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Hetch Hetchy, July 2004
Day 1
Hannah arrived at our apartment in Berkeley at 5:00
am and by 5:30 we had picked up Henrik in Oakland and where on our way.
Traffic was light and after a brief stop for a fast food
breakfast in Oakdale we arrived at the Hetch Hetchy backpackers parking
lot and began the short 1-mile walk down the paved road to O'Shaughnessy
Dam. We walked across the
concrete arch, through a tunnel and then began a climb up the dry
switchbacks on a very warm morning.
We would climb for most of the day, usually on sandy trails in
forested areas, before descending to the open exposed granite of Lake
Vernon where we camped.
Highlights of the day included: seeing a bear (a first
for me in the backcountry), almost stepping on a rattlesnake that was as
thick as my arm, getting water at the “Beehive”, and
camping/swimming at Lake Vernon (almost no mosquitoes and a flat
campsite right on the water, I mean at least 100 feet away).
Credit must also be given where credit is due.
Henrik deserves a big pat on the back for suggesting that we
stash our extra food in 2 of our 3 bear canisters at the trail junction
before heading down to the lake. This
simple insight saved all of us from carrying the extra weight for the 2
miles down to the lake and the 2 miles back to the trail junction the
following morning.
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| Here is a great shot looking up the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir,
elevation 3,797. Kolana Rock, the dome to the right, tops
out at an elevation of 5,772 feet.
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| After making our way up the switchbacks we walked through
an area that was recovering beautifully from a fire.
Hannah, admiring the scenery here, spent the entire trip in
pants and long sleeves, except when swimming when she wore not
much of anything.
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| During the first few days most of the trail was like this,
sandy and dry with water sources few and far between. Here
I am walking ahead with Hetch Hetchy (not visible) to my right.
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| Bear! This was the first time I had seen a bear while
backpacking in the backcountry. He smelled me first, made
some noise, which caught my attention. Looks like Henrik
couldn't hold the camera steady!
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| Beehive! After many miles of hot and dusty hiking
Beehive, this meadow, was a superior spot to rest and get water
from a natural spring just 25 feet off of the main trail.
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| With the exception of Beehive, almost all of day 1 had been
spent walking in forests or on dry, dusty trail. Heading
down to Lake Vernon the terrain changed to exposed granite,
which Hannah and I are hurrying down in anticipation of swimming
in the lake.
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| Some nut with a bandanna on his head enjoys the beauty of
Lake Vernon oblivious to the incredible reflection. |
[ Up ] [ Day 1 ] [ Day 2 ] [ Day 3 ] [ Day 4 ] [ Food ] [ Hannah's Water ] [ Hannah's Story ]
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