Sequoia NP Outing

[seabee1999]

Good day to all, my wife will be out of town over the July 25th weekend. I know it's a bit short notice, but if anyone has an interest in joining me and potentially Tim Scott (ScottPhoto) for a weekend of photos and camping please feel free to come along. I am in the process of looking for a campground location but if anyone has a suggestion on where to go please let me know and I'll make the reservations.

I had a great time out with everyone in Lone Pine and would enjoy another outing like that again. Thanks for your time and I hope to see some folks out in the mountains.

R/
Dave

[John Kasaian]

What sort of scenery are you looking for and what kind of vehicle will you be driving?
Mineral King is the bomb when it comes to Sequoia NP but getting there isn't for car-sick prone passengers. OTOH there always seem to be campsites and no crowds.
I'll wave to you from Fresno :(

[seabee1999]

What sort of scenery are you looking for and what kind of vehicle will you be driving?
Mineral King is the bomb when it comes to Sequoia NP but getting there isn't for car-sick prone passengers. OTOH there always seem to be campsites and no crowds.
I'll wave to you from Fresno :(

Thanks for sharing John. Having never been to the area outside of passing through in summer 2012, I don't have an idea of what type of scenery to expect to photograph. If you have insights and locations of where to go that would be helpful. As for my vehicle, I have a Jeep. Getting around would not be difficult. If you are able to join, please come even if it's just for an evening.

R/
Dave

[Andre Noble]

Dave, I would love to join you, but I will probably be on an adventure to Canada, Maine and Upstate NY.

On our May trip to lone pine that Sunday a.m. I did some exploring heading driving 18 miles south along horseshoe Meadow Road (same road as our Tuttle creek camp ground). This awesome drive climbed up 10,000 feet to Last Chance Meadow Research Area (http://alltrails.com/parks/us/california/last-chance-meadow-research-natural-area) which is a starting point for the awesome horseshoe meadow (https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x80c0764fa38fa4c9:0x4cad0b98a15b5783!2m5!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i100!3m1!7e1!4shttp://www.panoramio.com/photo/4786396!5shorseshoe+meadows+-+Google+Search&sa=X&ei=onCHVbK6GJDXoATC5Y_ADw&ved=0CIkBEKIqMA4), and hike to cottonwood lake (http://timberlinetrails.net/LangleyTrail.html).

You might consider re-using the scenic and convenient Tuttle Creek Campground as a base to explore these hiking and photo opportunities via the Last Chance Meadow Research Natural Area parking lot at the end of Horseshoe Meadow Road.

[Matt Stage]

I love Sequoia Park and have spent a fair amount of time there. I once spent a month on a solo hike over some mountains and across the park. Of course I wasn't hauling my 11x14 B&J, film holders and tripod. For a quick weekend trip I also like Mineral King. It is one of the few locations where you can drive up into the heart of the mountains. Sure the 20 mile road to get there is brutal but its absolutely worth the trouble. And there are at least two very nice semi-primitive campsites at the middle and top of the road. Cabins to rent as well. You have the biggest of trees and lush alpine meadows and of course the towering peaks. Did I mention that the flowers should all be in bloom in late July? I'm in.

[Drew Wiley]

Always check immediately in advance with the .gov SEKI (Sequoia-Kings) updates, specifically with respect to forest fires. This will be a bad summer for 'em, they
can happen fast, and even those a considerable distance away can smoke up the hills pretty badly. That Mineral King road is really really really awful. Stay away
from there, or at a minimum, don't publicize the place. Terrible mosquitos too, along with carnivorous deer and sasquatches on drunken rampages.

[Matt Stage]

This is all true and you should mention that the rangers are rude and the marmots are particularly ill-tempered.

