Berries and Manzanita

Berries - Sierra Nevada  2018

Manzanita Branches (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada  2018

Berries seen in the campground, manzanita branches during the hike.

As a point of interest, it was a manzanita branch that led Mike to his digital epiphany.

Big Pine Views

Pond, Mountains - Sierra Nevada  2018

Glacier - Sierra Nevada  2018

Top photo taken near Glacier Lodge, early morning. Also on the blog: a 2009 photo, same location.

Next, a photo taken during the Big Pine Creek hike: mountains and glacier.

Little Trailers

Trailer #1 - Sierra Nevada  2018

Trailer #2 - Sierra Nevada  2018

Very cute. At one point we considered getting one, but the moment passed.

Below, a home-made utility trailer, vine-covered, parked in Big Pine.

Vine-Covered Trailer - Big Pine  2018

Big Pine Sightems

Church - Big Pine  2018

Rossi's - Big Pine  2018

Mike took the opportunity to drive down into Owens Valley on his non-hike day.

(Actually, Mike thinks that he might have eaten at Rossi's in the 1990s, when he and Phil McAdams drove to Death Valley via the Eureka Valley Road out of Big Pine.)

Big Pine Creek Hike #2 - Morning Haze / Cirque

Two Trees, Haze - Sierra Nevada  2018

Cirque (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada  2018

A cirque is a glacially-created wide, open valley. In this case consisting of rocky and hot terrain, with the trail leading towards a nicely forested area.

. . . from the archives #101: First Falls (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada 1995

First Falls (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada  1995

Yesterday's photos were taken from the other side of the bridge, towards the upstream side. Here's another view from 1995 looking downstream. Mike used a Mamiya C220 twin-lens reflex camera for the photo.

Big Pine Creek Hike - #1 (First Falls)

First Falls (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada  2018

First Falls (Big Pine Creek) - Sierra Nevada  2009

Top photo, this year. Next, 2009.

Mike started out early in the morning, no set goal in mind. On this particular trail, one quickly comes to a bridge over this waterfall, very useful for photos. (There is a "Second Falls" - but not especially photogenic.)

Sagebrush

Sage - Sierra Nevada  2018

Sage, Mining Equipment - Sierra Nevada  2009

Photo 1: twilight view of sagebrush near the campground this year.

Photo 2: Sage and some rusted-out mining equipment at the upper campground, taken in 2009.

. . . from the archives #100: Temple Crag - Sierra Nevada 1974

Temple Crag - Sierra Nevada  1974

Yay! The 100th "from the archives" post!

This was taken during Mike's first visit to the mountains above Big Pine. (Whoa . . . 44 years ago!) Back in 1974 Mike had just completed a Sierra Club wilderness training program; as a result, he became enthused about early-season backpacking. So it was that he found himself up in the Big Pine lakes area with his ice axe, snow still on the ground. Photo was taken with a Nikon F.

It's interesting. There's a photo of Temple Crag on the contact sheet, but no photo of the lake in front of it. Odd.

Big Pine Campground

Pine Trees, Aspens (Big Pine) - Sierra Nevada  2018

Pine Needles, Big Pine Creek - Sierra Nevada  2009

It being Wednesday, Mike was able to find a nice campsite at Sage Flat Campground without much difficulty. (Note: At the Upper Sage Flat Campground sites can be reserved, and most of them were taken.)

Mike has camped here a few times before, so some earlier photos are available. Top photo taken on this trip with an Olympus E-PL7 and a Panasonic 12-60mm lens. Next photo taken in 2009 with an Olympus E-620 and an Olympus 4/3 12-60mm lens. Bottom photo taken with an iPhone 7 Plus.

Campground (Big Pine) - Sierra Nevada  2018

Highway 395 South from Mammoth Lakes

Convict Lake - Sierra Nevada  2018

Sierra Crest - Sierra Nevada  2018

Earlier photo: Convict Lake.

It was fairly clear up at Sherwin Summit, but visibility was very impaired down in Owens Valley.

Alas, Mike has no current photos taken at the summit, so below there's one from a film negative taken in 2000, snow still on the ground. Of course there's no camera data available now, but it was probably taken with a Nikon F100.

Mike drove down past Bishop to Big Pine, then turned right, up into the mountains.

Sherwin Summit - Sierra Nevada  2000

Death Valley Road

Desert Road - Inyo County  2017

Desert Road, Self Portrait - Inyo County  2017

An easy drive from Bishop, down highway 395 to Big Pine, then east towards the desert. Continuing on will take one to Death Valley, although Mike only went that far once.

Top photo taken with an Olympus E-PL7 with a Panasonic 12-60mm lens. Bottom photo taken with an iPhone 7 Plus.

Monday Deer Blogging

Mike had the Upper Sage Flat Campground virtually to himself. As he was packing his gear away in the chill 26º morning this little family group appeared amidst the, yes, sage plants.

Of course, Mike had to stop and switch lenses for some telephoto shots. Then it was off to the Starbucks in Bishop and the Wi-Fi there.

Photo: Deer—Sierra Nevada, 2009

Owens Valley

Mike drives down from his campsite into Big Pine, stopping at a gas station store to get a pre-packaged cinnamon roll and some gas station coffee. Yum! Down on the valley floor it isn’t quite as cold as his campsite, but it’s still pretty chilly.

The Owens Valley floor, that is. Mike drove by Owens Lake on the way up, stopping at the (chemical?) factory for pix. He could see some lakebed activity—probably the Los Angeles dust mitigation project. (Earlier photo of Owens Valley is here.)

Driving east from Big Pine he crosses the Owens River, takes some pix of a dirt road on the valley floor, mountains in the distance. It’s not going to warm up today, he decides.

Photos: Factory—Owens Valley, 2009; Road—Owens Valley, 2009

The Way of the Geezer: October Camping 2

Out of the tent at 6:30 AM: 26º. (For a Californian, this is insanely cold.)

Mike drives up to the reflecting pond at Glacier Lodge to find it frozen over. Very difficult subject matter: sunlight on the crest and dark shadows below. Large icicles have formed on fallen trees over Big Pine Creek.

After photography, Mike drives back to camp, throws some food items into his car, and heads on down towards Owens Valley, his heater going full blast.

Photos: Pond, Glacier Lodge—Sierra Nevada; Icicles—Sierra Nevada

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

. . . from the archives #8: Fritos & Beer—Death Valley Road, 1994

If you travel east out of Big Pine in the Owens Valley you will be heading towards the famous Bristlecone Pines in the White Mountains, a trip full of forests and far-reaching vistas. But before you arrive at the high altitude pines there is another road, a side road that you could take—oh yes, a secret way into Death Valley itself. We knows this road, we took it, long ago it was. (Gollum, gollum.)

Oh, OK, excuse the LOTR imitation. This road—the Death Valley Road—eventually meanders through Eureka Valley, heading south past some spectacular sand dunes to arrive at the main Death Valley highway near Scotty’s Castle. In this photo I’ve stopped at the road’s crest at the start of the Saline Valley Road: time for lunch and a little Fritos & Beer interlude. Not even a single car passed by the whole time I was there; I remained in splendid solitude with my precious Fritos & Beer.

This inaugurated a whole series of Fritos & Beer-themed pix.

Photo: Fritos & Beer—Death Valley Road, 1994