Our plan for this year was to visit the Sierra Nevada. While I had already made a few trips into the Sierras, Jean had never been there. Jean had a conference in Lake Tahoe around the fourth of July, and our plan was for me to fly out at the end of meeting and join her for some backpacking. Our first choice was to hit the John Muir Wilderness and do a backpacking trip using some of the Pacific Crest Trail. We’d also add on day trips to Mts Tallac and Dana, a pair of my favorite peaks from earlier visits. Things started well, we were able to get a USFS wilderness permit to enter at Bishop Pass, and all our travel arrangements went smoothly.
Then
in late spring Jean was watching a news story where a ranger pointed to a few
scraggly branches pointing out of the snow, and mentioned that it was the top
of a 100’+ tree. El Nino had brought twice the normal snowpack to the High
Sierra.
We
realized right away that our Bishop Pass route wouldn’t be accessible by July
fourth. A little research showed that conditions were the same up and down the
Sierra, a deep snowpack that was in no hurry to melt off. We checked south to Death
Valley and even east to some of the ranges in Nevada, but even these drier areas
were still snowed in. We were at a loss until our friend Paul suggested that we
just hit the best local outdoor shop in town and ask their advice.
At
Paul’s recommendation we went to Sierra Mountaineering and chatted up a
salesman. When we first asked advice on locations, he started with ”in a few
weeks you can go….”, but we jumped in and asked where we could go now. Luckily
he’d just gotten back from a trip to the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and could vouch
for a route that was snow free. We got his route information, bought a map and
guidebook, and we were off. Our guy also recommended a day hike to Mount Rose
as a warmup.
7-6-98,
Mount Rose (10,778’) Day Hike, 12 miles
I
had lived in Reno in the early 1980s, but hadn’t visited Mt. Rose before. It is
the highest summit in the north end of the Carson Range, and just 30-45 minutes
outside of Reno. We didn’t have a map or guidebook, but the instructions from
Sierra Mountaineering were good enough to get us to the trailhead. My journal notes
don’t describe the specific route, but it is likely we went up FS Trail 51 from
NV 431 near the Mt. Rose Campground.
The
first three miles or so of the trail were old road that was mostly snow covered
beyond the first 30 minutes. We had a few hazy views of Lake Tahoe. At three
miles, the trail left the road (to the relay station?), climbed over a small
divide, and headed across a meadow where we had nice views of Mt Rose and Slide
Mtn.
At
first the meadow was marshy, but then it became snow covered and we got
concerned about losing the trail. But luckily we spotted a group ahead of us.
The trail took a long detour around a ridge, then went up a draw until we
reached a sign at the Mt. Rose Wilderness boundary. Still thinking we would
soon lose the snow, we followed the steepening trail up the ridge. One of the
group ahead of us turned back, and we hiked briefly with the other four, and
their two dogs. Eventually we broke out of the snow and followed a nice
ridgeline trail to the signed summit.
Jean at the wilderness boundary.
Jean
and I were both tired, and had slight headaches, possibly from the altitude. But
the fantastic views and a lunch break refreshed us. From the top we could see
north to the Sierra Buttes, across Tahoe to the Granite Chief and Desolation
wildernesses, to Mt Jobe at the south end of the Carson Range, and east to Reno,
Carson City, and the Virginia City range. Our weather had been cool, but we
relaxed out of the wind in shorts and T-shirts. 
On the summit of Mt Rose.
The
hike back was tougher than the climb. The snow was softer, but since we now
knew the route we were able to slide down a few sections. We saw two other
parties heading up, plus a mountain biker on the first mile of the trail. The
entire round trip took about 8 hours.
7-6-98,
Rodriguez Flat to Llewellyn Falls, 6.8 miles
Carson
Iceberg Wilderness is a great lesson in how spectacular the Sierra Nevada is. Carson-Iceberg
covers 160,000 acres and has about 190 miles of trail, but few have ever heard
of it. It gets lost between the huge Lake Tahoe Area/Desolation Wilderness to
the north, and the even bigger Sequoia/Kings Canyon/John Muir Wilderness/Yosemite
area to the south. Carson-Iceberg sits south of the 105,000 acre Mokelumne
Wilderness north of CA 4 at Ebbetts Pass, and south of the 113,000 acre
Emigrant Wilderness at Sonora Pass and CA 108. Even better for us, there were
trailheads just a short distance off US 395.
Location map Carson-Iceberg Wilderness.
Our
route was to go in at Corral Valley and make a loop down to Connels Cow Camp,
with a one day side trip out to Soda Springs. This would not be the
magnificent, glacial terrain of the classic High Sierra backcountry, but we
would be in the mountains at 7-8,000’, and most importantly, out of the snow.
