Wandering CA 395, 2018, Part 2

Note: If you missed part 1 you can read it here: https://occidentalist.org/wandering-ca-395-2018-part-1/

After a day of checking out Bodie and Mono Lake we thought we’d spend the day hiking somewhere in the Sierras.  We headed south a bit and thought maybe a trail in the Mammoth area would get us up in the mountains for some good views.  As we pulled though Mammoth Lakes we started to notice that there were quite a few people about, and as we reached the main lodge area the parking lot was starting to look full.  Here it was well more than a week before Thanksgiving, and Mammoth Mountain was in full operation spraying ice on the mountain for people to ski on.  I was caught off guard with such a crowd flocking to ski on manufactured ice in the fall.

It always baffles me that people are so excited to ski when there isn’t any snow, but in the spring, when the snow is at its deepest and the weather is at its best, the crowds move on to other endeavors. 

Due to the resort being open the road was blocked and we were thwarted from our original plan.  We quickly broke out the maps and picked out another trail with a few lakes as a destination.  Before too long we were on the trail to Emerald Lake.

Emerald Lake
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Deep in the Ochocos, 2018

As the weather starts to cool off, and the fire danger starts to drop off with it, we can start to venture a bit further afield to places with a few less people.  Last weekend that place was deep in the Ochocos, or Deep Creek to be more precise.   The North Fork of the Crooked River heads high in the Ochocos, runs through Big Summit Prairie and then turns south and meets Deep Creek.  While…

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Waterfalls of the Umpqua, 2018

Who knew the North Umpqua had so many waterfalls?  I sure didn’t.  But following our recent tour, I’m impressed.

North Umpqua

I’ve certainly traveled the North Umpqua before, but I’ve actually not spent the time I would have liked to actually.  I certainly knew it was a place of great beauty, but other than a day of fishing a small stretch I really hadn’t had the time to dig in.  This past weekend was the first attempt to remedy that.

North Umpqua

After stumbling across a web brochure I was surprised at the number of waterfalls either on or running into the North Umpqua.  Add in a great campground and we had a weekend.

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