High Sierra Topix

gdurkee wrote:You know, maybe we could put in a little black box that delivers sustained applause for anyone over 50 who stumbles across a 12,000+ pass or peak. It evaluates each hiker based on a algorithm of grey hair and knee pain... .

I'll settle for the occasional smile, and the, "You're how old? Why, you don't look a day over 50!"

As for me, I'm not really "anti-sign", but I don't really care much for them. To me, part of the wilderness experience is planning, studying topo maps, navigation (both on and off trail), and getting away from the man-made stuff I'm used to on a daily basis in society. To be honest, I'd rather see the occasional old illegal fire ring than to see a clearly obtrusive sign near a beautiful meadow saying, "NO CAMPFIRES ALLOWED". I'm also not fond of seeing signage on a tree signifying which lake I'm at... it sort of detracts from the experience. Even though I know it's not the case, I still like to dream that I'm a crazy adventurer and no one has been to this place in a long time. When I see a sign, it's like, ooOOOokay, I'm not alone. I do realize it's different for different people, and people seek different experiences in the wilderness, so I'm not anti-sign nor do I petition to have them removed, but I don't mind if there are none to be found. I like signs at wilderness borders though, especially the wooden ones, like the ones I see so often entering the John Muir Wilderness. I just figure if you don't know what pass you're on, or what lake you're at, and you need a sign to tell you, then you need to hone your wilderness skills (and I've been in this position, ha ha!), but part of the adventure is then to find out where you are on your own. But I also admit that there is some kind of satisfaction seeing a sign on top of a major pass, such as Forester Pass, signifying you've made it! YAAA! It's sorta like a high-five. And I have more than my fair share of backcountry sign photos. In fact it's sort of like a challenge to me to create a list of really cool backcountry signs, especially ones in more remote areas like the ones to Tehipite Valley or something, and I will probably include them on my website, whenever I get it finished. See, I have mixed feelings about these signs, ha ha! On another matter, I find the trail signs around the junction of the JMT and the Devil's Postpile to be more confusing than helpful though. As long as I don't see a sign banning long-haired freaky people, I think I'm okay.

NO LONG HAIRED FREAKY PEOPLE BEYOND THIS POINT

Two signs on Donohue Pass (2001): http://community.webshots.com/photo/218 ... pTkQnkSHGq

We got lost at Devil's postpile too. Too many signs and confusing. We backtracked on the JMT a few times to make sure we hiked the whole trail and didn't miss anything (no shortcuts, like at Muir Ranch).

Snow Nymph wrote:We got lost at Devil's postpile too. Too many signs and confusing. We backtracked on the JMT a few times to make sure we hiked the whole trail and didn't miss anything (no shortcuts, like at Muir Ranch).

Wow, you're hard core! That's OK, though: I've wanted an excuse to do it all again (my spouse thinks I'm nuts, and it is three thousand miles to the trailhead), and since I went the Fish Creek route instead of the True Muir Trail route and also went up Bear Ridge directly from VVR instead of taking the ferry back to my point of departure, I have my excuse, eh? What's this about the Muir Ranch "shortcut" though? Surely you don't insist on going all the way down to the junction with the Florence Lake trail and then backtracking to the Ranch (assuming you have to go there for a resupply)!?!?

BSquared wrote:

Snow Nymph wrote: What's this about the Muir Ranch "shortcut" though? Surely you don't insist on going all the way down to the junction with the Florence Lake trail and then backtracking to the Ranch (assuming you have to go there for a resupply)!?!?

It was pouring that day, so we kept walking. The other option was to take the shortcut, get to camp early and sit in the tent (or in the rain). We didn't want to go up the steep shortcut with the added 10 days of food when we continued, so we hiked to the junction, backtracked, picked up our resupply and camped. By then the rain stopped and we dried things out. The next day we hiked to Florence lake to meet a friend that was bringing a change of clothes and our fuel. That was a layover day, but we still hiked. We hiked back to the junction and didn't miss any of the JMT.

you can take the signs or leave them - either is okay with me, but don't touch those summit registers they are really special to me - especially the ones that go way back.

Regarding the summit registers, wassup with someone taking so many of them? I've read from Snow Nymph that so many of them are disappearing. I wonder who and why? That kind of stuff is part of our national heritage. It's such a shame.

From conversations I've had with other folks on "things being left in the backcountry", there are purists who think that even a summit register is trace of human presence, and as such, does not belong. This is especially true in areas designated as wilderness. This makes for a very good topic for discussion, but it can also get really heated!

15 years ago, Black Rock Pass had an engraved aluminum sign on top, "Elev 11600". That was 15 years ago though. Sawtooth Pass had nothing. I was surprised to see Shaun's photo of the post on Sawtooth. What's up with that? I recall signs at lower Monarch lake, pointing toward Sawtooth Pass. They had been knocked over, and chewed up around the edges by Marmots. Salt from hikers leaning on the sign? I would imagine these signs are now gone.