The 395 and Owens Valley-Eastern Sierra Region

Similar. In '07 at the summit of Half Dome we were feeling proud when a dude climbs over the North Face. I was curious so I wandered over to strike up a conversation. With much friendly sarcasm he says, did you all hike this thing? How long did it take you? It was like 10 hours or whatever, and he is like, that sounds like a lot of work. I asked how long they climbed for and it was only like 2 hours or something.

 

I read the book "Shattered Air" and never realized that little cave was just over the lip.

We left the parking lot around 7 and were on the summit by noon. Had lunch, took a nap and came back down by 6. I think the German ladies were in much more of a hurry--they motored on up. We passed people who'd left before us on the way down. But the thing I will always remember was coming down the Mist Trail. Mostly because it was a warm day and the mist was welcome for it's cooling effect. However, the steepness wasn't and that hurt

I think Half Dome and Angel's Landing are probably two of my favorite trails.

 

My buddy and I took the hiker’s switchback route up to the summit, no mountaineering experience haha. We started hiking at 3:30am, summited at 1:30pm, and were back to the parking lot at 8:00pm sharp. My gps trackers clocked us at 13 hours 19 minutes of moving time, but regardless the whole hike took us 16.5hrs. We must have been moving 2-2.5x faster going down than going up. The climb up wasn’t too bad until right after the switchbacks. Making it to 13.7 and then coming down in altitude only to climb it back up to 14.5 was pretty demoralizing lol! My “training” prior to this was Mt San Jacinto 2x. Once from the tram in palm springs, and once via deer springs trail (starts near idyllwild). So Whitney was definitely the longest day hike I have experienced thus far.

 

I remember that section of trail, and yes, "demoralizing" is the perfect word.

I'd heard a good trainer for Whitney is Mt Langley -- almost as tall, but an "easier" ascent.

When we got back to the parking lot it was ~9 pm -- I'd made reservations at the Death Valley Inn, so we could hit the highest and lowest spot in the western hemisphere in a single day, but when we got to the parking lot, we decided driving to Death Valley would be a death sentence, and opted for a local motel.

 

For our trainers we did Baden-Powell and Baldy (Mt. San Antonio) which are both in the San Gabriel mountains above LA. Then to isolate effects of elevation (without a strenuous hike), we did White Mountain a few weeks before. It's a very easy fire-road to the top so we were able to understand just how much elevation affects your stamina (it's a lot, getting above 12K is quite noticeable especially for us flatlanders!).

Baldy (via the ski hut trail) starts at 6K and tops out at the peak (10K) in 4 miles. The Whitney trail is much more deliberate and gradual, but the length and especially elevation make it a contender for sure.

 

Done Whitney a bunch of times. Always via the North Fork(climbers) trail and always via a technical climbing route. The NF trail is 5 miles from the Portal to the base of Whitney. Then you climb 1000' and your on top. Back down the Mountaineers route to the trail. I was super ultra mega fucking pissed when the FS decided to combine the quotas for the NF trail and hikers trail 6 years ago. It's damn near impossible to get a permit now since you have to compete with the hikers for a permit.

 

Both very scenic. If you where fortunate enough to do them before the mass influx of "adventure seekers" all the better. The amount of traffic they both have seen in the last 15 years has tripled.

 

I was and I think that's why.

 

Funny little thing called the internet...

 

I was looking at some population numbers for something else and realized that in the last 50 years or so, the state's population has doubled. I would also suggest that the population has become more outdoors aware as well. There was definitely a period when you could walk into the backcountry and be assured that 6 miles in would be your last contact for the duration. idk if that's as true anymore.

The Internet has made it much easier to find places, especially using Google Earth and with satellite views, ... You get the idea.

 

Social media. It's mostly from social media. It's the digital version of keeping up with the Joneses. I post cool shit to make me look like I'm cool. Then you think I'm cool so you do the SAME EXACT THING. Then you post about it thinking your cool. Then Shirley sees it and wants to be cool. It's a vicious cycle.

