We just returned from our annual visit to Yosemite National Park. This year our big hike was to Mount Conness, the 3rd-highest peak in the park at 12,590 feet (or thereabouts). Although the hike isn't long (about 4 miles one-way) and the elevation gain isn't especially large (about 2,800 feet), the last 2 miles are essentially cross-country and feature 2,400 feet of the overall rise. The steep nature of the terrain and the fall exposure in a couple of places were enough to discourage my wife and son, who chose to turn back about 1/2 mile from the summit.
The summit was probably monumented in 1879 (the datasheet has conflicting information in this regard) with a copper bolt set in the granite peak. In 1890 a concrete pier with another copper bolt was built over the original mark, but the pier was subsequently destroyed. In 1934 3 standard C&GS disks were set as RMs. In 1956 the mark and all RMs were recovered.
I didn't find the mark. The remains of the concrete pier are visible, and it's possible that stone debris has covered the bolt. I didn't have any tools to dig around for it, nor much time to look, so I'm not able to say for sure whether the station is intact.
I found RM1 in good condition:
Here's a shot of the peak from RM1:
I spent about 10 minutes looking for RM2. Although it's described as being only about 77 feet from the station, it's also described as being about 40 feet lower. I didn't have any measuring tools available, and wasn't able to find it.
RM3 was found in good condition:
The peak is about 1/4 mile away and 650 feet higher:
The weather was perfect, no clouds and just a whisper of a breeze. The view was fantastic in all directions. My phone's camera doesn't do justice to the scale of the landscape, but here's a pic looking southwest toward Yosemite Valley:
Thanks to boomer crutches (trekking poles), my knees survived the hike with no significant discomfort. I was exhausted by the time I got back to the car, but it was a great adventure.
What a great hike, and scenery. Were the trekking poles worth it? I've been pondering them for my next Grand Canyon hike.
Yosemite and the Grand Canyon are two places on my bucket list to visit and hike in.
...and you get to go every year and Bruce Small is talking about his nexthike to the Grand Canyon? Gentlemen, I'm green with envy! 🙂
look out in the next week or 2 for some small items of great value will be sent to you.
and Perry W also.
> Were the trekking poles worth it? I've been pondering them for my next Grand Canyon hike.
I resisted poles for many years because I like having my hands free. However, I'm now a devotee, because they allow me to hike in steep terrain without knee pain. Most of the time I just swing and plant them lightly, but when stepping down a foot or more (sometimes several feet), I can transfer a substantial amount of weight to my shoulders and ease the weight onto my foot instead of slamming it down. It makes a huge difference.
The poles are light enough not to be a bother, and they provide stability when boulder-hopping or crossing other tricky terrain. I don't hike without them any more.
My first poles were fairly high-end Lekis, spring-loaded with twist locks. They got stolen a month or so after I bought them, and when I replaced them I went with a more basic model, no springs (I didn't find the springs useful) and with a simple external cam lock (not as sleek, but much easier to maintain).
Highly recommended for aging hikers.
> look out in the next week or 2 for some small items of great value will be sent to you.
>
> and Perry W also.
What an intriguing post! I guess I'll put my curiosity on hold and see what the future brings.
I try to hike the Grand Canyon every year. Being in the inner canyon is an incredible experience - the beauty, grandeur, most of the time absolute silence. I know where the fossil dinosaur tracks are, the pictographs, waterfall, the window, and the funny rock formations (Snoopy on his doghouse). It's almost as much fun to sit on the wall at the top and just ponder life.
And on top of that, the condors swooping over, the deer grazing beside the walk, and the magnificent elk within reach. Sigh.
Next time I'll buy a good set of hiking poles.
The north rim is by far my favorite. Then hike down to Roaring Springs is nice.
South rim is just a pass thru for me. North rim is a lot less populated.
3rd week in May is my favorite time. Still have some snow (although lows in the teens is hard on this southern boy), deer everywhere and the turkeys are out in full strut.
The North rim is way less crowded, but for us that is a long drive around to get there. Roaring Springs is beautiful. I've often wanted (dreaming here) to have someone fly me from the SR to the NR so I could hike back to the SR. That would be neat.
> I've often wanted (dreaming here) to have someone fly me from the SR to the NR so I could hike back to the SR. That would be neat.
Several people have recommended that we park at the south rim, take the shuttle bus to the north rim, hike to Phantom Ranch for the night, then hike to our car at the south rim. It's on our to-do list. We do know a few folks who have done the north-rim-to-south-rim as a day hike, but I don't think I want to try that.
North Rim
I much prefer the North Rim, Bruce, for the exact reason of which you spoke. Far fewer people. I have been there about 6 times (almost, 1 year in May, the North Rim was still closed due to abnormal amounts of snow) and I love it there.
Curiosity was satisfied today when the mailman brought me a pair of trail guides, one for Mt. Whitney and one for the John Muir Trail ("JMT" to those familiar with it). They're old enough (1970s) to be interesting as artifacts, yet recent enough to be useful.
Thanks, Robert!
P.S. What is/was Janhke Enterprises of Covington, LA, the firm name that's neatly stamped onto the frontispiece of each book?
Recently uncovered those books in a box of books ( field /hiking guides) that I bought about 15 years ago. They al had the name Jahnke stamped and are from all around the world.
They were a very prominent local family here and in New Orleans also.
Mostly known for concrete and pre=cast concrete. Their long abandoned concrete here in my town is an eyesore in the middle of a poor blue collar neighborhood.
Here a a ferw quick links that I found. I did not know tha they built ships near here and built sidewal;ks in New Orleans.
http://www.insidenorthside.com/the-jahncke-shipyard-building-a-place-in-history/
A friend of mine says that the name Jahncke is a German variation of the Dutch name Jann-Kee which is the derivation of the name "Yankees" and all that impies.
