Pictures from Carson Pass now that I am chemo free!

[F8L]

After 6 weeks of chemo and radiation and about 3 weeks ofrecover time I am starting to feel pretty damn good so I decided to participate in one of my work's Treasured Landscape Tours that we put on for the public so that they can come out and see natural open space areas with guides to explain what they are seeing.

So this Saturday I was at our Cisco Grove tour up near Yuba Gap and Donner Summit, CA. It is a very small preserve at only 17 acres but we also did a hike up near Serene Lakes. The most wonderful part of the trip was the realization that I FEEL GREAT! It was a short hike but watching how everyone else that was "healthy" handled it I became very excited with the knowledge that I was back to at least a normal condition and no longer plagued with the shortness of breath that the chemo induced in me. I just kept hiking up the slope in eager anticipation of what flower or bug might lay waiting around the next corner. Here are the pictures from the Preserve and the hike.

*note* These pics are lower quality as they are being hosted on Facebook. I'll add the higher quality images later.

Umm I forgot


Western Clumbine (Aquilegia formosa)


Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguiea) This is a parasitic plant that does not contain chlorophyll. It obtains its food from parasitzing the roots of conifers via

mycorrhizae

Mycorrhiza

.


Mariposa lily (Calochortus sp.)


Dodder (Cuscuta sp.) (the yellow stringy stuff)! This curious little plant is parastitic to other plants. Its young shoots are sensitive to touch and via a mechanism called thigmotropism it will sense the stem of another plant and if the plant is a suitable host it will send its rootlike branches (haustoria) into the stem of the plant and feed off the host plant. So friggin cool!


Needs ID


Mule's Ear (Wyethia mollis) apply named. It is very soft and looks much like a long mule's ear.


Wild onion (Allium?)


The Carson Pass photos will follow on the next post....

[F8L]

Umm damn. I just realized the only photos I put on on FB of the trip are of my hiking partner. I'll save this spot and put them up tomorrow. Here is a teaser for Carson Pass

*edit* Founds some!

I felt so good after the Saturday hike that I decided to take an amazing friend of mine up to Carson Pass in Alpine County. This is a highly traveled area but beautiful nontheless. If you live locally or plan on making a trip to California then this place should be on your list. It is only about 30min or so from South Lake Tahoe and is an easy hike. The high altitude (8,500ft.) can make the hike a bit more strenuous than it appears but I see children and older individuals roaming the hills without much problem. If I am feeling out of shape this place and leave me a bit lightheaded or winded so it was a good place to test exactly how good I was feeling. After 4 hours of hiking and playing around I felt great. The subalpine air had my heart beating and the mountains were channeling their light-drenched energy into me and I soaked it up like the first spring foliage! Yes, I felt alive and all thoughts of cancer were left behind like a faded memory that is not worth remembering...






I apologize for having a human in this pic. I was distracted that day and forgot to take one of the view alone. lol


Frog Lake


This is the trail leading to Winnemucca Lake. We didn't get beyond the lake due to weather concerns. The trail continues to wind its way to the base of the mountain in the left frame then it turns to the right and makes its way up a small saddle in the far right frame.


I'll get an ID for this one tomorrow


Same one but with wings closed. This is very important for ID'ing some species as the paterns on the backs of the wings may be identical between 2 different species but on the underside there could be a defining characteristic!

[Dipena]

Wow, just beautiful. I'm so glad you are feeling up to it and enjoying that amazing area. (I'm envious.) Good for you!

[F8L]

Originally Posted by Dipena

Wow, just beautiful. I'm so glad you are feeling up to it and enjoying that amazing area. (I'm envious.) Good for you!

Thank you my friend! Sharing these places with folks like you makes the adventures even more enjoyable. I even told my hiking partner how I wanted to get this shot for my friends on PC. She laughed and I snapped the picture.

[dogfriend]

Congratulations!

We haven't been to Carson Pass yet this year, but last week we camped at Wrights Lake and hiked up to Twin Lakes and Island Lake. Our dog Dingo loves rolling in the snow and we were able to satisfy her fetish at Island Lake (el. ~8400 ft).

I have lots of photos of the Carson Pass area, that is one of our favorite places to hike.

[F8L]

Originally Posted by dogfriend

Congratulations!

We haven't been to Carson Pass yet this year, but last week we camped at Wrights Lake and hiked up to Twin Lakes and Island Lake. Our dog Dingo loves rolling in the snow and we were able to satisfy her fetish at Island Lake (el. ~8400 ft).

I have lots of photos of the Carson Pass area, that is one of our favorite places to hike.

I love that you posted basically the same picture taken from just a few hundred feet forward of where I took mine.

There is still snow near the trail at Carson if Dingo is interested.

I'm going to have to check out Wrights. I've never been there. You should post pics for us mate!

[dogfriend]

Originally Posted by F8L

I love that you posted basically the same picture taken from just a few hundred feet forward of where I took mine.

There is still snow near the trail at Carson if Dingo is interested.

I'm going to have to check out Wrights. I've never been there. You should post pics for us mate!

Wrights Lake is beautiful. I'll see if I can get some pictures up. There is a trailhead at one end of the lake. It is approx 1.5 miles to the Wilderness Boundary, about 4 miles total to Twin Lakes and another .5 to Island Lake.

[dogfriend]

Some pics from our last camping trip:

This is near the boat launch at Wrights Lake. Only non-motorized boats are allowed. Elevation is approx 7000 ft.



This is the outflow from the lake. It runs all year, the campground doesn't officially open until the week after July 4th.



This is at Twin Lakes, elevation approx 8000 ft. The lake is approx 4 miles from the trailhead at Wrights Lake.



This is on the way to Island Lake



Another view of Twin Lakes



Island Lake. Approx 8400 feet elev.



Its hard to take a photo of a black dog on a white background.




Another view of Island Lake. My GF took these. She waits for me to haul the camera up the hill, then grabs it and doesn't give it back.



Last one.

[F8L]

Those are wonderful! Thank you for posting them!!!

I'm going to research them a bit more and I think I found a new spot to explore. Thank you man.

[dogfriend]

Originally Posted by F8L

Those are wonderful! Thank you for posting them!!!

I'm going to research them a bit more and I think I found a new spot to explore. Thank you man.

If you have a kayak or canoe, it is really cool to paddle across Wrights Lake. The water is clear and the lake isn't very deep. On the inlet end, there are some narrow channels through the wet lands that are deep enough to paddle through. It is very cool.

This is from a few years ago, with my best friend, Penny.