wildlife

Trip Report – Glacier Point to Tuolumne Meadows in Mid-July

Published by Ray Rippel on July 16, 2018 21 Permalink

My wife and I spent three days in the Yosemite backcountry last week. Here’s a short trip report. (Note: the trip came before the Ferguson fire; conditions in regards to air quality have changed.)

We began day one with a three-hour drive to Tuolumne Meadows to pick up our wilderness permit, and to park our car on the dirt road next to the Lembert Dome parking lot. Then it was YARTS to the valley, followed by a short walk to the Yosemite Lodge, and a bus ride to Glacier Point. We didn’t intend to walk to the Lodge, but the shuttle buses were all so packed with people we couldn’t get on them. We didn’t stay in the valley long enough to get a sense if things have gotten better with Aramark managing instead of Delaware North, but packed shuttle buses (due to a reduced schedule) isn’t indicative of good things.

We began walking at about 3 p.m. The timing was not optimum, but we didn’t intend to do many miles on day one anyway. As is usually the case, despite the fact that the valley was crowded, as well as Glacier Point, after five minutes on the trail we felt like we were almost alone in the wilderness. Well, except for that big rattlesnake eating a squirrel!

Believe it or not, this is the first time in all my years in the Sierra Nevada that I have seen a rattlesnake. Fortunately, it was busy eating and was uninterested in either of us.

After a great night near the banks of Illilouette Creek, we were off the next morning for the top of Nevada Falls along the Panorama Trail.

That evening we camped at Sunrise Creek. Joining us at the campsite was a youth group of at least twenty kids (and two guides) ages 12 to 15. It was great to see kids of this age in the woods; I would have guessed that for many it was a first trip. It wasn’t so great hearing their enthusiasm well into the night, but I guess that’s a small price to pay for another generation who will hopefully appreciate the wilderness.

On day three we hiked from Sunrise Creek to Tuolumne Meadows. Three days, thirty-something miles, and a great trip. Here are a few more highlights:

The wildflowers were amazing. Once we mistook a field of lupine for a pond because the plants were growing so densely. At another spot a huge field of lupine, at a distance, looked like a purple fog.

The wildlife was out in force; we saw just about everything except a bear, including marmots (posing for treats), deer (up close), coyotes (playing in the meadow near Sunrise Camp), the aforementioned rattlesnake, and – by far the most exciting – a mountain lion. He or she was no more than 18 yards from me and appeared to be about 60 pounds. I’d guess the cat was an adolescent considering the size and how flawless the fur was. That is a first for me; I’ve never seen one in the wild. I should note that the mountain lion showed absolutely no interest in either my wife or me, despite the fact we were making enough noise that it must have known we were there. Sorry, but the encounter was so quick that a photo was impossible.

We put our mosquito head-nets on once, and used a little DEET once, when we finished the trail near dark on the last day. Overall, the mosquitos were not bad. We had no problem with them at either campsite in the evenings or mornings.

Water was plentiful. I would say that Sunrise Creek has at least a few weeks of water left.

I zipped up my 20 degree sleeping bag once, at about 5 a.m., on the first night at 6,000 feet. The second night it stayed open all night. We got some rainshowers the last day, which felt great.

Not all wilderness adventures need to take weeks. This was three days well spent!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: cougars, wildlife

Dealing with Pests on the John Muir Trail

Published by Ray Rippel on March 12, 2018 4 Permalink

“Nice backpack you got there, buddy. It would a shame if something happened to it.”

To paraphrase Andrew Skurka (from his terrific book, The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide) there are two types of fun: Type 1 Fun is fun to do and fun to have done, while Type 2 Fun is fun to have done, but not so fun to do. Thankfully, thru-hiking the John Muir Trail is definitely Type 1 Fun (at least for most people). That doesn’t mean that you will be comfortable at all times. The various pests you may encounter along the way are unlikely to ruin your hike – or even your afternoon – but knowing what they are and how to mitigate their impact is a handy skill to have.

Other Hikers. This happens less frequently than you might expect. You will see people every day on your hike, unless you are well outside the normal season, but they are almost invariable pleasant, polite, and well informed regarding trail etiquette (like Leave No Trace). There are rare exceptions. For me, the worst was a group of about a dozen I encountered a few years ago. They were using an itinerary very close to mine, were loud, and consisted of hikers who walked at different speeds, almost all of whom were faster than me. They also liked to take breaks every forty-five minutes to an hour. Typically I would first see them early in the morning as they passed me. Then I would pass them while they took a break. Then they would pass me; them me them, etc., etc, etc. After three days of this I had to do something. What I ended up doing was spending a half-day longer in camp and adjusting my proposed campsites for the rest of the trip. That did the trick! I didn’t see them again until Guitar Lake.

If you encounter a hiker or hikers who are spoiling your experience you need to do one of two things: either get ahead of them (perhaps by getting up a few hours earlier and making some more miles) or let them get ahead of you.

Bears. I’ve written about bears before, but they have almost ceased to be a problem since we all started carrying bear canisters. Where might you still have a run in with an unwelcome ursine guest? The most likely areas are those where you will find the most people: Little Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, Lyell Canyon, near the Devils Postpile, and the Rae lakes area. That’s not to say that there are not bears all along the trail – there are! But bears associate humans with easy food mostly were there are lots of people without bear canisters. Keep your scented items in your canister and you will be fine.

Marmots (and other small mammals). It’s possible – even likely – that you will hike your entire hike without seeing a bear. You will see marmots almost every day. Oh, and they know where you keep your goodies: right in the colorful backpack you leaned against that boulder before wandering off to get water. The further bad news is that they do not know how to operate zippers. Instead, they will chew right through whatever fabric separates them from the meal within. A few simple rules have kept me from being burglarized over the years: keep all scented items in your canister; during breaks, keep your backpack close at hand; and at night hang your backpack from a tree. Hanging your backpack at night is a good idea even though it doesn’t have anything edible in it. The sweat-soaked straps on the pack are an excellent source of salt.

Mosquitos. The best way to avoid these bloodsuckers is to hike late in the season. Failing that, you can still avoid the worst while you hike by wearing pants (instead of shorts) and a long sleeved shirt, applying some DEET, and using a headnet. I’ve walked through a virtual fog of insects using this technique without getting a single bite. To avoid them while on breaks and camping overnight, get your water along the trail, then find a spot at least four or five hundred yards from the nearest water source. You should find that it will be relatively insect free, especially if there is a bit of a breeze and little shade.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: bears, obstacles, wildlife

The Mountain Bluebird: A Common (But infrequently Seen) Bird

Published by Ray Rippel on January 15, 2018 4 Permalink

Mountain Bluebird, Image by Elaine R. Wilson – NaturesPicsOnline

One of the pleasures of walking through the Sierra nevada is the wildlife. (In an earlier post I described my Ten Best Wildlife Sightings.) Bird sightings are a subset of creature encounters, but – at least for me – they are a real highlight. If you read the blog often, you know the The Five Most Frequently Seen Birds on the John Muir Trail, and you know a little about the Clark’s Nutcracker (One Smart Bird: The Clark’s Nutcracker).

Remarkably, I have only seen one mountain bluebird in all my years of wandering through the Sierra. That sighting was in Crabtree Meadow about ten years ago. There are tons of Steller’s jays around – you will see those almost daily – but the mountain bluebird is a slightly deeper and purer blue, and really stands out.

(By the way, the Steller’s jay does not have blue feathers. They look blue because of the structure of the feathers, which distort the reflection of light off the bird, making it look blue.)

Anyway, if you happen to see one of these, count yourself lucky.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

Ten Best Wildlife Sightings

Published by Ray Rippel on October 2, 2017 1 Permalink

Deer are often spotted on the trail and are sometimes, literally, ON the trail!

There are many, many pleasures that come with walking the John Muir Trail. High on the list are wildlife sightings. Especially if you are hiking alone, and quietly, rarely will a day go by that you don’t see something memorable. Here are my top ten:

10. An American Dipper. I saw this little guy near Helen Lake and had no idea what I was looking at until it started diving into the brook that ran near my campsite and completely submerging! To see such behavior from a bird that does not look “aquatic” at all was unusual.

9. Clark’s Nutcracker. The real treat of seeing this bird came later when I did some research about it. It is quite the story! (Be sure to read Aria’s comment, too.)

8. Three deer at my breakfast spot one morning. You will see deer more days than not on your thru-hike, and they rarely are disturbed by your presence. What made this encounter so memorable was how close they were and the obvious curiosity. It made for one of my favorite wildlife photos I’ve taken.

