Ted's Hiking World Winnemucca Lake Flower Walk
Mokelumne Wilderness

August 24, 2022

Because I am a registered user of Calflora.com, a non-profit, plant-related database of photographs and other information, I have been invited on a flower-walk at Carson Pass, which just happens to be my favorite flower-place.  At 10:30 sharp, everyone shows up to sign a liability waiver.  Our leader Cynthia, whose invitation clearly detailed the rigors of this outing, rightly doesn't want to be held responsible for any heart attacks.

Because of a couple of cancellations, a few other nearby hikers are invited to join us.  This enlarges the group to 13, which is one more than the technically legal limit for a federal wilderness; but who's counting?

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Getting started

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Horsemint at the trailhead facility

Within a quarter of a mile, the experts begin to strut their stuff, sharing their knowledge of the local trees.  Did you know that certain needles are shaped like hockey sticks, and that others cannot be rolled between your fingers?  Now you know.

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Fir tree cones stick up *
New growth on the Hemlock

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Pennyroyal

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The woodpecker has been here

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Smooth Blue Aster *
Menzies' Goldenbush

I had thought that sulfur-flower buckwheat always was yellowish, but no:

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Desert Sulfur Buckwheat

Here's another one — my favorite shot of the day:

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This is why I go hiking

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Spreading Phlox *
Wavyleaf Paintbrush

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Lobb's Lupine

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Red Lake Peak, 10068', and Frog Lake.  Highway-88 is between them

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Round Top, 10381', and The Sisters

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No one is on the summit at the moment

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Squirrel Tail Grass

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Caples Lake below

I don't believe that anyone else noticed these guys lying right beside the trail:

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Shasta Knotweed

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Davis's Knotweed is all over the place

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To the west are Thimble Peak, Thunder Mountain, Martin Point, Black Butte, and the Two Sentinels

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Brewer's Angelica

Actually, I have some difficulty differentiating this from Bolander's Yampah; you decide.  Here's another one:

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My first photo of a sideways bee

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Little Round Top is barely visible, behind and to the right of what looks like the high point

An interesting cross-country lollipop loop up there includes Showers Lake and another portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.

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Approaching the big meadow — Ted's Garden #1

At the little spring that always is flowing, my photos of the Monkeyflowers don't come out well due to sunlight interference; but some other guys are hanging around.

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Ranger's Buttons *
Arroyo Willow

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Baby's Breath *
Bigleaf Lupine

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Great Red Paintbrush

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Boreal Sagewort *
Elkweed

Ten minutes later, there it is — beautiful Winnemucca Lake.  Presuming that the group will be stopping here, I continue up to the outlet where there are numerous shady spots suitable for a snack break.

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Elephants Back, 9585', is an easy ascent from the right-hand (south) side

In fact, a social trail with a mild gradient traverses the relatively friendly scree.  Getting up to the base of the mountain, however, involves scrambling through a talus field that I call The Jumbles.  It comprises Ted's Garden #3, because in the earlier season the spaces between the boulders are filled by paintbrush and mule's ears.  Unlike most talus fields, it is difficult to negotiate The Jumbles in July without trampling something beautiful at every step.

I climbed Elephants Back once on the steep and difficult northern slope.  Once was enough, but I did encounter my first-ever sky pilots and Davidson's penstemon over there.

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Fireweed is especially photogenic

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It looks tasty — or maybe not

Well, it has taken four hours to travel three miles.  This guarantees that the expedition will be ending here, because we won't be getting back to the trailhead before late afternoon as it is.  Because I am the only one here so far, I scamper across the outlet creek to the willow patch that usually includes a lot of nice lupine.

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Always a pleasure

Well, there are no lupine here at all today, but I do find some other guys.

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Grass of Parnassus

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Woolly Sunflower *
Autumn Hawkbit

It's a pity that the group will not be continuing up to Round Top Lake, because the next mile features multiple gardens of rockfringe and a hillside awash with Sierra primrose, among other goodies.  Also nearby is Ted's Garden #2, but it is too late in the season for the Heather Patch anyway.

Heading back across the creek, I locate Mike and Lisa, who still are the only Calflora people to have made it this far.  I guide them back near the outlet to a shady picnic spot, although in retrospect the one that Lisa had selected was better.

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Our lunch spot at Winnemucca Lake, 8992'

Mike graciously prepares me a delicious bacon and tomato sandwich.  This is good, because I rarely decline an offer of food.  Sometimes that can be bad, though, because on the trail I also tend to suspend my otherwise excellent eating habits.

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More Fireweed

Lunch being finished, the three of us start back, locating the main group a few hundred yards away; it seems that they had stopped at the first shady spot that they could find that had a view of the lake.  Up to now, it still had not registered with me that group's progress was limited not by botanical investigation, but by the frailty of one man who really should not be here at all despite his popularity and wealth of knowledge.  Apparently, the group's forced concession to his infirmity has been a principal factor in the slowdown.

The eleven of us have a nice discussion about Calflora's history and its photo database; then, making sure that everyone is accounted for, Group Leader Cynthia starts us back.  One fit and prepared hiker says that he will continue his exploration up the trail, and kudos to him for that; another has volunteered to escort Mr. Frail no matter what, so the rest of us head out.

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Red Elderberries are tasty, provided that you cook them

I once read somewhere that in general, blue-colored berries are edible, white ones are not, and the red ones are "maybe".

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Dikes galore

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Another view of Little Round Top  (center)

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Short Petaled Campion

Back at the Frog Lake junction, I head over to the water, but encounter no other humans.

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Hawkins Peak, 10024', is northeast of Frog Lake

I glance longingly across the lake toward the site of Ted's Garden #5, but the Stonecrop Splendor Patch also has dried up for the year.

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Reprise

I utilize some social trails to navigate back to the main route, eventually meeting up again with Lisa and Mike to finish the walk.  Later, as I am ready to leave, the stragglers still have not appeared; I hope that a rescue squad doesn't have to become involved.

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A Scarce Dagger Caterpillar will become an Owlet Moth


§: Well, I photographed some new varieties, learned some stuff, made some new friends, and established a real connection with the Calflora management.  This is good, and soon I will submit many flower images to the Calflora database.  I also photo-captured a record number of bees, for what that's worth.

What was not so good was that one participant's physical condition slowed the expedition to a crawl.  By the time a few of us had reached Winnemucca Lake, the group of 13 was spread out more than a mile on the route, which compromised the very purpose of the gathering.  Would I have learned more by staying with the main group the whole time?  Yes, of course.  Would I have been stir-crazy the whole time?  Yes, of course.  I can't help it; this body and brain like to be moving.

I do hope, however, that Calflora will do a future walk here, earlier in the season.  I admit to having sorely missed some of my favorite usual suspects — the tall lupine, columbines, phlox, stonecrop, red and white mountain heather, elephant heads, and the ever-exquisite slendertube skyrockets.  At the right time of year, this area is the best flower-walk in the northern Sierra.

Scenery *
Difficulty *
Personality *
Flowers *

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