CA destinations

Hi Vincent,

I hike more in Desolation than anywhere else, as I'm two hours away, and while I enjoy it very much I still make the effort to head farther south in the range for my long trips. I can make a pitch for any part of the Sierra I've been to, but for a grand tour I'd head south to Emigrant, Hoover, Muir, Golden Trout or Adams wildernesses, or Yosemite/SEKI.

There's always the map-and-dart method. :-)

Cheers,

Rick

Based in large part to the feedback from this forum, our Scouts decided on Emigrant Wilderness as the destination for this summer's trip. We now have a few questions that will help us prepare.
1) Footwear recommendations. Would trail runners and light hikers be sufficient? I'm asuming the trails would be fairly dry in mid-August?
2) What temperature range are we likely to experience? How low could it posibly go overnight?
3) Is there any cell phone reception in Emigrant Wilderness?
4) Will we be ok in open shelters or will we need bug protection overnight?

Thanks!

Hi Vincent,

Great choice, you'll have a fine time.

Trail sneakers will be okay–Emigrant travel is relatively easy for the Sierra. I'll recommend debris gaiters, as there's a lot of commercial horse packing and the main trails leading into the interior are wide, deep and dusty so it's good to keep it out of your shoes as best you can.

Overnight lows in August are unlikely to be lower than the mid-20s and in more typical conditions will stay above freezing. Rain is possible, so plan on bringing some rain gear. Chances are it will stay stowed, but storms can slip in from the east, occasionally. It's generally in the 60s and 70s during the day.

Unless we have gobs of snow in the next month, it will be dry and pretty much bug free by August except perhaps by marshy lakes and meadows. (Famous last words–check trip reports to verify, in case there's a wet spring.) On that note, small streams will be dry by then, so consider that when planning how much water to pack for the day's hike.

Cell coverage is very unlikely once you're away from the highways. A messaging system like SPOT is a dependable way to check in and the folks at home can even check your progress. Highly recommend something like that for your group.

Cheers,

Rick

Vincent – for the skeeter conditions, check this site:
http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewforum.php?f=1

Every summer they have a skeeter reports thread, and there are usually some from the Emigrant. but usually in late August the skeeters are few and far between unless you are in a really boggy spot.

We had frost at the higher camps in the Hoover, though that is not that high for the Sierras. Expect frost anywhere in the western mountains in the summer.

Think about acclimating to altitude as part of your trek plan. We had to walk a Scout out after the first day in the Hoover due to AMS, so make plans for evac'ing part of your crew. It happens.

Just assume you won't be able to have a fire anywhere in the western mountains in the summer. In fact, check to make sure that the areas are still open. Sometimes they are closed due to fire danger.

I've never understood the attraction of the Sierras. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

If this reply isn't too late. I took a couple of Scouts from Lake Helen in Lassen NP to Susanville, ~110 miles. It was a great trip! Roughly speaking the route was Lake Helen to where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses Kings Creek. The Kings Creek cataract was interesting.

Then up to the Cindercone. It was sort of ominous the way the volcanic ash increased as we went north and crossed a section of the Oregon Trail. Then down to Silver Lake for a rest day – the water at that campground was delicious! The Painted Sand Dunes were unlike anything I've ever seen. Climbing Cindercone was hard (it's a pile of volcanic ash). We didn't climb Prospect Peak as we'd originally intended. The Fantastic Lava Beds are like K1ilauea, Lava Beds National Monument, or Craters of the moon.

Then down to Westwood for Pizza

After that we took the Biz Johnson trail to Susanville.

Contact me at powermatic66 at gmail if you're interested in more details.