Really enjoyed your writing style in this. Great TR! Glad it all worked out safely for you. And oh yeah...the scenery isn't too bad either! Thanks for posting... Mark
Thanks for the comments, Mark! I glad you enjoyed the report.
I realize that I was lucky this occurred on a nice 'warm' peak in California. ;-)
-Gordon
I really enjoy your writing style, I read the whole story with much interest. That was from all the way back in 86. Makes me want to be in the Sierra. I have had many spontaneous plan changes, sometimes you just go with what feels good for the day. I was once returning in the dark with a friend in the Tetons when there were large booms and flashes and we thought the Jackson Hole airport was under attack. Turned out to be the ski movie guys, Teton Gravity Research were have a big premiere in Teton Village complete with fireworks, we could not figure out for a while what was happening. I know the feeling you had when you realize its just a party you missed because we are up in the mountains trying to get back to the truck. I hope you share more about some of your adventures. Great photos too.
Thank you for the kind comments and I'm really glad you enjoyed the report.
I've wondered if other mountain adventurers have had similar experiences involving pyrotechnics while in the wilderness. The southern Owens Valley is the setting for many Hollywood films such as Iron Man that use (or appear to use) a lot of explosives. I imagine that it could be quite alarming for someone on the Whitney Trail if one didn't know what was going on.
-Gordon
Thank you for the story and the great photos. You have inspired me to go on another adventure very soon.
Also, as one who has done his own style of Indian Dance, I can attest to this method of warming indeed does work. Chanting is a plus. Well done.
-Anders
Dancing is an excellent way to warm up if one has the energy, but beware: According to nearly every pre-1970's cartoon and sitcom about Native Americans that I've ever seen, that kind of dancing could also trigger a very unwelcome downpour of rain. ;-)
So far I've been fortunate enough that I never had to bivvy unplanned, without much gear, food or water, but there have been a few occasions where I found myself high up a mountain far too late. I can relate to how you must have felt: reading your report brings back a few memories of having to find a way down in unfamiliar terrain, just like you were doing. The only difference is that, although I considered bivvying, my attempts to find a way out always worked. But I realize that it could have been different, I just lucked out.
I remember one particular occasion where I descended a mountain by a different route than I had climbed it, and since the descent was much harder than I had expected, it got dark before I reached easy ground. Even though the terrain was not nearly as difficult as when I could still see where I was going, the almost total darkness made route finding very complicated. Like you, I was in unfamiliar terrain, and had an old map.
At one point, I was following an old overgrown dirt road. Unexpectedly, it just simply ended at a small abandoned mine. I looked hard to see if there was any kind of trail on which to continue, but couldn't find it, so I retraced my steps. Although the dirt road didn't match what I saw on my map, I still had a pretty good idea of where I actually was and decided to go cross country towards where I thought the main road would be. To get there, I had to hike and scramble up the slopes to the crest of a ridge, all the way hoping the terrain wouldn't be too forbidding. It was above the tree line, and the few shrubs were no problem, but I couldn't see far ahead so I didn't know if perhaps it would get too steep higher up. In the end I needed my hands, but I managed. As I reached the crest, I was happy to see the road nearby below me - more to the point, I saw the floodlights of the large mining plant that I had known would be down there. The workers were more than a little bit surprised to see my head light coming down the steep slope towards them, but were kind enough to put me up for the night. Otherwise I would have had to walk at least two hours more to get back to the village down in the valley where I had started.
By the way, there's no way to watch too much Star Trek!
Thanks for your comments and the interesting story, Rob!
I remember one time I got a warning from an NPS ranger in the Giant Forest parking lot. He'd seen me sitting in my car eating a fruit cup at about 11pm and told me that there was no overnight camping allowed. What he didn't know was that I'd just arrived from being lost in the dark in that maze of trails between Panther Gap and Crescent Meadows while trying to use an outdated map to find the trailhead and my car. I explained and he left me to my 'meal'. I don't know if it was my words, my appearance, or my aroma that convinced him. (I'd been in the mountains for about 13 days.)
On Kearsarge, I'm pretty sure that if I'd had more incentive- such as an imminent storm or even high winds- I would've just said, "Screw it!" and somehow thrashed my way down in the dark. In fact, if there had been lightning, there's no way I would have stayed up there. But, as I implied in the TR, I was kind of up for a bivvy. The weather was mild and even though it was rather uncomfortable, I never felt as though I was in any real danger. And, almost 30 years later, it gives me something to write about. :-)
MarkDidier - May 2, 2013 5:41 pm - Voted 10/10
Very Entertaining!Really enjoyed your writing style in this. Great TR! Glad it all worked out safely for you. And oh yeah...the scenery isn't too bad either! Thanks for posting... Mark
boyblue - May 2, 2013 6:20 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Very Entertaining!Thanks for the comments, Mark! I glad you enjoyed the report.
