Glacier National Park, MT: July 14-22, 2007

Glacier National Park: July 14-22, 2007

Our plane arrived in Kalispell, now renamed Glacier Park International Airport, on time but they lost two of our suitcases. It was 93 degrees! We had to return to the airport five times before we finally got all our bags and picked up my brother, John, and my sister, Sharon, and were ready to head to Glacier National Park. We set up our tents at Fish Creek Campground and after finishing dinner barely had time to head over to Avalanche Lake trailhead for the four mile round trip hike. In fact, we had to hike the last mile in the dark, even though it didn’t get dark until 10:00 PM. I saw a black bear run across the trail not long after commencing. There were many Swainson’s Thrushes and Varied Thrushes singing all along the trail. The hike follows Avalanche Creek terminating at the lake where it is fed by numerous waterfalls. It’s a dramatic hike but hard to appreciate in the failing light. It was still warm enough to wear shorts when we returned back to camp.

Sunday, July 15, 2007
After breakfast at our very private campsite at Fish Creek we drove to the Sperry Chalet trailhead. The first three miles of the trail passes exclusively through forest. There were few flowers blooming; the trail was dusty and full of horse piss and droppings which none of us liked at all. We could hear Snyder Creek nearby but the trail afforded no views of it. We almost turned back we were so disappointed. In one clearing I saw a Vaux’s Swift fly by and there were more Swainson’s Thrushes and Varied Thrushes singing. After the trail crossed over the creek, it began to climb steeply up switchbacks past the Medicine Falls and then through expansive views of the high country. As the trail opened up we began to pass extensive wildflowers and butterflies including Glacier's signature plant, Bear Grass, California False-hellebore, Claytonia, Twin Flower, and lots of Birch-leaf Spiraea. While stopping for a break several people on horses passed us, one of them letting the horse stop to piss elaborately in front of us. It was disgusting and stinky. Finally into the high country we were treated to mountain vistas, multiple blooming wildflowers, Subalpine Spiraea, sulphur flower, lots of singing MacGillivray’s Warblers, Pine Siskins, Black-capped Chickadess, and many butterflies, including Mariposa Copper, Purplish Copper, Purplish Fritillary, and Acmon Blue. We arrived at the Chalet too late to make the trek up to Sperry Glacier and so after enjoying the fantastic views we turned around and headed back down the smelly horse trail. We heard an Olive-sided Flycatcher singing. Dozens of people were hiking down the trail as it was Sunday and they were concluding their stay at Sperry Chalet; this must have accounted for the abundance of horse droppings. On the way back we stopped at the bridge over Snyder Creek and cooled our throbbing feet from our 13.6 round trip hike before descending back to the car. Next we drove to Inner North Fork Road and had a shower by placing the solar shower on top of the car. As luck would have it no sooner was it my turn and I was completely naked than some idiot pulled up and started sawing down trees in the forest and putting them in his truck. Some Cedar Waxwings came and landed in a tree by the car and we found a bush full of ripe huckleberries which we ate. After the thief left everyone else had their turn and then we returned to our cute little camp at Fish Creek and fell fast asleep.

