Nine Days Backpacking in Mineral King

 

Mid- August saw me on Sequoia trails with six fellow hikers on a Sequoia Natural History Association trip led by Rick Mitchell. The first day's hike to Franklin Lake was over a Cadillac trail. Day # 2 we gained another 2,000+' going over Franklin Pass.(Photo right at 11,800'). Then down hill under threatening rain to No Name Lake for two nights, going up to Shotgun pass (also 11,000+' ) for a pleasant day hike.  Weather conditions were "iffy" with rain threatening at several times. The rain clouds made for some fantastic sunsets.


Franklin Lake View

Heading for Little Claire Lake we passed through marvelous Foxtail Pine forest with gnarly, lightening-split trunks that looked tortured, and probably are hundreds of years old. On to Big Five Lakes, then Little Five Lakes with distant views of Whitney and it's neighbors and up close views of the Kaweah mountains. Watching the colors change on the mounains at sunset was a spectacular light show. That night I woke to the loudest thunder I've ever heard with lightening striking just a bit too close for comfort.
Out over Black Rock Pass (another 11,000+'), down to the junction and then finally Timber Gap pass on our last day and back into Mineral King. Life doesn't get much better than this!

Panama Adventures in April 2012

An 11 day trip to Panama included not only the incredible canal passage, but a ride on the Panama Railway to Colon, kayaking on Lake Gatun, a walk in the rain forest at Gamboa and a side trip to the beautiful cloud forest of El Valle de Anton and to an Embera village where I'm sure at least some beaded clothing was doffed the moment the last tourist left!
We went through the canal on a 120' catamaran which looked insect-size compared to the biggest cargo container ships that were going through at the same time. The canal is an incredible piece of engineering as it celebrates its 100th anniversary next year and is still going strong. New larger locks are being built adjacent to the original ones and are on schedule to open in 2014.

Panama City is a booming town. Even Donald Trump has invested in building a towering skyscraper.The skyline looks like Miami and it is the banking capital of Latin America. The canal, of course, has spurred much of this development. The Caribbean side is another story and looks totally third world. We were told that 10,000 people from Panama City commute to the Caribbean side each day (50 miles) to work in the trade free zone in Colon. Why not employ locals?

"Red Devil" buses sport vivid colors

It seemed strange to use U.S. $$ everywhere yet hear Spanish spoken. Occasionally we'd receive balboas as change, but all the coins are the same size as US coinage. The old Canal  Zone housing which was exclusively for Americans working in the Zone has been sold to locals and the great network of roads is a legacy of the US era. We didn't get far from the old Canal Zone, but Panama offers a wealth of countryside to explore for birders, beachcombers and general tourism. We went on to visit friends in Costa Rica and found most items more expensive there. My friend said that Ticos now go to Panama City for shopping splurges as it's closer than Miami, requires no visa and has a vast array of goods.

See more photos  on my Picasa website: https://picasaweb.google.com/117619508186210444760/Panama?authkey=Gv1sRgCLz42Z2P6b-R8gE#

County Kerry Adventures, August/Sept. 2011

West Coast Scenes

Ireland is great in fall...no crowds, good weather and plenty of Guinness as always. From Ancient ring stones (left) to fresh seafood, colorful towns and Celtic music, there is lots to explore and experience. Aren't we lucky that we have a son and daughter-in-law living in Ballybunion? This time we explored the Beara and Iveragh Peninsulas using Kenmare as our headquarters. A highlight on the Beara Peninsula was the cable car journey of about 10 minutes over to Dursey Island. The car carries six people or one cow! There is a small village with perhaps 10 houses as well as acres of sheep and fine cattle. The one tarred road didn't have too much traffic, but then we were not walking during commute hour. The last cable car leaves the island at 4 p.m.

Son Glen found plenty of back roads for us to travel and we admired heather, St. Joseph's lilies and fuchsia bushes lining many of the roads. The sea is seldom far away on any West Coast road, so take time for a pub lunch of seafood chowder or mussels--always washed down with a Guinness, of course. Slainte!

New Adventures in Africa

Early September found us exploring wildlife and humanity in Zambia and Malawi. We spent time in the remarkable Wildlife Camp on the Luangwa River just outside of S. Luangwa National Park. For selected pictures of our adventures go to https://picasaweb.google.com/norma.wightman/SouthernAfrica2011 . Elephant, giraffe, zebra, numerous species of antelope and birds highlighted our visit. Big cats remained elusive. We loved the view across the river as the sun set and the hippo came out of the water for their evening grazing.

The elephants even came to visit us in our rustic chalet, one rubbing up against the roof thatch one night as it reached for succulent leaves in the tree next to our verandah. It was exciting to wake up to a large black sihouette visible through the netting. Then on our last morning in camp an elephant family visited the delicious bushes just behind our chalet (photo above).

The humanity story is less exciting. The women of Africa work harder than one can imagine. The load carried by this woman through the bush (photo above), miles from town, is indicative of how part of each day is spent gathering fuel and water. Deforestation is rampant in both Zambia and Malawi, as in much of Africa. As we drove to the park, sacks of charcoal awaited pick up along side the road. It is the only resource rural people can sell for a few kwatcha at the expense of the environment.

Record Snowfall at Crater Lake

Winter was a harsh one at Crater Lake National Park with more than 56 feet of snowfall. The rim drive is not fully open and the popular boat trip to Wizard Island only opens at the end of July. When we drove to the park on July 18 and arrived at an overlook at 8,000' the temperature was 39oF. Wooly caps and gloves were very welcome! Record snow assures that the lake will be at a good capacity this year.

Yosemite is Gushing

Father's Day was not the best time to visit Yosemite, but we were in Fresno and made a day trip to view the splendor of the falls. Yes, the crowds were bad in the valley, but Glacier Point provided a magnificent vantage point without being too crowded.

Down in the valley we tried to walk to Bridal Veil Falls, but got drenched on the way to its base so were content to admire it from afar. At Lower Yosemite Falls we got pretty wet crossing the bridge, but it was a warm day and kind of fun to get a shower from the terrific volume of water coming down. Looks like this year there will be falls well into autumn as there is still significant snow pack in the Sierras. Don't miss this marvelous spectacle!

Rattlesnake Dines in Montana de Oro State Park

Earlier this month Virginia Jensen and I took a morning hike along Rerservoir Flats Trail in Montana de Oro State Park. Fortunately Virginia had her camera with her as suddenly we came upon a rattlesnake very preoccupied with devouring a baby rabbit. We watched for 10-15 minutes and the snake didn't even blink, much less move a muscle. The bunny also was not moving. We lost patience and moved on so we can't even guess how long it took the snake to savor the entire bunny. An adventure with nature indeed!