I realize that I was lucky this occurred on a nice 'warm' peak in California. ;-)
-Gordon
wyopeakMike - May 5, 2013 11:24 pm - Voted 10/10
A great readI really enjoy your writing style, I read the whole story with much interest. That was from all the way back in 86. Makes me want to be in the Sierra. I have had many spontaneous plan changes, sometimes you just go with what feels good for the day. I was once returning in the dark with a friend in the Tetons when there were large booms and flashes and we thought the Jackson Hole airport was under attack. Turned out to be the ski movie guys, Teton Gravity Research were have a big premiere in Teton Village complete with fireworks, we could not figure out for a while what was happening. I know the feeling you had when you realize its just a party you missed because we are up in the mountains trying to get back to the truck. I hope you share more about some of your adventures. Great photos too.
boyblue - May 6, 2013 1:49 am - Hasn't voted
Re: A great readThank you for the kind comments and I'm really glad you enjoyed the report.
I've wondered if other mountain adventurers have had similar experiences involving pyrotechnics while in the wilderness. The southern Owens Valley is the setting for many Hollywood films such as Iron Man that use (or appear to use) a lot of explosives. I imagine that it could be quite alarming for someone on the Whitney Trail if one didn't know what was going on.
-Gordon
PrinceOfNorway - May 6, 2013 3:28 pm - Voted 10/10
Better than a Cookie Dough BlizzardThank you for the story and the great photos. You have inspired me to go on another adventure very soon.
Also, as one who has done his own style of Indian Dance, I can attest to this method of warming indeed does work. Chanting is a plus. Well done.
-Anders
boyblue - May 6, 2013 3:49 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Better than a Cookie Dough BlizzardI greatly appreciate your comments, Anders.
Dancing is an excellent way to warm up if one has the energy, but beware: According to nearly every pre-1970's cartoon and sitcom about Native Americans that I've ever seen, that kind of dancing could also trigger a very unwelcome downpour of rain. ;-)
Happy climbing!
-Gordon
bechtt - May 6, 2013 11:06 pm - Voted 10/10
Too badyou didn't find the miners cabin at the east end of the peak. Good story!
boyblue - May 6, 2013 11:53 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Too badThanks, Bechtt!
I never saw that cabin! If it had a working wood stove, then that would have been luxury indeed!
-Gordon
rgg - May 8, 2013 2:31 pm - Voted 10/10
A well written adventureSo far I've been fortunate enough that I never had to bivvy unplanned, without much gear, food or water, but there have been a few occasions where I found myself high up a mountain far too late. I can relate to how you must have felt: reading your report brings back a few memories of having to find a way down in unfamiliar terrain, just like you were doing. The only difference is that, although I considered bivvying, my attempts to find a way out always worked. But I realize that it could have been different, I just lucked out.
I remember one particular occasion where I descended a mountain by a different route than I had climbed it, and since the descent was much harder than I had expected, it got dark before I reached easy ground. Even though the terrain was not nearly as difficult as when I could still see where I was going, the almost total darkness made route finding very complicated. Like you, I was in unfamiliar terrain, and had an old map.
At one point, I was following an old overgrown dirt road. Unexpectedly, it just simply ended at a small abandoned mine. I looked hard to see if there was any kind of trail on which to continue, but couldn't find it, so I retraced my steps. Although the dirt road didn't match what I saw on my map, I still had a pretty good idea of where I actually was and decided to go cross country towards where I thought the main road would be. To get there, I had to hike and scramble up the slopes to the crest of a ridge, all the way hoping the terrain wouldn't be too forbidding. It was above the tree line, and the few shrubs were no problem, but I couldn't see far ahead so I didn't know if perhaps it would get too steep higher up. In the end I needed my hands, but I managed. As I reached the crest, I was happy to see the road nearby below me - more to the point, I saw the floodlights of the large mining plant that I had known would be down there. The workers were more than a little bit surprised to see my head light coming down the steep slope towards them, but were kind enough to put me up for the night. Otherwise I would have had to walk at least two hours more to get back to the village down in the valley where I had started.
By the way, there's no way to watch too much Star Trek!
boyblue - May 8, 2013 6:09 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: A well written adventureThanks for your comments and the interesting story, Rob!
I remember one time I got a warning from an NPS ranger in the Giant Forest parking lot. He'd seen me sitting in my car eating a fruit cup at about 11pm and told me that there was no overnight camping allowed. What he didn't know was that I'd just arrived from being lost in the dark in that maze of trails between Panther Gap and Crescent Meadows while trying to use an outdated map to find the trailhead and my car. I explained and he left me to my 'meal'. I don't know if it was my words, my appearance, or my aroma that convinced him. (I'd been in the mountains for about 13 days.)
On Kearsarge, I'm pretty sure that if I'd had more incentive- such as an imminent storm or even high winds- I would've just said, "Screw it!" and somehow thrashed my way down in the dark. In fact, if there had been lightning, there's no way I would have stayed up there. But, as I implied in the TR, I was kind of up for a bivvy. The weather was mild and even though it was rather uncomfortable, I never felt as though I was in any real danger. And, almost 30 years later, it gives me something to write about. :-)
Live long and prosper!
-Gordon