2019-01-31
2019-01-30
Twin Lake Off-trail Backpacking Day3
Beautiful Valley |
The next morning we started our hike by crossing the creek, then started hiking on the snow. Snow-covered mountains were very beautiful. A blue sky, gray granites, white snow with red dyes, orange rocks, purple flowers, and brown dirt. All the colors had a perfect chemistry. They also fit with the smell of nature. I was happy being in the deep wilderness.
During our backpacking, we needed to sterilize water from the creek. We used Mr.N's UV light. Actually the situation was a little risky: 1 Steripen for 3 days, for 4 people including 1 crazy water consuming person Ms.J (1 liter/mile). Although I had iodine tablets for backup, I doubt she would accept it with weird taste. On the second day, the batteries for the UV light died. We needed to change the dead batteries for the new ones, but the batteries were mixed up. So we did experiments which battery was good. We made a note for the experiment. Being silly (and/or a scientist) in the pretty wilderness is always fun.
On the way to the unnamed pass, we saw a park ranger coming down the steep snow slope. He was really fast even though he wore normal hiking shoes. We asked about the snow/trail's condition. He said the meadow beyond the slope was really beautiful and a good place to camp. It was my first time seeing a park ranger backpacking by himself off trail. He was very calm but knowledgable and cool. I thought that backpacking and wandering in the deep wilderness as a job was great, but at the same time doing it as a hobby was better.
We had planned to climb the pass on that day, but we couldn't because it was too rocky and technical to hike with a huge backpack (at least for me). Only Mr.N went to the top without a backpack to check out the view. The rest of us were waiting for him from the bottom. Mr.S2 got really sleepy at the bottom of final stretch of the unnamed peak. Mr.N waved us from the summit, and Mr.S2 and I waved back. His silhouette at the top over a blue sky was quite a view and imprinted on my mind.
While I was waiting, I was looking at the beautiful meadow. That was one of the most stunning sceneries in my backpacking experience. We wanted to spend more time there, but we needed to go back to a campsite.
So pretty |
When we were trying to find a way to the campground in the evening of the second day, we saw a trail below and two persons. We were a little hesitant because the trail was far below and needed to walk on the steep side of snow. I noticed that they were looking at us from below, but I expected they would leave soon. However, surprisingly, the guy at the bottom started climbing the snow toward us and made a way for us. He was super nice. Not only that, he offered to carry one of our backpacks on the way to go down. I love this kind of great meetings. The two persons were a couple who lives in Michigan but originally from Russia, then now visiting California to climb the mountains. They were climbers. I thought that it was miracle to meet international people off-trail in the deep wilderness and talking friendly and helping each other.
The last day we started heading back to the trailhead. We started talking about "Nature Photo Challenge", then somehow kept talking about "peanut gallery", then knee bands. After one stop by a lake (a swimming spot for Mr.N), we came back to the area that had a proper trail. Hiking on-trail after off-trail is always easier. I felt weird when I saw many normal people around the trailhead.
On the way back to the Bay Area, we had to keep driving as slow as 50 mph because one of the tires was a donut. We had to let tail gaters pass at every turnout. One car honk a horn when it passed us. Probably a lot of drivers were mad at us. One point we were driving toward north on 680, which was opposite direction. So we took off the highway and checked the spare tire. It seemed to be okay. We talked a lot about mountaineering and dream mountains (Denali, Kilimanjaro). We also saw fireworks because it was 4th of July. People were crazy. They parked on the should of freeway and taking pictures. It was quite dangerous. In the U.S., only 4th of July is the day we are able to see fireworks. I miss fireworks festivals held everywhere, every weekend in the summer in my home country. Also I miss small fireworks that can be done in the backyard or by rice field.
Overall, this trip was really adventurous. I enjoyed beautiful sceneries, appreciated the beauty of nature, and nice conversations.
2019-01-29
Twin Lake Off-trail Backpacking Day2
Although we heard thunder and saw a lot of gray clouds, we had to start because it was already 3 p.m. It was the latest time I’d ever started hiking. Once I hit the trail, I felt happy finally being in the wilderness. I think that mountains under a blue sky are definitely beautiful, but viewing mountains in the clouds is also touching. As we climbed, the view became more magnificent. After a mile, we started hiking on an obscure trail. Surprising? This was the off-trail adventure. Before entering the off-trail portion, I informed Mr.N that I would need to give a presentation at 9:30 a.m. on the next day of our trip. Off-trail is always harder than on-trail, but it was not the hardest (the toughest one is still Agassiz basin). We saw several people camping near the creek and found out that they were going to climb Matterhorn peak. We wanted to climb the first pass as we had planned, but we couldn't because of the late start. We set a camp near the creek and ate dinner. I always like to see the mountains reflecting in the weak orange evening sunlight. It is nostalgic.
Early morning on the second day while we were eating breakfast, a backpacker was coming down from the mountain. It was the hill we were heading to, so Mr.N approached him to ask the trail condition. His name was Arun. Arun was supposed to meet his friend by the lake near the mountain and climb the Matterhorn peak together. However, Arun's friend Terry didn't show up, so Arun couldn't climb the peak. Terry was going to bring the climbing gear. The meeting point sounded a little weird. We wondered why they had planned to meet at a lake, and not a parking lot. Arun thought that he was the only guy from India in the wilderness area, but when he found out that we had one Indian guy Mr.S2, he got interested. He lives in the Bay Area like us, but we met in the remote wilderness. There are always interesting meetings in the wilderness.
2019-01-28
Twin Lake Off-trail Backpacking Day1
Ms.J, Mr.N, Mr.S2 and I went backpacking in the Sierra on the 4th of July weekend, 2016. Carpooling with Mr.S2, we left at 5:15 a.m. in the morning on Saturday. On the way Mr.S2 said, "I feel like I forgot something....oh no!" Then he started laughing. I said, "What did you forget? Tell me!" He replied, "I forgot a tent!" I said, "Really? Why did you forget it?" He removed a winter tent from his backpack and forgot putting a summer tent into the backpack. We called Ms.J in another car to ask if they had a 2-person's tent for him to share, but they didn't. Mr.S2 had to sleep outside without a tent. Mr.S2 also brought a wrong season sleeping bag.
