Terrible smoke in Yosemite valley from Ferguson fire!

[John Kasaian]

Bears are all over Yosemite Valley right now, according to my sources. People leave, the bears party down!

[Tin Can]

I watched the Hamms ad a zillion time as a child while living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota, we always thought it was about our water.

Right next door is God's Country.

[John Kasaian]

I watched the Hamms ad a zillion time as a child while living in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesota, we always thought it was about our water.

Right next door is God's Country.

God's a Canadian, eh?

[tgtaylor]

The valley is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday but the whole area is too smoky for me. I've been wanting to shoot Tioga Lake with Mt. Conness visible in the distance for a Kallitype print but conditions wont be right for that for some time. The east side is smoked-up: http://www.monolake.org/today/lvcam

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Gosh what a mess. Now the Donnell Fire keeps creeping east and has burnt the entire mountainside right across the road from the Kennedy Mdws resort, which could be next due to all its stressed pine trees. Of course, that's well downhill from the alpine setting of Sonora Pass itself; but the smoke must be awful. The Lions fire on the San Joaquin is hemmed in by relatively bare cliffs now, but it's still generating a ton of thick smoke due to all the creosote in the manzanita etc. We're not alone, Europe is experiencing a heat wave and horrible fires too, clear into Scandinavia - basically a northern hemisphere thing,
with the Jet Stream misbehaving due to the white top of our global picnic box melting away. It's only going to get worse.

[BradS]

Yup, it looks like the Donnell fire is traveling right up the highway. I fear that the Kennedy meadows resort may be gone in the next few days...almost certainly by next weekend. I hope they got all the live stock outta there. I was planning to hike out of Kennedy meadows to the emigrant lakes and Sachese monument in late September...looks like those plans will have to be scuttled. Damn!

[BradS]

Air quality down here in Soulsbyville isn't too bad today.

[Drew Wiley]

There are several other options to get there, Brad. From the east side you can start at Leavitt Mdws and go over Dorothy Pass and adjacent Bond Pass, and drop right down there. Or if you have 4WD, drive to Leavitt Lake and hike the old mining road along the high ridge leading to Emigrant Mdw (but not if a thunderstorm is threatening!). From the west side you can go from the Gianelli Cabin clockwise into the area; or you can do it counterclockwise from the Bell Mdws area. One problem of the western approaches that late in the season is that stream water is spotty and you need to depend mainly on the lakes; or at least carry at 2 canteens. It's somewhat lusher near the crest of the range. A lot of the larger lakes have been artificially elevated with check dams for the sake of fishermen, so you can get "bathtub rings" around them in drier seasons. Not my favorite part of the Sierra; but there is extensive granite slab in the southern half of Emigrant Wilderness, which also is less crowded. Of course, you might know all this already. I've never taken the trail from Kennedy Mdw up past Relief Res, but I've heard it described as a dusty horse trail; and reservoirs are certainly not ideal scenery. It's only a bit shorter distance than other options.

[BradS]

Thanks Drew. The Emigrant and Carson-Iceburg wildernesses are almost in my back yard so I feel somehow obligated to see as much of them as I can while my knees (and ankles) are still good. Of the two, I tend to prefer the Carson-Iceburg but have ventured into the Emigrant a little bit. I used to avoid the Emigrant because the USFS wanted you to pack out **everything** and I don't like packing out the stuff that has been processed though my digestive system. Thankfully, they've relaxed that requirement. I just wanted to get out to the Emigarnt lakes, and possibly as far as snow lake and Bigelow lake...because, I've never been there.

I've day hiked up (and up, and up!) out of Kennedy Meadows, past relief reservoir as far as Lunch Meadow....and yeah, the trail is heavy with mule droppings. Thankfully, mostly dry. There's a robust creek along side the trail and other than the occasional mule train, it is relatively sparsely populated once you get past the reservoir.

My contingency plan right now is to do a clock wise loop / out-and-back from Crabtree or Gianelli. Crabtree is easy and has more parking but, as you probably know, tends to be a zoo. This option looks to be a bit less strenuous than the haul up to relief reservoir from Kennedy meadows. I'm ok with lake water...I've got a filter pump and aqua-pure but, yeah, I'd much prefer the natural spring water that drips off the cliffs to the north.

However, I may have to put off a visit to the emigrant lakes for another year. I'm not sure what the air quality will be...the Donnell fire will likely still be burning into September. I don't think they're fighting it. My understanding is that, virtually all fire fighting personnel are otherwise occupied elsewhere....there was a town hall meeting on the subject last week but, I was not able to attend.

Driving all the way around and coming up from the East side, dropping in from Leavitt meadow is an intersting idea...I'd blow the better part of a day driving though...hmmm....will have to look at that.

[Sal Santamaura]

...It's only going to get worse.

I nominate this for an "understatement of the century" award.