[Drew Wiley]

Oh those marmot stories! Another reason never to go there. They are remarkable animals in the sense that they are very difficult to poison. They chew on radiator hoses and swallow PEG, but seemingly aren't affected. Allegedly rattlesnake bites don't do much to them either. Maybe the park personnel are secretly shooting them when nobody is watching, but I haven't seen any of those infamous marmots at the trailheads at all, and the rangers told me they haven't been a
problem in a long time. But the hypothesis is that they miss certain minerals when everything is still mostly covered with snow, and are desperate right after the Spring thaw, so that is when they are most likely to try supplementing their diet with gnawable auto components. Mice do that too; but it's ordinarily fatal to them. The geology up there is unusual for the Sierra - a very complex blend of roof pendant metamorphics with the usual granite, much like Convict Canyon in that respect, but scenically very different. There are many pleasant views on the way up too, if one is not rushed and can tolerate the heat of the lower canyons.
It's the Anti-Yosemite experience - no crowds and friendly rangers.

[seabee1999]

Just wanted to do a quick update. I've been talking with a few folks interested in meeting up over emails. As it looks now, we'll be meeting up at Cold Springs campground in the Mineral King area. I'll be there either evening Thursday or very early morning Friday to secure a campsite. Andre, thank you for suggesting the Meadow Rd area on the Lone Pine side. I will keep it in mind for the fall. Sorry you can't make this trip but I hope you enjoy your time back east. Drew and Matt, thanks for your entertaining conversation and suggestions as well. As it stands, Tim +1, Randy, Dan, Matt and I are heading up that way. We'd enjoy seeing more if you're free to come.

R/
Dave

[ScottPhotoCo]

Looking forward to this! I will learn to make a landscape photo that I am happy with yet! Well, someday hopefully.

Both of our cars are not that back woods friendly (Audi and Nissan), are we going to have issues getting there?

[matthew blais]

I'm considering and will let you know :)

[Drew Wiley]

Only the last few miles of the Mineral King road are gravel; but it's well graded. No problems. The campgrounds are reasonably groomed too. Passenger cars are fine even if they don't give you bragging rights to tall tales. Just beware of the usual rocks and stumps backing up.

[ScottPhotoCo]

Only the last few miles of the Mineral King road are gravel; but it's well graded. No problems. The campgrounds are reasonably groomed too. Passenger cars are fine even if they don't give you bragging rights to tall tales. Just beware of the usual rocks and stumps backing up.

Thank you Drew.

[Matt Stage]

I once drove up to Mineral King on a hot day in a Ford Expedition with no air conditioning or ventilation fan. That was a mistake. It was already hot and miserable by the time I got to Three Rivers. The road up to Mineral King was dusty enough keep the windows up. Getting to the top of the mountain on that road in a hot car with no air was an ordeal. Still infinitely worthwhile. A smaller vehicle would handle the road better, and its nothing a modern passenger car can't handle. My suggestion is that you take a car with well functioning air conditioning.
Also, in late July plan for -- possibly heavy -- afternoon rain showers.

[Drew Wiley]

Feel blessed if there are showers. Good clouds and soft light, then cooling refreshment. Just don't go wandering any significant distance without a raincoat and sweater in your daypack. Last time I was up there two dayhikers lost their life that way - wandered off under one of those immaculately sunny summer mornings and then went hypothermic in the afternoon blizzard. Meanwhile, I was helping search for a third missing hiker, who fortunately was merely lost but otherwise properly geared, so just scared but otherwise OK. Weather can change very very quickly at altitude.

[John Kasaian]

True that. The weather in the mountains, it's been said, is as unpredictable as a baby's bottom.

[Drew Wiley]

Well, John, if anyone does wander uphill much on a weekend without prior acclimatizing, they must be in pretty damn good shape. That gorgeous Mineral King meadow is pretty well boxed in, and even the easier trails are a distinct climb, not to mention the goat paths over steep scree. I started out at 4PM a couple years back during a heavy rainstorm and kept going almost to the top in falling snow and darkness until around 1AM. Barely had time the next morning to make it over the pass before the clouds moved in again and lighting was going crazy all over my tracks just 15 minutes back. It was like that all week. But I ordinarily carry full winter gear in my backpack, and sure needed it. Great fun and a few wonderful shots, but offset by the loss of two lives of dayhikers who got caught slightly uphill unprepared. Timberline starts not very far above Mineral King Valley, so not much natural shelter around. Down on the level, and around the sequoias and campgrounds there is obviously plenty of cover, and plenty to photograph too.