On the way to a trailhead, we drove by a small dip on the edge of the road. Immediately after the hit, we noticed that we got a flat. We parked on the shoulder and had to work on it. Mr.S2 and I had never fixed a flat tire. We were actually laughing. We got stuck in the middle of Yosemite National Park and didn't even know how to fix a flat. That situation made us laugh. First, we took out a spare tire from a trunk. In front of the donut, we again laughed. We had no idea how to start. We then noticed that there might be an instruction somewhere. We found a manual in the glove compartment. Mr.S2 said, "I don't see any sections about a flat tire. Maybe there is no instruction." I said, "No, there must be a section for it." Mr.S2 inspected the book and said, "Looks like there is no section of a flat tire." I said, "No!!! There should be!" Mr.S2 said, "Oh maybe in the section of ‘unexpected happened’?" We found an instruction.
We started fixing the flat tire on the shoulder. First we put a donut under the car. Then we needed to loosen the nuts. However, it was really hard. Mr.S2 couldn't do it, so of course it was not possible for me. The nut didn't move at all even when we tried together.
Because the nut didn’t move at all, we thought about waiting for Mr.N + Ms.J, but we were not sure if they were ahead of us or behind us. Then Mr.S2 found a way to loosen the nut. He used his whole body weight efficiently. Now we had to raise the car. We were not sure of how to use a jack, but figured it out. I thought, "Am I small person raising a car? Wow, this is fun!"
After we raised the car, finally we removed the flat tire. Now the donut needed to be inserted. However, we were not sure which direction the donut should be. S said, "This side is outside." I said, "No this side." S replied, "No this side." We were confused and stared at a cartoon on the instruction to figure it out. S laughed and said, "This might be a sign telling us not to go hiking! No tent, then a flat!" I laughed and replied, "Oh, maybe." The final step was to tighten the nuts on the donut. Mr.S2 used his foot to tighten them. I was double checking the instruction and said, "Mr.S2! The instruction says that do not over tighten the wheel nuts by applying extra torque using your foot or a pipe." S laughed and "K! Why did you say it now!? I just did it!" Two out of five nuts were over tightened.
After we replaced the flat tire with the spare tire we took a short break. Our hands were dirty. Mr.S2 ate salad and gave the leftovers to me, but I couldn't eat because I ate too many blueberries before (2 blueberries/mile).
We were finally able to reach the trailhead with a 45 minutes late. Then we met Ms.J and Mr.N. We were glad that they were still waiting for us. However, the trailhead was the ending point not the starting point because we planned to do a car shuttle hike. This meant that we still needed to drive more. Anyway we went to Shell in the closest town to see if we could fix the flat. On the way, it started raining with thunder, then became hailing.
A mechanical engineer at the Shell glanced at the flat and immediately said, "We can't fix this, because the rim is bent." The tire itself was okay, but the metal rim was damaged. We called several tire shops to check if they have replacement rims. None of them had rims. The only place we could get it was at a dealership. If we wanted to replace the rim as soon as possible, we needed to go back to the Bay Area. People at the tire shops advice was that we should not drive for a long time or not to exceed 50-80 mph, depending on a shop.
 |
Twin Lake with clouds |
Then we went to a ranger station to pick up permits. One of the rangers saw our spare tire and said that 100 miles was the longest distance with a donut. The bay area is more than 100 miles away from there. He scared us. Although everybody scared us, we went to the trailhead. The twin lake area was civilized. I didn't know that it was a resort. We had to pay additional $ to park overnight. It was ridiculous to park in the resort area to do a hardcore backpacking.
When we parked, the first thing we heard was another thunder.
To be continued...
2019-01-27
Cache Creek Wilderness Backpacking
We went backpacking in Cache Creek Wilderness in April 2016.
I didn't know that the Cache Creek wilderness area was only two hours away from San Francisco. After 1.5 hours of crazy story time, we arrived at the trailhead. However, there were no signs or even a clear trail. Anyway, we started hiking. Two minutes from the trailhead, there was a river crossing. It was only ankle high, but my shoes got wet. This deepness was no longer annoying for me. When I crossed the river, I understood why this place was not very popular, even though it was nice. No clear trail with a river crossing at the very beginning is not for normal hikers.
The area was very pretty. The grass was all green. The hills were light green but transparent and shiny at the same time. Being windy, all the grass was blown in the same direction. The movement was beautiful. In the grass, there were purple, light purple, and red wildflowers. Occasionally we saw small ponds and rivers in the distance. I thought I could sit on the grass surrounded by cute and pretty flowers from sunrise to sunset. It would be a nice day. However, we headed for our destination.
The trail signs in the area were unclear. For example, there were two directions at the junction, but only one trail had a sign saying "trail" and the other didn't have anything. If we had not had a map, we could have gone down the path with a sign. It was confusing. Due to this, we once went off trail and wandered for a little bit, which was fun. Whether it was intentional or accidental, hiking in the real wilderness seems to be our destiny. I learned from Mr.N that this kind of vagueness was well known in the area operated by the Bureau of Land Management.
We reached our destination, Wilson Valley around 7 p.m. Luckily, 7 p.m. was not dark at this time of year. The entire valley was ours. Nobody else was there. It was very quiet and peaceful. The combination of a meadow and a creek is always perfect. The Cache creek was right nearby and the sound of the stream was pleasant.
I drank all of water on the way so I went to the creek to get water. As I got close to the water, it got stinky. The water was a little cloudy, but we didn't have a choice. When I came back to the meadow, Mr.N said that he found the cause of the stink. He went to the creek to swim but he decided not to, because he found a dead fish. He showed me the place where the fish was. I was stunned. The fish was really big. Also there were a lot of big bear footprints around the dead fish. It was spooky.
I think that the carcass was the highlight of this trip.
The night was quiet and pleasant. I like sleeping near the creek at night. The flowing sound was peaceful, even if the water was cloudy. The next morning when I woke up, I thought "What?" A lot of condensation had gathered on the tent, and even sleeping bag inside was wet. I put the fly under the sun and tried to dry it, however, it seemed hard to dry it completely.
We saw several eagles during the trip. Their flying style was very free. Looking at the eagles made me feel like I was absorbed into the sky, or nature.
