Sandy Meadow Trail in the Sierra Nevada

Fluted volcanic cliff structures south of Sandy Meadow Trail

The Sandy Meadow Trail is located north of Highway 4 between Ebbetts Pass and the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Sierra Nevada, California. Despite its name, this single-path hiking and horseback riding trail winds through coniferous forest; only short sections traverse meadows. The trail connects the corrals on Highway 4 with Wheeler Lake further west.

Forest-framed sandy meadow

From its trailhead at Highway 4, Sandy Meadow Trail ascends northbound and soon enters the Mokelumne Wilderness. At the Stanislaus National Forest sign the trail bends west and stays fairly level for about 1.5 miles. Without challenges you should reach the first sandy meadow. The trail crosses Sandy Meadow Creek and then enters forest again. Some rock outcrops next to the trail offer nice views of the Sierra including the mountains surrounding the Blue Lakes area further north.

The trail continues westwards, up and down through forest; boulder-strewn in places. My favorite rock along the trail is a granite pyramid pointing skyward in an opening of the at intervals dense pine and fir forest. 

A natural pyramid, I assume

Frequently, you will encounter fallen trees. The trail is cleared of some trees and occasionally a path has been cut through a trunk. Other trunks you have to climb over or find your way around. At several locations, the trail crosses a creek or a meadow. It can be difficult to recognize the path in areas, where the trail leads over the sandy soil of a meadow or traverses wet and boggy patches. You want to memorize the location of the trail point at the forest opening to avoid track searching on your return trip. Sandy Meadow Trail is marked with little discs showing a silver-white backpacker with a hiking stick on blue ground (see picture above). These markers are fixed to trees. They guide hikers in both directions of the trail, but are too small to be seen across larger forest openings.

Hiking towards the upper end of Jackson Canyon, you are going to traverse meadows with stunning views to the south. My topographic hiking map—the National Geographic “Carson-Iceberg, Emigrant and Mokelumne Wilderness Areas” trail map—shows the location names Cliff Meadow and Avalanche Meadow. From east to west, the south is “blocked” by a steep, continuous cliff wall: a slightly curved cirque of fluted volcanic cliffs, a fraction of which is shown above. Darkening clouds moving over the cliffs from the southwest may easily cause a haunted feel in a psychically sensitive visitor. The cliffs show overhangs and caves. I am sure bird watchers will get their thrill exploring the avian life of these cliffs. Up to now, I didn't succeed in resourcing any ornithological information concerning this amazing cliff structure. It looks like a paradise for eagles and vultures. North-facing however, the livelihood of this vertical otherworld may be limited by enduring snow and ice curtains after a long, precipitation-rich winter season.

Chances are you or your party will be on their own in this cliff backyard, since Sandy Meadow Trail is not as frequently traveled as many other trails in the Sierra.

Getting to the Sandy Meadow Trailhead

From Minden, Nevada, take Highway 88 south to Woodfords. Turn left on Highway 89 to Markleeville. Continue alongside the East Fork Carson River and manage all the switchbacks uphill and over the Pacific Crest. From Ebbetts Pass, continue westbound past the Hermit Valley Historical Landmark. Find the Sandy Meadow Trailhead sign on the left side of the narrow road, just a short distance west from the Mosquito Lakes.  

From Arnold, California, go eastbound on Highway 4 past Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Lake Alpine. Find the Sandy Meadow Trailhead sign on the right side of the narrow road, about three miles east from the Wood Chuck Basin Trailhead.  

From Carson Pass via PCT to upper Forestdale Creek and Blue Lakes

Forestdale Creek pond with Elephants Back's south side

The hiking distance along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) across the Mokelumne Wilderness between Carson_Pass and Ebbetts Pass is about twenty five miles; one way. For non-backpackers, an out-and-back trip to Blue Lake viewpoints is a great day-hike option. This trip rewards hikers with scenic views of the ancient Elephants Back lava dome and various shallow ponds within an subalpine landscape east of the Sierran crest.

PCT traversing slopes east of Elephants Back

The trip begins at the Carson_Pass_Information_Center by following the Tahoe to Yosemite Trail (TYT) and the PCT with ascending switchbacks southbound through dense forest that is thinning while approaching shallow Frog Lake. In a short distance from the junction with the short side-path to Frog Lake you will arrive at the next junction where the TYT continues on toward Winnemucca Lake, Round Top Lake and Fourth of July Lake and where the PCT veers left and south around the steep east side of Elephants Back. Soon, the mountains west of Markleeville and ranges of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness are coming into view.