Our worries would be bugs from the late snow melt off, and high water in any
creeks we would need to cross.
Carson-Iceberg Trail Map.
We
followed the trailhead directions in Jeffrey Schaffer’s Carson-Iceberg
Wilderness guide. The 1997 reprint of this Wilderness Press guide is still the
best resource on the wilderness. The drive took about two hours from Reno with
a stop at the USFS Carson RD office to buy a map of Tahoe and the Toiyabe NF.
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Boundary.
We
started hiking from the deserted Corral Valley TH heading west (TR 21019). The
first mile was a gentle climb with only one snowbank to the ”Driveway” in an
open sagebrush and wildflower covered meadow. There were yellow violets,
bluebells, yellow asters, and scores of species we couldn’t recognize. Even the
shrubs were in bloom, with the early spring flowers being some consolation for
being snowed out of the high country. Jean’s list for the trip soon reached 30
types. A huge cairn marked the middle of the meadow. The surrounding peaks were
still mostly covered in snow, so there would be no peak bagging for us this
trip.
Meadow along the "Driveway".
Our
first ford across Corral Creek (Silver King in my notes) wasn’t easy, mid-thigh
on me, with a solid bottom, but cold and swift. Luckily we both had poles. I
ferried my pack across and then came back for Jean’s. The next crossing (Silver
King Creek) was tougher. We found a log upstream, but we didn’t dare walk it,
and it was too branch covered to butt scoot across with packs. Again, I forded
first with my pack and then returned for Jean’s, so that she could use the log
to cross. The water was crotch deep for me, and the current was about all I
could handle. I suspect we were near the maximum of spring runoff, and that
typically these fords would be less of an issue in summer.
Detailed trail map Carson-Iceberg.
After
the crossings was easy walking while watching the creek and the snowy peaks
above them. Long Valley was a bit marshy and buggy, but still had great views.
We had planned to stop at Commissioner’s Camp, but didn’t want to ford the
stream again and suspected the site would be too buggy for camping.
We
went another half mile to a flat above Llewellyn Falls and set up camp with
some nasty storm clouds approaching. We heard two booms of thunder, but the
rain stayed to our north. Unfortunately, when the skies cleared the wind
dropped and the mosquitoes came out. Bugs at dinner time can be a terror. They
know when you’re tied down to intricate tasks around the stove, that’s their
time to feast. Even with repellent applied, and full clothing on, there was no
way to avoid them. We ended up eating dinner almost running around the
campsite.
But
we were also not proving to be the most prepared campers. Somehow my fuel
bottle cap had mis-threaded and had been leaking slowly in my pack. We had just
a quarter liter of fuel left. My fleece pants had absorbed most of the fuel. We
used creek water to rinse the pants, but now most of my gear smelled like fuel.
We weren’t planning a long loop, and could resupply, but I hated to have my
gear potentially ruined, especially mid trip.
Then
as Jean took her boot off for the night, the heel began to separate from the
sole. The glue had been giving away at the sole, but now it looked like she’d
be lucky if the boots survived the trip. We made some field repairs with duct
tape, but weren’t confident for the next day.
We
were surprisingly tired for only 7 miles of backpacking, maybe the long day on
Mt. Rose was affecting us. Our packs were heavier than usual, with food for a
full four days. This would be Jean’s longest backpacking trip to date. We knew
Carson-Iceberg wasn’t giving us the full alpine experience we’d hoped for, but
this surely was the time to visit, the snow was mostly gone, the flowers were
peak, and we’d seen no one else all day.
7-7-98,
Llewellyn Falls to Coffee Flats, 5.9 miles, plus a 2.0 mile side trip
We
rose early to try to avoid the mosquitoes, but as soon as the sun cleared the
ridge they were at us in a fury. By the time we’d cooked breakfast, just eating
and packing up became a chore. We blasted down the trail, past the cabin at
Connell Camp, looking for drier country. We found salvation by Coyote Creek
where we stopped for a long break. We though of making our camp there, but
decided to head for the high flat, flowery area about a mile from the trailhead,
and then do a day trip to the Soda Cone the next day.
We
took another break at Corral Creek, where Jean spotted a coyote below us across
the meadow. Soon we heard a small pack howling and yipping, and saw a large
coyote moving through the trees about 200 yards away. Coyotes are very
secretive, to see a pack out in the open in daylight was spooky. In all my
outdoor time I’ve only seen coyotes a handful of times, and never a group like
this for so long. Luckily for us, they moved off.
We
climbed up to the flat area near the Driveway intersection and found a good
tent site not far from the mega-cairn. We found snow for water in a pocket of
trees to the west. Since we were so close to the car, I hiked back to the
trailhead and got more fuel, more beer, and Jean’s running shoes from the car.
