Springtime in the High Country 6/2/25

 

Monday.  Meh, right?  Stay home, work in the yard, clean house, buy groceries?  Nah, phooey on that; it was time to get outa town.  After one load of laundry, we pointed the Subaru east toward Truckee, some 60 miles away.  Just north of Truckee is one of our all-time favorite hikes:  Sagehen Creek.  Springtime is an especial time here, and its allure isn't diminished by repeat visits.  I find a peacefulness and beauty on this trail, and, today, like other times, we shared it with lots of people (and dogs).  Oh, I wish I could capture the delicious fragrance of firs and flowers and everything else as we walked along on this warm spring day and impart it to you!

The creek was lively!

As we began, we encountered a lot of Bitterbrush lining both sides of the single-track trail, their small, creamy-yellow flowers profuse.

Jimmy pulls a green-leafed Aspen aside to show

the beginning of the yellow explosion.

We're a bit early, maybe by a week, but still -- look at the vibrant yellows of Woolly Mule's Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot (foreground) -- they blanket the hillsides!  The vision was wonderful.

We saw a beaver once a few years ago, and now we always stop along here and get very quiet in the hopes of seeing one again.  Or a descendant.  So far, nada.  Lots of birds flit about in this area, and we usually see woodpeckers.  Ducks, too.  But no beaver.  Mosquitos, yes, darn it, and Skin-so-Soft lotion is not much of a deterrent.

Wildflowers galore!  Top L to bottom L:  Lupine and mules ears and balsamroot, Bittercherry, Sand Corn Lily, and acres of Mahala Mat.  And so many others, too many to show.

Appears as though the Sagehen Creek area got hit hard by some hellacious winds last winter.  We saw many uprooted trees, the one above still cluttering the trail, and others that fell away, plus a couple that had already been cleared and chopped up.

At this point, the trail leaves the forest and enters Sagehen Meadows.  A massive Bistort bloom was just beginning to the right of Jimmy, now a grassy green meadow, and on the left, Bitterbrush is full on!  Stampede Reservoir (lake), Sagehen Creek's terminus, is not far behind Jimmy. 

We saw a number of small tent caterpillar webs

wreaking havoc on Bitterbrush shrubs.

Here 'tis – Stampede Reservoir! The lake and shoreline attract migrating birds, ducks, geese, sometimes Pelicans, and once we saw a long-legged Sandhill Crane.  I always have my binoculars.  Some years the water level is so danged low it's nearly invisible from right here.  Yet, two years ago, water had risen to past where I was standing for this pic!

A small plot of Nuttall's Larkspur

not far from the lake added a pop of color.

From the old sheepherder's hut ruins, we followed the track to the water's edge, or as close as you can get without sinking in mud.  Love that venerable pine, unsure which pine it is.  I'm convinced it plays host to numerous critters/creatures.

Plenty of Canada geese (ahem, be careful where you put your feet), a couple of Mallards, and Common Mergansers -- that was it on the lake today.

A lone motorboat, anchored dead center,

with a fisherman, hopefully being successful.

Penstamons and Lupines, not far from lakeshore.

On our return, we got another view of the downed tree.  This is a pretty easy, fairly flat trail with a mere 200+ ft elevation gain, and a round-trip of 5+ miles.  It takes us much longer to get to a turn-around point than it does returning to the car.  I guess we don't stop as often, and the afternoon gets hot, meaning we're ready to head back faster.  We must be getting old, for as much as we love this trail, we were ready to be done!

Nevertheless, I continue to "pause" for a photo or two -- above is Pussy Paws, a cute perennial herb that my sister and I admire, soft and velvety and reminiscent of chenille.  It's a low grower, so I have no idea if it's sweet-scented or not.  If I bent down to sniff it, I'd never get up!

Jimmy and I got our "get-away" fix today, happy with our choice.  Sagehen delivers every time.  

October fun -- to 10/13/24

 

Happy Days!  The relentless summer heat has dissipated!  Now is the time of year we can really enjoy the great outdoors, and so we have.  Sometimes we look at each other, questioning where to go today, wanting someplace new.  Or perhaps just a favored trail we haven't been on in a long time?  It's amazing to me how often we draw a blank.  Oct 2nd, was one of those "where to?" days, when Jimmy had an "aha" moment and suggested BYLT's Independence East Trail.  Perfect, haven't been there in a couple of years.

You might recognize this image from our past hikes.  However, this one is different.  Here Jimmy holds up that danged boulder with ONE hand!  Good job.  The boulder stayed put.