[seabee1999]

Well, we're about 2 weeks out. Just wanted to share I am still planning to be there Friday morning as early as possible to secure a site. Matt Stage shared with me over email he may arrive on Thursday to try a secure a site. Matthew Blais, I saw you were considering driving up to meet us. I hope you are able to. FWIW, I am looking forward to this trip. I hope to see everyone again.

Enjoy,
Dave

[Bill Burk]

Good luck!

It so happens I have to be at a BSA camp on Huntington Lake on the 26th so can't join you.

[ScottPhotoCo]

Dave! Secure a few sites! Rachel and I will be there early afternoon on Friday and I believe that Randy and Daniel are coming as well. :)

[ghostcount]

12 days and counting...

Heading to HF today to grab some tarp for them critters. Apparently, they figured out how to climb over the chicken fence.:eek:

[Bill Burk]

OK I have a tip for those going... Before reaching the top, stop and open the filler cap to relieve the atmospheric pressure that builds up in your gas tank. Or. Don't top off the tank just before heading up (leave a little room for air in the tank). I once had to get a tow truck up there to assist when my carburetor flooded ('84 Honda Accord 4-cylinder).

Over the next few years living in Camp Nelson with that car, the same thing would happen to me when I stopped to pick up my mail... when I had filled up and not opened the gas filler cap. It was a combination of going from sea level to 5,000 feet very quickly, at a steep grade, and then stopping the engine.

The built-up pressure apparently forced gasoline through the jets of the carburetor (or through the charcoal vapor recovery canister - I never really figured out which)... But the carburetor would flood, cylinder walls would get wet with gasoline and wash the oil out of the rings. The engine would "seize" when I tried to crank it over, and I'd have to rock the car back and forth in gear to get the engine to turn over.

After I learned the trick to "not quite fill up" I never had that problem again.

[Bill Burk]

The reason I think it's relevant is that there are not many trips like the road to Mineral King, where you go from sea level to alpine region in such a short time. (Camp Nelson from Porterville is like that too.)

[ScottPhotoCo]

Looking forward to this! Bring warm clothes. It's supposed to be quite cold at night!

Any more word on the "critter" issues?

[Bill Burk]

I've heard last week there were lots of thunderstorms...

[Drew Wiley]

Mineral King valley should be pretty safe. Just have a raincoat and sweater in your pack, and stay away from the middle of the meadow if lighting seems imminent
there. Up on the ridges and passes is a completely different subject. But those are several thousand feet higher. Generally you want to get of out Dodge before
noon. But once the sky starts blackening, look around. Bare prows on slopes with burn marks on the junipers etc is a pretty good indication of a frequent strike zone. The nice thing about Mineral King is that it offers plenty of photographic opportunities without taking chances. That certainly doesn't mean the surrounding
high country isn't tempting. It's magnificent. But monsoonal weather dictates common-sense planning.

[seabee1999]

Well, it's been a bit since I last posted on this thread. I have to say that I had a great time up in Sequoia. The camping was great and the photo ops were many. I didn't take as many images as I had hoped but being up in the mountains with great company was more my goal. I shared with the group that went, even if I hadn't taken a single image, to me the trip was a success because of the folks who came. Each day and evening, there was great conversations about all different subjects. Hopefully we can do something like this again.

For those who did go, remember when I took off very early Saturday morning. I hiked out on one of the trails with my "monster" box. Below is the image I was able to come away with. Enjoy!

R/
Dave

https://seabee1999.smugmug.com/Sequoia-National-Park/i-4tLqz92/0/L/sequoia%20waterfall003-L.jpg

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Dave, nice. Wish June and I could have been there.