Overall, the Cache Creek wilderness was very pretty. It consisted of pretty green hills, beautiful and colorful wildflowers, and a scorched area from the recent wildfire. The combination of these aspects created a unique scenery. During our trip, we only saw three day hikers and a group of boyscouts. It was very remote. Unexpectedly the trail was somewhat faint and the signs were not perfect, but I actually enjoyed it. I realized that I could be very happy at a clear junction, if every other junction was unclear.
2019-01-26
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Backpacking Day6
Day6 was the final day of our backpacking part. We woke up before sunrise and went to Plateau Point. This was only 1.5 miles away from the campground. As the name indicated, this was the only plateau area around there. From there, you could see both North and South Rims. Far below, you could see the massive Colorado River. After we saw the sunrise, we headed back to the South Rim.
Plateau Point |
Sunrise reflecting at Plateau Point |
As we got closer to the trailhead, the more tourists there were. I felt weird because I suddenly saw so many people.
When we reached to the trailhead, we took a group picture. When I realized that we had completed this big backpacking, I was really moved and felt accomplished. It was unexpected. To be honest, I had never felt like this before. I immediately noticed why; a sense of camaraderie in the beauty of nature.
After we finished backpacking, we walked to the parking lot. There was a nice paved trail to the parking area from the trailhead. Many “normal” visitors were walking there. Because I didn't see many people other than backpackers, I felt like I came back to the real world. Along the way, there were many panels explaining how the canyon was formed. In addition to that, over twenty types of rocks were displayed along the way. Like little kids, we touched all of the rocks and read all of the panels (except for a grownup Mr.S1). We sometimes chatted with random people. The closer to the parking lot, the more visitors we saw. In the crowd, I heard a lot of people speaking English (of course) or Chinese (somewhat surprising), and a few people speaking Japanese (surprising). We were glad that the car was still there.
2019-01-25
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Backpacking Day5
Colorado River |
On Day5 we hiked from the Cottonwood to the Indian Garden campground. I really liked crossing the bridge over the Colorado river and hiked up along the river. I couldn’t imagine how hard it was to construct the bridge. I admire all the explorers in the past. The place where we crossed was wide and it had plenty of water. The color was brown. It was not transparent at all and looked like chocolate milk. I had never seen this kind of river, so it was very impressive. I was convinced that that river could be a water source for several states. The current was slow and calm, but clearly huge amounts of water were moving towards the lower level. It was powerful. It reminded me that I am so small in the magnificent canyon, but it also made me want to try something big.
Ribbon Falls |
On the way to the Indian Garden campground, we had to stop at the junction to the Ribbon falls.
Why?
Two days before, on the way to the Cottonwood campground, we went on a short side trip to see the Ribbon Falls. The falls were so pretty. Brownish canyons, transparent water, and green moss made a great color combination. To see the falls from the bottom, we left our backpacks and walked for a few minutes. When we came back to the place we left the backpacks, I realized that a raven had taken my snacks from the side pocket. Actually I didn’t mind the raven because it stole my Japanese snacks but not American snacks (M&M).
While we were resting near the Ribbon Falls, Mr.S2 said, "Whose jacket is this?" It was a purple down jacket. It was none of ours. Somebody seemed to have forgotten it. It was a Patagonia women's jacket. I tried it and it fit perfect. We could have taken it, but we decided to leave it at the trail junction. I left a note that describes where and when we found it. We decided to take it if it would still be at the junction 2 days later. We were going to pass that junction again two days later on our ways back.
2 days later, the jacket was gone. I looked for note from the owner but there was not one. I really hope the real owner took it. I knew how frustrating and sad it is when an important thing was stolen.
2019-01-24
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Backpacking Day3 and 4
This day we went to the Cottonwood campground.
Luckily, the moon was growing during our backpacking so on the last day in the wilderness was the full moon.
From the Cottonwood campground, we saw an amazing view from sunset to moonrise. I thought, “There are not many opportunities in my life to see sunset and moonrise from the same point....it is surreal.” By 6 p.m., the sun was completely below the canyon. However, by 7 p.m., the moon appeared. The moonlight was reflecting on the canyon. It was captivating. I thought it was sexy and beautiful.
For a while we silently stared at the scenery. Because the moon was steadily rising, the view didn’t stay the same even for a moment. That was why it wasn’t at all boring to stare at the canyon for such a long time.
Only a small complaint at this campground..... the restroom. It was not a room but a stall in the wilderness under the moonlight.
Colorado River |
We woke up at 5:45 a.m. and started hiking at 7 a.m. We started early because we had planned a big hike this day. We did a day hike, which was 16 miles and 4,200 feet up and 4,200 feet down. The destination was the North Rim, meaning it was an out-and-back hike.
All the way up to the North Rim was uphill. The trail was deep in the canyon. The huge canyon with numerous lines told us the long time for the formation took. Every moment the view changed and I just couldn't stop thinking how huge it was and appreciate the beauty of nature. It was absolutely a wonderland.
The North Rim was really remote compared to the South Rim. We only saw a few groups of visitors.
At the South Rim, there were many tourists and even buses were running there. The North Rim was basically closed in November and only day use was allowed. In addition to that, because the North Rim is 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim, it was much colder than the South Rim. It was windy, too. The weather made me think that the North Rim was really isolated.
The quietness made the scenery even more cool and unforgiving. We were able to see the mountains behind the South Rim. It was not possible to see beyond the North Rim at the South Rim, because the North Rim is higher than the South.
2019-01-23
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Backpacking Day1 and 2
2015 thanksgiving week, we went backpacking in Grand Canyon. The rim to rim to rim backpacking was epic.
Friday after work, Mr.N and I went to Mr.S1's house, because we planned to leave the Bay Area at 4 a.m. Mr.S1's house was very nice and there was a guest room with a nice bed. Actually it was much more comfortable than my futon.
We got up at 3:15 a.m. Saturday and hit the road at 4:15 a.m. We picked up Mr.S2 and put all the big backpacks on the roof. After we started driving, straps of the backpacking made noises as if it was raining.
I was busy finishing all my experiments before the trip, so I didn't really have time to get excited. Usually packing for the trip is somewhat fun, but I was in a rush packing on Thursday night, so it was a little stressful. Even after we started driving, I was thinking, "Is this really happening? Are we really going to the Grand Canyon?" I also felt like I forgot to bring something important.
