The Snow Set -- Yosemite Falls Trail

The Isolation
With a 2,700 ft. elevation gain, the Yosemite Falls trail is challenging even when not covered in snow and ice. In February, when I hiked this trail, the snow was very deep and part of the trail hadn't been traveled on since the last big snow, making it extremely easy to get lost. The dark appearance of this photo is a combination of fog and an intermittent, light snow. The cold, the snow, and the lack of crowds gave a thrilling sense of isolation. Perhaps isolation's not really the right word. I don't feel alone in these situations, I feel alone with nature. The feeling was only heightened later when the tracks of others disappeared, and I trail blazed through virgin snow.

The Snow Set of Photographs
I have always viewed the following photographs as a set. I even arranged them together on one of my walls.

Above Left: Yosemite Falls Creek as it rushes toward a 2,700 ft. drop. Above Right: The final stretch of the trail was particularly treacherous. One bad step on ice or unstable snow, and 2,700 ft. later my body would be returned to nature.

Below Left: Clinging to the edge of the cliff, this weathered pine is the picture of patience and perseverance. Below Right: The clouds would partially clear to provide views of a stunning landscape.


Resources (Other Sites)
View the NPS description of this trail on their website (scroll down to "Upper Yosemite Fall).

View Yosemite Explorer's detailed guide to this trail here.

Trail Recomendation: Finger Rock--Tucson Snow

The Weather
After living in Tucson for five months, I have to admit that Tucson is actually quite nice in the winter. If you're planning a trip to the Southwest, schedule it between October and March. This is really quite important. If you make the trip during the summer, you will find that Hell has clawed its way out of its lake of fire and settled firmly on Tucson and the surrounding areas. However, in the winter, the weather is lovely, and occasional storms leave an ephemeral layer of snow on the Catalina Foothills.


Photo (Right): The storied cliffs that create the canyon walls are particularly photogenic late in the day when the sun shines directly on them.

The Trail
Last weekend, I was finally able to hike out into the foothills after just such a storm. To my delight, It wasn't long before I reached the snow level. A little distance farther and I was surprised by the depth of the snow--a good four or five inches. All this made for a great hike and inspired me to recommend you hike this trail if you ever find yourself in the Tucson area.




Finger Rock Resources:
* For directions and reviews check out the Finger Rock page on LocalHikes.

* For a detailed breakdown of the hike, including photography, take a look at the Finger Rock page by the Sierra Club.


Photo (Left): The Finger Rock Trail climbs steeply up through a canyon full of sheer cliffs and stunning drop-offs.

Travel Recomendation: Sequoia NP Lakes Trail

The Trees
On my first trip to Sequoia National Park, I went with my family and saw what the park is famous for: really, really big trees:

Now, don't get me wrong, the trees are truly amazing. There is no way to grasp their freakish size without actually seeing them. However, what I didn't realize on my first visit is that Sequoia National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and has some majestic lakes and mountains that rival those of Yosemite.

The Trail
It wasn't till my third trip to Sequoia that I hiked the Lakes trail. This trail starts at Wolverton on the north side of the parking lot. For some time the trail climbs steadily up through an unremarkable forest; however, take the north rout when the trail branches off, and you will gain an awesome vantage point on a deep canyon. As you climb, the trees abruptly give way to a sweeping granite landscape.The first two lakes are on either side of the trail. They're small, icy (even in summer) and beautiful blue. The water's perfectly pure; I drank some unfiltered from Emerald Lake.

A Little Extra Adventure
When my friends and I hiked this trail, It was a hot August day. The water, so pure and cool, seemed irresistible, so I jumped in. After swimming twenty or thirty feet out into the lake, I thought, why not get a little exercise and swim across the whole thing. It wasn't until I was about half way across the lake that I realized how big it was. When I finally got to the other side, I was half drowned and full of more lake water than I had planned on drinking.
At this altitude, there are patches of snow even in August. Look closely at the above photograph and you can see small bits of snow on the mountain backdrop.

Even a rather large panorama cannot capture the beauty of this hike. Go there! It is truly amazing. Note the snow on the far right of this panorama.

