenya and Emilie on the North Peak Trail on our way to Mt. Olympia.

My friend Emilie is training to climb Denali — a.k.a. Mount McKinley — in Alaska this summer, so she invited a few of her hiking friends to join her on a training hike in Mount Diablo State Park. I was hesitant to go as it sounded a little ambitious for me but Emilie assured me that she would be carrying a 35 pound pack thus slowing her down a little bit. The weather forecast being for rain, several of Emilie’s friends dropped out, but her friend Ksenya and I weren’t afraid of a little water and mud. It ended up being quite nice weather for a strenuous hike as it was breezy and cool with partial cloudiness. Blue sky would pop in and out between the clouds making for some nice views here and there. The only drag was the sticky clay mud in some areas, but I just pretended the extra mud weight clinging to my boots was snowshoes weighing my feet down — training for next week’s snowcamping trip. Dayhike Stats: Date: January 24, 2009 Location: CA, Clayton, Mount Diablo State Park Mileage: ~10.25 mi round trip Elevation: +/-3,578'; lo pt 530'; hi pt 3,306' Trailhead: end of Regency Dr., City of Clayton Open Space TH Lat/Long.: 37.92208099, -121.9267883 TH Facilities: none Trails Hiked: Donner Canyon Road, Meridian Ridge Road, Prospectors Gap Road, North Peak Road, North Peak Trail, Mt Olympia Road, Olympia Trail, Cardinet Oaks Road, and back to Donner Canyon Road. Route Type: lollipop loop Trail Terrain: mostly steep fire road; some rocky/gravely single track. Flora: oak woodland/savanna, foothill woodland with gray pine, chaparral, & riparian; lots of mistletoe on oaks in Clayton Open Space & daffodils along Donner Canyon Road. Why Go?: nice views to the north and east of Clayton, Pittsburg, Antioch, the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers and beyond; lots of elevation gain = good backpacking/mountain climbing training; landmarks visited: Meridian Point, Prospectors Gap, and Mt Olympia Caveats: steep and long — not for the beginner or couch potato or those with bad knees. Fire roads are exposed to the elements. Lots of sticky clay mud when wet. Official Website: California State Parks Mount Diablo Other Websites: Save Mount Diablo & Mount Diablo Interpretive Association View my photo album.

(Google Earth image of our route. Click for a larger view.)

(Topographic map of our route. Click for a larger view.)

Rant Alert: Drill Baby Drill

At under $2 per gallon do we really need to rape our coastline? Well guess what folks: Ol' Georgie Porgie Bush wants to sneak in some last minute sales of OUR coastline to oil and gas exploration.

I think we all learned from the recent precipitous drop from over $4 to under $2 per gallon in gas prices that "supply and demand" wasn't completely controlling the price of gasoline (was it the fat-cat CEOs at Chevron, Shell, BP, Etc.?). But the Bush administration, after years of ignoring California politically, still plans on profiting off of us by selling off our coastline, and is still ignoring the majority of us Californians who oppose drilling off of our shores.

I realize that the petroleum availability problem is greater than our gas tanks. I realize that plastics are a petroleum product. And having an uncle with a small "mom & pop" fiberglass shop (NJ Fiberglas, inherited from my grandfather, est. 1969), the price and availability of petroleum affects his materials costs in a big way. I understand the issue is more complex than just what we drivers pay at the pump. But if less oil is burned as fuel in our gas tanks and we reduce our consumption of plastics (all you people drinking bottled water and then tossing the bottle: I'm talking to you!), and all the other things we could do to curb our plastics/petroleum consumption, would we really need these new supplies?

And what if there isn't much oil there off our shores, would the drilling amount to a small drop in the bucket? If we were successful in curbing our consumption, wouldn't it all just go to China and India? Would it really help the small businesses here in California? Like the Enron scandal, California would end up pants down bent over a barrel with our coastlines full of tar and sick animals and sick people. We already have a sewage problem on our coastlines—thanks to real estate developers and the legislators/councils/commissions that don't require the developers to build new sewage treatment for all the population growth they encourage, ARGH!

Oh, and guess what my hommies in South O.C. and San Diego, the coast off of the San Francisco Bay Area is safe, but the coastline along your beaches is up for grabs...so you like surfing in tar? Want to add that to the nasty rash you already have from polluted water? Look at the map below:

Illustration from The San Francisco Chronicle (click to read the article):