Monday, July 16, 2007
We packed up our camp gear, loaded up everything in the van and headed up Going-to-the-Sun Road. This road is one of the park highlights as it ascends dramatically up to Logan Pass at 6680 feet with dramatic views of the many waterfalls including 682 foot Bird Woman Falls. Alpine daisies, Brown-eyed Susans, and Bergamot were blooming all along the road. We drove all the way past Logan Pass to Rising Sun Campground and set up camp for the remainder of the trip. The campsite was nestled in huckleberry patches that were dripping with ripe huckleberries that John enjoyed picking and putting in his cereal in the mornings. After our camp was set up we drove to Many Glacier Road where we saw a black bear up a hillside. We parked at Swiftcurrent picnic area and headed for the Grinnell Glacier trailhead which we were extremely disappointed to find closed three miles ahead. When Sharon and I went to Glacier Park in 1999 we were unable to make it to Grinnell Glacier on account of a tremendous amount of snow on the trail with a treacherous angled snowbank making passage impossible. So it was particularly disappointing to find the trail to the glacier again closed. We decided to go ahead as far as we could. It was hot again and very hazy so that the normally incredible view back down to emerald green Grinnell Lake and the surrounding mountains was dulled. There were dozens of people on the trail making picture taking of the many butterflies challenging. We finally made it to the three mile marker where the trail was closed due to bear activity which we later learned was a carcass across the trail, and were not even able to see Grinnell Glacier just a big snow bank and a hazy view of a waterfall of melting glacier. We took our time moseying back down the trail to the car. On the way back John spotted a Dusky Grouse along the trail. Near the end of the hike we stopped by the lake and dipped our feet in the water. While resting, an Arctic Blue butterfly perched on my foot and then a Pearl Crescent butterfly landed on my shoulder and stayed there part of the way back down the trail. At the pond we saw a Rubber Boa swimming across. After our hike we decided to drive back to Logan Pass and take the Hidden Lake trail. It was late in the day but there were still people on this very popular trail. This trail is so popular in fact, that the park had to build a boardwalk all the way to the pond with the famous view back across to Reynolds Mountain reflected in the pool. American Pipits were standing in the meadow with some singing White-crowned Sparrows. Our view was dampened by the haze which still lingered in the air. But we still enjoyed the flower filled meadow. Glacier lilies were still blooming there in huge swaths along with heather, paintbrush, and many others. We saw some Big Horn Sheep browsing in the meadow. At the Hidden Lake Overlook we turned around and returned the way we came.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Warbling Vireo was the first thing up and his sweet song woke us up. A Western Tanager perched in a tree during breakfast and serenaded us. We again drove to Many Glacier Road where we had planned to hike to beautiful Iceberg Lake. When we got to the entrance station we were so disappointed to learn that it too was closed due to bear activity. The ranger suggested that we try Swiftcurrent Pass so we followed her advice and were greatly rewarded by doing so. We parked at the end of Many Glacier Road and started up the Swiftcurrent Pass trail. This spectacular trail starts off flat as it passes through flower filled meadows with singing MacGillivray’s Warblers, three waterfalls, and two large lakes, Red Rock Lake and Bullhead Lake, before ascending steeply up challenging switchbacks up 2700 feet to the pass. It was still hot and hazy but we were unaware as we were dazzled by the magnificent scenery. In the meadow a MacGillivray’s Warbler popped up in a tree finally giving us a look at this elusive bird. At Bullhead Lake we saw a Moose with a calf far across the lake. We had lunch on the switchbacks near one of four streaming waterfalls. Near the pass American Pipits were singing in the meadow. When we got to Swifcurrent Pass we were very tired but John insisted that we also make the 1600 foot climb up to the lookout. I didn’t want to because it was so hazy but we trrudged up the trail anyway. While taking a break Susan spotted a raptor. As soon as I got it in my binoculars it flew off and I could make out the dark axillaries of a Prairie Falcon. We huffed and gasped for air before finally summiting for a 360 degree view of the park. What a shame it was so hazy; you could see that on a clear day it would have been an incredible view something to draw you back again and again if you ever were so lucky to have that chance. After munching on some huckleberries and snacks we started back down the steep switchbacks. Half way down the steep switchbacks I was surprised to see a White-tailed Deer with a huge rack resting under a rock. Susan got mad because she was relieving herself in the woods and I didn’t yell that Sharon was coming quickly enough. She stormed down the trail not stopping at all until back at the creek. I have never seen her hike so fast. Nearly back to the car Sharon and Susan stopped at Fisher Cap Lake, a small lake before the two main lakes, and saw a very close male moose. Just as we finished our hike a light rain began to fall. As we headed back down Many Glacier Road we came upon a traffic jam. We looked up the hillside and saw a grizzly bear with two cubs. We tried to take pictures but the ranger asked us to move on. We drove back to Rising Sun picnic area across the street from our campground and had our dinner. The picnic area was empty but it stopped raining long enough for us to have dinner. After dinner John hung his solar shower up in the men’s room and showered and then I hung it up in the women’s room and showered while Susan and Sharon waited in a long line at Rising Sun for the pay showers. We slept well after our grueling 17 mile hike with a 3500 foot elevation gain, even though it rained all night.