Kelso Dunes |
On the way, we stopped by Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve. When I saw the dunes all of a sudden, I finally realized that this road trip was really happening and I was in the middle of the trip. It reminded me of school camping trips. I was weird enough not to able to get really excited like other kids before trips, but I would start enjoying the trip half a day after starting trips.
The view at the dunes was stunning. The dunes were surrounded by mountains and plain land. The huge amount of sands was gathered in a small area. It was quite different from any other views nearby, so the dunes looked lonely and aloof. The sands piled up over the past 25,000 years. It was fun climbing the dunes. We saw the trace of rattlesnakes a lot.
Then we went to the campground on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was around 10 p.m. It was very cold, so we pitched tents quickly and went straight to bed straight.
I couldn't sleep well at night because it was too cold. However, I couldn't get out of my tent either in the morning because it was again too cold. Finally I went outside at 7:30 a.m. 3 of us were ready to go to the trailhead by 9:30 a.m. but we realized that Mr.S2 was still in the tent. He woke up after we were ready, so the 3 of us went to the Visitor center and learned about the canyon formation. Then finally the 4 of us started hiking at 11 a.m.
South Rim |
The view was gorgeous. I couldn't help but take a moment to appreciate the raw beauty of this natural place--what a wonderful place. The first part was really steep and icy, so we needed to be careful. Since I didn't bring crampons, I had to walk slowly. Actually dried feces from mules were on top of the ice and stepping on them allowed me to not slip on the ice. So I made the unsavory decision to step on the crap. To make myself feel better about this, I thought, "I will be in the wilderness for the next five days, who cares?" This day was all downhill hiking, and we descended all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The canyon is giant and I am small....as we got to the bottom, I got the feeling of being so small in such a vast space.
Late afternoon we arrived at the Bright Angel campground. It was nice to spend a night in the inner canyon. I wish I could describe well how big the canyon is in reality, because pictures don’t show the actual size.
This campground was interesting.
When we saw a park ranger at the campground, she gave us tips for hiking in the Grand Canyon. She was very friendly and nice. She asked Mr.N, "Is this a commercial trip?" Mr.N answered, "No it’s a friends trip." It was the second time Mr.N was mistaken for our guide. Back in August in an entirely different place, a random chatty hiker thought that Mr.N was our guide. Mr.S2 hypothesized that it was because Mr.S1, Mr.S2, and I didn’t look like Americans.
At Bright Angel campground, there was a restroom. Surprisingly, it was a normal flushing toilet. However, in winter water was not running in the restroom. Users had to manually pour water from a bucket. The timing to flush was also tricky and needed skill. They then had to go to get water for the next person. The bucket was full of water, so it was very heavy. Because of carrying and pouring, the floor was all wet. In addition to that, a door of one of the two stalls was broken (women’s room). There was a curtain instead of a door, but the curtain only moved half way. So basically, there was no privacy. Unfortunately, the stall with the curtain was closer to the entrance, so people had to pass the stall to go to the stall with a door. This was an annoying bathroom. After I went to the stall with a door, I went to bed. It was always nice to sleep near the stream. Good music.
2019-01-22
Cross-country Skiing in Maine
Japanese after English (日本語は英語の後にあります）
I went cross-country skiing in Maine last weekend.
Trail |
I had heard about cross-country skiing or Nordic skiing, but I didn't have a chance to try it. Because I don't really like downhill skiing, I didn't try cross-country skiing either.
The first time I tried cross-country skiing was in Montana in 2016. Mr.N introduced it to me, since he loves Nordic skiing. He is from Montana, so it is natural for him to like it.
Skies |
I got all the cross-country gear for 2017's Christmas gift, well, obviously from Mr.N., and go cross-country skiing in winter whenever I have chance. This time we went to Sebago Lake State Park. There is nice 4-mile cross-country ski loop around the lake. It is mostly flat, so good for beginners like me.
Snow condition was not really great: the snow was hard and icy. However, the good thing was that we didn't see anybody on the trail. It was quiet and peaceful. Despite the cold temperature, I warmed up quickly and enjoyed skiing only with one layer. The lake was not frozen yet and pretty. There was a cute dog on the lake shore near the parking lot. It is always nice to see happy doggies on a trail even at -15C.
Sebago Lake |
For me Nordic skiing is more pleasant than downhill skiing. I am able to observe many things, such as trees, snows, animal tracks, sky, mountain in the distance while I am cross-country skiing. I like to see snowshoe hare tracks. Unless a trail is downhill, there is always time to appreciate the beauty of nature. On the other hand, downhill skiing is too fast for me and no time to observe things quietly. Besides downhill skiing trips are expensive. I know that some people like thrilling speed of downhill skiing and there are opportunities to see nice views from high altitude.
I asked Mr.N to pick an intermediate trail next time instead of beginner one.
先週末はメイン州までクロスカントリースキーに行ってきた。
クロスカントリースキー・ノルディックスキーというのは聞いたことはあったものの数年前までトライする機会はなかった。普通のスキーがあまり好きでないこともありなんとなく避けていたのもある。
しかし2015年の冬にモンタナ州に行く機会があり、そこでMr.Nに教わりクロスカントリースキーを初めてやってみた。 Mr.Nはモンタナ出身なのでクロスカントリーが大好きなのだ。（注：モンタナ州は積雪量と寒さが半端ない。−40Cになることも。。。）
そして2017年のクリスマスプレゼントにクロスカントリーのセットを頂き、機会があればトレイルに滑りに行っている。今回はセバゴ湖というところに行った。ここは６キロ程度のトレイルが池の周りにある。高低差はほぼゼロで私のような初心者にはぴったり。
雪は固く凍っているところもありコンディションは良くなかったが、誰もおらず静かなトレイルをスキーできて良かった。湖も綺麗だったし、可愛い犬がいたりで楽しかった。
個人的にはノルディックスキーの方が普通のスキーより好きだ。クロスカントリースキーだと立ち止まって、周りを観察できる。木々、動物の足跡、空、遠くの稜線など自然の美しさは見るに飽きない。その点通常のスキーは速すぎて私には周りを見る余裕がない。そして金銭的に高い。もちろんダウンヒルスキーはスリリングかつ高所から景色を観れるという点があるので一概には言えないが。。。
帰り道、Mr.Nに次は初心者向けではなく中級者向けのトレイルを選んでほしいと伝えた。
Yosemite Hetch Hetchy Backpacking Day6 and 7
Lake Vernon in the evening |
On day6 we went back to Tiltill Valley then Lake Vernon. Near the Tiltill Valley we again saw a rattlesnake that was coiled. Then went back to Lake Vernon.