It's also the reason I don't do social media. I find cool shit and keep it to a very select few. Not because I don't want others to see or experience what I have. I do it because everyone should find their own path to those things. Use the internet to help research that. Don't do it because Twatter said so. lol

 

Fucking Shirley.

 

What happens when nature goes viral?

 

It's a double-edged sword. I love that more and more people are interested in nature and I certainly don't want to gatekeep that enjoyment. But it has definitely felt more... Shallow. People are going to be seen instead of to see. Take some pictures, geotag on instagram, throw some trash on the ground, and bail. There's no conservancy or discipline, or understanding that isolation is one of the things that makes a spot special. I remember being a nerd in middle/high school for being in the Scouts, but I wouldn't trade those lessons in stewardship for anything.

It's especially weird to see the hardcore monetization of recreation though. So many brand startups and influencers were showing up to Alabama Hills that they're having to regulate it. I'm glad that USFS is taking a hard line against goofballs filming commercials with drones in wilderness and national park areas.

 

Camped lakeside recently at a spot about an hour's drive off pavement. Found piles of TP on the ground right next to the camp, not even 50 feet from the lake.

No respect. Stay the fuck out of the woods, slobs.

 

Yes, it’s 99% social media that is the problem. The most toxic bull shit to hit the planet in decades.

When visitation is driven by things like guide books, magazine articles, travel shows and even blog entries it usually comes with context and guidance as to how one should interact with and behave in the environment. They are often written by people who have a long experience with the area and who wish to have others share in both the enjoyment of and the protection of that environment. Usually it involves the consumer of the media ingesting the entire article and picking up on that ethic. Most include references and links to further responsibly written information by like minded authors. Such media traditionally has created a steady stream of responsible users of the outdoors many of whom themselves evolve into advocates and stewards of the outdoors.

Social Media “content creators” on the other hand are a bunch of ethically bankrupt fuckwits motivated by absolutely nothing beyond “monetizing their lifestyle” and thinly veiled pathological narcissism. They care nothing about the outdoors beyond its ability to be exploited for personal profit and aggrandizement. Certainly some will engage in transparent virtue signaling about protecting the outdoors, but it is only to further their “brand” and reap more profit and attention. Honestly, at the risk of being preachy, if you care about protecting the outdoors you probably shouldn’t be following any of the “outdoor” or “expedition” accounts on social media.

So bring on the increased visitation by responsible people who want to enjoy the outdoors, even if that means reservations for the most famous sites. As for the assholes on social media, and especially the social media companies themselves, I can only hope eventually they go the way of the lawn dart, leaded gasoline and other ideas the world eventually figured out the were better off without.

 

Apparently, one of the TikTok folks went skydiving in Toronto this weekend....

 

^^^^FTFY

I feel like we’ve unexpectedly come full circle to an earlier BASE jumping discussion…

 

Heading up to Coyote Flats for the weekend to camp in high elevation. Have permits to hike Whitney starting Monday. Taking 3 days to complete and try to enjoy ourselves. Wish us luck!

Anyone been up to Coyote Flats this season? Curious how the trails are with the recent rains.

 

Anyone else find all the complaints about social media ruining places in a thread on social media ironic?

Sure, social media creates more visibility to some of our favorite places and increased traffic but people trash places because they are either uneducated or assholes. You can't do anything about the second group but the first group is easy. It starts at home. Teach your kids to pack it out. Be the person who picks up litter around camp even if it is t yours. Tread lightly. If you share a special place with someone, stress the importance of leaving it cleaner than you found it and ask that the person be selective with sharing that spot with others.

I see social media as a tool to help educate about the importance of keeping our open spaces trash free, to increase awareness about the impacts we make, and to ultimately increase stewardship.

When I see a post with stupid actions (like writing your IG on a tree or rock), more often than not the majority of comments call out the bullshit instead of supporting it.