“I don’t know, kids, if he is going to start walking or if he is just going to stand there and fiddle around with his gear all day!”

7. A friendly pika. This little critter lived next to Lake Virginia. You will hear the pikas far more often than you see one, so an opportunity like this doesn’t come often.

6. A large raptor up close. This came on a hike with my wife, somewhere between Red’s Meadow and Lake Edison. We were in a fairly heavy forest where the trees were close enough together to give us limited visibility, so when it came directly at us–with a wingspan of at least four feet–it made quite the impression. When it spotted us it immediately made a hard left bank, which displayed it’s size and gorgeous feathers. I’m not sure because it all happened so quick, but I think it was a red-tailed hawk.

5. The dog at Muir Trail Ranch who fetches pine cones. Okay, so this isn’t exactly wildlife, but when was the last time you played fetch with a pine cone?

4. Sneaking up behind a coyote. Wildlife encounters happen frequently, but it’s rare that you see them before they see you! This was a fun meeting simply because I spent several minutes sneaking up behind a predator. When he finally saw me he was not happy!

3. The Great Squirrel Incident. A story of courage (not really) in the wilderness.

2. Lots of friendly marmots. If the JMT has an official mascot, this must be it. It’s unbelievable how close they are willing to come to satisfy their curiosity. They are colorful, friendly, and are ubiquitous over 10,000 feet elevation.

1. Three bears. This occurred on the first day of my first thru-hike of the JMT. What a way to start! Although we all carry bear canisters to secure our food, bear sightings are actually much less frequent than you might expect. (Bears are much more frequently seen in Yosemite Valley. I’ve seen them around many trailheads, and have even seen a couple from the dining room at the Ahwahnee!) My only other encounter near the John Muir Trail came a few days later, not far from Garnet Lake, when a bear played with my nearly empty canister for several minutes. I listened until my ursine guest finally gave up and then I rolled over and went back to sleep. Seeing a bear is a treat; if you get the opportunity, enjoy it!

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

The Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Published by Ray Rippel on July 3, 2017 7 Permalink

Some marmots are quite curious about backpackers, and are willing to inspect you pretty closely!

What is the first animal that comes to mind when you think of the high backcountry of the Sierra Nevada? Most neophytes would immediately pick the black bear; our ursine friends certainly get lots of publicity. Anyone who actually spends significant amount of time hiking the Sierra would most likely pick the yellow-bellied marmot. If, like your favorite sports team, the John Muir Trail ever got a mascot, it would have to be that friendly, giant, ground-squirrel.

You will usually spot the yellow-bellied marmot (marmota flaviventris) on the second day of your southbound hike. Although their range technically begins at around 6,500 feet elevation, I’ve never seen one below 7,500 feet. I usually see the first ones around Sunrise Camp. From then on marmot sightings will probably be a daily event.

Here are a few more dry facts, before we get to the important stuff. Adults stand (and they often stand!) a couple of feet tall and weigh in at around ten pounds. Males outweigh females. They are territorial; a typical territory can be as large as seven acres, although, in rougher terrain, it may be a lot smaller. They are social, living in groups of one or two dozen under the leadership of a dominant male. They hibernate in good-sized dens. How long they spend in those dens, sleeping the winter away, depends on the elevation and the weather that winter. This winter they no doubt slept quite well; some may still be slumbering beneath the snow.

They are mostly vegetarians, although they do go in for a tasty bug or bird egg. I’ve watched them chase grasshoppers with such diligence that I assume they are a true delicacy.

It has been my experience that you will find two kids of marmots on your hike: those who want no part of humans (and will scamper under or behind a rock as soon as you are detected), and those who just can’t control their curiosity. I’ve never been close enough to touch one, but I’ve had them sit on the top of rocks, posing, within six feet of the trail. I suspect that the brave ones have come to associate backpackers with snacks. Although I have never fed one – and I wouldn’t suggest you do – neither could I condemn, too vigorously, a hiker who traded a few M&Ms for a memorable wildlife photo.

I know we aren’t supposed to anthropomorphize the wildlife, but anyone who doesn’t want to pick up one of these little critters and give them a hug might want to want check with the cardiologist – you may have left your heart somewhere back on the trail. (Of course, Mr. or Mrs. Marmot would likely not interpret that hug as a sign of affection and would probably bite the heck out of you. Marmots have numerous sharp teeth!)