Somebody was canoeing on the lake. It was impressive they brought it to the lake.
There was a group, all male caucasians, already at 4 pm at the lake and playing and shouting loud. Mr.N wanted to be away from them, so we went to a more south and camped there. It was nice to wash clothes in the lake and dry them.
When we were eating there, those guys started shouting.
“GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
“GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
It seemed like the saw a bear. Sounded like they were scared. Mr.N laughed at them. Because we had a campfire, the bear might be scared to come close to our site.
Then we saw stars and went to bed.
Saw a mother bear with a cub |
On the final day we went back to the trailhead. On the way we met a trailcrew who spends 6 months in the Yosemite area. She mentioned how different this year in term of snow. She was carrying a big backpacks and hiking alone to see how the situation in the Virginia canyon area. We told her that Piute creek had so much water and we couldn’t cross it. She said that she heard about that. This day was so hot and we saw more than 10 people suffering ascending on the exposed trail. Two people were so suffering and someone else in the group had two backpacks for the suffering people. We arrived around 5 pm and spent a night in the backpacker campground. Then next day stopped by a Mexican restaurant and headed for the Bay Area. It was a great trip!
2019-01-21
Yosemite Hetch Hetchy Backpacking Day4 and 5
Coyote!!! |
On day4 we left the Pleasant Valley and headed for the Bear Valley. This was not our original plan, but due to the amount of Piute creek, which was impassible, we climbed to the hills towards the Bear Valley. From 9000 feet, there was so much snow. At 9500 feet we reached the highest point of the day. Because of snow, official trail was not visible. There should be switchback somewhere but it looked just a steep cliff with snow. Because the view was spectacular, we decided to camp there.
There was small water line coming from snow, so I tried to get water from there but it was difficult. Mr.N laughed with me and he went to the small creek. When he was gone for taking water, I saw a coyote. At first he didn’t notice me and standing in the snow. It looked like between dog and wolf. It was so cute and I was standing and took pictures of him. Then he noticed me and sprinted and ran away. I took picture him kicking the snow. It was a great moment seeing a wild coyote in the snow mountains.
Yosemite: so beautiful |
On day5 we started late in the morning. It was really difficult to leave the great campsite with awesome view of mountain range. Looking at mountains, it was hard to believe that there was still so much snow in July and some snow looked it would never melt this year. 2017 is quite different from usual years. Especially after years of drought, the difference is dramatic.
This day was almost all downhill to the Rancheria falls. We saw deer and a coyote but we hadn’t seen anybody for days. We tried to take nice pictures of Rancheria falls but there were so many poison oak around and decided to have fun with campfire. Spending time in the wilderness without seeing people is priceless.
2019-01-20
Yosemite Hetch Hetchy Backpacking Trip Day2 and 3
Japanese Version is below English（日本語版は英語の下にあります） |
So much water at Rancheria Falls |
On the second day we went down to the Tiltill Valley. On the way we saw a huge tarp, many cooler boxes, and noise from people. Probably it was a trailcrew camp. On the way to Tiltill valley we saw a person with cap with trail crew logo. Mr.N said it was the trail maintain organization. Tiltill Valley was very pretty. We saw many colorful wild flowers. Nobody was there and it was absolutely peaceful. Then we went down to Rancheria falls. Last time I went to Rancheria falls, it was completely dry. No single drop. Now due to the tremendous snow last winter, the falls were so big. We went to designated campground near the falls. There was one tent but we didn’t see a person. The tent was gone next morning but the time we left, so there must have been a person. It was surprising that there was a person, because usually Rancheria falls is only 6 miles with 1000 feet elevation gain from trailhead, but this year trail is closed due to excessive water in Wapama falls, so it needs to be reached by climbing mountain through Lake Vernon like we did. I thought that nobody does such a crazy thing like us.
On day 3, our plan was to go to the Pleasant Valley: First we climb up to 8600 feet in Rancheria mountain, then go down 1000 feet. The Rancheria falls was at 5000 feet, so 3600 feet elevation gain to the highest point of day 3. This day was very hot (about 35C) and the trail was exposed. I felt tired by the heat. I usually like to have lunch at the highest point of the day. So I was waiting for lunch until the 8600 feet point but we hadn’t reached there at 2 p.m. I was almost beyond hunger, so I decided to eat lunch before reaching the top. I got tired because of lack of food. 30 minutes after I ate Anpan and Calorie Mate, I felt better and continued hiking without feeling tired. Later I found out Mr.N told me it was 3600 feet elevation gain but actually it was 4100 feet elevation gain.
Piute Creek |
Retrospectively I thought I got tired because I was not mentally prepared for 4100 feet elevation gain.
When we reached the Pleasant Valley, we got speechless. The creek we needed to cross the next day was not river but falls. Piute creek had so much loud sound due to huge amount of water. It was clear that it was impassible. We discussed and decided to go to another way the next day. Other than that, the Pleasant Valley was very pretty and peaceful. Nobody else out there. I made campfire to have fun and make mosquitoes go away. I like to make small organized structure with small logs and pines inside to start fire, which is a technique I learned during camping trip at elementary school.
