A HIGH SIERRA ADVENTURE

By Bill Breakstone, August 17, 2010

INTRODUCTION

Since my youngest days, I have always been drawn to the mountains, whether they were in the northeast, the Rocky Mountains, or in Europe. There is just a magnificence in the high alpine surroundings that is incomparable for one, like myself, who grew up in an urban setting like Manhattan. As a young teenager, I shared a summer-long road trip with my family across America, with stays in several National Parks, including Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. That was over half a century ago. Last summer, I added Glacier National Park in Montana to the list. This year, I planned a tour of the High Sierra, including a re-visit to Yosemite, and the other National Parks in Eastern California on the Sierra Crest.

This past winter, the PBS Network presented the newest film by Ken Burns, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” It was a wonderful six-part series that traced the history of our National Park System, and how important it was, and is, in conserving our Nation’s environmental treasures, and making them available to the peoples of our country and the world. It was only fitting that on the long flight out to California, a portion of that documentary was available on the plane’s DVD system, and I chose to watch that two-hour segment. It was a perfect prelude to the tour I had planned.

This trip was a solo adventure. I’m sure there are some who would question why anyone would undertake a two-week excursion such as this without a travel mate to enjoy it with; and there were nights when a warm body beside me would have been more than welcome. On the other hand, being on one’s own allowed a freedom of choice that would have been compromised in the presence of a partner. There were no arguments on when to arise and start the day; how far to drive before taking a break for rest or lunch; or when to push on for the next view of that canyon or waterfall.

A tour such as I had in mind requires some detailed advanced planning. Lodging during the summer months in our National Parks is almost impossible to come by on short notice. Thus, at least a four-month lead-time is a minimum requirement. Our National Parks are administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a division of the U. S. Department of the Interior. Ranger Stations are located at each, and in towns along the way that serve those who wish to make use of the National Forests for camping or just plain sightseeing. They are a good place to visit before venturing further, and the personnel who staff them are always more than helpful in answering questions, issuing camping permits, or suggesting itineraries within the Parks and Forests.


YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The Nation’s first National Park was Yosemite, and it is the closest and most convenient to the “San Francisco Gateway.” It is also within a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, which makes it the most accessible National Park to major population centers in California, and the international transportation hubs that serve the West Coast from Asian originations. It’s accessibility results in an enormous popularity, which in turn equates to overcrowding, that is hard to imagine given its awe-inspiring natural beauty. There are no restrictions for vehicle entry to the Valley, and mid-day traffic is similar to what one would expect in a major urban setting. There are just too many people in too small a geographic area.

The Yosemite Valley lies at an elevation of 4,000 feet above sea level, and the surrounding cliffs rise another 3,500 feet. The grandeur of the surroundings are awe-inspiring from the Valley floor, but an equally impressive perspective is available from the canyon’s rim, especially from the overlook at Glacier Point, at close to 8,000 feet of elevation. From there, one can look down at the Valley floor, but also up at the high peaks of the Sierra Crest some 50 miles to the east and at elevations of 13,00 feet and higher.

The combined natural forces of plate tectonics, volcanism, and glaciation created Yosemite. Millions of years ago, the Pacific Plate subducted under its Continental counterpart, releasing an uplifting that resulted in the Sierra rift. During the most recent ice age, glaciers then descended to a geographic location some 200 miles to the south of Yosemite, covering the alpine valleys from the high Sierra down to the valley floor. As the glaciers moved to lower elevations, they carved the cliff walls, and as they receded, they carved the sidewalls further and left what are called moraines in the valley, damming the river flows and creating a large lake that filled the Valley. Over time, the terminal moraine at the Valley gates was penetrated by both natural and man-made forces, draining the Valley of its lake and leaving the meadows that we see today at the base of the 3,000+ foot cliffs of El Capitan and its neighbors.

The resultant landscape almost defies human comprehension. The dimensions are just too extreme. But as much as those are unimaginable, the size of the forces that created them is even more so. The plate movement that created the uplift consisted of a combination of rock and molten lava that was in the neighborhood of five miles in depth, or over 25,000 feet, some six times as great as the difference between the elevations of the present valley floor and the valley rim. That is truly hard for mortals like us to comprehend.