July 18, 2007
I wanted to hike the Belly River trail but after reading the summary John refused because horses are allowed on the trail; he didn’t want to take anymore trails with horse piss and pooh. We stopped at the brand new St. Mary Visitor Center and John asked the backcountry ranger to make a suggestion. Out in the parking lot an Osprey was on her nest with her chicks. The ranger suggested Siyeh Pass so we took her advice and drove to Siyeh Bend and parked the car. Most people walk the 11 mile hike one way ending at Sunrift Gorge and taking the shuttle back to Siyeh Bend. We intended to make it a long loop by continuing along St. Mary Lake back to the bend. We started up the trail and soon came to two large gray birds in the forest which I believe were Northern Goshawks. We were greeted with many meadows of wildflowers before starting a steep ascent up a rocky talus slope to 7750 foot Siyeh Pass with commanding alpine views. Despite the harsh conditions wildflowers were blooming along the talus slope, lousewort, St. John’s Wort, and many others. The views were amazing at the pass but it was too windy so we dropped down a bit before enjoying lunch in front of Sexton Glacier. A Gray-crowned Rosy-finch flew onto a rock nearby. After lunch we descended the pass through incredible wildflower filled fields with many butterflies, Queen Alexandria’s Sulphur, Rocky Mountain Parnassian, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, and several species of fritillary. The views on the other side of the pass were breathtaking. As we descended three glacier fed waterfalls far below came into view. It was the kind of scene that is hard to take your eyes away from. There were many people on the trail riding our rears; I don’t know why they were in such a hurry. They didn’t stop for a butterfly, a flower, a waterfall; I don’t know why they didn’t just stay at home and ride a treadmill for pete’s sake. The end of the trail came to a redrock lined waterfall before ending at sunrift gorge where we saw a Lorquin’s Admiral right next to a White Admiral. Sharon and Susan took the shuttle back to Siyeh Bend and John and I took the St. Mary Lake Trail. John forgot his binoculars on a rock and had to run about a mile back up the trail to get them. Back on the trail first we passed uninspiring Baring Falls and then walked along St. Mary Lake with outstanding views of towering mountains in the background. We passed on St. Mary falls and continued to Deadman Falls before making the steep ascent out of Gunsight Pass trail back to Going-to-the-Sun Road where we were too exhausted to make the last 2.5 miles back to Siyeh Bend. Fortunately Sharon and Susan drove by on their way back from the store and picked us up. Sharon and Susan again stood in a long line at Rising Sun pay shower while John and I went to Sun Point picnic area and hung up the solar shower on the car. While John was completely nude a guy in a truck made two slow passes making sure to look down between the car where John was bathing. As we left we saw a man preparing to camp illegally at Sun Point. I wonder if bears were attracted by the smell of our soap and attacked the illegal camper after we left.

Thursday, July 19, 2007
I woke everybody up at 5:00 AM to give us plenty of time to drive into Canada to Waterton Lakes National Park. Shortly after going through customs I saw a Ruffed Grouse in the road so I pulled over to get some pictures. Later we stopped and saw Red-naped Sapsucker, Rufous Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Townsend’s Solitaire, Northern Flicker, and Fox Sparrow. There were many other birds but we had to go in order to catch the 9:00 AM boat across Waterton Lake to Crypt Landing where we planned to hike to Crypt Lake. Across the lake from the boat launch sits the historic Prince of Wales Hotel. The hike was horrible and I will never take it again. Because you must take a boat to get to the trailhead it basically funnels 50 people shotgun style up the trail in a long line. There is no chance to get pictures of butterflies or look at birds because if you stop to do anything 45 people will pass you and you will be stuck marching with a bunch of obnoxious people all day long which is exactly what happened. The boat company claims it is rated the number one hike in Canada but if that’s all Canada has to offer then I would prefer to continue hiking in the US. The hike made a steep ascent up past a waterfall and then through a 2.5 foot wide tunnel before ending at an uninspiring subalpine lake where we were forced to eat lunch with 40 noisy people. The only interesting thing at the lake were three species of trout, Brown, Rainbow, and Cutthroat. At the end of the hike we took a side trip to Hellroaring Canyon Falls where we again were stuck in a line of hikers on a single track trail. It was awful. Back at the boat dock we were trapped with the same 50 people waiting for the boat to pick us up. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. After the boat dropped us off we drove past the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. Susan wanted to stop inside to have high tea but then changed her mind. So we drove to the end of Redrock Canyon Road and walked out on a bridge over lovely Bauerman Creek. I had to pry everyone off of the bridge to get them to take the Blakeston Falls trail where we saw more wildflowers. We had our dinner at the picnic area there and then it was a long drive back to Rising Sun campground.

