2016 - Robert's adventures in the Northern Sierra Nevada - California

[Robert]

The site by the Carson River was not very interesting so I decided to drive back up the road towards Ebbetts Pass. The storm appeared to be ending and I was very eager to explore the Ebbetts Pass area.

This photograph is looking east back toward the East fork of the Carson River. The rain was indeed beginning to end.



Yellow Rabbitbush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus ssp.  puberulus, was in full bloom and seen frequently as I continued up to the pass.



To the north of the pass the mountain peaks were starting to appear as the clouds lifted.



Unfortunately when I reached the pass, the rain had started in again. This meadow was at the trailhead as 8,717 feet (2,657 meters). The rain was lighter, so I put on my rain gear and started up the trail.



Rain and mist still swirled around the volcanic ridges above me as I hike up the trail.

[Robert]

Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta was a common species seen along the trail. This is a fairly common species in the high elevations of the Sierra Nevada, however I have never found it in my home territory on the west slope of the Crystal Range to the north.



I spotted a few plants of Ericameria greenei.



In moist areas, where there were small creeks, Arnica longifolia was still in bloom.



This mat of Primula suffrutescens must have been spectacular when it was in full bloom. It must have been a meter or more across as it crept of the rocks.



The rain never stopped and at times the mist swirled low among the jagged ridgeline.

[Robert]

Lupinus lepidus with a few flowers and wet with rain.



At times the clouds lifted and there was a nice view of the mountains to the east.



This grouse (upper center in photograph) seemed reluctant to fly away as I approached its hiding place.



This stunted pine was the perfect bonsai. It somehow managed to grow out of a tiny rock crevice.

At this point it was time to return to the truck. A cold sleet-hail began to fall and my hands were getting very cold and stiff.

Despite the challenges I was very pleased with this outing. With good fortune I will be able to return many times and continue to explore the flora of this area.

This week I will be traveling further south to Sonora Pass. The last time I was in this area was when I was 17 years old, 44 years ago. I am looking forward to a very fascinating outing. 

[Robert]

I was delayed by one day, however I did make it to Sonora Pass on Thursday. It was a very productive outing and I have many photographs to process and organize. It will be early next week when I start posting this outing.



A few photographs from the top of the pass. This one is looking east toward Bridgeport, California and Nevada far in the distance.



Another view to the Northwest.

 

[Hoy]

Robert,

I have enjoyed your adventures both in the rain(!) although you may have suffered a bit, and in the sun ;-)
What kind of roads were damaged by the logging trucks(?) - I mean, are they private or public roads?

I like the landscape you present to us - in many ways similar to what I know from where I live, and in other ways (most ways in fact) it is quite different. I have always had a heart for forests as I grew up close to an "endless" one although that was in Oslo. (I learnt to enjoy open montane landscape many years later when I was grown-up.) All the different species of trees impress me! And also all the different shrubs and other plants.

Primula suffrutescens looks great! I have 3 nice seedlings of thimbleberry. Hope I can taste the berries one day!

[Robert]

Robert,

I have enjoyed your adventures both in the rain(!) although you may have suffered a bit, and in the sun ;-)
What kind of roads were damaged by the logging trucks(?) - I mean, are they private or public roads?

Primula suffrutescens looks great! I have 3 nice seedlings of thimbleberry. Hope I can taste the berries one day!

Trond,

The logging operation, both logging trucks as well as skidders, and other logging equipment, severely damaged a public road! The area was remote and the road was most likely not used much. Such damage to a public road should be a scandal. I am sure the damage will be reported to the county government and the loggers will have to pay damages.

Primula suffrutescens is a very beautiful species. I have tried cultivating it in the past with some limited success. My growing skills have improved greatly since then and I will try this Primula again, hopefully with good results.

Aaahhh yes, I too have a number of seedlings that are coming along extremely well. I will share this information with you soon. I have 2 beautiful seedlings of Rubus parviflorus that I will be planting in our garden as soon as I can clear space. The berries can be good. It will be interesting if they set fruit for us in our Sacramento Valley garden. 

I saw many    plants on my hike in the Sonora Pass area. Even at 11,000 feet, 3,353 meters, there were many interesting plants.

[Robert]

SONORA PASS

Thursday

29 September 2016

Part I

Sacramento Weather

Weather: Clear
Temperature, High:84 F, 29 C
                     Low: 57 F, 14 C

Placerville Weather

Weather: Clear
Temperature, High:87 F, 30.5 C
                     Low: 59 F, 15 C



I was pleased to have the opportunity to travel south and explore part of the central Sierra Nevada. This photograph was taken at the Sonora Pass Trailhead, elevation 9,667 feet (2,947 meters), and faces southeast down the valley toward Sonora Junction and the mountains of western Nevada in the distance.



This was new territory for me. Although I had crossed this pass several times when I was 17 years old this was the first time I stopped to hike and explore this region. This day I hiked south over the high ridgeline into Emigrant Wilderness Area.

