Furthur: Part 6, California, 1988

Into the wild

“In wilderness people can sense being a part of the whole community of life on earth” www.wilderness.net

In 1988 I arrived in Pasadena to start working at Caltech. I did not expect that work at this highly acclaimed institution would also teach me how to organize and survive trekking in the high mountains.

Yosemite Valley

The team where I worked was organizing a week of hiking every year. Today they would call it a team building event. The students of Professor J. E. Bercaw put together a route, applied for the necessary permits with the National Park Service and made lists of the equipment and food which was necessary for a week long trip.

Half Dome

This year they had planned to hike from Agnew meadow campground on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada to Yosemite Valley, right across Yosemite National Park. This probably is one of the most popular and scenic hikes you can do in the Park. Already then access to the backcountry in Yosemite was strictly regulated. We were really fortunate to get the permit and space in designated camping areas for a week.

The eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada

A hike of a week in the backcountry needs some preparations. While everybody was responsible for his individual needs the hauling of tents, ground sheets, stoves and cooking utensils, bottles of fuel, first aid kits, water filter and purifier could be shared among the 7 participants. Likewise the food for dinner. However, everybody had to bring his plate, water bottles, cutlery, flashlights, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, and lots of these little things people don’t want to miss even when they are in the wild. One brought his hammock, another fishing gear. And then, of course, food for breakfast, snacks and lunch.

Hiking in the little water of the Santa Monica mountains

It was my first long hiking trip ever. I thought it a wise idea to do a test hike to test my gear, such as tent, stove and shoes. By the time I had already started to develop a frenzy for buying books and had got the guide “Trails of the Angeles”. I selected an easy hiking trail of two days in the Santa Monica mountains from Cienaga public campground to Lion trail camp.

Of course the conditions there are not similar to the Sierra high country. In summer it is dry and unbearably hot in the Santa Monica Mountains. Neither warm clothes nor a fancy tent are necessary. Instead bringing in plenty of water was essential. For just a nights’ stay I would not starve if I did not bring a carload of food. I nevertheless brought a stove and cooking gear and prepared what would become my standard dinner on many short hikes to come in the following years: pasta with a tomato-tuna sauce.

It is a short hike of 12 miles round trip which mainly follows the course of Fish canyon. There still was some water in the creek and much of the route was cool and shady but in the air was the dusty smell of dry vegetation with a trace of resin so typical for the summer in the California mountains. I was the only soul around. After dinner I waited for sunset listening to a concerto of birds and crickets.

Yucca flower

One essential thing of hiking in the wild in the US of course is to sit at a campfire even if it is too hot most of the time. It has to be part of the ceremony. At Lions trail camp somebody already had built a fire place from a ring of stones and collected a pile of small branches. Soon the branches were cracking in a little fire and I settled down to read my book.

Panorama of the Santa Monica Mountains

However, after a short while a little breeze developed into a considerable wind. I noticed that cinders were blown from my fireplace into the dry brush beyond the little campsite. The fire had not been a good idea. To get it out I quickly peed on it. That was not enough. Fortunately the creek was not entirely dry. I carried water up from the puddles and sprayed it on the surrounding where the cinders might have ended up. Nothing happened but it was a typical example how thoughtlessness can lead to a major bushfire. In hindsight, I was lucky that the small column of smoke coming from my fireplace did not draw the attention of a fire lookout. On September 1, 2022 a brush fire in the area scorched 2000 acres and even caused closure of the I-5 freeway. The Hughes fire of January 22, 2025 burnt more than 4000 hectares, caused the evacuation of surrounding areas and again, the freeway. Both were exactly in the area where I was at the time. To be there in summer even is dangerous when you are surprised by a fire started by somebody else.

The Lions trail campsite

After this instructive test I drove up towards the Mammoth lakes area where our hike was supposed to start and spend a couple of nights in a campground near Convict lake to explore the area. While the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada are metamorphic granite, the area around Mammoth has a lot of evidence of volcanic activity.

Devil's postpile

About 600000 years ago, basic, basaltic lava flowed down eastward towards Mammoth Lakes. The lava flow must have been very big. Even today the remnants are 275 m (900 feet) long by 60 m (200 feet high). The lava crystallized into regular columns up to 18 m (60 feet long). Ideally 6 sided columns are formed. 44.5% of Devil’s Postpile have such regular columns. The name already shows what the first immigrants thought of such a geological phenomenon. Today it is a national monument.

Six sided basalt columns

Our entire route is straddling the border areas of five different United States Department of the Interior 15 minute series topographic maps: Devil’s Postpile, Mono craters, Merced Peak, Tolumne Meadows and Yosemite Quadrangle. They were available for sale in Los Angeles and I kept them as a souvenir. And fortunately our route is entered with a thick red marker line – otherwise I probably would not have been able to reconstruct it.

The topographic maps and our route

Before starting our hike we had to bring one of the cars to Yosemite valley to wait for our hopeful arrival on foot. The other was left at the starting point at Agnew meadows. After these preparations the route of the first day of hiking was short. We had to climb up from 2523 m (8300 feet) to about 2926 m (9600 feet) at our first camp site at badge like. Today this is part of the Pacific Crest trail, the long distance hiking trail following the mountain crest along the Pacific coast from the Mexican to the Canadian border.

The hanging valley of shadow lake

It is a rule in the Sierra Nevada that you can expect rain in the evening when clouds develop before noon. While we were dragging our heavy loads up, more and more clouds moved in. Visibility became less and less and the beautiful waterfall from the hanging valley of Shadow lake across the valley was disappearing in the mist.

The last sun after the deluge

We set up our tents in the pouring rain. Thunder and lightning were raging above. Thunderstorms are frequent in the area and can be dangerous. The rest of the afternoon we hid in our hastily established, sodden tents.

Discussing the route in the camp at Rush creek

And then we still had to prepare dinner. While most of the dinners were from ready made, freeze-dried packages, for the first night we had planned a real feast. Since all of us were from the chemistry department, turkey meat had been frozen to -78 °C and packed in dry ice. But we had luck. Even before sunset the downpour stopped. The top of the surrounding peaks even caught some of the last rays of the sun. It was still very cold and between the steaming trees it was difficult to find dry firewood. When the fire eventually was going it produced so much smoke that it was unpleasant to sit close. Already after the first night everybody smelled as if he had spent a night in a chimney. But everybody was hungry and the food disappeared in no time.

Light-footed the boss hikes up the slope

The rock wilderness at Island pass

At these elevations, most of the Sierra Nevada is bear country. Bears are clever, smell food from far away and do not hesitate to destroy cars or tents. Even tooth paste is a coveted treat for them. The only way to safely store food in the backcountry is to tie it high up in a tree. It does not help to throw a rope across a branch and pull the food up. The buggers might climb up and bite the rope. The only safe way is to tie a rope from one tree to another, then pull the food up on a second rope to suspend it between two trees. A task which is particularly pleasant when everything is wet and dripping. Still, the bears might smell the food and roam around to find it, so it is a good idea to suspend it far away from the campsite.

The food package suspended between two trees at Emeric lake

Today hanging or guarding food items is not permissible any more. Allowed bear-resistant food canisters are required in all areas of Yosemite.

Taking a rest in the hammock

The next morning awaited us with bright sunshine and brisk morning air. The drenched nature evaporated veils of mist. Not all the tents had kept their interior dry. However, even those with a dry tent had humid gear. Everything was spread out on sunny rocks to dry. Many of those pictures I took in the morning have a foggy haze spreading across. Today when you take digital pictures the result immediately makes clear that the lens was foggy. In the time of analog film it was too late when the blunder was discovered weeks later.

Drying gear at the campground at Badger lake

While we take stock of the damage that the first night has caused to our bodies and equipment, Leroy tries his luck at fishing. This is another essential part of the American Spirit. There are lots of little trout in creeks and lakes and there are strict regulation about the minimum size to take. For the sake of the fishermen the waters of the high sierra have been stocked with foreign trout. The result is that the native fish population is endangered or has disappeared. Nevertheless what is in the lake is too clever to let itself get caught.

Leroy trying to catch a trout

We finally get going. This is a part of the John Muir trail. It passes along “1000 Islands Lake”. The calm water of the lake reflects the spectacular peaks of the Minarets Range, Banner Peak 3943 m, Mount Ritter 4010 m feet and Mount Davis of 3752 m. At their base there is what they call a glacier here. Remnants of snow which does not melt away in the brief summers. I wonder whether they are still there.

Fallen giants slowing rotting away

The foreground of this stage is formed by sculptures of dead wood. Dead stalks of trees lean at each other, forming ghostly torsos throwing long shadows across the rock on the ground. Those collapsed to the ground into a jumble of trunks and branches slowly disintegrate and their moldy interior forms a welcome home for creatures of all kind.