Friday, July 20, 2007
It was Susan and my fifth anniversary. I had planned a hike to Cobalt Lake in the Two Medicine Area. John was skeptical of my choice but it turned out to be the best hike of the trip in my opinion. Sharon and I had taken the hike in July 1999 but a snow storm came the night before blanketing the area and we couldn’t see much, only enough to tell that we should come back again one day. The trail started out on the south shore of Medicine Lake through wildflower-filled meadows before coming to a pond where we saw several Common Yellow-throats. Sharon and Susan stopped to look at some flowers and John was about five feet behind me when I saw a grizzly bear about 30 feet away. I had my video camera out and started filming it. It was eating something in the meadow and didn’t notice me at first. Then it looked up and looked me right in the eye. John started backing away leaving me standing there all by myself. I kept telling Sharon and Susan to come up to me because I didn’t think the bear would mess with four people. But no they just left me standing there alone right in front of the bear. Fortunately the bear decided to cross the trail instead of eating me and hopped into a pond and swam away. That is the first grizzly bear I have ever encountered on a trail; I think I would have fainted if I had been alone. There were more alpine birds along the trail, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and MacGillivray’s Warbler. We took a side trail to Aster waterfall before crossing Paradise creek on a suspension bridge and then beginning a relatively gentle climb up past red and black towering Mount Rockwell. We came to another waterfall, Rockwell falls, where we stopped to have lunch. While eating, John spotted an American Dipper in the falls. After lunch we continued our climb a little more steeply. We found some ripe blueberries along the trail which we stopped to pick and eat. They were delicious. Next we passed through an ineffable wildflower display along the creek. There was one enormous patch of Lewis’s Monkeyflower and endless patches of other flowers all along the creek. The scene was indescribably beautiful. Finally we came to Cobalt Lake nestled in Paradise Peak. While cooling our feet in the clear blue lake John detected an animal he thought was a badger on the hillside on the far shore. Later we determined it was a Long-tailed Weasel. A Spotted Sandpiper was on the shore of the lake and two Hoary Marmots were running up the hillside being chased by a bird and pecked on the back. After resting a bit we turned back the way we came. I heard a warbler giving a chip note in some willows so I pished and a MacGillivray’s Warbler shot out and nearly flew into us. That night at camp I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting.

Saturday, July 21, 2007
We got up, packed up all our things, and left Rising Sun Campground. We drove back to Logan Pass and parked. It was extremely windy and cold in the parking area. We crossed the road and started the Highline Trail along the Garden Wall, a very famous section of Glacier Park with commanding views of the glacier filled alpine country with its many waterfalls, wildflowers, and butterflies. There were a few people on the trail but they were spread out and it wasn’t too bad. We soon came to some Big Horn Sheep right off the trail. Mountain Goats walked right past us. Not far down the trail I found a Pine Grosbeak perched right out in the open on a Subalpine Fir. Two more flew in and a Calliope Hummingbird also flew in while I was admiring the Grosbeak. The trail is carved out of the side of the mountain and passes through intermittent forests and then meadows. In the forested area I found two Townsend’s Warblers. At 6.8 miles we came to a spur trail that climbs 1000 feet in just 1 km. We stopped and had lunch before making this arduous climb. It was well worth the effort as it ended at a tremendous view down to Grinnell Glacier. Finally after eight years I saw Grinnell Glacier. It was extremely windy at the overlook but Susan and I found a crevice in the rocks where we were protected from the wind and could enjoy the view. While sitting admiring this ancient glacier that will one day be no more, two Calliope Hummingbirds buzzed right past our heads and over the pass. After everyone had his or her fill of this spectacular overlook we walked back down to the trail junction and on to Granite Park Chalet where people make reservations a year in advance to stay and enjoy the amazing views of Mount Gould and the Haystack. We were so tired hiking back to the car. Most people continue past Granite Park Chalet on the shorter, 4.4 mile Loop trail and take the shuttle back to their car, so we saw few people as we re-traced our steps. We stopped and soaked our tired feet in one of the many dripping pools along the way. After our hike we stopped at Avalanche Creek picnic area