cnynrat
Expedition Leader
This trip was originally conceived as a summer getaway to the eastern Sierras. After conferring about our schedules we found that due to a summer filled with family events and too much business travel the earliest mutually available weekend was going to be in mid-September. The cast of characters for this trip included our regular trail buddies Mike and Denny (aka OffRoadMammy), with Jeff Wanamog and his wife Vicki joining us for the first part of the trip.
The plan was to head up to Coyote Flats outside Bishop CA. We planned to set up camp at Funnel Lake, and stay there for a few days allowing us time to explore a bit and soak in the area.
As an added bonus we would spend some time with Mike’s daughter who is now living in Bishop. She is a bicyclist, ultramarathoner and all around gifted athlete, and planned to run the 18 miles and +6000 foot elevation gain from the trailhead outside Bishop up to Funnel Lake where we planned to camp. She seemed to think it would be “fun”. Go figure.
September can be a great time to visit the High Sierras. In most years the mosquitoes will have run their course, and with kids back in school and summer vacation season over you often enjoy blissful solitude in areas that might be crowded on a peak summer weekend. The downside is that September weather in the High Sierras can go either way. Sometimes you get a wonderful Indian summer with clear skies and warm temperatures. In other years it feels like you’ve stumbled into the beginning of winter.
We arrived in camp Saturday afternoon, where we met Jeff and Vicki who had left early Friday morning. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner of carne asada with all the usual accompaniments courtesy of Jeff and Vicki. Thanks again! After dinner we sat around the campfire for a while, only to have it start hailing and raining with a vengeance. There was even a little bit of snow mixed in. We secured the camp and turned in for the night. The rains continued on and off for most of the night.
Sunday morning we awoke to fog and low clouds. Jeff and Vicki and planned to leave that day, and in light of the weather they packed up and were on the road fairly early for the long drive back to So Cal. Mike’s daughter enjoyed a hearty breakfast of bacon and French toast with us before she began her run down the mountain back to Bishop.
Early Morning in Camp
Our camp at Funnel Lake
Early on in the day it seemed as though it may clear out, but as the day wore on we had periodic episodes of heavy rain and hail. We stuck close to camp so we could retreat to shelter as needed. A few of us tried our luck fishing in Funnel Lake. Mike did manage to catch one nice pan sized rainbow, but the rest of us had no luck. Fortunately, we had a dry spell that allowed us time to cook dinner and enjoy some time around the campfire. Par for the course though, the rain and hail returned and we headed for the tents for another long night.
Looks like it might turn out to be a nice day!
Well, maybe not. Later that morning:
A couple other pictures of Funnel Lake:
The plan was to head up to Coyote Flats outside Bishop CA. We planned to set up camp at Funnel Lake, and stay there for a few days allowing us time to explore a bit and soak in the area.
As an added bonus we would spend some time with Mike’s daughter who is now living in Bishop. She is a bicyclist, ultramarathoner and all around gifted athlete, and planned to run the 18 miles and +6000 foot elevation gain from the trailhead outside Bishop up to Funnel Lake where we planned to camp. She seemed to think it would be “fun”. Go figure.
September can be a great time to visit the High Sierras. In most years the mosquitoes will have run their course, and with kids back in school and summer vacation season over you often enjoy blissful solitude in areas that might be crowded on a peak summer weekend. The downside is that September weather in the High Sierras can go either way. Sometimes you get a wonderful Indian summer with clear skies and warm temperatures. In other years it feels like you’ve stumbled into the beginning of winter.
We arrived in camp Saturday afternoon, where we met Jeff and Vicki who had left early Friday morning. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner of carne asada with all the usual accompaniments courtesy of Jeff and Vicki. Thanks again! After dinner we sat around the campfire for a while, only to have it start hailing and raining with a vengeance. There was even a little bit of snow mixed in. We secured the camp and turned in for the night. The rains continued on and off for most of the night.
Sunday morning we awoke to fog and low clouds. Jeff and Vicki and planned to leave that day, and in light of the weather they packed up and were on the road fairly early for the long drive back to So Cal. Mike’s daughter enjoyed a hearty breakfast of bacon and French toast with us before she began her run down the mountain back to Bishop.
Early Morning in Camp
Our camp at Funnel Lake
Early on in the day it seemed as though it may clear out, but as the day wore on we had periodic episodes of heavy rain and hail. We stuck close to camp so we could retreat to shelter as needed. A few of us tried our luck fishing in Funnel Lake. Mike did manage to catch one nice pan sized rainbow, but the rest of us had no luck. Fortunately, we had a dry spell that allowed us time to cook dinner and enjoy some time around the campfire. Par for the course though, the rain and hail returned and we headed for the tents for another long night.
Looks like it might turn out to be a nice day!
Well, maybe not. Later that morning:
A couple other pictures of Funnel Lake: