Waiting for the Thaw

Sunrise over the Eastern Sierras as seen from Yosemite. Half Dome can be seen in the Lower left. Bottom center is Nevada Falls.

Even though it was June, the snow still hadn't melted in the Sierras and Cascades. I returned to my home away from home, Yosemite. Tourist season was beginning so I knew I would only be able to stay a few days and would have to put up with throngs of tourists. I would make the best use of my time by hiking before dawn to a view, photographing it, then head back to my base camp for lunch.

Yosemite Falls.

When I arrived in Yosemite I headed back to my favorite camp site along Bridalveil Creek near Glacier Point. It was still at the snow line. I used it as a base camp and took day hikes in Yosemite's high country, that area just east of Tioga Pass in the eastern Sierras, and trips into to the Yosemite Valley.

Storm clouds roll in towards Half Dome.

With all the snow I needed to practice with my safety equipment. I headed to Yosemite's high country where the starting elevation was around 10,000 feet. I found a snow covered mountain, put on my gear and hiked straight up. I was looking for a suitable spot to practice sliding down and stopping my fall. It's called a self arrest.

Before I could find a spot the snow I was standing on gave way. I slid down the mountain on my side. Picking up speed, I quickly rolled over on top of the ice ax. The 2 inch long spikes on my crampons sliced through my gaiters, punctured the top of my boot and jabbed my lower calf. I jammed my ice ax into the snow and stopped almost immediately.

I got up saw I was fine and climbed back up. Practice makes perfect, so I did it all over again. This time intentionally. While practicing I of course stopped to take in the scenery and photograph.

A Mull Deer crossing a high country stream.

The tourists in Yosemite were like a never ending swarm of ants at a picnic. It was time to leave. I headed north back to Oregon. There was still snow in the Cascades but it was melting. I decided to take the Rogue River Trail up to the PCT.

Flowers blooming along the Rogue River Trail. The Rogue River begins just north of Crater Lake and flows 250 miles to where it meets the sea at Gold Beach. It seemed like the perfect place to explore while waiting for the snow to melt a little more. I reached the river in the foothills of the Cascades and found the Rogue River Trail. The trail was part of a system of trails in the Southern Cascades.

Sunrise on the Rogue River is barely visible underneath the fog and rain.

I explored the river and knew I would have to return and explore it in depth. The river had so many moods and they changed not just from day to day but hour to hour. From a rainy morning sunrise to clumps of fog flowing along like a river on top of a river. To sunny blue skies and geese skim along the surface of the river. The river was constantly changing. Creeks were plentiful and they all flowed into the river. They offered the allure of more places to explore.

Fog flows down the mountain side and then is carried away by the Rogue River. I followed the river heading towards Mount Mazama, the volcano that holds Crater Lake. As I moved closer to Crater Lake I found some surprises. The river cut through an old lava field and formed the Rogue Gorge, fossilized steam vents poked up along the base of the mountain, I discovered that the river flowed through a lava tube at a place called the Natural Bridge, and volcanic ash was piled thirty feet deep. I parted ways with the wild and scenic Rogue River and headed toward the PCT. I would meet up with the trail near the top of the crater and hike it through the park and on out. I would explore 81 miles of trail as I backpacked the trails in Crater Lake National Park. Looking back over my shoulder at the river, I vowed that I would return and explore it in the future.