and had our last picnic before heading out of the park to Kalispell to the Outlaw Hotel where things went terribly wrong. We were so tired after hiking nearly 100 miles all week. But the hotel sent us from room to room every time only to find it already occupied. Finally after four tries Sharon and John got situated and everybody went to sleep. I was awoken at the ungodly hour of 5:00 AM by John telling me the shuttle did not come to pick him up. So I had to get up and drop him off at the airport. Then no sooner was I back in bed than Sharon came to have breakfast. After breakfast we went back into the park for a last leisurely walk to Rocky Point along Lake MacDonald where we saw a Red Squirrel. After taking Sharon to the airport Susan and I went back to the park again and hiked the Johns Lake Trail to Sacred Dancing Cascade where we saw some Gray Jays and some more Winter Wrens. We had intended to hike the entire loop but the bridge over McDonald Creek had been slammed into by trees during a violet flood. A Compton's Tortoiseshell was perched right on the demolished bridge: we ended our travels there and headed back to Glacier Park Airport where it was still a balmy 93 degrees. Our flight was delayed two hours due to an air traffic hold at San Francisco Airport on account of fog. As the plane passed over the glacier filled peaks of the Rocky Mountains I looked down at them in awe. These ancient remnants of the last ice age will one day be gone and with it too probably all the precious sacred places I treasure so much, destroyed by endless development and demands for housing for our burgeoning population. As the plane moved on and the mountains moved out of view, I looked down ruefully, sad to leave it behind but happy and satisfied that I'd had the wonderful opportunity to see this majestic place again.

Eastern Sierra: June 29-July 4, 2007

Susan had food poisoning on Thursday and still felt ill Friday, so I had to drive all the way from her office to our little primitive campsite at Mono Craters myself, June 29. We arrived around 10:30 PM and after admiring the planets Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter, that were regaling the sky all weekend, and setting up the tent, fell fast asleep. I woke in the night and heard a Great Horned Owl hooting.

Saturday, June 30, 2007, Susan felt weak from the food poisoning so I planned an easy hike to Glass Creek Meadow in the Inyo National Forest. It is only a 4 mile round trip hike with little elevation gain. After breakfast we drove to the trailhead which is off of Highway 395 south of Mono Lake at the turn off for Obsidian Dome, a giant remnant of an ancient volcano with a large lava flow. Pumice and obsidian were everywhere. We only saw a couple of people during our hike but lots of birds, butterflies, and wildflowers. The hike has one hill to make it up right after the trailhead as it passes a small waterfall on Glass Creek. Then the trail flattens out as it follows along the creek to the meadow. As soon as we started we heard Warbling Vireo, Western Wood Pewee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Cassin’s Finch. There were Sulphur flowers and Brewer’s Lupine all along the first part of the hike. At the first forested area we came across a flock of Red Crossbills giving their kip kip call and eating pine cone seeds which they live off of in their nomadic lives. There were many Clark’s Nutcrackers giving their noisy vocalizations. After the forested area the trail opened up to a field of pumice sand before finally arriving at the flower filled meadow. The creek runs through the meadow making it lush with wildflowers and butterflies which were everywhere. A whole section of the meadow was a field of Meadow Penstemon. In the wet mud were many Blue butterflies, Melissa Blue, Western Tailed-blue, Anna's Blue, and other blues we could not identify as well as a Sulphur butterfly, Lustrous Copper, and many Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. We sat on a log enjoying the meadow for a while with its ring of trees and backdrop of the 10,000 foot high San Joaquin Mountain but there were too many biting flies so we decided to head back. On the way out of the meadow we heard Mountain Quail and Sooty Grouse calling from the forest. As I was admiring a Pine Siskin through my binoculars somehow an insect got between my left pinkie finger and my binoculars and stung me. It must have left a stinger in my finger because it swelled to the size of a sausage and caused unbelievable pain in my hand. Near the creek we saw a Gray Flycatcher, Mountain Chickadee, Townsend’s Solitaire, and White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch. We only saw two people on the trail. Before leaving we had lunch at a picnic area near Obsidian Dome then we drove the long drive to the Ancient Bristlecone Forest near the tiny town of Big Pine, CA. After winding up the White Mountains