Pictures from Carson Pass now that I am chemo free!

After 6 weeks of chemo and radiation and about 3 weeks ofrecover time I am starting to feel pretty damn good so I decided to participate in one of my work's Treasured Landscape Tours that we put on for the public so that they can come out and see natural open space areas with guides to explain what they are seeing.

So this Saturday I was at our Cisco Grove tour up near Yuba Gap and Donner Summit, CA. It is a very small preserve at only 17 acres but we also did a hike up near Serene Lakes. The most wonderful part of the trip was the realization that I FEEL GREAT! It was a short hike but watching how everyone else that was "healthy" handled it I became very excited with the knowledge that I was back to at least a normal condition and no longer plagued with the shortness of breath that the chemo induced in me. I just kept hiking up the slope in eager anticipation of what flower or bug might lay waiting around the next corner. Here are the pictures from the Preserve and the hike.

*note* These pics are lower quality as they are being hosted on Facebook. I'll add the higher quality images later.

Umm I forgot


Western Clumbine (Aquilegia formosa)


Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguiea) This is a parasitic plant that does not contain chlorophyll. It obtains its food from parasitzing the roots of conifers via [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhiza"]mycorrhizae[/ame].


Mariposa lily (Calochortus sp.)


Dodder (Cuscuta sp.) (the yellow stringy stuff)! This curious little plant is parastitic to other plants. Its young shoots are sensitive to touch and via a mechanism called thigmotropism it will sense the stem of another plant and if the plant is a suitable host it will send its rootlike branches (haustoria) into the stem of the plant and feed off the host plant. So friggin cool!


Needs ID


Mule's Ear (Wyethia mollis) apply named. It is very soft and looks much like a long mule's ear.


Wild onion (Allium?)


The Carson Pass photos will follow on the next post....

 

Umm damn. I just realized the only photos I put on on FB of the trip are of my hiking partner. I'll save this spot and put them up tomorrow. Here is a teaser for Carson Pass

*edit* Founds some!

I felt so good after the Saturday hike that I decided to take an amazing friend of mine up to Carson Pass in Alpine County. This is a highly traveled area but beautiful nontheless. If you live locally or plan on making a trip to California then this place should be on your list. It is only about 30min or so from South Lake Tahoe and is an easy hike. The high altitude (8,500ft.) can make the hike a bit more strenuous than it appears but I see children and older individuals roaming the hills without much problem. If I am feeling out of shape this place and leave me a bit lightheaded or winded so it was a good place to test exactly how good I was feeling. After 4 hours of hiking and playing around I felt great. The subalpine air had my heart beating and the mountains were channeling their light-drenched energy into me and I soaked it up like the first spring foliage! Yes, I felt alive and all thoughts of cancer were left behind like a faded memory that is not worth remembering...






I apologize for having a human in this pic. I was distracted that day and forgot to take one of the view alone. lol


Frog Lake


This is the trail leading to Winnemucca Lake. We didn't get beyond the lake due to weather concerns. The trail continues to wind its way to the base of the mountain in the left frame then it turns to the right and makes its way up a small saddle in the far right frame.


I'll get an ID for this one tomorrow


Same one but with wings closed. This is very important for ID'ing some species as the paterns on the backs of the wings may be identical between 2 different species but on the underside there could be a defining characteristic!

 

Thank you my friend! Sharing these places with folks like you makes the adventures even more enjoyable. I even told my hiking partner how I wanted to get this shot for my friends on PC. She laughed and I snapped the picture.

 

I love that you posted basically the same picture taken from just a few hundred feet forward of where I took mine.

There is still snow near the trail at Carson if Dingo is interested.

I'm going to have to check out Wrights. I've never been there. You should post pics for us mate!

 

Those are wonderful! Thank you for posting them!!!

I'm going to research them a bit more and I think I found a new spot to explore. Thank you man.

 

Pat ya big softy.

 

Reality is almost always stranger than fiction.

It is interesting. I walked by it then did a double take and had to come back and take a picture.

True, very true my friend. Thank you bru! When you get down here we'll have to find adventure. MarinJohn are you listening?

 

You crack me up Evan. I'm just blessed to have wonderful friends....

This one is for you...

 

Step #1: Bring a raincoat!