Forestdale Creek and Forestdale Divide Road

From the crest next to Elephants Back, the PCT steeply drops into the basin of Forestdale Creek. The PCT crosses at least three tributary streams of Forestdale Creek—interspersed with rock outcrops—before winding uphill towards a beautiful, lightly forested area with meadows and ponds, backdropped by granite walls and talus slopes. The top picture shows one of the Forestdale ponds and the southeast-facing walls of Elephants Back. After about five miles from Carson Pass, you will reach a trail crossing. A few steps to the left is an unmarked trailhead on Forestdale Divide Road. To the right, a trail leads down into Summit City Canyon.

The trail marker at the crossing gives a distance of eighteen miles to Ebbetts Pass. Continuing southbound toward that direction, the PCT soon intersects Forest Divide Road, from where it traverses open slopes with sweeping canyon views. Then, the PCT enters the conifer forest northeast of the Upper Blue Lake. After about a mile, the lake is shining through the forest trees.  

Upper and Lower Blue Lake

       

PCT sideways: Paradise Lake

Paradise Lake

Backpackers hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) often look out for little extras and diversions. The scenery of Paradise Lake offers such a side adventure. It is a great place for camping and swimming.

Paradise Lake is located north of Sierra Nevada's Basin Peak, which is located north of Castle Peak; all north of Boreal at Donner Summit. Day hikers typically start their Paradise Lake round trip from next to Interstate 80: either from the Pacific Crest Trail parking area (south of I-80) or from wherever they may get to on Castle Valley Road (a dirt-road trail north of I-80); for example, from the shaded parking area at the trailhead of the Hole in the Ground (HITG) Trail.

Once you have managed Castle Pass and have arrived at the Peter Grubb Hut, you want to continue northbound on the PCT until you will arrive at its junction with the Paradise Lake Trail in Paradise Valley. North of the hut you will cross Lower Castle Creek and then pass the junction with Sand Ridge Trail, a connector trail linking the PCT with the HITG Trail and Sand Ridge Lake. The PCT traverses the eastern slopes below the crest between Castle Peak and Basin Peak with spectacular views of the western Sierra, including Sierra Butte further north.  There is an unmarked Y-junction, from where a trail ascends to the top of Basin Peak.

Unconformity Spring

After getting over the openly forested crest of Basin Peak's shoulder, Paradise Valley is coming into view. The descend into the valley takes you into thicker forest. In spring and summer, Unconfirmity Spring next to the trail is edged with a lush display of greens and wildflowers. Switchback after switchback, the PCT will lead you down to the valley floor, where a bridge (built in 1994) is crossing North Creek, the westward flowing water coming down from Paradise Lake.

From there, with Mike White's words [1]:

A mild, winding ascent leads past a pond surrounded by meadow to a junction with an old road, 6.6 miles from the trailhead [PCT parking area (south of I-80)]. Nailed to a lodgepole pine just before the road is an old wooden sign marked PARADISE LK, with an arrow to the right.

Exactly. The sign is still there. The tall lodgepole pine is getting to old age. Resin is dripping from a wound in the bark.

Resin of a lodgepole pine

Turning right at the junction and following the double-track trail between forest and meadowland, you will enjoy the views of the interestingly structured, northfacing walls of Basin Peak. As soon as the tracks of Paradise Trail get lost between trees, shrubs and granite boulders, you will know you are almost there. Just keep ascending eastbound over gravel and bedrock until you see the lake—beautifully tucked into a granite cirque basin.

Paradise Lake is surrounded by granite slabs and cliffs. Tiny granite boulder islands seem to float in the lake, some with bonsai-like and some with surprisingly tall conifer trees. On a hot day, you may want to make a water-surrounded granite floor your resting spot, from where you can easily walk or slide into the refreshing lake water. 

[1] Mike White: Afoot & Afield. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, California, 2nd printing November 2008.

Walking—actually, marching—along Riverside Drive to kick off Reno's 20th Artown

MarchFourth! opening Artown next to McKinley Arts and Culture Center on Riverside Drive, Reno, Nevada

July is Artown month in Reno, Nevada. The “20th Anniversary Opening Night Celebration” took place yesterday. In the evening, children, parents and other Artowners—friends of Artown—watched and followed the unique marching band MarchFourth! on their opening parade from the McKinley Arts and Culture Center along Riverside Drive to Reno's downtown stage at the west end of Wingfield Park. 

MarchFourth! at Wingfield Park Amphitheater

MarchFourth! artisans and musicians with their motto “This Band Is Your Band” are no newcomers to Reno. I have seen them opening Artown years ago on the sky roof of the Nevada Museum of Art. Walking or marching with MarchFourth! feels like taking part in a kaleidoscopic Cirque du Soleil road-show performance. Leading the marching route were stilt walkers, followed by Vaudeville-style dancers and musicians delivering the explosive sonic stomps & rhythm.

