FJ Cruisers of Northern California
High Sierra 2011- Trip Report
Stolen from my blog- http://6wotg.blogspot.com
View High Sierra 2011 on a map
Road Conditions:
The first mile or so of the trail is probably the most challenging. There are a few places where low clearance vehicles will get hung up. I would say that any standard SUV with a good driver at the wheel can get in and out ok. Be sure to close the gate behind you.
The only other part of the trail to be aware of is just before the lake. There is a switchback that will likely require a three point turn. Good luck with a trailer :-).
I do have a video of the first part of the trail somewhere and will post it when and if i find it.
Trip Report:
The NorCalFJ High Sierra Trip is always an amazing adventure. For us it is really a chance to get away from everything and once again enjoy the great outdoors in an amazingly blessed area of land. There is really something for everyone around here! The teardrop, as always made it through without a problem and provided a great level of comfort and warmth that is unmatched!
For Katie and I this was a 5 night, 6 day trip. Our longest outing with the teardrop so far. We got into the NorCal FJ base camp late on Tuesday night and decided that we would go out and explore some other nearby campsites. We found a great spot that was not to far away from the camp and gave us some great views and privacy.
Due to the length of the trip I had some concerns about power. The battery held up well but I recharged it twice by running the FJ. I also setup the FJ's second battery to feed the trailer battery overnight. Overall worked well and didn't have a problem.
Another concern was water - the trailer has about 19 gallons of water storage. We were fortunate to park next to a creek so we had plenty of water for showers, dishes and putting out fires. The 19 gallons ended up being drinking water...and there was plenty of it.
Here is a picture of our base camp - it was near a nice little creek which is always fun because I can get out of bed, make some coffee and head out to do some fishing all before the wife wakes up. As with any small remote creek I have been to, the fish here were happy to be fed dry flies of almost any type. I find dry flies much more exciting but there are times when they just are not as productive. Regardless - this creek is is brook trout heaven! All fish were released.
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| Our Campsite |
I had a new chair to try out as well - probably the best 80$ I ever spent. It reclines so much you can easily fall asleep in it! I should also mention that it is great for star gazing!
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| Comfy Camp Chair!! |
After lounging around camp pretty much all Wednesday we decided to go explore on Thursday. We headed off to Laurel Lakes from our camp:
Ran across Bozley from BozTec on the way over there. A few others showed up not too much later. The lake is always a blast, the last year when I was here I waded pretty deep into it and was having a blast. I always tell myself I should bring my pontoon boat when I come here but i never do.
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| Laurel Lake |
After spending the late morning at the lake we headed off to a trail head that is on the road back to the campsite (see map above). We did this as a day hike and had a lot of fun! As a side note we are about 4 months into crossfit and I have to say I was impressed how well we handled the altitude and the hike overall.
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| Near the Peak |
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| Walking through the bowl |
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| Trying to reach a CARLA repeater - no luck. |
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| Swithbacks! |
Friday was a rest day - mostly hung out around camp!
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| A great day just stay and enjoy the views |
Saturday was a day hike to see the waterfalls. We could not find a path down to the waterfall though so we headed back and then got rained and hailed on while making our way back to camp! High winds knocked over our shower tent! Other then that no major damage besides being wet!
After that success we went into town and got a burger before heading out to look at the Devil's Postpile monument. The monument itself is odd..however the landscape around it is very nice. I saw a bunch of people fly fishing....and of course I forgot my rod! Grrr..
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| The odd formations at Devil's Postpile |
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| Major was happy to get out and about! |
From there we did the hike down to rainbow waterfall....worth doing if you have the time!
Sunday we broke camp early (packing up is so much nicer without a tent!) as we wanted to check out the ghost town of Bodie before we went home. Now that was really an interesting place to go visit. It really makes you wonder what it would have been like live back then.
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| The Bank - or what is left of it. |
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| The safe at the local bank! |
Fire on the way home and 5$ per gallon made me tap into my strategic reserves! Helps to have 20 gallons of gas tucked away on the trailer!
Ended up going back through Sonara Pass - this was first time I definitely felt some struggle towing the trailer. However...that was low grade fuel, 10,000+ feet and some steep climbs.
Got home just in time for a sunset!
Views: 561
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by potatomutato on
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well done! and great formatting too! thanks for taking the time to report on the trail run!
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Permalink Reply by Yose FJ (David) on
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Hey, don't forget your arrival!
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Permalink Reply by Estysalinas on
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Great shot! :-)
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Welcome!
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Permalink Reply by Marine Green on
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This is a nice post. I am definitely going to this spot this summer. Question: does this require any sort of permit (ie wilderness permit?) and if so, where do you get those?
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...and do you know where one might secure such a permit?
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Thank you!
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