The best reaction to a posing marmot is to simply smile back at this furry little creature and be grateful for the moment.

One last thing: they are not only photogenic, they are clever! If marmots are in the area you may want to ensure that candy bar you are saving for later is in your canister (not in the pocket of your backpack) before you take your lunch nap. They are smart enough to know that large, colorful backpacks often reward the persistent chewer with sweet, sweet treats. You will find them substantially less charming if they gnaw a hole through your gear!

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

Bears in Yosemite National Park

Published by Ray Rippel on February 27, 2017 14 Permalink

Yosemite bears are after your food, and they are getting smarter every generation. Thankfully, there is almost no risk of injury from a bear (the only death in Yosemite caused by wildlife that I am aware of was caused by a deer), but the wrong kind of bear encounter can certainly end or delay your hike.

In the past few years the park service has observed bear behavior that has changed some of their recommendations regarding how to use your bear canister.

First, bears can differentiate an open canister from a closed one, and are willing to “attack” the canister with some enthusiasm. The worst area for this kind of activity is Little Yosemite Valley, where several hikers have lost food when they left their canisters unlocked while they cooked. I try to be a good steward of the wilderness when I hike, but I have to admit there have been times when I’ve walked away from an open canister. The solution is simple: only have your canister open when you are pulling stuff out or putting things in. (If you carry a Bearikade, like I do, this is a bit of hassle because it isn’t the easiest to get open and closed, especially in the cold. Bite the bullet and secure the latches — all three of them!)

Second, at least one bear in Yosemite has learned that if you roll a secure canister off a high enough cliff, a piñata-like surprise will await below. The park service is now recommending that when you situate your canister for the night it be put “in an area that is difficult for a bear to roll or bat it away and within viewing distance of your camping area.” They also suggest you place “noisy objects on top of your canister to help alert you if an animal is attempting to move it.” They propose using a cook pot.

The park service is less forthcoming on what you should do if the bear shows up and makes enough noise to wake you. I might do some yelling and throw some small rocks, but I’m not about to get into a wrestling match with a hungry ursine over a Mountain House meal (well, unless it’s the fettuccine alfredo). I have had a bear attempt to get into a canister while I slept, but I had placed it in a depression surrounded by boulders and smaller rocks, and it lost interest pretty quickly. (It was almost empty, and it sounded like a toddler banging on a snare-drum.)

I have no data to back this up, but I suspect that about a third to half of all thru-hikers will see a bear somewhere on the JMT, and that most of those encounters will take place within Yosemite National Park. Counterintuitively, the less wild the area, the more likely you will spot a bear. The best way to take care of them — and you — is to make sure your food, and your canister, is properly stored.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: campsites, canisters, safety, wildlife

Another Buddy Sighting

Published by Ray Rippel on August 29, 2016 2 Permalink

Back in February of this year I told you about the rarest mammal in the Sierra Nevada. That title belongs to Buddy, quite probably the only wolverine in the entire Sierra Nevada. The evidence, over last winter, was a blurry black and white photo of him walking through the snow.

Well, Buddy is back, and as you can see he has a new publicist with a better camera. He is climbing this tree to get at a sock filled with bait.

You won’t see Buddy during your John Muir Trail hike; his territory is north of Truckee, just west of our new home near Verdi, Nevada. According to this article in the Sierra Sun, that territory covers nearly 300 square miles. If he is looking for a mate, he is very likely to be disappointed.

He is also big on social media, and you can see a video of him climbing a tree here.

The typical life expectancy for a wolverine is less than ten years, and Buddy appears to be around nine. Sadly, it is likely that the Sierra Nevada will be wolverine-free again in the not too distant future.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

What kind of chipmunk is that?

Published by Ray Rippel on May 16, 2016 4 Permalink

Trick question! This little guy, distant cousins of which you will find throughout the Sierra Nevada, is the golden-mantled ground squirrel. They are nearly ubiquitous in the forests. Although they look like chipmunks, there are two easy ways to tell them apart. Squirrels never have striped markings on their face, and they never sing popular Christmas carols. (They also roll their eyes and get very annoyed if you ask them if they know Alvin, Theodore, or Simon.)

They are small – less than a foot from nose to tail even when fully grown. Unlike western chipmunks, golden-mantled ground squirrels hibernate in the winter (although they often store a little food in their burrows and have been observed waking from their long, winter naps from time to time and snacking). They eat about what you imagine: nuts, seeds, berries, and insects. They are eaten BY raptors and other small mammals.

