Calipidder

Cottonwood Basin

Lone Pine is a long drive for us. LONG DRIVE. Like, 7+ hours. But as John Muir once said, “The mountains are calling and I must go,” and this past weekend it was Cottonwood Basin that was calling. The trail to Cottonwood starts from the Horseshoe Meadows area out of Lone Pine.

We took off  Thursday night and drove out towards Yosemite. We were hoping to snag a campsite at one of the higher campgrounds near Tioga Pass but everything was full. Even Lee Vining Canyon was packed - we finally found a spot in the Lower Lee Vining campground around 12:30 am in between two RVs. The following morning we hiked Gaylor Peak (trip report) and then headed into the Mono Visitor Center to pick up a permit for Cottonwood Lakes trailhead for Saturday. This was followed by fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli. My first of the season and they were as good as always.

Cottonwood Lake #6

Having had a productive morning (1 peak, 1 permit, and 2 fish tacos), we headed south along 395 and took some time to fish along the way. We were completely unsuccessful at both Rush Creek and Rock Creek. Plus the mosquitoes were out. By evening we had reached Lone Pine and after dinner in town we headed out to camp at Tuttle Creek. It was hot so we enjoyed some cold beer and nighttime photography before heading to bed.

We met up with Sooz, Robin, and Rachel at 7:30 near the trailhead. After dropping our cooler in a bear box, we went back to the Old trail and started off towards Cottonwood Lakes. I was feeling good and hardly noticed the altitude. It helps that the trail climbs gently. Eventually, we reached the junction to Muir Lake and headed towards our intended campsite.

Continue reading Cottonwood Lakes Basin Overnight Backpack

View from Gaylor Peak

We spent last Friday through Sunday in the Sierra. There was an overnight backpack in Cottonwood Basin scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, so on Friday morning we decided to do a short acclimation hike somewhere near Tioga Pass (around 10k feet). It was the perfect opportunity to get up a peak I’d been wanting to climb for some time - Gaylor Peak.

Gaylor Peak is a short hike (~1 mile one way) with about 1000 feet of gain. It begins at the Gaylor Lakes trailhead right next to the Tioga Pass entry station for Yosemite National Park. There is trail for half of the approach, and the second half is easy class 1 cross-country from the saddle above Gaylor Lakes. The summit is a nice rocky ridge with plenty of room for people, though we were the only ones up there on Friday morning.

The best part of this hike is the views. The payoff to effort ratio is great - a mere hour’s hike will get you the kind of views that you’d expect from the bigger peaks in the park. The views into the Gaylor and Granite Lakes basin below is expansive and there is a 360 degree view of the peaks of the Yosemite sub-ranges.

Use this hike as a short stretch of the legs when passing through Tioga, or as a warm up hike for one of the bigger peaks like Dana, Conness, or Lyell. It’s so easy I’m surprised there aren’t more people who hike this one. Don’t miss it!

Links

• Pictures from Gaylor Peak
• Summitpost entry for Gaylor Peak
• Track and map from our hike

21st Amendment IPA in Ventana

If you’ve ever spent time around me, you know I love a good beer like a Yosemite bear loves the food in your canister. We brew (well, David brews, I drink) at home in our informally named “Drunken Marmot Brewing Company” (i.e. the garage). Our back yard is turning into a hop farm. One of my personal mantras is ‘the hoppier the better’, so you’ll usually find me with an IPA in hand, though I also enjoy a good wheat brew particularly after a long hot hike.

Our fridge is rarely tainted with the likes of Budweiser or Coors Light. The shelves are densely populated with a variety of craft brews, and I’m not afraid to experiment and buy something random at BevMo simply because I’ve never seen the label before.

Since this is a backpacking blog, I should probably get to the point: what is a beer lover to do when he or she wants a cold one in the backcountry?

Continue reading Backpacking for Beer Snobs

Sorry to be so late on this, but I want to congratulate Kirsten Liske who was the winner of the giveaway. Thanks to everyone for participating - I look forward to doing more of this kind of thing in the future!

Swimming in Sword

On paper, Sword Lake does not fit my definition of a great destination. It is a popular lake, not a place to go for solitude. It’s not above treeline or filled with pristine glacier-fed waters. It is surrounded by forest so the views are minimal. There are mosquitoes and noisy boyscouts. There are no fish. The drive to the trailhead is dusty. The hike is short and unchallenging.

Nevertheless, this is one of the best lakes I’ve backpacked to in the Sierra.

What Sword Lake does have is the best swimming conditions I’ve found. If I’d discovered this lake unspoiled and rarely visited, I’d keep it a secret. However, this is a well known place and there is a lot of information out there (including several YouTube videos and a few mainstream media profiles) so I have no qualms in sharing the details here.

Continue reading Sword Lake, Carson-Iceberg Wilderness