Pics of Balloon Dome

[daniel banquo merrick]

If you go to the top, photograph the register entries. There shouldn't be many since I replaced it a few years ago.

[John]

Welcome, Kent! Are you doing a recon or climbing a route?

[kenteroo]

Well... since I am new I will throw in a little entertainment by way of introduction...

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article86017697.html

Read this with a grain of salt. Of course I had a map and compass. Plenty of food and water as well as shelter. Long story short she couldn't walk out and we couldn't carry her. Rolling the dice on her feeling better in 24 hours was not on the table. I've been climbing and wandering the backcountry for 30 years and never had an epic until this year. We took the Warren Lake "trail" off of the PCT and then descended the snow gully to Paradise Lake. All north facing slopes were under 5 feet of snow. Slick in the morning post hole in the afternoon. Everyone was fine and then, "bam". AMS. We've all been there...

I am under strict orders not to climb anything on this trip. I'm going solo.

All that said, this trip is just to scout a location to take my family off the grid safely. Chosen for the lower elevations. To be clear, my 10 year old is the one who inherited my wanderlust and taste for climbing. Above all else she needs to have a good experience on our next outing. Blah blah blah. The trip reports I have read are all over the map (no pun intended). Some say no trail whatsoever, some say easy peasy. I'm no stranger to route finding but I need to make my own assessment.

The "plan" is simply to walk down to the river from the Granite Creek bridge and look at camping sites north of Cassidy Bridge. If that only takes an hour and half then I will have plenty of time to poke around down there and scout the location of the trail to Rattlesnake Lake. Since it's a day trip I am taking a tripod and wide lens and pano rig for panos as well as a 200mm lens for stitching hi res photos of things like Domes  Since I'm lugging the gear I thought I'd ask if anyone wants a particular photo or easy recon.

I haven't climbed trad in a long time. I will need some guidance about what to post and not post in my trip report. I assume any caches and/or river crossings/other goodies not on the map are subject to what I call "road code" - what happens on the road stays on the road.

I traditionally do a trip the second week of October every year and this year I assume it will be a 4 day trip to climb BD on the class 3 route and spend two days scouting other goodies. I'll be sure to photograph the register on that trip if I don't get up there sooner.

Cheers!

Kent

[susan]

Epics... we have all been there to some degree haven't we? Thanks for posting up! That is so cool your intention to keep your daughter dug in to her adventure inclinations! Good on ya! Sorry no logistical help from me other than encouragement...

[daniel banquo merrick]

On June 20, 2016 I'd guess it was 100 degrees at the Cassidy Crossing. It is hotter than Yosemite Valley down there. Hiked down there in the AM and spent most of the day napping under a tree with occasional dips in the river waiting for it to cool down. Left there about 5 pm headed for the car. Should have stayed longer but my patience ran out. Quite a slog up out of the canyon but at least it was shady most of the way. Sweat was dripping off my hat brim and t-shirt tails. Don't expect to find water between the car and the river this time of year. On the south side between the river and Rattlesnake Lake I wouldn't expect any water either. Poison oak on both sides of the river but worse on the south side.

In October I would expect that Rattlesnake Lake is the closest water to the east side of BD. There are two small tarns along the way from RL to BD but they may be dry by October. This year they were filled with stagnant tea colored water which I drank without ill effect - tannin being a good antimicrobial. I haven't filtered or boiled water in many years.

Anyway, go, have fun and let us know what happens.

[kenteroo]

Thanks!

Will do. Gosh, seven dead trees in one image. Makes for good fertilizer, I guess. Hopefully I'll reply here with some fun pics and panos. I don't know about you but I never get tired of seeing photos - even if I was just there.

Kent

[John]

Kent
I would love to see some closeup shots of Disappearing Dome if you happen to be pointed that way. Cat Wall too. I don't have a good long-distance camera so this appears to be a rare opportunity. Thanks and have a great time!!

[daniel banquo merrick]

Here is my dead tree panorama.

[John]

Man, there is a lot of dead trees. You know, I just learned that the trees that are turning brown have been dead for about a year and take that long to brown. That means that we are looking at some dead trees that are currently green and haven't turned yet so it could look even worse. So much fire fuel...makes me cringe.

[susan]

Still stunning...

[susan]

And heartbreaking about our Evergreen forests dying. Trying to be over it already since the writing is on the wall, but never gonna be.

[mungeclimber]

I believe so.

The particulate matter in the air is going to be hard to shoot across the canyon.  Hopefully it won't have blown up canyon too much.

Much good luck to ya.

[kenteroo]

Thanks. I did my homework and found it.

[kenteroo]

Not my best work but I was being mobbed by Gnats of Insanity That Laugh At DEET.

I didn't get a clear shot at Cat Wall.

High resolution version: http://www.johnsonphotographic.com/disdome/disappearing_dome_from_east.jpg

Trip report: The trail is well used (lots of pack activity). A blind person could follow it. The Poison Oak I saw was under control (read what you want into that). The trail to RL even has a sign!

The gnats were truly out of control. If you do this hike either a) just deal with it b) wear mesh headgear or c) hike this sucker at night (preferred). I had a really bad day up there. My recent broken toe and bout with an unknown virus (both of which I thought were vanquished) wreaked havoc on my hike out. Car to car was a brutal 12 hours. Oof! In all my years of backpacking (much of it brutal) I have never dealt with leg (feet, glutes, calves, lower quads) cramps before. Go figure. Daddy's gonna be hitting the stairmaster regularly now!

Upon further reflection it seems that I ran head on into Hyponatremia. I resolved to drink a lot more water on this trip than I usually do (which I did) and didn't up my salt intake accordingly. A word to the wise...

[John]

Thanks for sharing that shot Kent! Sounds like you had a proper adventure minus the cursed bugs.