バックパッキング２日目はティルティル渓谷まで下る。下っている途中でたくさんのテントやクーラーボックスを見かけた。トレイルのメインテナンスをする人たちのキャンプよのうだった。案の定、途中のトレイルでトレイルメインテナンスの団体のロゴが入った帽子をかぶった人に会ったので挨拶した。
ティルティル渓谷は様々な色の花が咲き乱れていてとても綺麗な草原だ。この日、ティルティル渓谷には他に誰もいなかったので本当に静かで平和な時を過ごすことができた。カロリーメイトやクッキーを食べて静かな時を過ごした後、ランチェリア滝まで歩く。
去年の異常な積雪量のため、今年のランチェリア滝の水量は半端ない（１枚目の写真）。このバックパッキングの数年前にランチェリア滝に日帰りハイクした時は、ランチェリア滝には水が一滴もなかった。ここはただの岩場だったのが、今年はこの有様。自然のダイナミックさを感じ、圧倒される。滝はパワフルでしばし見とれた。
ランチェリア滝近くのバックパッカー用キャンプ場に着くとテントがすでに一つ張られていた。人はいなかったのでどこか歩きに行っていたのかもしれない。次の朝そのテントは無くなっていたのでどうやらバックパッカーが来ていた模様。先に書いた通りランチェリア滝には普通の年は日帰りハイクできる距離なのだが、この年はここまで来るトレイルも滝に埋もれ山を登って２日かけてここまで来なければならない。そんなクレイジーなことをするのは我々だけかと思いきや、他にもいたらしい。
ここのキャンプ場では火を起こしたりして夜を楽しんだ。滝の音のそばで眠るのは本当に気持ちいい。川や海、滝のそばで寝ると音の大きさとしては轟音なのだが、心地いいのだ。
３日目はプリザント渓谷まで行った。まずランチェリア山まで登り、そこから少し下ったところが目的地。この日は３５Cと暑い上に日陰がなくて疲れた。さらに山頂で昼食を食べようと思ったため、１４時までお昼を食べなかったことも疲労につながった。やはりバーや甘いものを途中で食べるべきだった。
何はともあれプリザント渓谷に着いたものの。。。。
エーーーーーーッ。ピュート川の水量が多い！滝のようになっている（２枚目の写真）。普段の年は足首の高さ程度の水量が、今年はすごいことになっていた。本当は翌日にここの川を渡ってさらに進む予定だった、どう見ても危険なのでルートを変えることにした。とりあえずこの日は川のそばでキャンプ。蚊がいたのでキャンプファイアーをして奴らを追っ払う。他にはハイカーは全くおらず静かで美しい川と木に囲まれて最高のキャンプ場所となった。
2019-01-19
Yosemite Hetch Hetchy Backpacking Trip Day1
Japanese Version is below English（日本語版は英語の下にあります）
2017 July, Mr.N and I went backpacking in Yosemite. It was a great 8-day backpacking trip.
It was around Hetch Hetchy in the Yosemite National Park. As you can see below, Hetch Hetchy is a reservoir that supplies water to San Francisco Bay Area. Before the dam was constructed, this was Hetch Hetch Valley with Tuolumne River. After much argument, the dam was created and it was the current status.
Hetch Hetchy |
On Saturday we went to Nijiya market, a Japanese grocery store, to buy food for Saturday dinner and food for backpacking. Because Saturday night was car camping, we were able to eat normal food, not freeze dry food. We bought sushi, korokke, nimono for dinner that day and ramen, instant rice, bars etc for backpacking.
We arrived at Hetch Hetchy backpackers campground around 5. This backpacker campground was much better than Valley one. It was more private with better view. After having feast with sushi, we went to bed.
The next day, we started at Hetch Hetchy trailhead. It was hot around 35C degrees. Also a lot of sections were exposed. On the way one guy asked us where we were going and our plan. After small chat, he said, “Have fun kids.” I was confused by the word kids. A little after this confusion, we saw a mother bear with two cubs. They were cute and nice to see bears. The mother was focused on a log. Mr.N said that she was getting ants in the log.
The first day’s destination was Lake Vernon. The trailhead was at 4000 feet. We had to climb to 7000 feet then descend to 6500 feet. It was hard to ascend 3000 feet with food for 7 days. Furthermore, the amount of snow 2016/17 winter was huge, an additional river was formed from outlet in Lake Vernon. We had to cross the additional one and it was deep enough to make my butt wet. The main river had a footbridge.
Lake Vernon |
I got uncomfortable by river crossing but I forgot all the work at the moment I saw the lake, because Lake Vernon was so beautiful (above picture). If you have good eyes, you notice that trees are in the lake. Usually this doesn't happen, but the previous winter's big snow, the tremendous amount of water is in the lake.
It was very blue then got orange as sun sets. Mr.N and I decided to have dinner at the lake. During dinner Mr.N went back to our campsite to get some stuff. During that, one Indian guy came to the lake near me. Then I looked down to sip tea. Then I saw the lake, I didn’t know what to do, because....
When I looked up I saw the Indian guy completely naked in front of me. He went inside the lake and made very loud noise with water.
I thought, “Oh..that’s different. Why didn’t Mr.N come back yet?”
I got uncomfortable being in front of him, so I went back to the campsite.
Mr.N was about to come back to the dinner place and asked me, “I saw an Indian guy naked in front of you and coming now to see what was happening between you two.” with laughing.
I laughed and said, “I didn’t know what to do! That’s why I came here.”
After the guy took bath in the lake, we chatted with him. He was doing 2 nights/3 day backpacking by himself and he was going to do JMT from end of July for 3 weeks. Because I had done JMT, we talked about it for a little. It is nice to talk with random hikers. Hikers are nice.