Autumn is when Buckeyes (left) decorate bare branches, the trees' leaves falling to the ground in summer.  I couldn't reach one to pick.  We were surprised to see an abundance of black acorns on the ground -- products of Black Oak trees.  Jimmy stuffed one pocket full, only because these are unusual, unlike the millions of basic brown acorns littering our yard.  We're experiencing another mast year!

Not to be shown up, but yes, I suppose I was.

I needed both hands on our return.

After East's four miles R/T, we wanted to see if Independence West had reopened after the disastrous Jones fire in 2020 that burned bridges, flumes, and boardwalks.  After a mile or so, the trail was barred to hikers. Reconstruction of the trail is underway, but likely won't be completed till 2025.  Lots of burned/downed trees still need to be cleared.  OK, we learned the answer, and added another couple of miles on our fitbits.  Enjoyable day.

* * * * *

Last week, we had a sleepover with Evie in Fair Oaks so her parents could attend a late-night concert.  Since she had school the next day, we brought our bikes to ride the American River Pkwy.  Win-win! Playing with Evie and riding our bikes!  A nice 19-mile pedal From Fair Oaks to Folsom and back.  We had a great time!

 

Noticed some river traffic, including this canoe.

Interesting cliff face opposite.

Beauty, doubled.

* * * * *

Finally, on Sunday, 10/13, we awoke to glorious sunshine and temps in the mid-50's.  (I wish I was in my mid-50's!)  The kind of day that shouldn't be wasted on any-ole-thing.  There was no question in my mind what I wanted to do, and when I suggested it, Jimmy said, "let's go."  I knew it was a now-or-never venture, so we packed a quick lunch, filled water bottles, and fired up the Subaru.  Destination:  Sagehen Creek Trail, seven miles north of Truckee, CA ... in Tahoe National Forest.  And (fingers crossed!) autumn leaves!

At 6000+ feet, the Aspens start to turn yellow/orange in early October.  We couldn't wait or we'd be too late.  Sagehen creek (above) boggies along, as always.

Though we usually leave weekends to worker-bees, I surmised I-80 road construction crews would take Sunday off, too, and we wouldn't get stuck in stop 'n go, and sure enough, we sailed on through!

But that also meant a full parking area at the Trail.  Hah, we parked across Hwy 89 (in the shade, woo-hoo!).  Would the trail itself be crowded?  Actually, no.  Yes, we saw people coming and going, but there were many long stretches where we encountered no one.  It was a grand day to be Out and About.  Temp of 68 when we started, high 75.  And quaking Aspens were aglow in the sunlight.

Lucky, lucky us to be on this dusty trail today.  It felt so right to be here, even the smells seemed sweeter.  There's something about this place ....  Yonder beaver pond was low; summer has been brutal.  I see many shades of autumn in this spot.

We stepped off the trail, down to the creek, to investigate the flattened grass, deciding it was grass that lays down when it's grown.  Oops, what's that?  I just missed stepping in that mess!  You got it -- fresh bear poop.

Into the meadow.  Crispy dried grass.  Away from the creek, wildflowers and grasses looked as though they'd been too long in an air fryer -- the major air fryer:  El Sol.  Of course, no wildflowers bloomed.

When we were here in July of last year, we couldn't get near this plank bridge due to flood waters.  Sagehen Creek empties into Stampede Reservoir, which we call a lake, and it's receded dramatically since then.  Clark's Nutcrackers were making a ruckus through the pines as we neared the aspen grove.

Ahhh, the Aspens near the ol' sheepherder's cabin.

Still colorful.  Glorious.

A sampling of other sights -- top row, a sharp thistle stalk, Jeffrey pine cones (lots and lots), and bottom row near the lake, tiny Fleabane, and one dinky dwarf lupine confused about the season (it's not spring).

Stunning display in person.

You can't see me if I don't move.

Sagehen approaching the lake (on the right).  The entire area was underwater in July 2023, up to and beyond the pines.  Amazing transformation from one year to the next.  That's nature!

The dazzling colors will soon be gone.  Snow may fly in the upcoming week.  But today we got to see it all, everything I hoped for; once again Sagehen touched all my senses.  Plus exercise!  Roughly six miles R/T of wonderment.  Color me grateful.  Jimmy, too.

 

Mondays are fine! July 2023

 

Monday was all I hoped it would be.  We were on the road early on the 24th (early for us) to hike Sagehen Creek, a few miles north of Truckee CA, roughly 60 miles from home.  One of our favorites, though we missed last year.  It's a lovely five-mile R/T hike, following Sagehen Creek to its termination at Stampede Reservoir.  Two years ago the water level of the Reservoir was so low it was too far away to walk to!  And, what used to be water plants underfoot crunched like potato chips.  So dry.  This year was different, Capital D!

