Desolation Southern part done, on tp northern part

A bit sooner than expected, probably mainly because last forecast i heard before setting out predicted ridgetop gusts up to 110mph, and it was indeed quite windy. But there,s also a longer story involved, that I'll tell once i am able to use regular keyboard eager than this one-finger smartphone one.

still on track to do Echo Lake to Eagle Falls beginning tomorrow. Did short hike today.

Did a very short 2mile piece of PCT between hwy 50 and echo lake - bicycled down from  the lake to the hwy, then hiked back up.  Hardly worth the effort but had some time to kill today waiting for the weekend when can catch the Trolley to Eagle Falls and hike back to my car at Echo Lake. Also, when I do get another opportunity to do the "big loop" south of hwy 50 from Tuolumne, some time next year, I can "stop" at hwy 50 rather than going another two miles up to Echo Lake.  whatever...

One note about that Trolley. I called today to verify it will run tomorrow and learned that during the summer, it runs all the way up the west shore to Tahoe City.  From my earlier posts you can see that I've been trying to find a way between those two ends.  Not a clue that there was that connection during summer months.  Not quite sure when they stopped running - must have been before the equinox because I was looking before then.

so now what? Desolation Wilderness next..

I think I will now do the Desolation Wilderness portion of the PCT west of lake Tahoe, between Echo Summit and Barker Pass.  I'll do this in two parts, similar to how I did the northern Tahoe section , though the bicycle loop-back will be a bit more strenuous and perhaps risky on a shoulderless road for 10 miles between Tahoma and the Eagle Falls trailhead.

I'll be able to take advantage of the "Trolley" that still runs weekends and goes from S. Lk Tahoe to Eagle Falls, so for the southern part of this I'll leave car at Echo Summit, bicycle down to the "Y" in S.Lk.Tahoe, take the Trolley, hike up to the PCT then south to the car.

For the northern part, Ill park car at Barker Pass, bicycle down to the Tahoe lake shore and south and along the ten miles of shoulderless road. (or maybe just halfway through that section, to DL Bliss State Park, where there's a foot path for about 5 miles to Eagle Falls.  Then again up to PCT then north to car.

roughly two or three days hiking each portion.

Timing-wise, I'll probably start Saturday morning to catch the weekend Trolley first.  Should be done with both by next weekend.

Then on north to either tackle the hwy 80 Donner Summit to hwy 49 Sierra City section, or further north, the Quincy-LaPorte Rd to Hwy 70 Beleden section, and then maybe Belden to Lassen.  For the latter I think I can put together a set of bike/bus loopbacks, but for the other two sections I'll probably have to scrounge up some car-shuttle help, though a partial bike-down & get picked up by 2nd car may avoid some excess driving.

ALMOST headed for Tuolumne following last-minute modified plan

This morning I was still thinking as follows:.

So it's too late to execute the previously described plan.  Have concocted a last minute variation. It's a bit scaary mainly due to not having a clue on the weather two weeks in the future. Anyway, I could:

Do the bus trip S.Lk Tahoe to Lee Vining NOW (start this afternoon by 4pm or early tomorrow morning by 7:AM.)  I would: Leave my backpack at the Tahoe Valley Campground near the "Y" in S.Lk.Tahoe,  leave my car at Echo Summit (rather than Sonora Pass) and Bicycle down to the TVCG. Overnight at the campground (unless I'm there and "ready to go" by 5pm today which seems unlikely.)  Friday morning, take the 7:15AM "50" bus from the "Y" to the east end of town (Stateline or Kingsbury Transit Centers), catch the "20X" from there over the hwy 207 Kingsbury Grade to Gardnerville on 395 in Nv.  Hang around there from 10am til 2:55 PM when I catch the ESTA Reno-to-LonePine bus to Lee Vining (I've called to verify it's still running, and the driver will be expecting me there in Gardnerville) arriving in Lee Vining at 4:50.  There's a campground in town I would stay the night.  Saturday morning, I'd catch the YARTS bus from Lee Vining to Tuolumne Mdws.


Called to verify YARTS is running from the Lee Vining side, and learned incidentally that the west side YARTS bus (from Merced) runs year-round.  Hmm... So maybe I could still  beyond this weekend take Amtrak from Truckee to Merced then YARTS into the valley, then the free Yosemite shuttle to Tuolumne - if that was still running...  More calls and NO, the free shuttle has stopped running, so no way to get to Tuolumne by transit from the west.  Also, I learned that everything except the ranger station at Tuolumne is closed: store, campgrounds, lodge.  Hmm...