In addition to the immensity of the valley landscape, another natural feature that adds to the impression are the numerous waterfalls that dot both the lower and upper valleys of Yosemite. Three are visible from the Valley floor: upper and lower Yosemite Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. From Glacier Point, three others are visible: Illilouette Falls, that drains its namesake creek down into the Merced River, and Nevada and Vernal Falls, on the Merced proper.

Lodging in Yosemite is unconscionably expensive. The Forest Service manages the natural environment, but subcontracts the lodging, food and touring concessions to a private corporate entity, in this case the Delaware North Corporation. This for-profit organization charges what the traffic will bear, and since the traffic is so great, the lodging fees are commensurate with that great volume. My stay the first night was in an annex to a hotel that dated back to the early 1920s. It was no Ritz Carlton! There was no bathroom; showers were in a communal bath that served the dozen or so rooms in the annex. The cost of that room was over $200.00 per night. I was forced to spend my second night in a tent with a wooden floor, one light bulb, and two blankets for the single bed cot, and it was darned cold that night; I ended up sleeping in my clothes, and had to walk some 300 yards to the communal showers in the morning. That night cost me $130.00! Without doubt, the greatest lodging rip-off I had ever experienced.

An alternative would have been the magnificent Ahwahnee Lodge, one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner there, and a most civilized breakfast the following morning. The overnight fee at Ahwahnee ran $575.00, making The Ritz Carlton in San Francisco pale by comparison.

Yosemite also includes the first of the Giant Sequoia groves located in the Sierra, the Mariposa Grove. These magnificent behemoths rise to over 250 feet in height, 25+ feet in diameter, and are close to 3,000 years old. Standing at their base, it is really hard to imagine how nature created such beauty.

If one is travelling to the eastern side of the Sierra from the Yosemite Valley, the only route of choice is Tioga Pass Road, which runs up and along the north rim of the Valley, eventually reaching an elevation of 9,500 feet before descending to Mono Lake and the Owens River Valley to the east. Before the descent, one drives through the beautiful Toulumne Meadows at the headwaters of the Toulumne River, which parallels the Merced River as both head down water to California’s Central Valley.

Before describing my next destination, a word would be appropriate concerning the alternatives facing the Forest Service in its future management of the Yosemite Valley. As any viewer of Ken Burns’ documentary will appreciate, our National Parks serve a dual purpose. They were created to preserve natural beauty, conserving our Nation’s natural and irreplaceable physical assets on the one hand; on the other, they are there for the enjoyment and appreciation of our citizens, who as Burns says are their actual owners. Thus the issue is accessibility.

However, even the most ardent conservationists over the past 100+ years since the founding of our Park System have acknowledged that there are limits to the degree of that accessibility. Is it in keeping with the nature of these natural wonders to have their beauty despoiled by crowds that turn them into miniature “Times Squares” of traffic congestion? Or should limits be placed upon usage? I spoke with several Park Rangers about this dilemma, and all agreed that something needs to be done. But none looked forward to making that final determination.

The answer lies in limiting the number of vehicles that have access to Yosemite. If private vehicles and tour busses would have to park off-site and transfer passengers onto shuttle buses for access to the Park, congestion would be greatly reduced. But such a solution would be fought tooth and nail by the Park’s concessionaire, whose profit would be detrimentally affected. These are hard choices, but sooner or later, the issue will have to be addressed.


THE EASTERN SIERRA—AN OVERVIEW

As one drives from the San Francisco Bay area to the Central Valley, the physical environment changes dramatically. Before entering the San Joaquin watershed, one passes over an arid, almost burned out foothill area. Then the traveler enters the lush growing area of what many call the Nation’s breadbasket—a long and wide valley that produces much of our produce that ships throughout America and supplies our supermarkets with fresh produce. The gradual ascent into the western Sierra passes through increasing stands of conifers into a high, relatively dry, but still non-arid landscape.

The descent to the eastern Sierra and the Long and Owens River Valleys brings the traveler into another climate entirely. These valley floors are semi-arid, almost desert like in summer. What water exists, and there was plenty of it with the immense amount of winter snows, has been diverted through canals and aqueducts over the past 80 years to the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, leaving much of the valleys high and dry. At the northern extremity lies Mono Lake, which until three years ago sat half empty; at the southern end is Lake Owens, which as of last week is nothing more than a dry lakebed.

