Mokelumne Wilderness
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Winnemucca Lake Mokelumne Wilderness |
July 8, 2016
Tomorrow is the annual Death Ride Bicycle Race, which terminates right here at Carson Pass. I will be lodging in nearby Kirkwood tonight with some of the bikers and their families, so this is a perfect opportunity to visit what normally is a phenomenal floral display at this time of year.
At the trailhead, four strapping backpackers are trying to hitch a ride
to South Tahoe to re-supply their food and whatnot. They already
have come up the first 1,075 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail and are
determined to continue northward; but they want a good meal first, plus a
visit to a grocery store. They have been here for a while; but by the
time my boots are on, the guys have gotten a ride.
It is busy at the trailhead at 9 o'clock
Today, just to be different, I'll try visiting my 5-garden loop
in reverse order for the first time. To that end it would be best to
start on the old abandoned trail around the corner from the Visitor Center.
Down the highway at the entrance to the overflow parking area is a great commemorative plaque. This time I will display the entire drawing:
The Fremont Party crosses Carson Pass on February 20, 1844 ⇔
Although the notorious Kit Carson got most of the publicity and recognition,
he was in fact just a hunter and scout for John C. Fremont's survey party,
the first group of non-Indians known to have visited this area.
Possibly due to daydreaming, I might already have passed by the old trailhead, having not attempted the route in this direction since they opened the new one a couple of decades ago. It doesn't seem right to walk any farther down the road, however; so I strike off into the forest at a promising spot.
I'll start upward here and see what happens
Soon the going becomes quite steep, as expected. Not knowing whether this will work out, I press on in a southerly direction, climbing wherever the terrain will permit and resting frequently as well.
Those rocks on the left should provide a good detour
Beyond the snow bank, the ground levels out. After a 350-foot
climb, it seems that I already have reached the destination, just
three-quarters of a mile or so from the trailhead.
Frog Lake, Round Top, and The Sisters
Immediately I head over to the first scheduled stop — a collection of stonecrop and buckwheat:
Garden #5 looks pretty nice, although it has been better
The next objective is directly to the south. I recognize parts of the route from having traversed it previously in the opposite direction.
Frog Lake and Red Peak
Caples Lake to the west
The hilltop of Sierra stonecrop proves a minor disappointment as well. Perhaps I simply have arrived too late in the season.
Elephants Back from Garden #4
A bit farther south, I pick up the Pacific Crest Trail, which leads eastward toward the Blue Lakes area.
Nice flowers on the PCT
I had thought to remain on this path for a couple of miles, then see
whether it would be feasible to scramble up a thousand-foot cliff
directly to Winnemucca Lake (someone else has done it). It appears,
however, that the trail remains blocked by many snow banks.
The combination of that and a moderately high wind causes me to abandon
that plan for today.
I'll save this trail for another outing
It's time for Plan-B, a familiar traverse along the base of Elephants Back to a high point where the area's principal attraction comes into view.
Tarn #3 actually is much smaller than Winnemucca Lake behind it
No one is enjoying the summit of Round Top at the moment
I have reached the top of The Jumbles, which double as Garden #3,
because this talus field is chock-full of flowers.
Penstemon
Paintbrush
Mulberries below the ramparts
The easiest way down seems to be to veer over to the left of the big pond, so I do that. A bit of a delicate scramble is necessary at lakeside, but that's okay.
Tarn #3 and Elephants Back
The two other nearby ponds remain out of sight as I head directly toward the big lake.
The lakeside falls are doing well
It seems that the Forest Service has been busy, having installed a nifty
new passage across the outlet creek. This is a good thing of course,
and arguably it was long overdue; however, the forty-year balancing act
on a single skinny log will be missed.
This still is more fun than a fancy footbridge
Freel Peak to the north looks inviting
A hundred yards up the hill to the left of the Round Top Lake Trail is a favorite heather patch. Today, most of the red heather has burned off, presumably during the recent heat wave.
Garden #2 is sub-par today, like the others
Across the little stream, however, I see a patch of diminutive white guys:
The White Mountain Heather make my day worthwhile ⇔
The mountain runoff is delightful as always
Drummond's Anemone
Is this where golf balls come from?
The new crossing is appreciated
Before I start back, a couple of favorites are posing:
Mountain Laurel and Red Mountain Heather frequently hang out together
Beside the trail are more varieties:
The Slendertube Skyrockets are exquisite
Phlox garden
Sulfur-flower Buckwheat
Cushion Buckwheat
With some apprehension, I approach the big meadow that is fed by several springs.
There is plenty of green stuff in Garden #1, but where are the flowers?
This is amazing. It's as if there is a great conspiracy in play,
to prevent Ted's Gardens from doing their normal
thing. Yes, I have taken some really nice flower photographs today.
Of course they are around, and doubtless any newcomers to this trail are
quite pleased; but that's only because they don't know how much better
it can be — and might be, later this month.
Swimmers at Frog Lake
The remaining mile-plus on the PCT is just a formality.
Ten backpackers have stopped for photos
§: Judging from the map, I seem to have taken the shortest
possible route to Frog Lake today, saving half a mile over the standard
trail. I won't specifically recommend my cross-country venture,
because using the existing old trail would be easier; but it was a lot of
fun, and I surely will do it again.
Of course I will return in a couple of weeks, hoping that the flower
season will be in full swing. That event simply is too good to miss,
and it's only a two-hour drive from home.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Flowers | |
| Adventure |  |
| Solitude |  |
(clockwise route)
