Talusdancers

Storm over Mt. Humphries. August 12, 2004.
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Snag near Lamarck Col. August 11, 2004.
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Near Lamarck Col. August 11, 2004.
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View of Mt. Humphries from near Lamarck Col trail. August 12, 2004.
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Lamarck Col trail, above Upper Lamarck Lake. August 11, 2004.
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Mt. Dana. August 10, 2004.
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Tuolumne Meadows forest at sunset. August 9, 2004.
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Elizabeth Lake. August 9, 2004.
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(Dan’s report on the 2004 Lamarck Col trip.)

***Monday, August 9
- Since this is Dan’s report, we’ll begin with a short recounting of his first day. Leaving the Bay Area fairly early, Dan arrived at Tuolumne Meadows around lunch time and managed to get on the waiting list for a campsite there. After setting up and lazing around a bit, at 4:00 pm was time for a quick hike up the Elizabeth Lake trail. Arriving at the lake fairly quickly, there was time to follow the trail on up to the ridge above the lake, where it crosses through a narrow gap into another drainage.

The fading light on the return hike provide opportunities for interesting photographs of Elizabeth Lake and of the last sun hitting trees above Tuolumne Meadows.

Elizabeth Lake. August 9, 2004.

Tuolumne Meadows forest at sunset. August 9, 2004.

After the photography delays, and despite his best attempts to stickt to a firm turn-around time, Dan arrived back in Tuolumne Meadows after sunset – anticipating this possibility, he had carried a headlamp – and cooked a simple, backcountry barbarian dinner by flashlight.

***Tuesday, August 10

Continuing Dan’s story… After getting up late, there was time to stop for an espresso at Tioga Pass Resort and a side trip out to Saddlebag Lake before descending to Lee Vining and taking Hiway 395 south towards Bishop.

Mt. Dana. August 10, 2004.

Today trip participants (Dan, Owen, Leah, Jeff, Ryan, Kevin) arrived in Bishop from points north and south. Owen was driving in from Tahoe; Dan came from Tuolumne Meadows; the others drove up from Southern California.

Dan and Owen met at Wilson’s Eastside Sports and – since the others were still an hour away – spent some time lusting after backpacking equipmen. Sadly, no purchases were made. This was followed by a visit to the the Galen Rowell Gallery (Mountain Light Gallery) up the street.

Once the others arrived, the first stop was the Bishop ranger station where we picked up wilderness permits, checked the weather report (slight chance – hah! – of a few showers), and asked a few last-minute questions. Continuing our tradition pre-trip routine, we next headed to Von’s to pick up Trailhead Barbecue supplies and then made a stop at Schats for baked goodies. Finished with in-town tasks, we headed up steep Hiway 168 to Four Jeffreys campground to find campsites.

Four Jeffreys may now have only Three Jeffreys judging from the stump behind the information signs at the entrance. In any case, this is a campground that we have used in the past prior to trips in the South Lake/North Lake/Sabrina Lake area. We got a nice spot near the entrance (and the over-zealous campground host) and settled in to prepare our barbecue.

***Wednesday, August 11
- We planned on an early start today and some of us were up before 7:00 am. However, in typical Talusdancers form we didn’t actually finish last-minute packing until hours later. After a quick stop at Aspendell to try to pick up an extra pot we headed up the dirt road to North Lake. We dropped everyone (and gear) off at the road end and then drove back to park the cars at the pack station. After last-minute adjustments we were off.

The goal for the day was the tarn (12,600′) right below 12,880′ Lamarck Col – about 5 miles and 3300′ above the trailhead. While this is not the hardest climb in the Sierra, it is pretty tough. Anytime that you climb more than 3000′ in a day you know it is going to be work.

The trail climbs quite steadly the entire way, with a small almost-level area below Lower Lamarck Lake and a short downhill section after the Lake. We stopped for lunch above Lower Lamarck Lake at the top of a narrow streambed below Upper Lamarck Lake. After lunch we headed up a quite steep and rocky section right above Upper Lamarck Lake, which quickly gains hundreds of feed of elevation and enters the long valley leading up to the Col.

Lamarck Col Trail above Upper Lamarck Lake. August 11, 2004.

