The last couple of weeks have offered very poor conditions for any hiking adventures nearby, as the Rim Fire continues to burn the magnificent forests of Western Yosemite and fill the air in Reno (150 miles North) with a choking haze. The air quality index has been hovering around 200 (unhealthy) for most of that time and has made me reluctant to venture out for any milage on the nearby trails.
Yesterday and today though, the smoke let up somewhat and I decided to heed John Muir's words: "The mountains are calling, and I must go." And so, to Tahoe I went. I had hoped to hike with a friend today and knock off a section of the Tahoe Rim Trail, but unfortunately, plans changed and I was on my own. I decided to out and back half a section (or nearly half) of the TRT. Starting at the lush area known as Tahoe Meadows, I left later in the day this time, around noon.
The trail meanders through the meadow at a leisurely slope, as it cross over Ophir creek and then enters the forest. In the winter, I often snow-shoe in this area. It's alwasy intersting to me to see the small trees scattered throughout the meadow at their full height instead of appearing as tiny seedlings poking out of the top of several feet of snow. Continuing alont the trail, it skirts the mountainside as it makes it's way through granit boulders and alpine forest. I can only barely taste the smoke in the air. It looks like I picked a good day to do this trail.
The trail offers some nice views of Lake Tahoe, and eventually a view looking East over Washoe Lake, which is a shallow body of water about halfway between Reno and Carson City. After about five and a half miles, I eventually reach my destination, Diamond Peak. I meet a couple of fellow hikers at the base of the ski-lift tower, which sits precariously on this peak. I discover they are overnighting the entire section from Tahoe Meadows to Spooner Summit (23 miles). I'm jealous, but wish them well on their journeys. Once again, I am amazed how amazing the attitude of most hikers is. There truly is a sense of community on the trail, and if only we could all get along in the rest of the world as well as we do in the forest or on the mountaintops.
After a short waterbreak, I start heading back to the trailhead. In total, I logged about 11.5 miles along this trail. I really hope to someday to be able to complete the 165 miles of the TRT, preferrably as a through hike, but that will depend on time off from work. Sitting on a three day weekend, I may attempt to get some more trail time in on Monday.
Recently, there was a story on CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/17/us/nevada-petroglyphs/index.html?iref=allsearch) and many other news outlets concerning the dating of some petroglyphs near Reno. In fact, these are thought to be the oldest petroglyphs ever found in North America according to the article (somewhere between 10,500 and 14,800 years old). With our shared interest in pictographs and petroglyphs, my friend, Nick, and I had to go hunting for them. The news reports only stated the rock art was on the western side of the now dry Winnemucca Lake, which is about an hour northeast of Reno. We got an early start and headed out towards the site.
Upon turning onto highway 447, just off of I-80, we continued north until we began seeing remnants of giant tufa formations that once littered the bed of the lake, but now appear as islands of stone in this dry and desolate landscape. As the tufa is the only surface in the area capable of having petroglyphs scratched into it, this was an obvious starting place for our search. At first glance, the tufa islands appear like any other rock that you might see in the desert, but on examining the calcium carbonate formations, it is obvious that something more is at work. Much like the tufa at Mono Lake a few hours from here, this tufa was formed when gases seeped from under the lakebed and reacted with minerals in the ancient lake's water. The results are bizarre, almost organic, towers and what almost appear as spherical sponges of stone. Quite an amazing site to see.
While examining nearly all of the tufa formations on this end of the dry lake bed, we found a number of petroglyphs, but none that met the description given in the articles we had read. In the stories, they are described as being carved very deep into the stone. The ones we have found so far are pretty shallow, much like those at many other sites I have visited. With the heat starting to climb and our uncertainty as to whether or not these are the petroglyphs mentioned, we decide to move north, further up what would have been the western shore.
A few miles further, we find a tall outcropping that might have been interesting enough to the ancient Native Americans to have left their marks on it. We park and begin to climb up a very large hill apparently made of tufa encased volcanic stone - quite a striking contrast. We scramble around in the heat, but see no sign of man-made patterns scratched in the rock faces. On our way back to the car, we find a very poignant reminder of how hot and dry this area can get in the form of a horse skeleton, or at least the scattered remnants of it. Most likely a wild mustang who once roamed free on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation, where we currently are.
Nick suggests driving to the northern end of the dry lake bed and then possibly accepting that those glyphs we found on the tufa at the southern end are probably those described in the articles. However, after just another mile or two, we see what we have been looking for. Overlooking the road, is another hill made of ancient tufa, much like the one we climbed earlier, but this time, deep cuts are very visible in the rock faces. These cuts are in obvious patterns, such as diamonds, spirals, and what appear to be trees. The notching is probably an inch or so deep, much deeper than any I have ever seen. We have found the site. We wander around briefly and snap a few shots before heading back to the car.