Hailstorm interrupting our route

On the trail along the lake we meet other hikers for the first time. They have it easier: their luggage is carried by Lamas. The weather stays changeable. In a little grove of trees we are surprised by a hail storm. The trees spread their protective arms above us. That helps to keep the hail more bearable than rain.

Thousand island lake

Most of the peaks, lakes, passes and rivers have the names of people. Who was Agnew? There is also Weber lake, Clark lake, Garrett lake, Vogelsang Lake, Evelyn Lake, or Sullivan lake, Donohue pass. Who invented the names? Most are new, given in the late 19th century when the settlers had to cross these mountains to get to the promised land. During the initial phase of the treck to the west the settlers were still searching for an ideal immigrant route across the last and most formidable barrier before arriving in California. Did the settlers set a memory for themselves or those lost during the trek? Did surveyors give the names of their loved ones to a godforsaken lake somewhere in the middle of nowhere just to find name for it? Did the native Americans not have names for the features of this landscape? Thoughts wander while you walk and you get carried away, almost ignoring and forgetting what is around you. The effort of getting forward occupies a big part of the mind.

Erratic boulder in the high sierra

The next night we stay at a campsite close to Rush Creek at a height of around 3048 m (10000 feet). Wood fires at not allowed above 9600 feet to preserve the biomass of the sparse vegetation. But at least there are no bears at higher elevations. There are more rules to observe. Campsites have to be at least 40 steps from water sources. At the time it was still possible to dig a hole somewhere and depose what you did not digest. Digging a hole of at least 15 cm deep with my little bright orange plastic shovel (everybody carried one) was a challenge even if there is no imminent pressure. Either the plastic hit a rock or roots prevented from digging lower. And then you still had to hit the right spot. Packing out other waste like empty cans and packages was self-evident. Even biodegrable soap is forbidden when washing in water.

A marmot inspecting our packs

The next day we toil over Donahue pass at a height of 3370 m (11056 feet). Marmots wait for their chance to get to our backpacks unnoticed. The view is as spectacular as frustrating. Below, the valley of Lyell canyon is spread out. We have to descend down there to below 9200 feet just to climb up again the next morning.

The team at Donahue pass

After the descend, walking along the valley floor is easy. We camp close to the river in Lyell Canyon. Here the John Muir trail continues to Tolumne meadows high Sierra Camp while we will have to climb up again the next morning. Some of us consider to walk to Tolumne meadows to get a burger at one of the facilities there. Eventually they are content with our second freeze dried dinner. So far we did not see any bears.

View down into Lyell canyon

Although we slowly consume some of the food and fuel my backpack only slowly looses some of the weight. The others have started to call it the explosive pack. When I open the top after arrival the content spills out by itself. Each time I start to pack they doubt that my stuff would fit in. It is an art to compress the sleeping bag and tighten the roll of the mattress as much as possible.

The meadows in Lyell Canyon

I have brought a selection of Kodak and Fuji slide films which I got developed and framed in the weeks after we had come back. And what rarely happens, did happen here: one of those boxes with framed slides which came back contained somebody elses family slides. I sent it back to the lab in the hope that the correct one would eventually show up. It did not. Maybe somebody was so glad with my pictures that he kept them. That way I miss the photos between Evelyn lake and Emeric lake.

Boothe Lakes

Beyond Emeric lake, the Merced River descends in a rocky bed of spectacular beauty. Most of Yosemite is built from granite that was formed during a period of 130 million years underground under the pressure of the Pacific Plate grinding at and subducting the American plate. In the last 80 million years erosion has exposed the underlying granite. However, the exposure of the granite was not long enough to cause deep lying damage. Erosion was mostly caused by glaciers polishing the rock surfaces and transporting boulders on their way.

Emeric Lake

The Merced river has found its course between these grand rock faces. Sometimes the river bed in the little Yosemite valley is so polished that it could serve as a natural slide if the water was warm enough.

Merced river canyon

But the water of the river has polished the rocks. Above the water line the rock faces are polished by the last glaciation. Only 20000 years ago most of the Sierra Nevada was covered by one big ice shield. While the glaciers moved down the valleys they polished the surfaces of the granite. Or scratched it when some weird shape piece of rock had to be moved along the way. These obstacles were worn into round boulders in the course.

Rock faces with view of the Half Dome

At the same time as the river descends, the monolithic peaks lining the valley rise in height. Their most prominent example is the prominent egg shaped Half Dome, which towers over the upper Yosemite Valley. It is by far not the highest peak in Yosemite, but with a height of 2695 m (8842 feet) it forms an virtual vertical rock face of more than 1300 m (4000 feet) above mirror lake at the valley floor.

Witness of a forest fire

We pass first signs of forest fires. Stands of pine have been scorched recently. The reason is not necessarily human interference. A lightning from one of the frequent thunderstorm could set a tree on fire. The park administration follows a policy of controlled burning. The idea is that forest fires occur naturally. When the underbrush is burnt regularly the fires stay low and the big trees are save.

Climb to the base of Half Dome

Our permit allows us to camp at the Campground in Little Yosemite Valley for two nights. From there a trail leads to the top of Half Dome, the most colossal rock monument of the Sierra Nevada. Three sides are smoothly rounded while the forth is cut sheer to reveal a rock face falling vertical 1500 m down to the valley floor. At the softer back of the egg shaped dome a metal rope ladder allows a rather safe accent. But the metal wires are rough and can cause bloody wounds on unprotected hands. Therefore they have left an assembly of workmens’ gloves at the foot of the ladder. It is better to wear them.

The rope ladder leading up Half Dome

Even at the time it was a popular spot which can also be reached in a long dayhike from Yosemite valley. And the dare devils want to stand on the diving board, an overhanging plate of rock from where you can tumble down right to the valley floor 1500 m below. There are old pictures of photographers standing with their tripod and plate camera on this exposed location.

On the top of Half Dome

Ansel Adams was not the first to take pictures of the High Sierra and Yosemite National Park. Carleton E. Watkins already took pictures of Yosemite Valley in 1861. He was not the only one. Charles L. Weed, Eadward Waybridge, Timothu O’Sullivan, Andrew J. Russell, George Fiske and others already took pictures in the second half of the 19th century. They had to haul their equipment up the mountains and set up a tent to develop their glass plates on the spot.

The Diving board above Yosemite valley

The first pictures helped to establish Yosemite National Park as one of the first in 1864. Photographers helped to increase its popularity. Ansel Adam came back here for 40 years between the 1920ies and the 1960. His high contrast black and white pictures where details in the shadows completely disappeared to sharp edged black patches set a standard for landscape photographs.

View into the gorge of the Merced river

In the surrounding of the highly frequented Yosemite valley the interests of bears and humans collide. The abundance of human food has turned many a master Petz in an aggressive scavenger. When we come back to the campground a bear has played havoc with the tent of one of our neighbors. The tent is ripped open, the tent bars broken. Inside it is a mess. They must have left some nice smell in the tent attracting the bear while everybody was gone. Our own stuff is untouched.

Camp in little Yosemite valley

We go for a dip tot the cascade annex slide just above the campground. I was wearing the same t-shirt for hiking for the entire week. It is stiff from dirt and sweat like a board. I can pack it out and dispose of it. For the easy downhill hike out of the park the next day I can use the evening t-shirt I have brought. Fresh clothes wait in the car.

Steller's jay and a curious squirrel

When we come back we hear that while we were walking to the cascade somebody watched a bear following us on the trail in a safe distance. We did not notice anything.

Mount Broderick

Bears are not the only wildlife here. The many campers attract birds like the beautiful, bright blue steller’s jay and of course many extremely curious squirrels. Of course it is strictly forbidden to feed them. But when you bring your fingers too close they will bite in them even if there is no food between.

The top of Vernal Fall

For the last time we sit together around our fireplace and yarn is spun. Tonight is time for another essential ceremony: the devouring of scorched marshmallows. For 5 days they have been carried in somebodies pack for this important celebration. Now they are held into the flame with sticks. Today Little Yosemite Valley has a developed campground with toilets and designated camping spaces. It still needs a wilderness permit to stay there. It is neat but the frontier spirit is largely gone.

Vernal Fall

On the way down into civilization we pass Merced Rivers most sublime waterfalls: the upper, Nevada fall of a height of 180 m and Vernal fall of 96 m. This is where most of the day hikers from the valley turn around. In this area the hiking path is well developed and there are plenty of people. After a week in the solitude it would be a disappointment to stay in the crowded campground in the valley. We prepare for our car shuttle and head out, the others back to the lab and I for a pleasant drive along the eastern slope of the Sierra down Owens valley.

Nevada Fall

I feel grateful for the kind and helpful group who turned from highly acclaimed scientists into a tight group of friends. Even under the strain of the elements and the struggle of the hike everybody kept his good humor. Everybody participated in the common tasks like cooking, dish-washing, collecting firewood, filtering water or climbing trees for the bear preparations. And I have learned plenty of little tricks which will prove useful during many long distance hikes in the future.