Females start families in the summer with litters of 4 – 6. The young are blind, deaf, hairless, and require parental attention (given almost exclusively by the female) for the first month.

I always enjoy having golden-mantled ground squirrels near my campsite. They have such enthusiasm for everything they do, whether it is posing for the perfect photo or chasing their friends up and down a fallen log. I’ve never caught one nibbling at my gear.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

The Yellow-Bellied Marmot

Published by Ray Rippel on March 14, 2016 8 Permalink

Some marmots are quite curious about backpackers, and are willing to inspect you pretty closely!

What is the first animal that comes to mind when you think of the high backcountry of the Sierra Nevada? Most neophytes would immediately pick the black bear; our ursine friends certainly get lots of publicity. Anyone who actually spends significant amount of time hiking the Sierras would most likely pick the yellow-bellied marmot. If, like your favorite sports team, the John Muir Trail ever got a mascot, it would have to be that friendly, giant, ground-squirrel.

Here are a few more dry facts, before we get to the important stuff. Adults stand (and they often stand!) a couple of feet tall and weigh in at around ten pounds. Males outweigh females. They are territorial; a typical territory can be as large as seven acres, although, in rougher terrain, it may be a lot smaller. They are social, living in groups of one or two dozen under the leadership of a dominant male. They hibernate in good-sized dens. How long they spend in those dens, sleeping the winter away, depends on the elevation and the weather that winter. You won’t see many if you are hiking later than mid-September or before mid-May.

They are mostly vegetarians, although they do go in for a tasty bug or bird egg. I’ve watched them chase grasshoppers with such diligence that I assume they are a true delicacy.

The best reaction to a posing marmot is to simply smile back at this furry little creature and be grateful for the moment.

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

The Rarest Mammal in the Sierra Nevada

Published by Ray Rippel on February 15, 2016 15 Permalink

Have you seen the rarest mammal in the Sierra Nevada? I’m going to guess not. Do you know what it is?

(Remember, rare does not mean nonexistent. Polar bears and penguins are not “rare” in the Sierra Nevada – they aren’t there at all.)

Before I tell you the name of this beast, how many do you suppose there are? Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep are pretty rare; there are only about 600 of them. There are a little more than 400 California condors throughout their range, and fewer in the Sierra. Let’s say there are at least 10% of those huge birds soaring above the Range of Light; that would put the number at 40.

Okay…enough of the guessing. The best estimate for the number of this rarest of animals (at least in the Sierra Nevada) is: one. Not one hundred. Not one dozen. One.

Such is the plight of the lonely wolverine who lives in the Tahoe National Forest.

He (it’s a male) has been seen on several occasions north of Highway 80, beginning in 2008. That sighting was made on a camera set up by Oregon State University graduate student Katie Moriarty. When she first saw the image, her reported response was, “That’s impossible! There is no way that I could have possibly documented a wolverine in the Tahoe National Forest.”

The previous Sierra Nevada sighting was in 1922.

Buddy, looking healthy and well fed.

Like most wolverines, Buddy (as he was named) is about three-feet long, weighs around thirty pounds, has a body that hugs the ground (which provides for a low center of gravity), has paws almost the size of a human hand (think of them as snowshoes), is totally impervious to the cold thanks to his amazing fur coat, and will eat darned near anything – alive or dead, bones and all. Wolverines have a keen sense of smell that allows them to find frozen carcasses buried in as much as twenty feet of snow. They also have an outsized attitude; wolverines have been known to bring down deer and even moose, and to face down grizzly bears over a carcass.

Their territory often includes 500 square miles, in which one male and two or three females reside. (No females have been sighted in the Tahoe National Forest, which no doubt makes Buddy one unhappy wolverine.) On ten-inch legs they can cover terrain in a way that would embarrass all but the fastest hikers. They can sustain four miles per hour uphill, downhill, and through deep snow. They routinely cover twenty miles a day. One was recorded climbing 4900 vertical feet in ninety minutes.

The Tahoe National Forest is well north of the John Muir Trail, so there is no need to look for Buddy during your thru-hike. Still, it’s kind of neat knowing that he is out there in the same mountains.

Good hiking, Ray

Filed under: Blog and Tagged: wildlife

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