where we saw a Rufous Hummingbird, we pulled into the Shulman Grove and walked the Discovery Trail which tells all about how Professor Shulman discovered the oldest tree in the world in this grove of gorgeous twisted old Bristlecones in 1952. The tree is over 4000 years old but the Forest Service won’t tell you which one it is for fear that some lunatic will cut it down. No matter—they are all gorgeous old trees fantastic to look at. There were the tiniest most minute little blue butterflies on the Discovery Trail and dozens of Mountain Bluebirds. After hiking the one mile loop we decided to drive to the Patriarch Grove further up the White Mountains. This grove is 12 miles further up and at 11,000 feet instead of the 10,000 feet we were at in Shulman Grove. The road turns into dirt almost immediately and is very bad and full of large rocks. I was amazed that people were driving their passenger cars on it and wondering why they were not concerned about flat tires. We finally got to the Patriarch Grove and walked the two short nature trails admiring the largest Bristlecone in the world and some other beauties before driving back down the awful road. As we proceeded down this horrible dirt road I heard an upsetting sound of air escaping. I pulled into the nearest pull off and was horrified to see my rear left tire completely flat. Worse than that the hatch wouldn’t open so I had to remove our cooler and all our camp gear and crawl into the back of the car to get the jack out. As we were contemplating where to put the jack two ladies in a US Forest Service truck stopped and asked if we needed help. Susan told them that she had never changed a tire before and yes could they help. I most certainly have changed many tires in my day but was not looking forward to kneeling in the sage to change one. After a couple of failed attempts at placing the jack we finally got the tire changed and the nice ladies left but not before several cars passed us, I am sure joking the whole way back about how many ladies it took to change a tire. We didn’t get back to our little campsite at Mono Craters until 10:30 PM leaving no time to do anything but crawl into the tent.

Sunday, July 1, before I even arose I could hear the Pinyon Jays on the move through our camp site. My pinkie was hurting a lot each time I used my hand the pain darting through my hand. We drove north of Lee Vining to the turn off for Green Creek which is also a dirt road. I was worried because we had a flat for a spare so I drove as carefully as possible and with the window down also listened for birds. The road passes through sage flats before arriving at the Green Creek Campground in the Toyaibe National Forest. In the sage flats we saw lots of desert birds such as Sage Thrasher, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Green-tailed Towhee and prickly poppy with its beautiful white flowers lined the road. This trail is 11.6 miles round trip to the Hoover Lakes in the Hoover Wilderness. We took our time on this beautiful trail as there is much to look at. First of all, wildflowers line the trail from the first step to the last. At first we passed through a field of Richardson’s Geranium and a lot of Swamp Onion along the creek. In addition to all the great flowers the whole trail was full of birds and bird song. We saw all the Sierra Mountain specialty birds, Pine Siskin, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, Western Tanager, Clark’s Nutcracker, Violet-green Swallow, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, Raven, and the ever present Yellow-rumped Warbler. We stopped many times to admire the many butterflies as well-- Clodious Parnassian, Pine White, Western Tiger Swallowtail, Bosduval’s Blue, some type of Fritillary (possibly Nokomis), and many others. The first lake the trail comes to is East Lake which is stocked with trout and consequently attracts a lot of anglers. We had lunch beside the lake and Susan spotted a Golden Trout near the water’s edge. We continued up the trail and I noted that the only mountain bird we had not found was a Williamson’s Sapsucker and how I wish Susan would conjure one for me. Next we came to lovely Green Lake which is actually bright blue and surrounded by gorgeous red and black mountains. After leaving this little gem we ran into a US Forest Service worker, Scott, who talked our heads off. Poor guy must not have anyone to talk to. He was hiking with a six foot saw to cut trees that were blocking the trail. I was amazed that they cut those huge trees with a saw. He had just finished cutting a huge White bark pine and was on his way to the next blockage. He told us his life story about how he backpacked for three days when he was just fourteen on the Pacific Crest Trail and just fell in love with it and has been outdoors ever since apparently not running into many people along the way with whom to converse. After Green Lake we