In 2007, the eastern Sierra counties sued the State of California, demanding that a good portion of the water being diverted to Los Angeles be restored to the originating valleys. The courts ruled in favor of these local municipalities, and the water levels in that part of California are slowly being restored.


MAMMOTH LAKES

Mammoth is a destination ski resort in winter, and a recreational play land in the summer months. This past ski season lasted until July 5th, as the area received a record amount of snow and colder than normal temperatures. It is unheard of for a season to last that long. My home mountain out west is Aspen, where the season ends on or about April 10th.

The town of Mammoth Lakes is located but 5 miles from the base of the mountain, and it has undergone a modernization over the past decade which has brought it up to speed with the Nation’s best resorts, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale than Aspen or Vail. The base altitude is at 7,500 feet, and several medium-sized lakes are within a few minutes drive from the town.

The ski gondola operates during the summer months, and the ride up to the top, at 11,200 feet, is breathtaking, providing views to the north up to Mono Lake, and to the Sierra Crest to the west with peaks up to 13,600 feet. Just west of the mountain is the Upper San Joaquin River Valley, and the Devil’s Postpile National Monument. A stranger geologic site is hard to imagine. It was created by a lava eruption, followed by cooling and cracking, thus forming hexagonal columns which were exposed some 15,000 years ago when a glacier flowed down the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and overrode the fractured mass of lava. The moving ice carved away one side of the postpile, exposing a sheer wall of columns 60 feet high.

A two mile hike downstream leads to Rainbow Falls, a 100-foot waterfall on the San Joaquin River. The hike was a bit
too strenuous for this adventurer at the 7,600-foot elevation; thus I reluctantly passed.

The restaurants in Mammoth were varied, delicious, affordable, and a great place to meet and mingle with locals. The two where I had dinners offered Happy Hours from 5 to 6:30 PM, when the food and drink were 50% off. I met a lovely couple at Whiskey Creek, proprietors of a local Austrian-style lodge, with whom I enjoyed a convivial 90-minutes. The next evening was spent at Roberto’s, another local hangout featuring Tex-Mex cuisine; best enchiladas I ever had.


BISHOP

A half hour drive to the south of Mammoth lies the town of Bishop, largest of those that are located on US 395 to the east of the Sierra Crest in the Owens River Valley. On the drive down, I made a quick stop at Hot Creek Mineral Springs, some 3 miles east of US 395 into the Valley. Hot Creek lies at the bottom of an ancient caldera, the scene millions of years ago of a titanic volcanic eruption. The underlying molten core of the volcano is still active, some 5 miles below the surface, and here a vent exists that brings the super-heated steam to the surface turning the otherwise cool waters of Hot Creek into liquid too dangerous for humans or animals to enter.

All but one of the 14,000+ peaks in this part of California are located along the Sierra Crest, just to the west of US 395. The exception is White Mountain Peak, at 14,246 feet the third highest in elevation of the region, and the monarch of the White Mountains. It is located some 12 miles to the north of Bishop and about 15 miles to the east of the Sierra Crest at the eastern end of the Owens River Valley. Its slopes are more or less devoid of vegetation, as the climate is high desert compared to the coniferous forests of the Sierra Foothills.

Some 10 miles to the south of White Mountain Peak, also in the White Mountains, is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, yet another National Monument, this one located at an elevation of 10,000 feet. The drive up to this Forest is an adventure unto itself, as the roads are narrow, winding, and perched at the precipice of a 5,000-foot drop to the Owens Valley floor, with NO guardrails as protection.

These conifers are far different from the giant sequoias. They thrive in the high desert environment, on soil that is highly alkaline in nature, and in an area that receives very little participation during the spring and summer months. They are also the oldest living things in existence on the planet, some over 5,500 years of age. Whereas the sequoias grow to between 270 feet to 350 feet in height, these ancients are no more than 35 feet. The Park Rangers at the Forest give guided walking tours amongst these trees; the one I was with took a core sample of a tree that was relatively young—
only 500 years old. When examining the sample, one could see the age lines within the core and smell the extremely tannic nature of the wood.

