TCT #7 -- Relief Reservoir, Kennedy Meadows



Leftover building material, Relief Reservoir,
and East Flange Rock (almost dead-center)

At last we're heading to the high country.  On July 7 we'll take the strenuous 7.5 mile hike to Relief Reservoir near Kennedy Meadows.  Relief Reservoir is named for the rescue mission sent from Sonora to the stranded Clark-Skidmore emigrant wagon train who had a near-Donner experience in 1852.  For the 10-year life of the treacherous West Walker Route crossing the Sierra, a camp outfitted with supplies was maintained by the residents of the Southern Mines towns of Sonora and Columbia.  After that, a new route was constructed about 3-5 miles to the north.  This road, the Sonora-Mono Toll Road was used to transport goods from San Francisco and Sonora to the silver rush boomtowns of Bodie and Aurora.  Modern Sonora Pass roughly follows the route of the Sonora-Mono Toll Road.  In the early 1900s, East Coast money-men decided to invest in a hydroelectric project -- a dam on Summit Creek which runs through Relief Valley.  The investors hoped to strike their own "gold" by supplying power to San Francisco and communities on the way down from the Sierras.  And so we have Relief Reservoir and a lot of interesting artifacts on the trail.

The dam is rock and earth filled with a concrete "veneer"



Moving cars using
the derrick-pulley system

Today's trail follows

yesterday's dam supply road

This is our first high-elevation hike; the trailhead is at 6,127'.  We'll gain about 1,200' more as we hike up, up, up (then down, down, down).  Other things to be aware of is that we'll be going on footbridges high over creeks; if you're afraid of heights, steel yourself.  Speaking of heights, it's almost impossible to prevent elevation sickness, but there are some ways to cope if it comes on you (slow down, take smaller steps and deep breaths).  Also, we will be sharing the trail with equestrians and pack horses.




Learn more about this spectacular hike by listening to TCT #7, an interview with returning guest, Summit Ranger District Archaeologist Lisa DeHart.  Lisa talks about the history of the Relief area and her own contribution to Gold Country scholarship -- when she cooperated on an expedition that not only found the site of the Clark-Skidmore original relief camp but the exact location of the West Walker Route.  The show starts with audio trail reviews from our National Trails Day hike along the Sugar Pine Railroad Grade, Strawberry Branch.  Listen and learn why it's my favorite hike: