Camping at Rock Lake, we are up at dawn to an ineffectively fly fish, when everyone else was catching strings of trout with spinner reels using powerbaits.

All we caught was an art trout! So we had to console ourselves at “Pie in the Sky Cafe” at 9,800 feet. With only one oven they produce about 45 pies a day. Our options that day were as follows:  blackberry/loganberry. rhubarb (best ever said Steven, “Tart and Sweet”)..cream pies (chocolate, banana, lemon)…cranberry walnut…cheddar pear…pecan/chocolate chip…dutch apple…cherry. So many pies, so little time!

Fueled with pie a la mode, we hiked this classically glacier carved canyon studded with trailside lakes up to Morgan Pass. One of the early Sierra wagon routes over this pass to the Tungsten mines. The Wilderness Act of 1964 created the John Muir Wilderness. I couldn’t say it better than the man:

“I only went for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown…for going out I found, was really going in”.

I wish we had explored the Tamarack Lakes on the other side of Mt. Morgan to avoid the mass of people on this popular trail. However, at Long Lake, the 3 mile mark, few people except backpackers went with us the extra mile to Morgan Pass and the nearby Chickenfoot Lake and gorgeous Gem Lakes. They all sit just below the Bear Creek Spire, the dominant peak in the feature photo. Although the Little Lakes Trail is ranked “easy”, beware all you Coastal Dwellers, even a 4% grade will leave you winded at 10,700 feet!

HOT ROCKS…EASTERN SIERRA VOLCANIC FORMATIONS

Although we visited Mono Lake only two weeks ago, it feels like we have traveled months since then; maybe the ripeness of our unshowered bodies adds to this sensation! We saved this photo courtesy of USFS, as the Crater and Cone is massive enough we couldn’t get a good picture at ground level.

This cone and other named the Mono Craters make up the youngest mountain range in North America, with evidence of activity only 600 years ago. A 1.25mile crater from the 1st eruption was later altered by a lava dome inside the crater when magma pushed to the surface during the 2nd eruption. There are also towers 20-50 feet high from magma seeping through the cracks.

Devil’s Postpile! The basalt erupted 80,000 years ago, cooling from top to bottom, forming 6 sided columns with a flat top, that is shiny from glacial polish. It was like walking on a beautifully laid mosaic floor on top.

BISHOP TUFF

760,000 years ago, an eruption blew 150 cubic miles of magma during a brief 6 day period. The massive crater collapsed and partially filled to form a 9 mile x mile depression. The map above gives you a sense of the huge area that was affected. Bishop Tuff was formed from the erupted material when the Long Caldera blew. It is made of volcanic rocks trapped within fine-grained ash, welding it together as it cooled.

COOL ROCKS…THE OLDEST IN THE SIERRAS

Convict Lake is made up of Sedimentary Rock, formed 500 Million years ago! Extreme heat and pressure, a process called metamorphism, along with uplift, faulting and erosion further this area. It is mind expanding to contemplate 500 Million years, and all the conditions and processes involved in the product we see today. How brief and inconsequential a human life feels. I am so grateful to the impact of Science in our lives, that provides us with facts and information, allowing us to contemplate existence so far beyond what we live in our daily lives. Now, the story behind the name; it was named Convict Lake when 3 prisoners from jail in Carson City, NV escaped to this area. After killing a local who happened on them, a citizen posse tracked them to this lake and took them into custody. The two adult prisoners were hung, and the 17 year old was returned to a different, perhaps more secure facility?

With an average annual snow fall of 385 inches, Mammoth is popular for winter sports. 2 years ago it was too heavy to be profitable, last year too light, so the 4 mile sq. town of Mammoth Lakes declared bankruptcy. However, the town remains lively with bargain happy hours and dining, starting at 3 PM, lots of camping on lakes above the town, and all resort amenities, deeply discounted. We have been enjoying fishing, tennis, ping-pong in the Village Courtyard, paddling in Mary Lake, swimming (Brrr!), hiking above Coldwater Creek, and hot-tubbing. Below is the view of Crystal Crag from our camp at Mary Lake.

Everyone is so nice, and already bubbling with enthusiasm at the start of Autumn. Sure enough, the Aspens higher up are turning gold, and the nights are getting cold. We sometimes find that a furry black hot water container has warmed our bed unexpectedly.

I won’t be back for Chris Stevens’ memorial dinner at our law school. My thoughts however, are with my law school mates, especially three members of my class and 2 friends who entered this wilderness area in September 1993 for a 5 day backback trip. We hiked up the PCT from Agnew Meadows to Thousand Island Lake, under Mount Ritter and Banner Peak. We hiked down from there on the John Muir Trail, passing pristine lakes and The Minarets, named in 1869 for their resemblance to Islamic towers. These jagged saw-toothed pinnacles jut up from smoother terrain below. Formed during the Ice Age, moving glaciers and rocks eroded around the spires, leaving them intact. Although we saw few hikers, we know it must be a busy trail in season, as a big, fat (stealthy!) marmot snuck up behind me and grabbed a sandwich from my hand. Clearly, he had some practice! After a final night at Rosalie Lake, we climbed down Minaret Creek to Devil’s Postpile and up the Soda Spring Trail to the vehicles. The Ansel Adams Wilderness runs from Tioga Pass south to the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River near Mammoth Pass. This may be one of the most dramatic loop trails in the Eastern Sierra. Oops, I think I have said that before about other trails!

