TCT #25 -- Trips to Take

Snowshoeing @ Pinecrest, March 2011

Trail Heads, we're gonna go snowshoeing!  Our first outing of 2020 will be on Saturday, 1/4 (remember, our hikes are FIRST SATURDAYS year-round rain or shine).  So far, the outlook looks promising for a snowshoe hike.  If somehow all the snow melts by 1/4, we'll take a hike to Catfish Lake, east of Pinecrest.

You'll need to provide your own snowshoes.  Here are some FAQs about snowshoes:

• May I rent snowshoes locally?  Yes, at Sierra Nevada Adventure Co. (downtown Sonora, Murphys, and Arnold) or Heidi's (Cold Springs).  Also, try borrowing by putting the word out within your social network.
• Are snowshoes big and bulky?  The comical snowshoes of Saturday morning cartoons are long-gone.  Today's snowshoes are light and easy to walk in, and there's usually crampons in the toe at least to help with traction.  I use a pair where each "shoe" is about 8" wide and about 26" long.
• Do you need special shoes or bindings for snowshoes?  No.  Actually, "snowshoes" is kind of a misnomer; they probably should be called "snowframes."  They're really just a wide platform with built-in bindings that attach to your snow boots and keep you aloft as you walk in unpacked snow.  You can also wear galoshes or your regular hiking boots with waterproof gaiters.  You step into the binding attached to the snowshoe frame and tighten it onto your foot using clips or straps.
• Is there any other gear I need to snowshoe?  You should bring your hiking poles with the tips converted to snow baskets.  You'll need these to help you get up if you fall -- which I invariably do!

We lucked out on our December 7 hike on the Lakeside Trail

at the Blue Oaks Recreation Area at Don Pedro Lake near La Grange.  We dodged the expected atmospheric river and had a largely rain-free outing under dramatic clouds.  Our reward:  A double rainbow!  The trailhead for the Lakeside Trail is adjacent to the Blue Oaks Group Area at Don Pedro Lake near La Grange.  If you go, be aware that there is a $10/vehicle parking fee and dogs are NOT allowed.  The trail skirts the lake's high-water mark.  It's fairly easy with some hills but no appreciable elevation gain.  It ends at Buzzard Point, for a one-way distance just shy of 6 miles.  Our friend Seth Connolly from Tuolumne River Trust and a couple of interns, Jenna and Caitlyn, joined the trip.  They shared info about the lake's natural history and construction.  Seth says TRT will be hosting some snowshoe trips at Pinecrest this winter.  Keep up with TRT's news and activities through this link to the Tuolumne River Trust webpage: tuolumne.org

As the year ends, I have a lot thank yous to people who helped make this project successful, starting with interviewees and resources: Diana Fredlund, Molly Day, Curtis Kvamme, Sabra Purdy, Leslie Smith, Guy McCarthy, Joel Silverman, Hilary Maxworthy, Pat Sanders, Karie Lew, Lisa Murphy, Erin Naegle, Kathi Joye, John Buckley, Anca Husher, Tom Hofstra, and Jeff Tolhurst.  Thanks to Diana Beasley for her fantastic art work which yielded our great logo and cool t-shirt design.  I'm grateful for friends who joined me on special hikes:  Sheri Betz, Ann Thompson and Sabine Wahl-Berry, Andria Hernandez, Corinne Grandstaff, Shelly Davis-King, Gary Stockel, and Barbara Balen.  To Trail Head Brian Burns, thanks for all your help with the human herding!  Super-special thanks to Ellen Stewart and fond, loving memories of David Purdy, KAAD'-LP's mom and pop.  Thanks to Robin Eschner for permission to use her late husband's composition for our theme music; when you hear "Switchback" by Bill Horvitz, it's time for TCT!  Big love and endless thanks to my husband, Dean Zaharias.

Wendy & Rebecca

A bittersweet thanks and farewell to Rebecca Andrade.  Getting to know Rebecca better and to work with her was one of the highlights of my year.  She's moving on, though, in a full-circle way: she'll be working with the California Conservation Corps., where she started out in her wilderness career, up in Humboldt County, where she went to college.

Our December 2019 episode, TCT #25 -- Trips to Take, includes a farewell chat with Rebecca (warning: we met at Serventes, and there's some background noise).  Instead of our regular "3 T" audio trip reports, the Trail Heads who went on the Don Pedro hike share their hiking (and backpacking) wish lists.  We're gonna do our best to hit 'em all in 2020, haha!  Also, we include Anca Husher's smartphone astronomy app recommendations.  Here's a link to the audio of the episode:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/16FkNamgePjbOwTgHQzgSlYX9aZ7W31qS/view?usp=sharing

Sharing some upcoming non-TCT events:

• 12/14/19, Saturday - Central Sierra Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count - Sonora.  Contact Steven Umland (stevenum71@gmail.com)
• 12/14/19, Saturday - Geminid Meteor Shower viewing event at New Melones Lake, Tuttletown Recreation Area.  Meet at 6pm at Eagle Point Picnic Area.
• 12/16/19, Monday - Central Sierra Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count - Groveland.  Contact Steven Umland (stevenum71@gmail.com)
• 12/21/19, Saturday - Winter Solstice Trail Work Day at Dragoon Gulch.  Contact Kevin Anderson (anderson95370@gmail.com) for details.  (By the way, here's a link to a sweet video about the VO-Cal Dragoon Gulch Trail Extension work weekend: https://vimeo.com/368934792.)
• 12/28/19, Saturday - Central Sierra Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count - Calaveras.  Contact Keith Maurer (kandsmaurer@goldrush.com) for details
• 1/1/20, Wednesday - New Year's Day Hike at Peoria Mountain, New Melones Lake.  Meet at 10am at Peoria Wildlife Area, end of Old Melones Dam Rd.
• 1/25/20, Saturday - Lunar New Year (Year of the Rat!) Trail Work Day at Dragoon Gulch.  Contact Kevin Anderson (anderson95370@gmail.com) for details.