2017年7月にヨセミテ国立公園のヘッチヘッチー 渓谷周辺を7日間バックパックした。
ヘッチヘッチーにはダムがあり一番上の写真に写っているのは自然の湖ではなく貯水池。ダムが建設される前はもちろん貯水池はなく、草原とトゥオルミ川があった。人工的に貯水池を作ることに対して大規模は論議が繰り広げられたが、サンフランシスコ地域の水不足は深刻で結局ダムが作られたという歴史がある。サンフランシスコ地域の水はここから来ているので、水道水はすごく美味しい。
7月のとある土曜日。まずニジヤマーケット（アメリカのカリフォルニアにある日系スーパー）に行き、土曜の夜ごはんと７日分のバックパック用の食べ物を買った。土曜の夜はキャンプ用の食事を食べ続けることになる前の”最後の晩餐”ということで、お寿司、煮物等の惣菜パックを（やや豪華め）買った。バックパック用の食べ物はいつも通り、ラーメン（中華三昧）、インスタントライス、お茶漬け、カロリーメイト、クッキーなど。
夕方、ヘッチヘッチーのバックパッカーキャンプグランドに到着。ここのバックパーカー用キャンプグラウンドは眺めも良く、ヨセミテ渓谷よりも随分良い。ここで夕飯に寿司パックなどを食べ、明日からのバックパックに備え早めに寝袋に入った。
次の日の朝、ヘッチヘッチーのトレイルヘッドからハイキング開始。この日は35Cになり暑い！それに日陰が全くない。途中であったハイカーと少し会話。私たちは”またねー”と言った。が、そのハイカーは”楽しんでね、kids"。。。
ん？キッズ？ 相当若く見られたらしい。アメリカではアジア人女性はやたら若く見られることがある。
それから少し歩くと、トレイルからすぐ近くにクマが！！！大人クマ１匹と子供が１匹。ブラックベアだけど、この親子は茶色。かわいい。クマは食べることに夢中だったので危険ではなかった。母クマは木に群がっていた蟻を食べていた。少し彼らを観察し、また歩き始める。
この日の目的地はバーノン池（２枚目の写真）で約2300mの登り。初日は7日分の食材を担いでいるため、一番辛い。しかも去年の冬の積雪量がとんでもなく多かったため、川の水量が以上に増していた。バーノン池に行くのに川を渡るのだが、ウエスト近くまで水量があった。いつもの年は足首程度の深さなのでやはり今年は違うなと実感。上の池の写真を見ると、木が池から生えているように見える。これはこの年の池の量が増したためにこうなっている。
バーノン池は真っ青でとても美しい。夕方になると夕日に染まってオレンジ色に。綺麗。湖畔に座り、夕日を眺めた。とてもゴージャスな時間だ。Mr.Nと私は夕飯を湖畔で食べることにした。Mr.Nがテント脇に置いてある食べ物（食べ物はベアキャニスターというクマが開けられない入れ物に入れてある）に取りに行った。私は湖畔にそのまま座っていたのだが。。。一人ハイカーのインド系の男性が湖畔に来てTシャツを脱いでいる。湖でキャンプする時、夏に湖で泳ぐのはよく見る光景だが、たいてい水着がパンツは履いたままである。特に他のキャンパーが居るときは。しかし、その男性は私の目の前で全ての服を脱ぎ湖に入って行った。目のやりどころに困っているとようやくMr.Nが戻って来た。
Mr.N：あの男性が素っ裸なのが見えたから何事かと思って戻って来た！
私：遅いよ！
その後そのインド系ハイカーと少しおしゃべりした。彼は２泊三日のバックパックでJohn Muir Trailへのトレーニングということだった。私は数年前に
John Muir Trailをバックパックしたのでそれについて話したりした。やはりその場で出会うバックパッカーととりとめない話をするのは面白い。
続く。。。
2019-01-18
Yosemite Roosevelt lake Backpacking Day3
We arrived at a trailhead. Everyone else was ready but Mr.S2 was still packing. So we stared at him. I asked him if he felt upset to be in the center of attention, but he said no. So the circle didn't facilitate his packing pace. The trail started in the forest and climbed gradually for 2,000 feet. We took breaks at Dog Lake and Young Lake. Both lakes were so blue and very pretty. The route from Young lake to our destination, Roosevelt lake, was off-trail, so we confirmed that we should stay in sight. Right after the confirmation, Mr.B3 went to the restroom and didn't come back. We shouted, "Mr.B3!" 5-6 times. Finally he ran down from a random hill.
Young Lake |
To the Roosevelt lake, we first descended into some hills in the forest, then climbed back up. At some point, we crossed the tree line and we walked into the flat, open space. When we stood at the edge of meadow we were able to see the lake below. It was bigger than I had expected and also very beautiful. It was like a hidden lake surrounded by high mountains including Mt.Conness. Mr.S1 went to bed immediately but other people ate dinner by the lake together. Mr.S2 was very nice and gave me milk chocolate and chest nuts: my favorite foods.
Mt.Conness |
During dinner, the evening sun reflected on Mt.Conness. The mountain genuinely looked pink. It was lovely. The sun set, and hundreds of stars and the milky way came out. It was a quiet and beautiful night.
Roosevelt Lake |
We didn't set a time for when we should get up. When I looked outside of the tent around 7 a.m., nobody was outside, so I went back to sleep. Finally at 9 a.m., Mr.B3 was outside, so I got up. We found out that everyone was awake since 6 or 7 a.m., and looked outside and confirmed that nobody was there and went back to their tent. Because each one looked outside a slightly different time point, nobody woke up. That was funny.
After breakfast, we climbed a random hill near the Roosevelt lake and saw an amazing view. We saw not only the Roosevelt lake but also upper and lower Young Lakes, the forest, Mt. Conness and even the Half Dome in the distance. It was gorgeous.
Around noon while we were hiking, Mr.N said that he was going to the restroom. Because we were hiking off-trail and we shouldn't be separated, Mr.S2 told him that we would be waiting right ahead. I heard that Mr.S2 said it. We sat down and took a break. We ate snack. Mr.S2 did some physical therapy stuff because he was having knee issues. Mr.N didn't come back for more than 25 minutes. We started to worry. Mr.N told Mr.S2 that the restroom was a "longer version", but 25 minutes was too long. We went back to the point where he left for the restroom and shouted "Mr.N!" 7-8 times, but there was no response.
We waited for Mr.N for 35 minutes.
Mr.S2 said, "It shouldn't be so long just for going to the restroom, unless he had a stomach issue or something." Mr.S1 said, "If it was a stomach issue, it would be a minute."
Everyone laughed. Mr.S1 said, "I don't think that it is oxygen problem this time."
We thought that he was most likely ahead of us. For some reason, we didn't notice that he had passed us and he didn't notice us either. We thought that Mr.N would be waiting for us at Young Lake. Mr.S2 took a picture of the place and recorded the GPS coordinates with his new Oneplus3 phone. This situation reminded me of the helicopter rescue in August (Mr.N had pulmonary edema and was rescued by helicopter in the wilderness before). I didn't want to see a helicopter in the wilderness again. We headed for the Young Lake, the endpoint of the off-trail, and we found that he was there 30 min later. We were able to regroup and relieved.
It was my first time to go to the Roosevelt Lake. It was very beautiful and quiet. Because the lake was surrounded by high mountains, it was like hiding from all creatures. I was amazed by all different views in the evening, night, morning, and daytime. This was another great backpacking.
