Ted's Hiking World Mumford Bar Trail
Tahoe NF

June 24, 2011

Due to this season's excessive snowpack, the Sierra high-country trailheads remain inaccessible or unusable.  Needing to something outdoors, however, I have traveled up the Foresthill Divide Road as far as the snow will allow.

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Getting started

This trail switchbacks some 2,600 feet down to the American River.  I am sure that I won't go that far, especially since all the climbing is done last, and I don't care much for that scenario, and it is too hot anyway.

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A few flowering dogwoods line the trail

The only scenery available so far consists of trees — many of them burned.  And flowers.  There are lots of nice ones around, so I will concentrate on photographing them.

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Torrey's Monkeyflowers are the most colorful guys on the trail

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Spring Blue-eyed Mary *
Miner's Lettuce

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Pacific Sanicle *
Harbinger of Spring

Wow!  There are a number of varieties that I have not seen previously.  I can foresee a lengthy session ahead on my flower-identification websites.

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Blue Star Tulips, aka Beavertail Grass   ⇔

Those hairy white guys are beautiful.  And I never thought I would have occasion to say that.

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There still is no hint of a view of the river.  I wonder whether I will see it at all today.

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Gray's Lupine *
Forest Larkspur

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Small-flowered Woodland Star *
Star Flower

About seven hundred feet below the trailhead I encounter a couple of small creeks.  Doubtless they will be dry before long.

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Interesting coloration *
Smokey Mariposa Lily

Efforts to photograph some butterflies don't work out well, but there always are plenty of bugs around.

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California Groundsel

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Pussy Paws *
Lemmon's Catchfly

Although my camera has been quite busy, the trail is no more interesting than it was before.  I resolve to continue downhill until my altimeter shows a 1,000-foot descent, then turn around.

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The end-point of today's trek

It's time to head back.

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Apple-moss *
Goosefoot Violet

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The burned area is extensive *
Back at the little creek

The final quarter-mile is on an old road, which features the only snow that I would see today.

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A last vestige of winter

An object appears in the middle of the trail that looks like a rubber ball, yet is firmly attached to the ground.  I am surprised not to have noticed it earlier.

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Sculpted Puffball


§: Perhaps Mumford Bar itself is worth visiting; I don't know.  Other than that, there is little to recommend this visually unappealing area.  I have slightly upgraded the outing solely because of the good photo-ops of the flowers, which in truth can be found anywhere in the foothills at this time of year.

Scenery *
Difficulty *
Personality *
Flowers *
Solitude *

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