1567.6 (near Boulder Lake Junction) to 1587 (Bingham Lake)
19.4 miles
In the lovely soft light of early morning, I spot the first foxtail pines on the high elevation slopes. Unmistakable, especially having just spent two weeks amongst the very-closely-related Great Basin bristlecone pines in Nevada. Would I have missed them if I hadn’t heard the podcast mentioning foxtail pines last night? In any case, I delight in finding them.
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| Foxtail pines |
At mid-day, I meet forest service rangers on horseback. They confirm that the trees are indeed foxtails. It's so fun to share my excitement about the trees and gain some additional information about them.
By late afternoon, my good fortune continues. Just as I entered the Russian Wilderness, I meet three locals and ask them about foxtail pines. Without skipping a beat, they mention Michael Kauffmann and the Miracle Mile! I find out they are hiking to a bunch of lakes in the area and they recommend a side trip to Bingham Lake. I’d been wondering about it but there was no trail shown going to it on my Gaia GPS and no information about it on Guthooks. Turns out all this is for good reason- it is quite a scramble up to get there! But they say just go slow up through the talus and that I’ll be fine.
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| I make it to Bingham Lake! |
What a lake! High above is Russian Peak and all around the lake are huge boulders perfect for lounging about. The moon rises. The light fades and changes. Fish splash about. I am mesmerized by the swimming newts (which are later identified for me on iNaturalist as Taricha granulosa). A most enchanting evening!
And when both Utah and the PCT get old, there's Owyhee (and more). See SheRaHhikes "An Incredible Story" at https://sherahikes.com/2019/08/22/an-incredible-story/
ReplyDeleteOne image from the collection: https://media.davidrumsey.com/rumsey/Size4/D5005/6933000.jpg
The ODT is one I'll keep in mind. Visited some of those areas (like the Steens, Frenchglen, and Alvord Desert) when I was growing up. Those are the landscapes that make me who I am now.
DeleteThat was a super article from Sherah! Loved the map connection too. Thanks!
You did this hike right. I completely missed the foxtails and Bingham Lake. Darn it.
ReplyDeleteI got lucky in meeting those people. I also realize that it helped a lot that I didn't feel like I had a time crunch, so I could take extra time. I'm going to have to make sure next section hike, that I build in extra days so I can have a leisurely pace.
DeleteI haven't made it to Bingham yet either but know all about Kaufman and in fact have an autographed book.
DeleteWhat is this podcast episode you mention?
ReplyDelete*Catching up on your posts after vacation* Looks beautiful!
In Defense of Plants, Conifer Country. Episode from June 30, 2019
Deletehttp://www.indefenseofplants.com/podcast/2019/6/30/ep-219-conifer-country