I went food shopping, filled the bear canister, added my tent to stuff in my backpack, verified my camera batteries are charged, etc, stuffed still dirty closes into pack (hoped to still do laundry tonight)  ...and then realized the campground closed at 4pm and I would need to leave my backpack there before driving up to Echo Summit and bicycling back down before dark.

Would need to commit immediately.

I just wasn't sure yet, and wasn't sure I would be ready within the next few minutes, without forgetting something important for a two week backpack..

So,  No Go!  

It's possible! The "big loop" between Tuolumne and Hwy 50, via Carson City by bike and bus

This is sort of my Holy Grail of a PCT section hike...

As you recall, the Rim fire scorched the possibility of hiking the section between Tuolumne and Hwy 50 in two steps, first from Sonora Pass (where I'd leave my car) north to hwy 50 (or just short of there at Carson Pass) where my friend Sandy would pick me up on her way to Las Vegas via her planned layover in the Mono lake area, where she could drop me off at Lee Vining where I would catch the YARTS shuttle up to Tuolumne, where I would hike north back to my car at Sonora Pass.

Well, then there seemed to be a second chance to do this in conjunction with a vaguely possible 2nd Camping trip lead by Peter W to the Mono Lake area, but that possibility has kind of faded due to lack of other potential camping participants with time on their hands, and then Peter became busy with new contract work.

I had been ready to settle on the "smaller" loop - bicycling down Sonora Pass east to 395 then south with a long-ish uphill to Bridgeport where I'd catch ESTA's Reno-to-Bishop "airport" shuttle one stop south to Lee Vining, where I'd have to overnight to catch the YARTS bus up to Tuolumne, before hiking for a week back to my car.  This would leave the section between Sonora north with no easy loop back possibilities, so might require a second car (and both would have to drive the steep hwy 108 to/from Sonora Pass, though I could bicycle down to the Kennedy Meadows resort just west of the pass so the pickup vehicle could avoid the steepest grade.)

Meanwhile, I had also been trying to find an alternative way around bicycling the dangerous and strenuous section of hwy 89 in the Emerald Bay area to complete the section of trail through the Desolation Wilderness south of Barker Pass, which is not serviced completely by either of the two transit systems in the Lake Tahoe area: TART on the north services only between Tahoma on the southwest to Truckee on the north, while Blue Go's Nifty Fifty Trolly's northernmost stop is at Eagle Falls, leaving a 10 mile gap that unfortunately coincides with the only section of the West shore that has no bike path, and instead is a hilly windy narrow but busy road (Route 89) that the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition designates as "CAUTION - Little or No Shoulder Widths" on their Lake Tahoe Bikway Map.  So I've been looking at a bus connection all the way around the east side of the lake.

Google maps directions does not reveal any public transit connection between the north and south sides of the lake.  It does show a $45 connection via North lake Tahoe Express to the Reno airport from either Truckee or Squaw Valley, and then either RTC-Ride's INTC bus or ESTA's Reno-to-Lone Pine bus from Reno to Carson City.  Google maps doesn't show a connection between Reno and South Lake Tahoe nor between Carson City and S. Lk Tahoe.  But wandering around the BlueGo website (S.Lk.Tahoes bus system) I discovered this: http://www.tahoetransportation.org/images/assets/transit/valleyandlakebluego.jpg  which does show routes to Carson City.  Haven't yet sorted that all out, but it looks like I could connect those 10 miles via probably a half dozen transfers, some walking, and half a hundred dollars.

But also, that link shows a more direct connection between S.Lk.Tahoe and ESTA's Reno-to-LonePine bus that I was thinking to catch from Bridgeport after a long bike ride from Sonora Pass, to ultimately connect with YARTS to Tuolumne in Lee Vining.  The connection would be from Gardnerville which is on 395 a bit south of Carson City at the east end of hwy 207 Kingsbury Grade Rd from Stateline S. Lk Tahoe. Trouble is, it would probably be about two overnights due to the unfortunate connection timings.  Working backwards, the YARTS bus leaves in the morning from Lee Vining but ESTA's Reno-LonePine bus arrives at Lee Vining around 5:30 the previous evening.  That bus leaves Gardnerville Lampe Park at 2:55pm. But the Eastbound 20x BLueGo bus arrives Gardnerville at 9:40 in the morning. (The next one is an evening bus arriving at 4:45 which would mean a layover in Gardnerville.)  But the morning 20x leaves the Stateline Transit center at 8:35. To catch that I'd need to take the route 50 BlueGo bus that arrives an hour earlier, at 7:35, which leaves the "Y" transit center (west side S.LkTahoe) at 7:15AM.  To get to the "Y" I'd have to bicycle down Hwy 50 from Echo Summit where the PCT crosses (or hitchhike down)  about an hour earlier, at sunrise or before.