This site really sparked my imagination, not only due to the age, but also the fact that the petroglyphs were carved into tufa, which is generally a pretty crumbly stone. Perhaps the climate has allowed this amazing rock art to survive the millennia. I also wonder about the meaning of the symbols. Spiral petroglyphs are thought by most to represent water, but seeing them carved into the overturned tufa makes me think about a correlation between the spiral and the interior structures of the spheres we saw early in the hunt. It fills the mind with awe to think about the people who left these marks for future generations to see. Who were they? What did they believe in? What was their world like? We may never get answers to these questions, but the more we research and learn about them, the closer we come to knowing them.
Gold was discovered by Waterman S. Body in 1859 in the rugged hills a few miles north of Mono Lake, and where there is gold, men will soon follow. In just a few short years, Bodie (which was named after Waterman, but changed the spelling to ensure proper pronunciation) grew up into royalty in the history of boomtowns. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" or so history tells us.
The drive to Bodie is only about 13 miles off of 395 just north of Eagle Mountain. The first 10 miles of the road are paved, but it seen becomes a rugged gravel road complete with pot holes and washboard effects. Luckily the jeep handles it far better than most of the RV's that I pass along the way. Upon arriving at the park entrance (oh yea, Bodie was abandoned around 1942 and preserved as a California state park in 1962), I pay the entrance fee and find the parking lot.
My legs are still a little fatigued from the hike in Yosemite, but I manage to do a circuit around what remains of this ghost town, which was once home to 10,000 residents. While I have visited a few old west ghost towns before, I'm amazed to see how much of this one still remains. I would estimate that there are still 100+ buildings standing, including one of the mills, which dominates the Eastern hill overlooking the city.
Ghost towns are always interesting to me. They seem to be a place frozen in time, and the state has left this one in what they call an arrested state of decay to preserve the place as it was. As I understand it, an arrested state of decay means that while they will not repair anything, they will take measures to prevent any further destruction from the ravages of time or weather or whatever may come along.
Peaking in the window of the old schoolhouse, it's as if the students left at recess and never returned. Textbooks with a thick coat of dust fill the room, and maps line the walls. There is even some writing on the chalkboard, but It is difficult to make out anything other than the arithmetic problems. By the way little Johnny, six minus three is not two!
After walking around a bit more, I make my way back to the jeep and head home. It's been a long day and I'm ready to veg out for a while. Bodie was definitely worth the detour though.
In an attempt to make the most efficient use of my time today, I rose very early hoping to see a few shooting stars as part of the Persiod Meteor Shower. While I get to see on, I was unfortunately going in the opposite direction of where the concentration was. It was still worth it though as I arrived at my first at my first destination at around 8:15 AM.
While I have spent a lot of time in Yosemite over the years, Tuolumne Meadows is an area I have only really driven through. That changes today. My destination is the High Sierra Camp of Glen Aulin, approximately 6.0 miles from the Lembert Dome trail head.
The Tuolumne River meanders along through the peaceful meadow for the first three or so miles before things get a little more active. That is not to say that this first three miles is less attractive. On the contrary, it is a peaceful wonderland with granite domes all around. When I first encounter the river, I note two deer getting a cool morning drink from the clear river running beside my trail. The trail is relatively flat through this section, which allows me to make pretty good time.
As I stop at a site to take a few pictures though, a pack train of mules passes me on the way to bring supplies to Glen Aulin. As the driver notices me and that I'm making good time, he stops the mules and offers me a chance to pass him again, and so I do. Just a little further, I cross a wooden bridge over the river and await the mules crossing to snap a shot.
From this point forward, the river begins a series of cascading falls, as it begins to enter the Grand Canyon of the
Tuolumne, which I hope to backpack through next season. In the meantime, these gorgeous falls will have to suffice. They are in all varieties along the way, the tallest I see is about 40 feet, but beyond is a worn granite dome with the water covering it and sliding down to the next deep hole. The trail along this area is quite a bit more rugged with loss and gain of elevation at every turn. Luckily, granite steps have been fashioned to make the ascent and descent a bit easier.
Even though, I know the mules are just a little behind me, I have to stop to take several shots. The scenery here is just beautiful. I wish I could spend part of every day in places like this, but I'll just have to settle for the frequent weekend for now.
Continuing onward, I finally arrive at Glen Aulin after crossing a couple more foot bridges. The camp is pretty bare, but I would expect as much this late in a hiker's day. It's about 11:00 AM. I stop long enough to use the restroom, which is little more than four walls surrounding a hole in the ground, eat some jerky and rehydrate, and remove some layers. It was cool when I started this morning 41 degrees according to the jeep, but it certainly has warmed up. I'm guessing it's around 70 now. I remove the thin fleece I have over my t-shirt and proceed to unzip the lower sections of my convertible pants in order to change them to shorts. All my business here concluded, I start on my way back. In total, I was only stopped for about 10 minutes at Glen Aulin, but it was a nice rest.
The trail back follows the same route along the waterfalls and pristine serenity of the Tuolumne. Along the way, I chat with a couple who tell me about an amazing steak dinner they had at Glen Aulin last night. Perhaps, I will eat one of those next year when I return to this place, but for now, I'm glad to see the jeep. My legs are pretty tired after a 13 mile hike, but it was well worth it, as any trip to Yosemite always is.