Her boots had held up on the six mile hike through the first layer of duct tape,
but we wanted more reliable footwear for the next day’s hike. 
Jean in meadow.
We
spent the afternoon just enjoying the view, which extended from Lake Tahoe to
Sonora Pass and south to the crest of the wilderness. The sun was harsh enough
that we decided to tent down in the trees to get some shade. On all our trips
out west, we’ve needed some time to adjust to the harsh sunlight, after living
for so long in the East Tennessee haze. We liked our campsite enough to dub it
Coffee Flats.
With
the extra fuel we were able to wash Jean’s hair, with hot water and shampoo! My
fleeced pants got dried out, and the fuel smell removed. We did some flower
watching and Jean’s list grew to around 60 different types, amazing for the
Sierras. 
Flowers near Coffee Flats.
My
notes indicate (probably from Shaffer) that above Lewellyn Falls are
potentially the only(?) population of endangered Piute trout. Hybrids could
swim up Silver King Creek to the falls but not beyond it. Much of the use of
the area is by fisherman.
Also,
from the first intersection with Silver King Creek to Corral Creek we walked on
granite. The start of the hike, including our campsite is on volcanics, mostly
andesite, and the trailhead area is mostly metasediments, Jurassic, according
to the guidebook.
7-8-98,
Day Hike to the Soda Cone, 9 miles
Our
open camp was no match for the morning mosquito horde. We hurried on down the
driveway, forded the creek and walked an easy, and relative bug free, two miles
to the Soda Cone. At first we went past the cone, then backtracked to find it
on a rough trail.
The Soda Cone
The
cone is a high, rounded knob over a foundation of granite. The pool is cool,
and contains mats of algae, making us wonder if it got contaminated by cattle.
We saw some gas bubbles, but couldn’t smell any H2S. The water level was about
two feet below the rim, and the grass around it came to rim level. We had lunch
there and ate some of our precious smoked salmon (there are advantages to being
out of bear country). The cone was skeeter free, so we took naps in the sun. It
was an easy walk back to the ford, then a long hot walk back to camp. We both
ran out of energy before we ran out of trail. With lunch consumed, we just had
to tough out the rest of the hike. Near the end there was a light shower, and
got a cooling rain with a little thunder once we were back in the tent.
The driveway cairn.
By
later afternoon Jean’s flower count was up to 78. We were used to some 430PM
thunder rumbles by now, this day no rain came with the thunder. Our snowbank
refrigerator had already shrunk by six inches, prompting me to move my beer to
keep it cool.
After
dinner, we heard a surprising noise, people. Three hikers with their dog passed
us heading down toward Silver King Creek. Meanwhile we wandered down to the
cairn for a few last photos. Jean spotted a deer headed to our camp. 
Driveway cairn, close up.
7-9-98,
Coffee Flats to Trailhead 1.2mi, and Tahoe Rim Trail N of US 50, 8 mi.
We
woke up to another clear and buggy morning. After soaking in our last few views,
we hiked back to the car. After a long slow drive to US 395 we headed north to
Carson City, where we got a room at the Super 8. After stopping to resupply, we
headed up US 50 to Spooner Summit to hike an 8-mile loop on the Tahoe Rim Trail
and FS Trail 504 in North Canyon.
The
trail itself was a little disappointing. We wound through a sparse forest,
climbing and twisting without any clear vistas or trailside attractions. With
our late start and the heat of the day, I was glad to leave the Rim Trail for
the 1.2 mile descent down to the North Creek Road (FS 504). We took a long
break on the road, watching dozens of mountain bikers ride by on their way to
Marlette Lake. After a fast trip down North Creek Road we came to signs for the
Spooner Lake Recreation Area, and signs for the cross country ski area, and
backcountry cabin rental. Beyond the sign board our way was unclear, but
luckily we saw no tempting side trails and passed Spooner Lake successfully on
our return to the trailhead.
7-10-98,
Tahoe Rim Trail south of Spooner Summit, 3.5 mi.
We
just wanted another easy walk so we headed back to Spooner Summit, this time
heading south on the Tahoe Rim Trail. This time we expected less views and more
flowers, but got the opposite. We walked about 40 minutes out to an old
prospect pit with a good view across Lake Tahoe. After a quick lunch we headed
back. This time we saw only a lone hiker and lone biker.
We
drove around the lake and then down to Reno via Mt. Rose, just for the
sightseeing. We spent the afternoon at Trader Joe’s, Sierra Trading Post, Earth
Quarry Rock Shop, and the mineral museum at UNevada, Reno. Next we headed over
to visit Karl and Laurie at their place outside of Sparks. Dinner was at an
Italian place downtown. The next morning, I joined them for a three mile run,
and then it was off to the airport for the flight home.
Jean on the Tahoe Rim Trail.
