Moved by the Mountains

 

        It had been 8 years since we visited one of our favorite places on the planet, the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.

    Spectacular peaks crown the western rim of the vast Owen Valley on one of the great drives in the United States.

        We had booked access to Yosemite National Park, entering it from the east so we could drive the famed Tioga Pass. That thin line at mid mountain is the Pass, heading east.

        Rain fell overnight on the Lodge at June Lake. As we drove north in the morning we saw the surprise on the peaks to the north, the seasons first snow fall. 

    It was our first time to see fresh snow in Yosemite. In good years it becomes a winter wonderland, though we are not inclined to put chains on the tires and drive into the mountains.

    When the heavier snows fall, the Tioga Pass is closed until summer.

     We gave ourselves a couple of days to acclimate to the altitude before venturing out for a hike in the John Muir Wilderness.

        One of our favorite trails wanders along a creek as it winds upward to 4 alpine lakes. The trail head is at about 10,400 feet.

        With aging knees and hips we have begun using trekking poles and found them to be especially helpful.

        Lana and I are exhilarated by the beauty, peace and grandeur of the Sierras. My admiration for John Muir is always deepened as I think about how the Scotsman wandered and mapped the Mountains by himself.

            East of the Sierra is another story that tells us much about the state of the world. That's ahead in a future post.

        See you down the trail.

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS

CONTRASTING PASTURES

     The 10 thousand foot Mt Lassen Peak, still showing signs of the devastation brought on by the eruption in 1915, is a rugged visage.  This southern most volcano in the Cascade Range that runs into Canada, is the center piece of the beautiful Lassen Volcanic National Park.
      Tucked in valleys on the slopes of Lassen and neighboring mountains are pockets of green, Alpine meadows and pastures.

       I find mountain meadows to be almost hypnotically tranquilizing.  They are peaceful, serene and exude a quiet relaxation that seems to suspend time.

       Tucked in the south east entrance to the park is a jewel, Drakesbad.  Edward Drake
settled in the valley in 1880 offering hospitality to campers including hot springs baths.
The Alexander Sifford family camped there, got to know Drake and convinced him to make the area a rustic spa.  Eventually the Sifford family owned and operated what they called
Drakesbad until the 1960's.  It is still a guest ranch, in the national park and offers
one of the most serene and beautiful meadows in the mountains.  Hiking trails abound.

     In some of the meadows you can see large rocks, placed there by volcanic activity.

      Some of the meadow scenes seem to define the word idyllic. 

     I was surprised to Cama Lilly or wild Hyacinthe in bloom.  In the Midwest local tribes would sometimes fight over the tuber.  They were a special medicine and/or a food. In the Lassen area mountain Maidu made their summer camps in these meadows.  I wonder if they too valued the beautiful spring bloom?

         Another healthy "crop" in the Drakesbad area is Corn Lilly.  Spring is still blooming even in July in the Lassen area and no where is it more vibrant than in the mountain meadows.

If you get to Lassen, make a point to spend time at Drakesbad. Some of the
guest ranch patrons are veterans of annual trips. 
At least, have a meal and enjoy the beautiful meadows.
See you down the trail.

WILDLIFE BATTLES

KILLING THE BIG CATS

  

Photo by California Department of Fish and Game

The graphic scene from high in the Eastern Sierra near Rovana illustrates
the centerpiece of an ongoing wild life management debate.
Should big mountain cats, mountain lions, some call them cougars,
be killed to protect the endangered Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep?
Wildlife experts say there are maybe 400 Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep. They say
at most, there probably has never been more than 1000.  When they were federally
listed as endangered in 1999, the number was down to 114.
The Sierra Nevada Bighorns are a relative to the more common Desert Bighorns with their rounded horns, the type used on Ram trucks and by the football team.

The alpine Eastern Sierra is vast, rugged and a harsh environment.
The Associated Press reports 23 mountain lions have been killed by trappers in the 
last ten years.  There are said to be some 5,000 Mountain Lions in the region. The AP says the cats have eaten at least 59 sheep. In the same ten years 1,079 mountain lions have been killed for threatening livestock or pets.  
THE NUMBERS
5,000 Mountain Lions
400 Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep 
Passions run on both sides of the kill issue.  
For the time being the lions can be killed only  if
they are proven to have killed a sheep.  Of course a
lot can happen in the wild that goes beyond monitoring.

DAY BOOK

HAPPY COWS
as the commercial says
"California Cows are Happy Cows."

See you down the trail.