passed Gilman Lake and little Nutter Lake before the trail opened up and we could see Burro Pass high above us before finally crossing a hairy passage over Green Creek to Hoover Lakes. At Hoover Lake we found a few Gray-crowned Rosy Finches and White-crowned Sparrows, a subspecies of which lives high in the mountains, and an Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly. We barely had time to enjoy the fantastic view before we had to turn back. As we again approached Blue Lake I saw a Williamson’s Sapsucker flying away. I thought that another one was behind a pine tree so I told Susan to wait while I walked around it. As I got to the back of the tree which was very near the trail I heard babies crying inside a tiny woodpecker hole. Susan and I sat on a rock nearby and waited for the mother to come back to feed them. Soon she came and I was able to watch her feeding her little Williamson's Sapsucker chicks which would protrude slightly from the hole. It was very thrilling for me. Scott was just a few feet away completely oblivious sawing away at a gigantic fallen pine tree. When we had our fill we waved goodbye to Scott and headed back down the trailhead. We were exhausted at times feeling like we couldn’t make it. We had taken so long standing taking pictures of the numerous flowers, birds, and butterflies that our little 11.6 mile hike was taking us a total of over eight hours. I stopped to dip my throbbing pinkie in a creek and when I bent down saw a Yosemite Toad in the water. When we finally made it back to the car my body ached from head to toe. We drove south on Highway 395 to Mono County Park where we planned to have dinner. It was very windy and unpleasant at the picnic area. We walked out on the boardwalk and saw hundreds of Wilson’s Phalaropes on Mono Lake where they congregate and breed this time of year. After dinner we drove back to our campsite and had a much needed shower with my solar shower. The owl came again during the night.

Monday, July 2, 2007, the Pinyon Jays woke me as usual with their noisy chatter. They are very gregarious. When I got out of the tent a Common Nighthawk was circling overhead. After breakfast we drove just north of Lee Vining on Highway 395 to the famous and wonderful Lundy Canyon, one of the best hikes in all of the Sierra. This amazing hike follows Lundy Creek as it meanders over three waterfalls, passes numerous wildflowers, and many birds and butterflies. I wanted to get a picture of a Calliope Hummingbird which is fairly common in the Sierra but of the six or seven we saw none would stay put long enough for me to photograph, so no pictures of this darling little hummer. After the first waterfall we walked through a field of Monk’s Hood mixed in with yarrow, stickseed, Pride of the Mountain, Swamp Onion, Monument Plant, and Scarlet Gilia. We took the trail to the last waterfall at the scree which goes up to Helen Lake in 20 Lakes Basin but we decided not to climb it this year and turned back instead. The scree was full of Colville’s Columbine, Western Rose root, White heather, Red Heather, Rock Fringe, Indian Paintbrush, Meadow Paintbrush, and Applegate Paintbrush. At the second waterfall we stopped to have lunch. As we were eating a MacGillivray’s Warbler started singing. I was thinking to myself, “hmm that MacGillivray’s is very close” when suddenly it perched on top of a pine tree right in front of us. This was pretty unusual for this elusive bird. A Calliope also zipped by. After lunch we headed back down the mountain and at the beaver pond we found a Red-breasted Sapsucker and an American Dipper. We stopped at the Mono Lake Visitor Center on the way back and saw Cliff Swallows feeding their chicks right on the side of the center. One poor baby had fallen out and was just sitting on the ground I’m sure to be eaten by a hawk or other predator later. We had dinner at the June Lake picnic area and then retired to our cute little private campsite. I was sound asleep when a pack of coyotes began to howl. I was terrified because the alpha sounded just like a crazed person. Here we were two ladies camping alone in the wilderness with a crazy person on the loose. Weird how your mind conjures the craziest thoughts sometimes—it was just coyotes.