Other Sierra Diversions, June/July 2006

As in 2005 I enjoyed some other Sierra activities while Mammoth's skiing was still going strong. On June 17 I took Andrew, Adam and Adam's girlfriend Aislinn rafting on the Kaweah River below Sequoia National Park. The Kaweah only drains half of Sequoia, because the eastern half of the park near Mt. Whitney drains south into the Kern River and Lake Isabella. So the Kaweah has a very short rafting season, extending into July only in big years like the past two. The Kaweah whitewater is short, only 7 miles, but it's almost nonstop action and rated 4+.

After rafting I drove up to Mineral King (only ski-related content of this post). Mineral King was one of the biggest ski development controversies. Disney's proposal was defeated by environmental groups when the former mining settlement was added to Sequoia National Park in 1978. Mineral King is close to the divide between the Kaweah and Kern River drainages. The last picture below shows part of what would have been ski terrain. The snow covered saddle (this is also June 17) is at 10,700 feet and the peaks go up to 12,000. However this area is farther south than Mammoth and does not get as much snow. It's also understandable why Disney proposed building a train to provide access. The road from Three Rivers is 25 miles but took me over an hour for me to drive. It reminded of the road to Hana on Maui. There are scattered vacation cabins up there, and that road ensures peace and quiet for the handful of summer visitors and backpackers.

June 18 Andrew and I spent in Sequoia National Park, first at Crystal Cave, then at Giant Forest.

On July 3 I took a break from my skiing at Mammoth and hiked down the river with Andrew from Tuolumne Meadows to Tuolumne Falls. The established trail north of the river was about 4.5 miles. We returned by a rougher but shorter (3.5 miles) and more scenic route south of the river.

From the bridge where we turned around it's an additional 1.7 miles to the Glen Aulin Camp and 2+ miles beyond that to the unusual Waterwheel Falls (I've never made it that far). Glen Aulin is one of 5 tented camps where reserved bedding and meals are provided while hikers spend a week in the Yosemite backcountry. A couple of the camps are over 10,000 feet and were still snowbound, and the tents do not open until all 5 are available.