We always enjoy the path where the Aspen trees are, quaking and shaking.  Imagine our surprise to see many small Aspen trunks chopped, not down, but cropped.

Gnawed by big beaver teeth!

The many feet of snow long melted, we were lucky to see flowers blooming.  I didn't get a picture of the cute li'l ribbon snake nor the white-flowered bog orchid, but I managed to take a few photos of flowers.  Of course.  Scarlet Gilia, Woolley Mules Ears, Mariposa Lily and Pussy paws and an unidentified purple posy.

And the meadow!  Solid white and bright with Parish's Yampah!  Awesome sight.  Look beyond Jimmy walking at left.  Water.  Enlarge the pic and you'll see a white shirt near the water -- two ladies who'd passed us earlier.  And look at the sky!  Such a gorgeous day.  A cooling breeze kept us company.

Oh Wow!  Water flooded into the meadow.  We had to stop before we could cross the log bridge.  No sheepherder hut ruins today!  See the treed point that disappears into the water at left?  That's about where the water level was two years ago.  We were shocked at what we saw, but pleased that the reservoir was now full-to-overflowing.  We sat on a log, ate our sandwiches and watched a raft of common mergansers paddling across the replenished lake.  We returned to the car tired, but happy.

* * * * *

Monday, the 31st, another fine day.  With our E-bikes firmly attached on the back of the Prius, we took off again for the high country -- this time to pedal the trail from Squaw Valley, now known as Palisades Tahoe, to Meeks Bay, a 35-mile R/T ride we first did last September.  Though it was Monday, we've never seen the trail so crowded.  Walkers, joggers, people just standing on the trail, strollers, and bikes of all kinds, big tires, fat tires, thin tires, little bikes with little tots, entire families, fast riders and slow riders.  We did all right, nonetheless.  It was a fantastic day to be Out and About.

I could stop a lot more than I do, but I like to ride.  Here I stopped to take a picture of the water, so so blue, and then a couple also stopped to ask if I'd take their photo.  Sure!  Good spot to park my bike.

Meanwhile, Jimmy waited patiently for me to get finished, already, with the picture-taking!

17+ miles after we started, we hit the switchback down to Meeks Bay.  We were ready to get off the bikes and get a burger at the little cafe.

Well, it must be tourist season.  Good grief.  While we devoured our burgers, we were entertained by the crowd on the sandy beach and in the water.  We've heard that the Lake Tahoe area is being "loved to death" by people, which is too bad.  It is a such an incredibly idyllic spot on this earth.

Here's the route we rode starting at top red x to bottom red x, and back.

On our return, we stopped at the Lake Tahoe Dam (concrete gravity dam on the Truckee River, at the outlet of Lake Tahoe), not surprised to see this much water behind it.  A few Canada geese and a couple of SUP'ers were also Out and About.

In case you can't read these signs posted at the dam, the lake level is 4.12 feet above last year's date.  The maximum lake level for this year was on Friday, July 21st, ten days ago, at 6,228.30' (elevation).  Finally, they received a whopping 321.5 inches (26.7 feet) of snow this water year!  Makes our four feet look miniscule!

Appears that only one release gate is open.  We thought the Truckee River looked very thin as we made our way along it, and no rafts were floating downriver.  Notice the two jokers playing in the water, which I don't think is allowed so close to the dam, but boys will be boys, eh?

Summertime monsoonal moisture can bring spectacular clouds to our area, even if no rain comes to us.  Today was one of those WOW cloud days, where you could look up at any given moment and be mesmerized.  Above, we saw rainbow hues in this grouping.

Haha, found someone to take our pic at the lake.  He was a wag, too -- just take a few more steps back he kept saying.

We have to cross the Truckee near the parking area and I took this pic on our return to the car.  Look how thin the water is.  We thought more water would be released, enabling river rafting to commence. Perhaps in August?  I know lots of folks enjoy a lazy float downriver, and the raft companies could make some money this year.  to be continued, I guess.

Both Mondays turned out to be stellar adventures, notwithstanding the Highway 20 road construction in two areas, which involves dismantling mountains and filling in valleys to realign the road.  Take out curves.  Make it straighter.  "Safer."  Less pretty,  Faster.  Adding a half hour time to our coming and going.  Oh well, can't have it all.

Looking forward to next Monday!