U.C., Hastings College of the Law, Class of 1989

Sharing all of our first year classes together, it was clear he was a really great guy: calm, sweet and smart. Who knew then that he would become a highly esteemed peacemaker and supporter of Democracy, notably in tense areas like Afghanistan and Libya? He loved his job. He represented us so admirably, and made us all proud to be active supporters of Liberty worldwide, for everyone. A humble, unassuming man in 1986…who knew he would be our very brave hero someday, a symbol of the very best of ourselves and of our democratic values, in a world striving for Freedom from injustice? His family is setting up a fund to support American and Libyan cultural bridging. I hope we can all give just a bit, to show our continuing intention to support Libya as a new democratic nation. A few days after Chris’s death, Libya elected by democratic process, a Prime Minister, a first, since Kaddafi’s years of dictatorship, and a hard fought revolution for democracy.  The new Prime Minister noted the import of Chris’s friendship and support both personally and in the political process, and knew how happy Chrisc would have been with the election results. Chris won one for the peace and justice loving people of the world.

At the Eastern Boundary of Yosemite National Park, lies the Mt. Conness

Mt. Conness and North Peak Glaciers sit at 12,500 feet, but are accessible from Saddlebag Lake, our camp at 10,500 feet. The 15 mile loop trail took us through the “20 Lakes Basin”, past a tungsten mine, up ankle-breaking scree to Secret Lake, along the Crest overlooking the McCabe Lakes and the Pacific Crest Trail, and finally to the glaciers on the downhike.

At Secret Lake, I assumed that meant private lake, as it is an arduous, slippery ascent to get there. I immersed without noticing the backpackers on the Crest above, until I got out to dry off. I hope the glimpse of the naked middle aged lady distracted them pleasantly from their climb. This loop is a real gem for granite, lake and glacier lovers, quite uplifting (even without a naked lady sighting!).

Enjoying the abundant stream-side camping on the Eastern side of the Sierras between Yosemite and Lee Vining, we have been exploring and paddling local lakes.

Mono Lake has a fascinating history. The streams feeding the lake were diverted by the LA Water Dept. causing the lake to drop 45 feet and double in salinity. Until David and Sally Gaines formed the Mono Lake Committee, the lake was dying, just as Owens Lake did, and it is no longer recoverable. However, a successful law suit reduced the water diversions from feeder streams by 75% and the lake is rising. The damage is still evident in the many Tufa structures on the North Shore surrounded by scrub.

The Tufa resemble the dribbled accumulation of sand castle construction. The towers look like Antonio Gaudi’s cathedral, La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, except that the towers are seated in lake water, creating lovely reflections. Tufa towers are continuing to form underwater, as the calcium in the underground streams meets the carbonates in the salty lake water, the precipitate, calcium carbonate builds over the years into these fantastic towers. The salinity is high but supports enough fish to keep the Ospreys in place, currently nesting. Additionally 4 trillion (that’s 12 zeroes!!) brine shrimp live in the lake. Alkaline flies feed on them thrives using air sacs that allow them to dive down and feed. Maybe not a trillion, but tons of flies! The pupae are protein rich and used to be harvested by the original lake dwellers, the Kutzadika.

The bird life here is abundant (frustrated dog, hanging over the edge of the kayak…so close…). The Phalaropes summer in Canada and stop here en route to Argentina, doubling their weight gorging on brine shrimp.

Camel Races, created as a hoax, are very goofy. Whereas racehorses are schooled to enter gates without a fuss, and get sent back to “gate school” before they can race again if they are naughty, camels wander a bit, unclear on the concept of getting to the finish line with alacrity. Funny. In fact, Virginia City is a pretty funny place. We liked their tee shirts which were more humorous than the usual tourist site schlock.

“The Way It Was” Museum is a fun instruction in mining techniques employed for mining the extensive Comstock Lode, where 400 Million Dollars worth of iron ore/gold/silver were extracted. Much of this money created wealth that was used to construct San Francisco.

This area is hot, dry and exposed, supporting a large wild horse population. It also provided skies that truly appeared “on fire”.

After two weeks of outdoor living, we were looking forward to movies, live music, and someone else’s cooking. We had a killer pastrami sandwich at a hoot of a place called, “Coney Island”. Very busy bar and grill at lunch: guys in the trades, cops, old guys taking up all the bar seats…and no suits to be seen, nor many women. It seemed like everyone knew each others’ names, like a great neighborhood bar.

Reno also has a landscaped greenway, great for bikes and strolls along the  Truckee River. Competitive kayakers practice their surfing skills in the rapids in the Downtown area. You just wouldn’t know you were in a desert environment until we ventured to the northwest outskirts of town to hike up to the secret Piute petroglyphs. Standing in the brief thunder and rainstorm viewing these unmarked beauties, made you understand why the Tribe has refused to allow Washoe County to “protect them” as that will also lead the public to visit them. I am glad we had an insider to show us where among the massive rock field, we needed to look.

Up early, for the 5 AM “Dawn Glow”, we watched as six hot air balloons set up and launched, firing their intensely bright propane flames in time to music, and lighting up the balloons against the still dark sky. By 7 AM, 86 balloons were airborne. Some landed in a field close to the petroglyphs so we got to see the Chase Vehicles deflate and pack up. Notably, all the balloons use wicker baskets for the pilot and crew. Why? Because other lighter materials like aluminum that were tried, could not compete with wicker for strength, weight, and easy repair with reweaving, not to mention for beauty.

Tom Stienstra, Outdoors Writer Extraordinaire, (SF GATE 8/2/12) inspired us to check out this area with 20 lakes sitting at the base of the spires launching upwards from the lakes, stunning. Many are accessible by car, and some, like Upper Sardine and Tamarack Lakes, require a hike, but so worth it!

We also visited Blairsden for the Bakery (sold out by 10 AM), and 18 holes of golf.