The views and vast horizons are exhilarating and compel me onward. It is easy for me to lose track of time or not want to leave for home for that matter. This photograph is to the northeast.



Most of the rock along the crest in this area is volcanic in origin. This peak appears to be an ancient lava dike or volcanic plug.



White Bark Pine, Pinus albiaulis.

Most specimens of this high elevation species are dwarfed and wind swept, never obtaining much in the way of height. As one can see from this photograph, in sheltered locations this species can achieve some height.



As I set off to the south there were good views of the high valley to the west just before the crest of the pass.

This late in the season I was not excepting much in the way of blooming plants, however I felt that there would still be many interesting and unexpected finds for the day.

[Robert]

Ribes lasianthum was a common species near the pass, always growing protected from the fierce winds and shaded by conifers. The golden autumn foliage was quite attractive as well as the bright red berries.

In more open areas Symphoricarpos rotundifolius and Artemisia tridentata ssp vaseyana were other shrubs seen.



As I started up the trail it was easy to see that frost had already touched the plant community and many species were going dormant for the season. The autumn foliage on this Cymopteris was quite fine.



I only found Cymopteris terebinthinus var. californicus at the relatively low elevations near pass level.



Eriogonum incanum was one of two Eriogonum species seen in this relatively low elevation area. The other species was E. umbellatum, of an undetermined variety. I am most familiar with the E. umbellatum varieties from the Northern Sierra Nevada, the Klamath Range, and Siskiyou Mountains.



The trail climbed rapidly. The open country had many great views, such as this one to the east.

[Robert]

The flowers and seed of Linum lewisii var. lewisii were long gone as I came across this species. It must have been a nice sight to see their blue flowers waving in the breeze during the early summer.



A few plants still had flowers such as these tiny Agoseris parviflora.



Penstemon heterodoxus was a species that I saw frequently as I moved higher up toward the upper ridgeline. Most of the plants still had a good crop of seed and I did find one plant that was still trying to bloom.



The trail followed the Mono County side of the ridge with many fine views to the east as I climbed higher and higher.



The trail was to take very near the summit of this unnamed peak before it disappeared into the wilderness beyond.
(For me something like Robert Conway as he disappeared over the pass into Shangri La    )

[Robert]

Lupinus lepidus var lobbii was one of a number of Lupinus species seen this day. I love the hairy foliage of this species and wish that it was not so difficult to cultivate in the garden.

There were many other interesting species in this area such as two species of Frasera; F. speciosa and F. puberulenta; the mat forming Trifolium monanthum ssp. monanthum; and Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. incompta which I would find almost all the way up to the high summit of the ridge.



I did find a few plants of this species Lupinus species still in bloom.



Phacelia was also seen along the trail.



The silvery foliage of Raillardella argentea showed itself from time-to-time.



As I moved higher I found the dried remains of a number of species that had gone dormant earlier in the season. There were undetermined species of Castilleja, Pedicularis, Chaenactis, Senecio, and a number of others such as bulbous species.

[Hoy]

Looks great so far, Robert!

It seems to be easy to walk there (except for the altitude and steep mountains). You certainly do not get wet feet!

[Robert]

Looks great so far, Robert!

It seems to be easy to walk there (except for the altitude and steep mountains). You certainly do not get wet feet!

Trond,

Yes, in general it was very easy to hike around. As one moves farther south in the Sierra Nevada the terrain becomes progressively drier.  I am already planning my next outing and hope to travel north of home into the northern parts of the Sierra Nevada. Most of my plant exploration in the past was to the north. The increase in the moisture (rain and snowfall) and the change in the plant life will be obvious. I still have a few weeks until I can take this trip, however I do know exactly where to go and what I will find. It should be interesting away. 

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, not knowing what you might find makes the trip more interesting. On my local patch I am often surprised by the wildlife I see, even though it is only 1900 hectares and I visit every week.

[Robert]

Hello Robert, not knowing what you might find makes the trip more interesting. On my local patch I am often surprised by the wildlife I see, even though it is only 1900 hectares and I visit every week.

Hi Ian,

I too have places that I visit repeatedly. Even in such situations I am often surprised and find something new. Sometimes it is a species I have never seen before in the area, sometimes an usual form of an existing species. I never tire of such things. And then there is the wildlife in all its various forms.....  Your "local patch" must be a very nice place!

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, it is a lowland raised bog, although due to peat removal over the last 200 years or so, it has become a mosaic of habitats. It is more or less at sea level, although we are about 60 miles from the coast. The area is quite flat, and boring to the casual visitor. A closer look reveals many species of wildlife, including more than 5000 species of invertebrate, 240 species of birds and many flowering plants, grasses, mosses, lichens and fungi. Enough for a lifetime of study. There is something to see at every season. We do not have any mountains though, not even a hill.