Resources
From the National Park Service: Lakes Trail (Wolverton): Moderate climb. No campfires at the lakes or in the Tablelands beyond. Camp only at numbered sites at Emerald and Pear Lakes. 6.1 miles (9.8 km) to Pear Lake. First campsite - Emerald Lake (5 miles/8 km) Limit 25 people/day depending on campsite availability (no reservations).

For maps of Sequoia National Park, check out Brochures and Maps.

Big Sur or How to Start a Campfire Using Only Your Car

At the end of May of 2005, after graduating from Berkeley, I decided to load my camping gear and a few discarded pallets into the back of my 1990 Forest Service green Jeep Cherokee and take the coast highway down from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where I would be working as a teacher.

Image: The Pacific Ocean near Big Sur, CA is a turquoise rivaled only in the tropics

The plan was to stop over for a day or two at Big Sur, CA. It would be a much needed chance to camp, hike, and unwind after a particularly gruelling two weeks of finals, culminating in my senior thesis—a complex essay on Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene.

I found a place to camp about 20 miles south of Big Sur in a Forest Service campground. In order to camp in Big Sur, you must have a reservation, but, in contrast to the packed Big Sur campgrounds, the Forest Service campground was empty. This suited me just fine.

After setting up camp, I hiked some lovely rocky mountains with views of the Pacific. I descended to my campsite just as the sun was setting. When I got back to my campsite, I realized I had a pretty big problem. I had forgotten to bring water, and the campground (like many out-of-the-way sites) had no running water.

Image: The Last Photo of the Day. A stark sunset in the mountains above my campsite. (Near Big Sur, CA)

I was thirsty, and wanted to drink something right away, but I had no choice but to wait till I could boil some water from the creek that ran past the campsite. I unloaded my pallets and was faced with the awful truth: I had forgotten matches. My entire plan depended upon my campfire. I would need to boil water to drink and cook my food over the fire. There were no stores and no other campers.

That’s when, in an act of desperation, I decided to try the electric, popup, cigarette lighter in the dashboard. If it can light a cigarette, surely it can light a campfire. Two hours later, after making countless trips from my car to my campfire holding a wad of toilet paper with a few precious embers, I finally succeeded. From then on, I’ve always carried a lighter in my glove box.

Camping Necessities

• A lighter, matches, or both
• At least a gallon of water per person
• Toilet paper (doubles as kindling)

Image: Success! At the end of a long day, there are few things as satisfying as cooking a meal over an open fire. I typically build a campfire, and, when it has burned down a little, I place my trusty cast-iron skillet directly on the coals. It works quite well.

Nevada Falls in March and September of 2006

I just realized that I have the two nearly identical shots in different seasons. Enjoy. B.

Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park, California


9 March 2006 and 7 September 2006

On Nature and the Nature of Humanity

I started eating yesterday, breaking a two day stretch where all I managed was a half cup of milk. It’s human nature to destroy, damage, and deface. I am no exception. I have carelessly damaged something precious in my own life.

Yosemite stands as a testament to the splendor and glory of God’s creation, but it also stands as a monument to humanity’s destructive tendencies. Several of its streams and rivers—no longer free to rush down their native gorges—are trapped by massive dams, and it is hard to find a view of the Valley that doesn’t include one or two long, gray, asphalt scars.

Hetch Hetchy Dam



















Lake Eleanor Dam

The Therapy of the Wilderness

The last time I was running from something, I packed my camping gear in the middle of the night and left for Yosemite, arriving at around 7:30 AM. Now, I want to run from myself, and the mountains offer the only promise of relief, but I am bound here by obligations and a lack of money.

I hope that someone will read this post and realize the healing beauty of the wilderness. Perhaps it cannot save me, but I hope it will save others. Our souls were meant to be immersed in nature. I find when I am alone in the wilderness, twenty miles from another human, my problems, whatever they maybe, begin to work themselves out.

This is one of the main reasons I am a conservationist. Humanity needs Nature. I defy anyone to be out in the wilderness without feeling a little closer to God. How much hate, violence, envy, lust, and sloth would we avoid if people understood their place in Nature?

A few photos from the last time I ran away into the wilderness (they are all from Yosemite):

Taken in March 2007, the snow line was at about 6300 ft.



El Capitan



A view of Hech Hechy area