Immediately to the west of Bishop is California Highway 168, a recently upgraded two-lane highway that leads 12 miles up the Bishop Creek Valley to Sabrina Lake at an elevation of 9,500 feet. Surrounded by 13,500-foot peaks, this rather large water body is as picturesque as any found in the high alpine settings of Switzerland. The Lake itself is man-made.

A dam at the southern end funnels the torrents to a hydroelectric plant that supplies electricity to Bishop and its environs.

At roads end is found a modest restaurant and marina where one can enjoy a lunch on the deck overlooking the Lake (as I did), or rent a powerboat for a half day excursion on these beautiful waters.

A one-block walk from my hotel in downtown Bishop is a branch of one of the restaurants where I dined in Mammoth, namely, Whiskey Creek. Much less crowded, it was a pleasant spot for liquid refreshments, after which I made a beeline to KFC for some delicious fried chicken.


ROCK CREEK PACK STATION

Ten miles north of Bishop is Rock Creek Canyon. A 12-mile drive up the Canyon, to the east of US 395, leads to Rock Creek Lake and the Rock Creek Pack Station. After a quick breakfast, I made the 40-minute drive to the Pack Station for my long-planned day on horseback in the High Sierra. The Station sits at 9,500 ft. in elevation, and the trails are mostly uphill from there.

I was assigned my companion cowboy, “Red,” an out-of-work Missouri native earning some spare change running pack trips to high-country overnight camping sites in the adjacent valleys and high alpine meadows. We had two pack mules in tow, loaded with supplies for overnighters on nearby Hilton Lakes, at the head of a beautiful alpine valley approximately five miles to the northeast at 10,500 feet in elevation.

Although it had been many years since I sat in a saddle, I had many, many years of equestrian experience, almost all on thoroughbreds or mixed breeds experienced in foxhunting, cross-country trail riding, three-day eventing and equitation competition. I was as comfortable on horseback as driving a car or riding on a bicycle. Riding in a western saddle is quite different, but I did have some experience there, and the differences of managing a “western trained” horse was certainly not an impediment.

Before mounting my stead, a 15-3/4 hand handsome pinto named “Shamoo,” I asked Red if anyone had a spare pair of chaps. None were to be found, so off we went, me in my dungarees and boots. The trail up and over the ridgelines was narrow, extremely rocky, and very dusty. I was at the tail end of our four animal caravan, and the ride proved more of an uncomfortable endurance test than a scenic high-alpine sightseeing excursion. It was four hours out, and three-and-a-half hours back to the Pack Station.

As I write this piece, a week has elapsed since the ride, and I am still feeling the results. I now know what saddle sores are all about! Those chaps would have come in real handy, and prevented the discomfort that I will no doubt continue to experience for another two weeks or so. It was nice to be back in the saddle again, but I think I can pass on future pack rides in high alpine settings in the future.


LONE PINE AND THE WHITNEY PORTAL

Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the continental United States, at an elevation of 14,495 feet. It is located near the southern end of the Sierra Crest, just 9 miles to the west of U.S. 395 and the small town of Lone Pine. I stayed overnight at a relatively new Comfort Inn that was very comfortable and attended by excellent and courteous staff. They recommended two restaurants for dinner, and I chose “The Seasons,” as its menu looked quite appealing. Now, Lone Pine is no bustling resort location. Most visitors to the Mt. Whitney area are back packers who will spend several days hiking the trails up to its summit. No fancy folk there.

It thus came as an unexpected surprise to find a most sophisticated clientele at “The Seasons.” These were no local hicks, but a grouping of well-off businessmen and businesswomen and their families, obviously from urban environments. I enjoyed a cocktail at the bar, then a rather wonderful dinner in the dining room. It being fairly early, I retreated back to the bar for a nightcap and some stimulating conversation with my fellow bar mates, including an economics professor from USC, who had unfortunately just been diagnosed with cancer and was justifiably quite concerned about his future prospects. They were regulars at this restaurant, stopping off frequently on their drive to and from the Reno area far to the north; and they absolutely loved the area. To my right sat a lovely lady doctor from Germany, a lone traveler like myself, who was enjoying a three-week visit to the western states. All of us enjoyed a good 90 minutes of enlivened conversation before calling it a night.

