It's been too many years since I've hiked in the Sierra Mountains of California but I knew there was something atypical about the weather as I topped Paiute Pass and slowly dropped down into the broad open alpine expanse of Humphreys Basin. I felt it was best to keep moving as I got a late start and the clouds were trying to organize. Once I reached timberline I relaxed and found my way down to a trail intersection with a desirable meadowy area to camp. The skies cleared but still something about the weather seemed odd. After all I was in the mountain range with about as stable and predictable weather you could hope for. Plus, the forecast was all good. Clear and sunny.
Around 10 pm flashes of lightning were coming from somewhere far in the distance. I figured it was just a small passing storm off to the northeast but the flashes persisted. I dozed off and on until around 3 am when the flashes became brighter and thunder followed. A crack and a long roll from the west. A blinding flash and crack with a longer grappley roll. The kind that comes before hail. First a couple of pops on the tent fly. Definitely not rain. A few more. Bam! The ground beneath my tent shook. More lightning and the skies opened. Sheets of pea sized hail banged off the fly of my tent with a deafening tone. The intensity was high for about fifteen minutes as I stayed dry enough and curled up in my sleeping bag. I figured my campsite was pretty safe. Not to worry. The lightning and thunder passed to the East and things calmed. I thought it was over but round round two followed. This time only rain and the lightning and thunder weren't so intense. I thought for a moment I was in Colorado but the Sierra responded, “Welcome back! Why the hell you been gone so long!”
I'd say I feel more of a connection to the Sierra Mountains of California than any other mountain range in the world. I've hiked the John Muir trail from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite Valley, worked as a ranger in the Whitney Ranger District for a summer, climbed numerous peaks, and lead kids on one and took week wilderness backpacking trips and lived in Mammoth Lakes for two years.
The Sierra back country is nothing less than spectacular. Most of the mountains are comprised of granite with many rising above 13,000 feet and some above 14,000 feet. The high country is littered with other worldly lakes amidst basins of granite boulders. The passes are high and often drop off into broad wide open somewhat arid alpine basins. The range which stretches north to south, roughly 200 miles, is protected by National Parks and Wilderness Areas that are only accessible by foot or horse.
To really fully see and experience the Sierra one needs to venture into the back country but the hiking season is short. You pretty much only have July until about mid September to travel without difficulty. Early summer there is still quite a bit of snow, lots of mosquitoes, and some dodgy stream crossings. By late July passes are clear, mosquitoes are rapidly abating, and stream crossings are not a problem. August is really the best month.
It took me awhile to get started the next morning after the storm as my stuff was pretty wet. Around 10 am I set out under mostly clear skies. By 2 pm the rain and hail were back. This time I was in a deep valley so I took refuge under a large tree with a couple of other backpackers. An hour passed and I continued up to Evolution Valley as the skies began to clear then build again. Late in the day I made it to the end of the Valley and met some other backpackers who were kind of rattled from being atop Muir pass during the afternoon hail storm. I pitched my wet tent and tended to camp chores. Purify water, cook food, stash bear container etc. Just as night fell the skies totally cleared and winds shifted from the North. A very good sign.
The rest of the hike was nothing less than stellar. Muir Pass down to Little Pete Meadow for a peaceful night and up to Bishop pass in the morning with a final night at Long Lake in the presence of Cloudripper Peak. Blue skies with fair weather clouds make the experience all the more enjoyable.
Since my last night out was near the trail head I covered the route in four full days with 4 nights out. I exited the South Lake trial head and noticed an odd familiar smell that reminded me of the refineries in Pasadena, Texas. I then realized the smell was emanating from me. First things first. Shower! A nearby lodge charged me $6 for 10 minutes of glorious hot water. From there I drove down to “Jacks” in Bishop where a friendly old lady kept calling me “kiddo” or something like that and served me a pile of bacon, eggs, and hash browns.
With the day still young I rolled up to Mammoth and dropped of the bear container I rented from the Forest Service and was able to secure the same campsite I stayed in before I left for the back country. Knock on wood my time in the Easter Sierra has really gone well despite some foul weather. This part of my trip out west has really fallen into place. I feel like I've found my stride again and have even entertained the thought of moving back to Mammoth. I've been trying to calculate in my mind how long its been since I lived in Mammoth. I think I left in '98 which makes it 14 years.
In the short time I've been back visiting the Mammoth area I've met a lot of really nice people that I seem to click with. The one thing I really like about mountain resort towns is that there is a good mix of people from all over the place and everyone is happy to be living where they are. In generally people are really more focused on quality of life than any thing else with having fun being the goal. The downside, for me, is that mountain resort towns can feel kind of small after awhile and can be limiting in that regard. Also, the smaller the community on lives in the less privacy they are likely to have. I quite like cities where there is always something new to be found. I also like having the option to be social and outgoing or anonymous and invisible. Cities are very good for that.
Tomorrow I'll roll back to Colorado where I plan to spend a little more time before wrapping things up and heading down to Houston. I figure I'll get back there just as the heat and humidity start to slightly back off. Oh, and the storm I experienced the first night? The lady at the ranger station today told me that no one saw it coming. Despite all of the great weather predicting technology of today it caught all of the local weathermen by surprise.
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