Stilt-walk dancer on stage

The marching band and the following crowd moved alongside the Truckee River, while passing the Hub coffee hangout, the Lear Theater, the Bicentennial Park and then gathering at the Wingfield Park Amphitheater, where more Artown fans where already waiting or picnicking on the lawn in front of the stage—or floating in the river pools surrounding the venue island.

Later in the evening, the Glen David Andrews Band from New Orleans was playing jazz, gospel and soul music. Everyone celebrated the first 2015 Artown sunset. At late night, MarchFourth! continued their spectacle at the Cargo at Whitney Peak Hotel in downton Reno.

Reno is Artown!

Glen David Andrews Band all the way from New Orleans

Keywords: Reno Artown, open-air events, fun, entertainment, music, jazz.

More about MarchFourth! and Artown
• MarchFourth!: www.marchfourthband.com,
• Reno is Artown: renoisartown.com,
• Artown parade in Reno's Wingfield Park: www.rgj.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/07/01/artown-parade-in-renos-wingfield-park/29601903.

2015: A good year for prickly pears in northwest Nevada

Prickly pear cactus with a view: from a Hidden Valley slope over Huffaker Hills to Mt. Rose Wilderness/Carson Range

May storms have brought late-season snowfall to the Sierra Nevada and rainfall to northwest Nevada. The Reno-Tahoe area has seen some substantial precipitation during late spring—unusual for the season. This different weather pattern resulted in a flamboyant display of flowering plants. The pictures herein show prickly pear cacti (Opuntia ficus) seen next to trails in Reno's Huffaker Hills and in Hidden Valley Regional Park; southeast of the metropolitan Reno/Sparks area.

The local low-growing variety starts its bloom with pinkish flower buds that open to yellow flowers. The typically paddle-shaped pads are green with medium to long spines.

Prickly pear cactus flower and flower buds

As a frost- and drought-tolerant plant, opuntias make excellent contributions to xeroscaped gardens and parks designed for climate conditions in northern Nevada. The prickly pear cactus is a food plant. Culinary opuntia species have been a staple of the American southwest and Mexican diet for thousands of years. The vegetable-like pads, the salad-enhancing flower petals and the mature fruits—the eponymous prickly pears, also known as tuna—are harvested and eaten. Also, prickly pear species such as Opuntia ficus-indica are plants of many constituents—ingredients—with various pharmacological uses [1].

Spiny pads: prickly pear nopals with spine work

Besides enriching gardens, kitchen tables and apothecary cabinets, productive prickly pear cacti are of interest for bioenergy production. So far in small amounts, Opuntia is used for anaerobic biogas production [2]. If the metabolism of prickly pear plants can be directed to produce lipids or oils rather than mostly carbohydrates, than they have a bioenergy potential for arid regions such as Nevada. Prickly pears require only 20 percent of the water required by traditional crops. Respective research in biochemistry and plant molecular genetics is performed in The Cushman Lab at the University of Nevada-Reno [3,4].

In future, you may encounter prickly pears not only as indivual plants next to your favorite desert trail, but in cultivated communities across an agriculturally expanding desert.  

Keywords: wild opuntia, cultivated opuntia, food source, pharmacology, agronomy, renewable energy, biodiesel, bioengineering.

References  and more to research
[1] Sigma-Aldrich: Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) [http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/opuntia-ficus-indica.html]
[2] Bruce Dorminey: Prickley Pear Cactus: Nuisance of Bioenergy Opportunity? Renewable Energy World.Com, Tuesday, June 30, 2015 [www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2014/01/prickly-pear-cactus-nuisance-or-bioenergy-opportunity.html]
[3]  UNR Reserches Sustainable Alternatives to Fossil Fuels. The Nevada Sagebrush. Tuesday, February 4, 2014; page A1.
[4] Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station: Development Of Prickly Pear Cactus As A Low-Water Biofuel/Biomass Feedstock [www.cabnr.unr.edu/research/research_project.aspx?GrantID=705].

Wind-driven smoke and growth of the Washington Fire

Washington Fire: a cloud of thick smoke seen from above Red Lake near Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada

On Sunday, June 21, 2015, I was heading with friends toward Carson Pass. We were wondering, if this was the right day for a Pacific-Crest-Trail hike to Showers Lake, since strong winds blew over the Sierra. While driving south from Minden, Nevada, toward California, we saw a train of smoke moving eastward from the Markleeville area (Alpine County) toward the Pine Nut Mountains: the Washington Fire, as we later found out. An electronic highway sign announced that California State Highway 4 to Ebbett's Pass—another Pacific Crest Trail access location—was closed.

