High Sierra Topix

Welcome Goddard's Will.

We're not that far from each other, I live in Atascadero.
Love Mineral King, used to do a lot of peak bagging there...

Hello. My name is Carl Raillard. I'm a graphic artist who lives in Sonoma County. I've spent about 30 years exploring the Sierra with a backpack. Off-trail travel is fun. It's soothing, too.

I've seen a small herd of Bighorn sheep (8 animals) near Mount Baxter. I've also seen a set of wolverine tracks (in the snow) on the north side of Colby Pass. A squirrel ran into me once. It didn't hurt; it was like being hit with a wiffle ball. That happened on the rim of Tehipite Valley.

The Rosy-crowned finches that live near Mount Whitney are delightful! If you hold out your palm with some granola in it, the birds will land on your hand and peck at the crumbs. One time I held out an empty palm, just to see what would happen. A finch landed on my hand. After a pause, the bird gave the edge of my thumb a tiny nip.

So, you get the idea. I'm a boy at heart ... a nature boy.

Normally I don't carry a camera. I've joined this forum to meet other outdoor nuts, compare observations about equipment and routes, and admire their trip photos. Other users might be interested in seeing my artmaps, which are maps that resemble cartoons. Please see the attached sample.

Here is the artmap.

Apparently not!

Sorry, I do not know how to attach an image. I can attach an image on a regular email, but messages on this forum do not seem to behave like email messages. Is this a known issue, or am I doing something wrong?

Well, in the meantime, I've got an Etsy shop. If you are interested in seeing some sample artmaps, I offer three of them, for sale, here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/StoriedLand

Hi Carl, and Welcome.
It's great to have another artist onboard. You will really enjoy, and be inspired I bet, by the artwork of Markskor you'll find here below:

Sketchbook 2019 ... didn't seem to transfer-- help Russ!
Alternatively, in case Russ is busy hiding from covid-19 underwater in his pool with a snorkel, you can just go to the Campfire section and look for the post: Sketchbook 2019" to see some of Mark's fine artwork.

Please learn to paste in some of your artworks-- some knowledgeable one such as rlown is bound to advise you how. I checked out your art/map of Mt Erickson on the etsy site, and liked it very much. I believe there are some rules about not advertises things for sale here, but that wasn't your intention, and we enjoyed seeing your art. I too go into the Sierra in the hopes of meeting its wildlife, and like to be off-trail as much as possible. All the best, Harlen.

Thank you, rlown has helped me.

Here is the artmap I wanted to share. When I climbed Mount Rodgers (early July of I forget when) the route of my ascent -- the SE spur of the mountain -- was festooned with Sky Pilot. I'll never forget those flowers ... juxtaposed against Ritter and Banner in the distance. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Carl Raillard

Hello,
My name is Morgon. I’m 39 years old and live in the Los Angeles area with my wife, son, and German Shepherd. I stumbled upon this site and consider my lucky because of the wealth of knowledge and wisdom from everyone. I grew up camping, hiking and fishing mostly around the Kern River and southern sierras until I joined the Boy Scouts. I was lucky enough to join a troop that spent lots of time in the sierras. I backpacked Mount Whitney vía Onion Valley and the John Muir/PCT with a side trip to Wallace Lake. We also spent 5 days at Big Pine Lake #5 and explored around the Palisades. There was many other weekend overnights and car camping trips an I carry on the tradition of getting up to the sierras as much as possible with the family (although it never seems like enough). Anyways I wanted to introduce myself and say hi and hopefully give a mosquito report sooner than later

Hi Morgon,

Welcome to HST!

Hey there! I came across your site while doing some research for trip I’d like to make, plus I had to sign up if I wanted to see the great pictures! I’m 59 and live in Old Orchard Beach in southern Maine. While I spent a bit of my single days on sailboats, I transitioned to hiking and backpacking after I got married. I am sectioning the AT little by little, I have all of Maine, half of NH and all of Georgia done but I am really looking forward to visiting you folks out west.

Hi HB,
Welcome to HST!