On The Fly

“We’ve planned a 50 mile wilderness hike over six days in the Sierra’s every year for the past 30 years,” said the lean stranger with a warm smiling expression and a fully loaded backpack over his shoulders. "You guys inspire me to keep climbing! May I ask, how old you are?” “Sure, I’m 78. . . ” Unbelievable , I thought to myself, pausing to reflect, at how physically demanding the past few days of climbing switchbacks, scaling boulders, squatting lakeside to filter water, and simply doing the daily chores it takes to wilderness backpack in the Eastern Sierra’s. “How in the world do they carry enough food for six days, their packs look smaller than ours? We must be doing something wrong.” I commented to my companions. My muscles were strong, breathing easy, but for some reason I had been physically exhausted this trip. I suspect it all started with a beer! It was day three of our 2016 Sierra adventure. Finally accumulated to the elevation of over 11,000 ...

“Do you think I’ll need my gloves?”  “No doubt,” I said to Lori as we prepared to make the trek up the Mountain from Bishop, CA , on route 168, to the Bishop Pass trailhead at South Lake (elevation 9,620 ft). Bishop Pass Trailhead It was cold late October weather. 36 degrees when we parked the truck and stepped into the brisk, fresh Sierra mountain air.  The golden yellow fall colors of trembling Aspens surrounded us.  We never passed a single car driving the 20 miles from downtown Bishop past Parchers Resort (closed for the season) to our roadside parking. My first thought - where is everyone? Wonder if the trailhead is closed for the season? Nah, can’t be. The parking lot was gated . . . why? “ Last time I was here we couldn't find a place to park. There were bicyclists, people trout fishing Bishop Creek, and the resort was teeming with activity - this year no one. Weird!” Undaunted, we layered our clothes, strapped on our day-packs, adjus...

Brendan on Buick Rock Ker-Plop! Was the dismal sound I heard surrounded by the rushing waters of the trout stream in the High Sierras, as my Coolpix digital camera sank to the bottom of the river. “Grab it quick, take the battery out, dry it off the best you can” shouted my fishing companion above the roaring waters. Immediately, I reached into the icy cold, crystal clear waters, grabbed the camera before it was washed away in the rushing current. The date, Friday, August 23, 2013. Our Sierra trips were as much about photography as they were about hiking, camping, and exploring. Now all I could think was, Damn! - So much for taking pictures on this trip. We had just arrived for our four day mountain adventure at Parchers Resort west of Bishop California at an elevation of 9,200 feet. Undaunted, we made plans to hike to Bishop Lake (elevation 11,128 feet) and establish a base-camp. This adventure began at the trailhead access point near South Lake (9,750 feet). However, today...