Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Way of the Geezer: October Camping 1


Mountains, Glacier - Sierra Nevada  2009



Mike arrives in the small town of Big Pine and turns left, heading up into the mountains. The road curves through the foothills, then continues to climb . . . and climb . . . and climb. Finally: aspens and conifers and campgrounds. The first campground he comes to is closed for the season. Uh-oh, he thinks. Luckily, the next campground (the Upper Sage Flat Campground) is still open . . . and completely vacant as well.

As the sound of Big Pine Creek echos around him, Mike picks a nice open area for his campsite, hoping that it’ll be slightly more sunny than the more secluded, creekside spots. Of particular interest is some abandoned rusted-out equipment (mining? irrigation?) in the ditch adjacent to the site. Temperature is in the 50s. After setting the tent up, Mike goes for a short day hike. Temple Crag looms in the distance with the Palisade Glacier group at the crest.

After his obligatory first-night-camp scramble/omelet, Mike reads a bit in the car, then heads over to the tent. It’s now 35º. He tries to read a bit in his sleeping bag, but eventually the frigid air on his fingers persuades him that it’s time for lights out.

[UPDATE: 8/27/18: NOT Temple Crag. Temple Crag only visible from the upper lakes.]



Photos: Temple Crag & Sierra Crest—Sierra Nevada, 2009; Campsite near Big Pine Creek—Sierra Nevada, 2009; Abandoned Equipment—Sierra Nevada, 2009

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi. I have a blog at www.picturecamping.com where I feature people's posts about camping, and I would like to send my readers your way. Of course I would give you credit for quotes and would link back to your site.

Thanks for considering this,

Jean B. in SC

PS: Is there an "October Camping II"?

Mike Mundy said...

October Camping 2 is Nov 12 entry.

October Camping 3 is Nov 22 entry.

Various outdoorsy blog entries can be found by clicking on the "Camping" and "Backpacking" labels found on the right hand margin.

Feel free to send people over to the mikereport. It's all about traffic, or so they say.