The most demanding drive of the 12-day trip awaited me the following morning. It would be six hours on the road, first south on U.S. 395 and CA 14 to the southern terminus of the Sierra Crest, then west over the Sierra foothills to Lake Isabella and then Bakersfield in the Central Valley, subsequently north on CA 99 up to Fresno, then east back into the Sierra and Kings Canyon National Park. But first the mountains called and I drove from Lone Pine up to Whitney Portal at the foot of the 14,5000 foot peak. The two-lane highway gained some 3,ooo feet in elevation from the 4,000-foot valley floor, with Mt. Whitney’s towering peaks just to the west. A lone coyote, rather sickly looking, was resting on the road as I drove by. The campgrounds at the Portal were crowded with hikers about to set out on their climbs to the summit. There was not much to do at the Portal except browse through the general store and stop and admire the waterfall nearby. Then it was off on the long cross-country drive.

On the way south on 395, Lake Owens was immediately to the left (east). As mentioned above, the many years of water diversion had left its mark here, the Lake being basically a large, dry bed. The climb to the west to Lake Isabella was an easy drive through some lovely and lush farming valleys. The Kern River flows from the northern Sierra into Isabella, then down through Kern Canyon to Bakersfield. The road through the Canyon is narrow and winding, with the River and its gushing torrents to the right. That stretch of water would be a challenge to the most expert white water kayakers. However, with a hydroelectric station at the top of the canyon and another one at its base, I would not imagine any such experts would try their hand at it.

The drive up the 99 to Fresno took another intense two hours. The truck traffic on 99 is incredibly heavy, and combined with a speed limit of 70 MPH, the trip requires the utmost in concentration. There is no way that such a high speed limit is justified given the volume of traffic.


KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS

It’s another 90-minute drive from Fresno up to Kings Canyon and Grant Village at 7,500 feet in elevation. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are immediately adjacent National Parks and are administered by the National Park Service as one entity. Both parks are home to the Giant Sequoia trees, with two standouts. Kings hosts the General Grant Tree, 267 feet in height, 107 feet in circumference, with a diameter of 29 feet, and approximately 1,650 years old. A short distance
away in Sequoia is the world’s largest tree, the General Sherman, which stands 275 feet in height, 103 feet in
circumference, and 2,200 years in age. This is the largest Sequoia in terms of total volume of wood, the standard measurement. Another variety of Sequoia are the coastal redwoods. The largest of these is the Mendocino Tree, located near Ukiah in Northern California. This tall, slender giant stands 367.5 feet in height, but contains nowhere near the total volume of either the Grant or Sherman trees. Standing at the base of either of these giants is a humbling experience.

Kings Canyon, however, is not only known for its Giant Sequoias. The park draws its name from the Canyon itself, which in turn is named for the river that runs through it, the
Kings River. A product of seductive uplift and glaciation, the Canyon is over 5,000 feet in depth, thus much deeper than Yosemite. The upper Canyon, like Yosemite, is a “U-shaped glaciated valley; the lower Canyon lied outside the limits of the glacier, and is thus “V-shaped.” In any case, the physical beauty of the Canyon is spectacular; perhaps not so much so as Yosemite, but nonetheless awe-inspiring. It is also far less travelled, making the experience all that more enjoyable.

The drive from Grant’s Village, at 7,500 feet in elevation, down to the Canyon floor, at 4,000 feet, is a spectacular one- hour trip. The well-maintained and upgraded road, California 180, is fairly straightforward at the higher elevations, then twists and turns as it descends more steeply towards the valley floor. From the 5,000-foot marker on, it narrows considerably and clings to the southern Canyon wall, before crossing the Kings River to the northern wall of the valley.