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007 we drove a short way to the June Lake Loop off of Highway 395 to the Walker Lake turnoff which we took up and up 10 miles to the Walker Lake Trailhead in the Inyo National Forest. I drove slowly on the dirt road on account of the flat spare and in doing so saw a sapsucker flying. We stopped and were treated to a Red-breasted Sapsucker feeding her chicks. On this incredibly beautiful trail which is seven miles roundtrip to lower Sardine Lake we only saw two people all day. The trail first drops down several hundred feet to Walker Lake another stocked lake which attracts hordes of anglers before flattening out through a meadow. There were very few wildflowers at this low elevation. However, the trail is gruesome in its intense elevation gain thereafter gaining 2700 feet in just three miles. We were gasping for breath as we ascended but were rewarded with awesome views back down to Walker Lake and Mono Lake in the distance. As we gained elevation we started to pass through more and more wildflowers and encountered many birds. After ascending about half way we came to an aspen grove that was full of birds one of which had us stumped. It sounded like a Cordilleran flycatcher but that would be rare. I never could locate it and just held my camera up to record its strange song instead. Upon further review I can only surmise that it is some strange song of a Gray Flycatcher and not the much rarer (for this area) Cordilleran. Also in the aspen grove we saw Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, and many other birds. We were running out of gas when we finally came to a waterfall at the top of which was pretty Lower Sardine Lake. We had lunch beside the lake and then continued around the lake where a creek flowed into it. The creek was lined with willows and fields of wildflowers, Davidson's Penstemon, columbine, yarrow, paintbrush, larkspur, monkeyflower, cinquefoil, St. John’s Wort, Swamp Onion, and many others. We were tired but decided to continue up to Upper Sardine Lake. As we continued to gain elevation we saw more wildflowers shieldleaf, Labrador tea, Elephant’s Head, one lone Timberline Phacelia, Western Roseroot, Wooly Sunflower, Oval-leaved Eriogonum, Meadow Penstemon, Davidson’s Penstemon, Bridge’s Penstemon, Rydberg's Penstemon, and on and on. The flowers were attracting many butterflies as well and we saw Mourning Cloak, Northern Cloudywing, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Sara’s Orangetip, Western Tailed-blue, Melissa Blue, Lupine Blue, Blue Copper, Sierra Sulphur, Field Crescent, some type of Fritillary, Clodious Parnassian, and a checkerspot. After wetting our heads in the lake we headed back down the trail. We stopped at a waterfall and found an American Dipper in the water. At the end of this wonderful hike we decided to just go back to our campsite for the rest of the evening. It was very hot that day and the solar shower scalded us as we showered. We then enjoyed a relaxing evening with the Pinyon Jays, Common Nighthawks, and Violet-green Swallows, and as evening fell bats and stars and planets. During the night the coyote pack returned and howled but this time exhaustion took over and I slept through it.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007, we got up early and broke camp. We stopped at the South Tufa Reserve at Mono Lake and walked down to the water. A California Ground Squirrel sunned on a rock. There were Sage Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, California Gull, Common Nighthawk, and Violet-green Swallows to enjoy on the boardwalk plus the outstanding views of tufa in the morning sun. Next we drove up Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park to the Porcupine Creek trailhead on Tioga Road. We were planning to take it 14 miles round trip to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls before driving back to San Francisco. In order to expedite the hike I left my binoculars behind and only carried my video camera, water, and lunch. The trail was harder than I remembered it going down quite a bit to the falls. Along the way I saw the back side of a Black-backed Woodpecker flying away and Susan spotted a Black-tailed Deer. There were numerous fritillary butterflies wichh I merely admired in my haste but did stop long enough to get a photo of this Pine Drop plant. At about the half way mark the trail crossed over a creek which was full of flowers and many different fritillary butterflies. I was surprised to see Western Azalea still blooming and found one beautiful Alpine Lily. Near the falls we also saw another Williamson’s Sapsucker and a Red-breasted Sapsucker right on the trail. As we approached the waterfall we were treated to magnificent views of the valley and Half Dome. The granite was dotted with Stone Crop. We descended down to the falls, over the creek, and up to the viewpoint. There was still a little bit of water flowing in the upper falls but it was hard to see from the fence. It was time to hussle back anyway. It was tough hiking uphill most of the way at that clip. I stopped only to film two White-headed Woodpeckers and take a photo of a Police Car Moth at the creek. It was very hot and dusty but we made it back to the car in just 5 hours 50 minutes—not bad for an old lady. It was the hottest day of the year it turned out, topping 105 degrees in Oakdale but we soon left that behind as we returned to my home in the foggy city. I hate the fog and I can't wait to get back to the mountains which will be very soon but not soon enough.