Mammoth Pass Tour

 I went for another little tour up towards Mammoth Pass today.

Old bear prints. Probably enlarged after a little melting out, but still pretty big.

Skied along the shores of McCloud Lake again.

The north facing trees are still holding good snow with a tolerable base. The skiing is tight and fast though. A little scary!

Back to the shoreline with Mammoth Mountain behind.

Fun tour. Sunny slopes are melting out and the roads are generally packed out from walkers and quite firm, even icy. Travel is easy though and it's pretty out.

To assuage those with a case of FOMO..... It ain't that great, but it IS sliding on snow.
 

Skiing!

Ski season is here at last! Thursday Mary and I rode lifts at Mammoth and found surprisingly good snow and coverage. The employees are hyper-vigilantly enforcing mask wearing, thankfully, and most folks were pretty good about keeping a six foot separation.

Beautiful day too. Neither too warm nor too cold. Calm at the base, breezy mid mountain and above.

Guests only ride lifts with their own group, so most chairs only have two or three people on them - which results in less crowded slopes. Nice! The downside is the wait is longer. Ten minutes was the norm with an occasional fifteen minute line. Not bad.

Today I trucked on up to the Mammoth Lakes Basin to check on conditions there.

Twin Lakes with about a million Coots on the open patches.

The skiing in the low angle glades was terrific. Had to be careful of the lurking sun crust on sunnier aspects though.

I found myself on an interesting ridge with good views.

 

 

A little billy goating on the ridge led to a nice glade run down to Horseshoe Lake.

Lil' squiggles just above the lake.

Terrific first tour of the year! I didn't get up near treeline, but my general impression is that it's pretty boney up there with the best snow and coverage in the deeper glades.

Hope more snow comes soon!
 

Early November in the Owens Valley

The heat is long gone. The smoke a distant, bitter memory. The Owens Valley is once again hospitable. 

Last week, I took a nice hike with my friends Ben and Ann on the lower slopes of the Inyo Mountains.

Brilliant fall colors were still on display at this spring.

A quick hitting storm rolled through prompting me to head for high country and a taste of winter.

Followed by another hike. This time at the base of the White Mountains.

Great outings. I am looking forward to winter, snow, and skiing but at the same time savoring these fine fall days.

Back to the Nevada Outback

Cooler temps and clear skies got me to thinking about another bike pack trip. Getting outta cell range and skipping all the pre-election hoo hah was a motivating factor too, so off I went to Nevada.

 Easy pedaling on fine, well graded roads made for a great start.

A long but gentle climb led me to the top of this pass.

The destination for the day was this area near a spring. I found cool running water beneath the bright Cottonwood tree.

Next morning I rolled north past this well where the cowboy who runs cattle out here has installed a solar powered pump. The cattle weren't on the range yet, so no water for me.

Soon I was climbing up a pretty little canyon.

 

 

 After an hour or so I was up in the serene Pinyon/Juniper woodland.

I had studied maps and satellite images and noticed a spring high up in the hills. I couldn't see any sign of water on Google Earth, but was encouraged when I came across this sign.

Hopes dashed. Not a drop. Fortunately I loaded up with a lot of water at the previous spring so I was fine for dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a few hours of riding after that.

Camp was a pleasant, established site just off the road.

 

I went for a stroll prior to setting camp enjoying good views and solitude.

Next morning I descended back into the big valley. I was prepared to ride back to the spring I camped at on day one, but was hoping there might be a little water at place labeled "Cow Camp" on the map.

Cow Camp!

What a find. There were jugs of water too!

The stove worked. The propane fridge probably did too although I did not try it. There was even a little firewood for the woodstove - which I fired up the next morning.

Mailbox minutiae.

Having secured water and a fine place to sleep, I decided to explore the neighboring hills.

I came across this "Guzzler" for Big Horn Sheep.

This large metal structure captures rain water for the reservoir.

I parked the bike, put on the hiking shoes and set off for a little nearby peak.

The views from the summit were tremendous!

Back at Cow Camp in the evening I strolled about and took a few more photos.

Part of the cabin houses the well. This is the well mast with drilling rod stacked inside.

Hitchin post

The next morning dawned beautifully with a mix of pretty clouds and blue skies.

Perusing the maps I noticed a shortcut back to the truck. First up into the hills again.

Then a sweet plunge down this nice gorge.

Back to the hamlet near where I parked my truck.

 Love this country!