2019-01-17
Yosemite Roosevelt Lake Backpacking Day1 and Day2
Japanese version is after English. 日本語は英語の後にあります。
Destination Picture: Roosevelt Lake |
<Day1>
Mr.S1, Mr.S2, Mr.B3, Mr.N and I went backpacking in Yosemite. To acclimatize ourselves to climb over 10,000 feet, we left the Bay Area Friday evening to camp one night at 8,000 feet. On Friday night, Mr.S2 and I went to the Dublin BART station to carpool with Mr.N and Mr.B3. On the way there, we talked about Mr.S2's new phone.
He said, "Guess what kind of phone this is."
I replied, "Can I take this out from the case?"
He answered, "Then the answer is there."
I said, "But I don't know anything about non-iPhone."
The answer is the One Plus 3. It is made by Chinese company and cheaper than a Galaxy 7. It has many cool features but it's simple. For example, drawing a circle is the command to open the camera app. That's easier than putting a passcode and clicking a camera icon. Also Mr.S2 had a cool thin magnet for the phone to stick to the board.
It took long because of bad traffic, but according to Google maps on the OnePlus3, Mr.S2 and I were about to arrive at the BART station. We saw some booths with security guards a little ahead of us. As we got closer, they looked more cops than guards. I didn't know that the station got a security check to enter. Last time I didn't see it.
We stopped in front of a cop. Mr.S2 said, "Hi, we are here to carpool with my friends to go to Yosemite." The cop stiffly said, "Then you are at the wrong place. This is the federal correctional institute." Mr.S2 answered, "Oh we just followed google maps to go to the Dublin station." The cop answered, "Turn left into the Dublin avenue and ......" He gave us the directions but I don't remember because there were many turns. Then the cop said, "Make the u-turn here." The cop looked at me for more than a comfortable duration. Anyways it was my first time to enter the vicinity of a prison.
After we left the prison, we parked in the residential area and figured out where we needed to go. On the way I googled the prison. It is a low-security prison for female inmates. It is one of the three female prisons in the U.S. It is designed for 250 inmates but there are more than 1,000 inmates. The inmates must have a low quality of life. Mr.S2 and I suspected that Mr.N gave us the destination on purpose (and it is the female prison! Mr.S2's hypothesis was that he wanted me to be the 251st inmate). Because of this, we were late.
On the way we stopped by Chipotle. At Chipotle, we further googled the prison and checked the satellite map.
Follow up: When I clicked the link on the computer, the destination was correct. However, if I clicked on the phone, the destination was "Alley I" and it was the prison.
<Day2>
We arrived at a campground around 1 a.m. I had camped there 2 years ago. It brought back memories. I was on the 2nd day of a 2-week backpacking and met nice people on the campsite. We pitched a tent and we went to bed around 2 a.m. It was cold.
On Saturday morning, we got up at 7 a.m. to get to the wilderness center at 8 a.m. Mr.S1 joined at the parking. He left the Bay Area at 3:30 a.m. The park ranger, at the wilderness center, was the same person we met last year. The moment I saw her bang cut straight, I thought, "Ohhhhhhhh no. Here she is! This time what is she warning us?"
I remembered how scary she was last year, but this time she was nicer. Thinking about it made me laugh, but I tried to keep a straight face. Luckily, we were able to get 5 people's permits for the Roosevelt lake.
１日目
Mr.S1, Mr.S2, Mr.B3, Mr.Nと私でとある週末にヨセミテのルーズベルト湖にバックパッキングへ行った。
高地順応するために、金曜日にベイエリアを出発して金曜の夜２５００メートルのキャンプグランドに泊まる予定にした。
MrS２と私はサウスベイからイーストベイにあるダブリンまでカープール。そこで他の連中と合流するプランだ。MrS２は最近ケータイを新しくした。車中でMrS２がどの機種の携帯を買ったか当ててみろと言ってきた。 えー。iPhone以外何にも知らないからわからない！と言ったら、答えはワンプラス３ということだった。へー。そんなんあるんだ。エンジニアのMrS２にはビッグなニュースらしい。
そしてダブリンの合流場所（電車の駅の駐車場）に近づいてきたところでブースのようなものを発見。警備員がいるように見える。あれ、最近のイーストベイの駅には警備員がいるの？などと思いながらブースのところで停車し、MrS２が、友達とヨセミテに行く待ち合わせでここに来ました、と言った。
すると警備員、というよりかは警察官のような人が、 それじゃあここは違うよ。と言って来た。そして、警察官が続けて、
「ここは国立刑務所だよ。」
MrS２はダブリンの駅に行こうとしていたのですが、、と言うと親切にじゃあここでUターンして左へ曲がって真っ直ぐ行ってと道筋を教えてくれた。 つまりUターンした時に実際に刑務所の敷地に入ったことになる。うわー。初めて刑務所内に体が入った！しかもアメリカの国立の刑務所。そしてダブリンの刑務所は女性（軽い罪の人々）のみが入る。
この合流場所のリンクはMrNが送ってきたもの。なぜかメッセンジャーからリンクへ行くと刑務所に行ってしまうのだ。同じリンクでもコンピューターからだとダブリンの駅え行くのだが。。グーグルマップかFacebookのバグだと思われるが、まさか刑務所に連れて行かれるとは。。。。MrNめ！
そして途中でブリトーを食べて夜中の１時にキャンプ場に着き２時に就寝。
２日目
７時起床。８時にウイルダネスセンターへ行き、バックパッキングの許可証をゲット。MrS１が合流。MrS1は金曜の朝３時半にベイエリアを出発して８時にヨセミテに着いたのだった。
2019-01-16
Tour du Mont Blanc Itinerary
People think backpacking in Europe means hike hut to hut.
Actually you can hike by camping. I did Tour du Mont Blanc by camping.
Actually for 9 nights 10 day Tour du Mont Blanc, I camped 8 nights, and 1 night stayed at a hut. The reason I had to stay one night at the hut is two campgrounds in that area were too far apart. Tour du Mont Blanc area is not allowed to do wild camping like in the U.S., you need to camp in the designated area. There are many campgrounds and not expensive at all. A lot of huts let hikers camp in their yard and let them use showers. It is much more fun, inexpensive, peaceful, and quiet experience doing TMB by camping. I live in the U.S. and usually backpacking by camping in the middle of nowhere in the mountain. So camping at designated area is still "glamping" for me. Highly recommended doing TMB by camping!
Here is the itinerary for your information.
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