Not likely, so I'd be descending the previous day and probably booking a hotel room or campground with showers & power (will have to recharge my camera batteries and copy photo's - oh, so I'll need to backpack with my small eeePC netbook along) in S Lk Tahoe.  Also to resupply food. Then board the buses next morning.  Or do the layover in Gardnerville.  Either way, two overnights in "towns".  Expensive.  But possible!  (Probably good that I'll have three places to "wait" - three opportunities to finish charging batteries, copying photos, and resupplying food.)

One other complication.  I'd have my backpack with me bicycling down hwy 50 from Echo Summit, and will need to have my bear canister for the Tuolumne-Sonora section. The canister is optional north of Sonora, and I'd rather not for the Sonora to Echo section. So I might want to stash it somewhere at S.LkTahoe or Lee Vining.  If at Lee Vining, whould mean more driving.  Will need to find a place in S.Lk Tahoe.  Could leave my EeePC hidden in it.

So, this should be my "next step".  It's about a two-week commitment only the first week of which I'd have a clue about the weather.  The longer I wait, the less daylight, more likelihood of inclement weather.   The other sections still on my agenda this fall: Desolation Wilderness from Hwy 50 Echo Summit to Barker Pass, Donner Summit at hwy 80 to hwy 49 near Sierra City, and from the Quincy-LaPorte road to Belden on hwy 70, are shorter hikes so I can choose the timing between storms more easily.

Likely I would try these in the order mentioned.  Since I've already been researching in detail (and have discussed above) the logistics of the section south of Barker Pass, let me just dwell on that just a bit further here:  the "long way round the lake" showing itself to be absurd to avoid a 10 mile gap, I think maybe I can instead venture a few miles south with my bicycle on that 10 mile gap to, say, the D.L. Bliss State Park (thay I stopped at for a shower and short hike the other day.) There is a foot path that goes from there to Eagle Falls. I could hike the Eagle trail up from there past Eagle Lake to the PCT and hike north to my car at Barker Pass, then do the southern half of the Desolation Wilderness by parking car at Echo Summit, bicycling down hwy 50 to S.LkTahoe, take the Trolley to Eagle Falls, again take the Eagle Lake trail up to the PCT then south to the car.

Anyway, my picts are now backed up and the storm today turned out to be a dud and the upcoming forecast calls for a week of sunshine at least.  I should get going.

Indeed I should get moving - just looked at the date.  End of month is approaching too fast!  I may NOT be able to get to Lee Vining in time to catch the last Yarts bus this year!  Oh no! This may have to wait til next year!

PCT: Tahoe area hike-bike loops with some snow and Ironman race mixed-in

Oops - though I posted this already...

I know I know, missing lots of updates since my last post - I have some drafts hidden but need to clean them up and fill in missing details before publishing them.  My intent is to post this today ( a brief rainy day) and save the otehr unfinished business for a some longer rainy spell.

Meanwhile... 

Last Friday I completed a nice three-day loop between Donner Pass and Alpine Meadows (Five-lakes trailhead.) As usual, I'm consuming a disproportional amt of gas investigating and then setting myself up for this: Started on Wednesday about mid-morning (taking a bit too long to pack my pack...) 

a night Wednesday first stash my backpasck at the Five Lakes trailhead, then park my car at Donner Pass (where the trail crosses hwy 40.)  Then a nice bicycle ride down past Donner Lake and down hwy 89 (I guess it's south but a bit more up than down, nothing significant) to the Alpine Meadows Road intersection, where I took about an hour break at the Crest Cafe (had an ice tea and two water refills) before the final two mile uphill to the Five Lakes trailhead, where I swapped my bike for my backpack.  Hiked up - stopping at two of the five lakes, and on a few more miles til dark, camping relatively low-down before the gradual climb up to Granite chief.  e 

Next day (Thursday) I took the short detour up Granite Chief, and continued through to the shoulder right next to Tinker's Knob.  The wind from the upcoming cold front was just beginning to pick up, and I was camped in a small grove of trees at the ridgeline, so it was a bit of a windy night, but it was the perfect spot to catch the last rays of sunset on the ridge, and the first rays of sunrise to wake and warm me up the next morning.  Did the early climb up Tinker's Knob (a vertigo-inducing rugged volcanic plug) with very blusterry winds adding to the excitement.  Fought the wind all that day hiking along the crest of a long volcanic ridge, underscoring why all the plants at ridgetop were all tightly hugging the ashey gravel or snuggly huddled within protected nooks of the basalt outcropps alternating with cobbly conglomerate.) I also took the Mt Judah loop detour, and climbed Donner Peak, with it's photogenic cedars against blocky granite (with rock-climbing bolts littering the top.)  Made  it back to Hwy 40 by 6pm, stopped at the McD's at the hwy 89/80 interchange to check the weatehr and promptly drove south to fetch my bike, before returning to overnight at the north side of the Boreal Ski Area interchange off of hwy 80, checking out my tent that I had newly retrieved from storage lsst time I was in Santa Rosa.