We continued on Highway 88 to Carson Pass and had a pleasant hike to Showers Lake via Meiss Meadows. The dry air granted crisp views of the volcanic rock formations and lava domes within the Carson Pass area. Driving home, we saw the further evolving Washington Fire by scanning the eastern mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada from Highway 88 above Red Lake. The thick red-gray smoke could have been taken as the result of an volcanic eruption. But we already knew from emergency alerts on the radio that this was a blaze.

It was ignited by a lightning strike and stoked by strong erratic winds. By Tuesday, the fire was contained by less than 10 percent. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal it has increased to 16,500 acres:  Residential areas, historic cabins and campgrounds near Markleeville as well as local sight-seeing landmarks are currently off limits:

Highway 89 over Monitor Pass remain closed at U.S. 395. California Highway 4 is closed, and Turtle Rock and Indian Creek campgrounds are shut down. All visitors and campers from Wolfcreek to the top of Ebbitts Pass [? new spelling of Ebbett's Pass or Ebbetts Pass] have been evacuated. Markleeville remained on standby for possible evacuation.

I am not able to figure out why this fire is called Washington Fire. The little town of Washington, California, is located in Nevada County.  So, what is the little something in Alpine County after which this fire has been named? Or am I on the wrong track?

Keywords: wildfire, fire growth, severe drought conditions, evacuation, fire nomenclature.

Reference
Staff and wire reports: Little containment as fire chars 16,500 acres. Reno Gazette Journal, Wednesday, June 24, 2015, pages 1A and 5A.

To Showers Lake via PCT from Meiss Meadows Trailhead

Showers Lake with hanging meadows and cliff-castle

Showers Lake belongs to a group of subalpine lakes and lakelets between Carson Pass and Echo Summit in the Upper Truckee River drainage area of the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe. These lakes are visited for trout angling, swimming or simply for the panoramic views from the lake sites as well as the meadows and paths between and beyond. Numerous campsites can be found between boulders and conifers around the lakes. On warm summer days, the more accessible lakes, including Showers Lake, can be crowded with both day-visitors and campers. Everyone seems to enjoy this inspiring Sierra lake district and its trails in Meiss County, California [1-3].

From the Meiss Meadows Trailhead northwest of the Carson Pass Information Center (Highway 88), the northbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)—open for hiking and horseback riding—ascends through a forest of pines, junipers, aspens and scattered boulders. Once the single-track trail leaves the forest, it further ascends across an open slope upward to a scenic saddle, iris-covered during early summer. Here, you will have southward views of The Sisters, Round Top and the Elephants Back.lava dome. Continuing north, Lake Tahoe comes into view. Then, the PCT winds down into Meiss Meadows and towards the historic Meiss Cabin, where once the Meiss family spent the summer months fishing, cattle ranching and enjoying snow-bank-frozen ice cream. 

Distances from PCT/TRT junction

At the trail junction near this historic cabin & stable site, where the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), coming from Round Lake, merges with the PCT, a sign shows the distances for northbound travelers: 2 miles to Showers Lake, 6 miles to Bryan Meadow and 10 miles to Echo Summit. For a while, the level PCT continues between stands of light forest and meadows. Seasonal trickles or low streams have to be crossed.

PCT between Meiss Cabin and Showers Lake: stepping stones in front, the volcanic rock formations east of Round Lake in the background

The trail then ascends toward a forested crest, from which Showers Lake comes into view. After a short descend you will reach the south corner of the lake, where deep mud and dense willows may keep you away from the shore. Most areas around the lake, however, feature needle-covered ground in the shade of pine trees and mountain hemlocks. Tim Hauserman puts it this way [4]:

Showers Lake itself is beautiful (although often crowded with campers). The south side is marshy but the northern side provides great swimming opportunities enhanced by flat granite rocks that reach down to the water. Several camping spots surrounded by hemlock, lodgepole pines, and before summer, mosquitoes, can be found above the north and east sides of the lake.

When we were there on June 21, 2015, a strong wind was blowing, keeping the mosquitoes away.

In topographic maps, the Showers Lake basin is given an elevation of above 8,500 feet. There are various paths crisscrossing the half-bowl-shaped basin landscape. The PCT itself passes alongside the northern shore. It continues down below the lake's outlet and then heads up and out of the forest to higher points from where Dardanelles Lake, Lake Tahoe and Freel Peak can be seen.  

References and more to explore
[1] Carson Pass to Showers Lake: sites.google.com/site/zbjohnsonadventures/hikes/california-nevada/showers-lake.
[2] Flowers create colorful path to Showers Lake: tahoesouth.com/blog/showers_lake_hike/.
[3] Showers Lake 2003: www.avidbackpackers.com/htm/trips/show.htm.
[4] Tim Hauserman: The Tahoe Rim Trail. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, California, 2002.