From here the climb was overall not extraordinarily steep, but the climb was continuous – and the altitude makes it seem difficult in any case. While a few people can go straight to such elevations without seeming to suffer, normal mortals arriving at 12,000′ from sea-leval (with full packs!) have to slow down a lot!

Snag near Lamarck Col. August 11, 2004.

After the steep, rocky climb above Upper Lamarck Lake the terrain becomes thoroughly alpine with little in the way of plant life (except for some beautiful flowers, including some remarkable columbines) but with spectacular views of desolate, rocky peaks and ridges.

Lamarck Col. August 11, 2004.

We finally arrived at our goal – the small tarn below the snow field leading to the Col – just before dinner time. We set up camp and mostly took it easy as we adjusted to the relative lack of oxygen. That night those of us sleeping in bivy sacks – especially those of us who can’t sleep the first night at elevation – were treated to some spectacular meteors.

***Thursday, August 12
- The plans for the today were not the same for all of us. Ryan and Kevin were heading over the Col into Darwin Canyon to continue on a week-long trip that would take them through Evolution Basin, over Muir Pass into LeConte Canyon, and then out to South Lake via Dusy Basin and Biship Pass.

Ryan and Kevin packing up before crossing the Col. August 12, 2004.

We all joined them for the short climb (over rock and snow) to the Col in the morning. We spent some time there enjoying the spectular views on the other side of the ridge, including surrounding peaks and Darwin Canyon.

Ryan, Leah, and Jeff at Lamarck Col. August 12, 2004.

After wishing them well on their longer trip and watching them depart, the remaining four of us descended back to our tarn campsite.

Ryan and Kevin descending into Darwin Canyon. August 12, 2004.

We spent the rest of the morning in a combination of exploration and camp tasks before beginning our descent to Lower Lamarck Lake around midday.

View of Mt. Humphries from near Lamarck Col. August 12, 2004.

In contrast to the weather report we had seen at the Bishop ranger station a few days ago, we could already seen building clouds and virga by noon – it looked like we might be in for a bit of weather. Sure enough, before long we hear thunder and had to stop to put on pack covers and then rain gear. Although we picked up a bit of light hail and some intermittent raiin, for the most part is wasn’t anything really serious. However, the clouds and virga made for some spectacular scenery – and created a slight sense of urgency about getting to the goal before real rain would begin.

Storm over Mt. Humphries. August 12, 2004.

The weather was still mostly holding as we arrived at Lower Lamarck Lake. Finding that the campsite Owen remembered from a previous trip was no longer available, we found a large on on a bench above the lake and soon had camp set up. Dan debated whether to stay or finishe up the 2.3 mile walk out and get home (for his birthday) a day earlier than planned. After going back and forth for a half hour the decision was to stay.

Lower Lamarck Lake at twilight. August 12, 2004.

The sound of distant thunder and the sight of thickening clouds and rain in the distance compelled us to work quickly. It wasn’t long after we finished out set up (Owen and Dan in bivy sacks; Leah and Jeff in a tent) that the thunderstorm arrived – and we spent most of the next couple of hours alternately listening to the thunder roll around the canyon, dozing off, wondering how strong the wind would become, and working up the initiative to emerge as the storm abated.

Mt. Agassiz, The Inconsolables, and virga at twilight. August 12, 2004.

The storm did mostly clear before sunset and there were some spectacular views to the south (towards Bishop Pass, Mt. Agassiz, The Inconsolables) and the east over Owens Valley. After dinner Dan was treated (one day early) to the traditional Sierra Dan’s Birthday Party – in this case in the form of a chocolate-mint Balance bar with a burning twig stuck in it.

***Friday, August 13
- Dan was up first, and Owen followed shortly. Since Dan had to return to the Bay Area for a 7:00 pm concert, he had to hit the trail first. (For this reason, today’s report from Owen, Leah, and Jeff will have to be written independently.) The short jaunt back to the trailhead could have taken less than an hour, except that there were too many interesting things to photograph.

Trees on the Lamarck Col trail below Lower Lamarck Lake. August 13, 2004.

Flowers near North Lake trailhead. August 13, 2004.

Forest floor near North Lake. August 13, 2004.

As Dan drove north and then west over the Sierra, it was plain that this would be another stormy day on the crest.

- Dan
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Sunset and rocks near Lower Lamarck Lake. August 12, 2004.
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