alvarorb
Color Geek in Charge
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2003
- Threads
- 110
- Messages
- 1,847
- Location
- Sacramento, California
- Website
- www.instagram.com
The best part of any Norcal trip is to meet up with old and new friends –
Rohitash Singh
Trail Report-
On Friday everything came together nicely. I had done my Costo & supermarket run the day before. The truck was packed, Poquita was in the back seat an we were going wheeling. Nico was riding with me, a friend who I have coffe with at least 3 times a week. We met Andy and David at Andy's house. As we started our ascent on Hwy 50, we could see very dark clouds on the Sierra. We knew we were in for some bad weather.
Once on the dirt road to get to Wentworth Springs, we noticed that there was quite a bit less water than the last few years we've been going there. This is partly due to the short winter we had, but it's also due to the work that Friends of The Rubicon has done to the trail. You can now drive any high clearance vehicle to WWS. But most importantly, they have made drains so water does not accumulate as much on the trail. To do this, they must have hauled tons of granite. It's very easy to spot the different color rock, and it's everywhere. Excellent work.
We got to camp at around 4 pm. The campground was almost full. Byron and Big Jim had gotten there a few minutes before and were saving us several prime spots. The thing that caught everyone's eye was the white stuff. The whole camp was covered with it. It looked like Christmas time, not the end of May. The temperature was in the mid 30s. Time to bundle up.
The snow turned to rain, and then to sleet and then back to snow. The process repeated itself over and over. Soon everybody had their tents up and spirits were high. We setup a couple of canopies as our cooking area. They turned out to be the best thing we could have done. Without them, the trip would not have been the same.
As the evening progressed more people arrived. We had radio contact with Tom via the 805 repeater. Tom was on the road to Mt. Tam in Marin Co. and where at camp. 192 miles away. The signal was perfect. Just like he had been 1/4 of mile from us.
After some carnitas and cobber, plus a few beers, we went to bed at around midnight. Next morning there was at least 2" of snow on the ground. It was cold. Big Jim made a huge pot of Cowboy coffe. You could almost cut it with a serrated knife. Him and his wife made some terrific hash browns and sausages. A little later Andy made breakfast burritos with eggs, bacon, guac, sour cream and beyond. Very yummy.
By then our ground had grown, Mark, Jasper, Rohitash, Navid, Scott, Doug Hutton, Sean P, Robert Muñiz, his dad and brother had showed up. Spirits were not as high as the day before. The choice was to do the trail or to go home. I chose to go back home. When conditions are perfect, going on the Rubicon Trail via Wentworth Springs is challenging. Now we had a large group with different skill levels. Doing the trail was more hard core than I wanted this trail to be.
On the way out we ran into Derek and his sisters. They had just gotten there. You could feel Derek's disappointment when he learnt that we were going home. On the way out we crossed Gerle Creek and exited via Airport Flats. Later we found out that this is the way that most GPS route people to Wentworth Springs. Those who came to camp in the middle to the night, followed their GPS across the river. I tip my hat off to you.
Finally, we decided to have lunch at Rob's Resort. It was nice to get out of the snow and rain. After a nice burger and a glass of cold beer, we said our goodbyes and went home.
Looking back, we did not have a snow run this year. Work got in the way of putting something together. However, this turned out really nice. We’ve always talked about camping in the snow.
For those who made it, thanks you for putting up with the weather. I’m sorry we did not get to wheel much. For those who did not make it, next year we’ll have better weather.
Here's a webpage I found with a little history about the area:
GERLE CREEK HISTORY
Pics here
Rohitash Singh
Trail Report-
On Friday everything came together nicely. I had done my Costo & supermarket run the day before. The truck was packed, Poquita was in the back seat an we were going wheeling. Nico was riding with me, a friend who I have coffe with at least 3 times a week. We met Andy and David at Andy's house. As we started our ascent on Hwy 50, we could see very dark clouds on the Sierra. We knew we were in for some bad weather.
Once on the dirt road to get to Wentworth Springs, we noticed that there was quite a bit less water than the last few years we've been going there. This is partly due to the short winter we had, but it's also due to the work that Friends of The Rubicon has done to the trail. You can now drive any high clearance vehicle to WWS. But most importantly, they have made drains so water does not accumulate as much on the trail. To do this, they must have hauled tons of granite. It's very easy to spot the different color rock, and it's everywhere. Excellent work.
We got to camp at around 4 pm. The campground was almost full. Byron and Big Jim had gotten there a few minutes before and were saving us several prime spots. The thing that caught everyone's eye was the white stuff. The whole camp was covered with it. It looked like Christmas time, not the end of May. The temperature was in the mid 30s. Time to bundle up.
The snow turned to rain, and then to sleet and then back to snow. The process repeated itself over and over. Soon everybody had their tents up and spirits were high. We setup a couple of canopies as our cooking area. They turned out to be the best thing we could have done. Without them, the trip would not have been the same.
As the evening progressed more people arrived. We had radio contact with Tom via the 805 repeater. Tom was on the road to Mt. Tam in Marin Co. and where at camp. 192 miles away. The signal was perfect. Just like he had been 1/4 of mile from us.
After some carnitas and cobber, plus a few beers, we went to bed at around midnight. Next morning there was at least 2" of snow on the ground. It was cold. Big Jim made a huge pot of Cowboy coffe. You could almost cut it with a serrated knife. Him and his wife made some terrific hash browns and sausages. A little later Andy made breakfast burritos with eggs, bacon, guac, sour cream and beyond. Very yummy.
By then our ground had grown, Mark, Jasper, Rohitash, Navid, Scott, Doug Hutton, Sean P, Robert Muñiz, his dad and brother had showed up. Spirits were not as high as the day before. The choice was to do the trail or to go home. I chose to go back home. When conditions are perfect, going on the Rubicon Trail via Wentworth Springs is challenging. Now we had a large group with different skill levels. Doing the trail was more hard core than I wanted this trail to be.
On the way out we ran into Derek and his sisters. They had just gotten there. You could feel Derek's disappointment when he learnt that we were going home. On the way out we crossed Gerle Creek and exited via Airport Flats. Later we found out that this is the way that most GPS route people to Wentworth Springs. Those who came to camp in the middle to the night, followed their GPS across the river. I tip my hat off to you.
Finally, we decided to have lunch at Rob's Resort. It was nice to get out of the snow and rain. After a nice burger and a glass of cold beer, we said our goodbyes and went home.
Looking back, we did not have a snow run this year. Work got in the way of putting something together. However, this turned out really nice. We’ve always talked about camping in the snow.
For those who made it, thanks you for putting up with the weather. I’m sorry we did not get to wheel much. For those who did not make it, next year we’ll have better weather.
Here's a webpage I found with a little history about the area:
GERLE CREEK HISTORY
Pics here