Spent some time back at the McD's this  morning, (with heavey rain outside, maybe snow above 7000ft)  then headed south to Tahoe City, stopping at the Visitor Center, where I learned the details of the road closures to be expected for the Ironman Race tomorrow. I'll be able to bicycle on the road but not the bike trail along the section of hwy 89 north of Tahoe City, which is part of the races bike-loop, then part of the run. 

I'm planning to stash my backpack tonight at Alpine Meadows (securely wrapped in garbage bags from the rain expected to end by midnight.  I'll park my car at Barker Pass, then hopefully very early in the morning, bicycle to Tahoe city, then decide whether it's still early enough to catch the tail end of the swim portion of the race at the east side of Tahoe City, before continuing on to Alpine Meadows.  I'll probably have enough time to make it up to the Five Lakes where I'll probably camp nearby, maybe exploring the other three lakes the next morning before continuing south on the PCT back to my car, probably two days hence, the last day of which may also is forecast to be rainy/snowy.

In my plans beyond this loop, I'm still holding out hope to somehow resume my "main hike" from Tuolumne Meadows. to take advantage of YARTS, I will need to do this before the end of this month, since YARTS stops running at the end of the month.  But there also may be an outside chance I may be able to "leverage" "a friend's" possible camping trip to the Mono Lake/Eastern Sierra in early October if that friend plans to return via hwy 120.  In that case I may even be able to first hike from Sonora Pass to Carson Pass or Echo Summit, camping in the Eastern Sierra a few days before getting dropped off at Tuolumne Meadows.  Of course I'll be trying to divine the long-term weather and/or be prepared for rain/snow/wind during a 7 day hike Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass, possibly preceeded by a four or so day Sonora to Carson or Echo Pass hike with a few days camping somewhere in in Eastern Sierra inbetween. so, a two week weatehr-prediction challenge.   And, though I've been able to leave my bear canister behind for the last few weeks hiking north of Sonora Pass, I'll need to pack the canister for the Tuolumne/Sonora section.  Should be fun putting together all the logistics...   

       

nearly a week hacking my web site, not much else accomplished

So I've just converted my Muddyknees gallery site to Smugmug's new system - lots of new features to learn about that I've spent the last few days exploring.  Still a bit rough but I'll need to put off further tinkering on that til this winter.  NO NEW Picts have been uploaded, sorry to say.  Still need to get the mapping feature to work for picts with geodata embedded. This was not very well implemented on the old system (in my opinion) and apparently barely working at all on the new right now, and not much expectation for near-term improvements, so I'll just wait and see.

I expect to leave SR tomorrow for the Tahoe area to squeeze in some hiking before the rains start, between Desolation Wilderness and Donner Pass, that I can spit up into two three-or-so day segments with bicycle loop-backacks to the same trailhead near the Alpine Meadows ski area.  I would first be leaving my pack at the "Five Lakes" trailhead at Alpine, then leave my car at Donner Summit and bicycle down past Donner Lake and then south on hwy 89 back to Alpine.  The "last Mile" at Alpine to reach the trailhead is steeply uphill so I may leave my bike somewhere near hwy 89 and just walk the grade to my backpack.  The PCT is on the ridge above Five Lakes, I would be heading north on the PCT.  Once I'm back at my car I'll replenish food & charge camera batteries etc & drop pack off again at that Alpine TH, then leave my car at the Barker Pass PCT trailhead south of there, then bicycle down from Barker Pass to hwy 89 north along the lake through Tahoe City then west to Alpine. Take the same Five Lakes trail up to the PCT then head south back to my car.

This may be the last "easy" bicycle loopback for me.  I'm still contemplating doing the Sonora Pass to Bridgeport bicycle route involving some serious uphill on 395, but I'll also need to verify the two bus lines I'll need to take still run this late in the season - the afternoon Reno-to-Bishop shuttle from Bridgeport to Lee Vining, and the morning YARTS from Lee Vining to Tuolumne Meadows.