Two miles before the road terminates is the small village of Cedar Grove. Here is located a visitors center manned by two Park Rangers, numerous campgrounds, and a modest lodge offering rooms with communal showers nearby. Driving on to the northeast, the highway passes through the “valley gates,” entering the “U-shaped” canyon, with towering peaks on either side. A roadside vista ¾-mile from “Roads End” provides spectacular views further up the valley to the Sierra Crest and its 13,700-foot mountains. Hundreds of lakes dot the high country, headwaters of the North,


Middle and South Forks of the Kings River. That country is a good four day overnight pack hike, and from the looks of the photographs I have seen, well worth the effort. The final photograph at the end of this article is typical, and most beautiful. The peaks in the background are the spires of 14,500-foot Mt. Whitney, as seen from the west, a view only available to those intrepid backpackers who venture to this remote location.

There is one further natural feature of the High Sierra that is worth attention. Like any mountain range, water drainages play an important part in its environment. In the east, major rivers have their sources in “the high country” of the White and Green Mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks of upstate New York. The rivers, the Connecticut, the Hudson, the Delaware and the Susquehanna, all flow from the mountains to the sea.

The Sierra also has major drainage systems, but they exist in a different environment. The rivers in the northern sections of the Sierra, like their eastern counterparts, end up in the Pacific Ocean, after a journey through San Francisco Bay. These rivers, moving from north to south, include the Sacramento, the Tuolumne, the Merced, and the San Joaquin. The two drainages to the south of the San Joaquin, namely the Kings River and the Kern, drain into California’s Central Valley, where they disappear into a system of “sloughs” that provide water to fertilize the crops in the Valley, and into viaducts that provide water to the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. These two main rivers, despite their tremendous volume, never reach the sea. Thus is the effect of human requirements out-trumping the natural environment.


SAN FRANCISCO AND THE FLIGHT HOME

It was no more than a four-hour drive back to San Francisco and a restful overnight stay near the airport before the flight home to New York. I had booked a room at The Radisson Hotel, just a few miles north of SFI on Sierra Pointe Road overlooking the Bay. It was a stunning contemporary hotel, striking in its interior design. The lobby, bar and restaurant presented modernism at its best; my third-floor room was large and extremely comfortable.

After dinner, I socialized with a couple from Beijing, China and their nine-year-old son, proudly wearing a Boston Red Sox baseball cap. The young man spoke perfect English, and the three of them had enjoyed a wonderful two-week visit to the American West. The mother was an administrator in the economics department of Tsinghua University; the father was an executive in the travel industry.

We talked at length about our different political and economic systems and the involvement of government in managing corporate enterprises. The Chinese economy is based upon an evolving system that has come to be known as State Capitalism, where many industries operate under a more or less free market regime while other more important ones are State-owned and State-controlled. However, even those are becoming more oriented toward capitalistic principles, including public ownership of shares that will be traded on exchanges. They were surprised to learn that here in the United Sates, there is no such thing as State ownership of corporations. They presumed, for example, that our airlines were State-owned. Our meeting was only a brief encounter, but I was greatly encouraged by their openness and eagerness to learn about our system, as I am also optimistic about the future of our national relationship. China is no doubt the emerging world power and will play the role that Britain did in the 19th century and America did in the 20th century and continues to play today, albeit to a lesser extent.

The trip to the airport the following morning was hassle-free, and the flight home to JFK was comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable, due in no small degree to the excellent company I enjoyed as a seat-mate, a fellow Jack Russell Terrier owner who brought thoughts of my old friend Noni Risley starkly to mind. Her first name was Evie, just like Noni’s daughter, and her terrier’s name was Pippa, as was Noni’s favorite. A very nice way to end a most eventful, enjoyable and educational vacation.

One final note. As most Americans know, the State of California is enduring a period of extreme economic turmoil. The State pension system verges on bankruptcy, State payrolls have not been met, with workers being furloughed for two days out of each workweek, and drastic cutbacks have had to be made in the State’s educational system, which includes higher educational institutions that were the envy of every municipality and state in the country. These are truly sad times, not just for those who reside in California, but for the millions of travelers who visit this wonderful country and enjoy all it has to offer. Elections will be held this coming
November for the governorship and one of California’s two Senate seats. I talked with many residents during my travels, and there seems to be an overwhelming consensus that major changes need to be made in the Statehouse, and that does not include the seating of an ex-governor from an era long past. Most voters seem willing to lean on the extensive business experience and financial independence of Meg Whitman. Only time will tell whether the new governor, be it Whitman or Jerry Brown, can pull the State out of the morass it finds itself in today.