Snowplant |
Spring Thaw runoff conditions. Saturated trail with spontaneous pond formation during early June. Heavy Mosquito Conditions!
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Paperplant sprouts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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from Round Lake during Spring through Rolling-Rising Terrain to Meiss Meadow
Meadow and Forest A Web of Seasonal Creeks
High Sierra Seasonal Transitions
Trail and Terrain
Life Cycle
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Wyethia mollis
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Close-up. SPROUTING |
Wyethia mollis; Mountain Mule Ears, which I call Paper Plant. |
Wyethia mollisMountain Mule Ears blooming in JulyAfter Sprouting in a profusion apparently linked to the availability of water, they bloom. |
Paper Plants fill every space they can survive. And they are tough. The hike up to Carson Gap looking to the Northeast up a tributairy creek of the South Upper Truckee River at Red Lake Peak to the Northeast. GROWTH and BLOOM |
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In full bloom on the way South up to the Carson Gap South from Meiss Meadow. The biggest field of paper plants I've ever seen covers the South-Southeast flank of Mount Reba, running from the the crest and upper flanks all the way down into Horse Canyon, as far as the eye can see them.
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Last bits of snow giving way to rising temperatures in cool forest shade approaching Meiss Meadow. |
Rolling through the last forest rise before Meiss Meadow. |
Thaw Flowing through Saturated Soils
Water just runs through the soil down mountain from Meiss Meadow during Spring. |
And this water pools and collects in flat spots and depressions as it slowly drains and evaporates. This pool is located on the trail, seen exiting the upper left side of the pool. |
North: Hiking Past Round Lake top of page South: Meiss Cabin and Meadow
The well-designed trails between Round Lake and Meiss Meadow anticipate and accommodate the massive flow of the Spring Thaw here. | ||
Above: Trail elevated and reinforced across wet meadow. Below: Though the soils are still saturated and the soggy meadows and trail are dotted with drainage pools after the main body of the Spring Thaw has passed down the mountain, shaded spots in the forest approaching Meiss Meadow still protect remnants of the Spring snows.
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Lodgepole-Fir Forest
In the dense forest snow hangs in longer. |
In the afternoon these are soft, so don't get your boot filled with snow! |
The Southwestern Tahoe Rim viewed from the East, approaching Meiss Meadow from Round Lake. Spring snowcap melting away. That's the volcanic face above the North end of Meiss Meadow, maybe a half-mile North of the trail junction near Meiss Cabin. |
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View towards the Southwest approaching Meiss Meadow from above Round Lake. Let's take a look at this face walking South on the TYT-PCT route into the North end of Meiss Meadow.
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This Tree Marks the Round Lake Trail Junction. | |
I always rest against it for a minute while I watch Meiss Meadow for a while. |
Almost to the verdant green of Meiss Meadow in the Spring. Green of the Meadow can be seen through the trees. | ||
Note the trail on upper-right of frame, visible through the trees. This is the last bit of the trail down to the Junction at Meiss Meadow.
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North: Hiking Past Round Lake South: Meiss Cabin and Meadow
Round Lake |
The Trail The two miles of trail up from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow starts with an intermediate difficulty climb, levels out briefly, then crosses two low hills before dropping down to the Meadow. I measure the full distance from the South Upper Truckee Road Trailhead and the trail junction in Meiss Meadow at 5.51 miles. But I may be up to a quarter of a mile short. The trail modifications between the South Upper Truckee Trailhead to below the Dardanelles trail junction are significant, and have added at least a quarter of a mile to the original trail's length. (2009 modifications to repair and accommodate damage from bikes, which are allowed in Meiss Country up to the PCT TYT junction at Meiss Cabin.) Check out General Approach to Miles and Elevations. Spring Conditions During the Spring Thaw Meiss Meadow collects and transfers a vast amount of water from the ring of mountains surrounding it down to Lake Tahoe. It is so wet during the height of the Spring Thaw that the ground is completely saturated, and the soil itself acts as a means of passing water down mountain. Depending on when the thaw occurs the trails can harden up anytime from early June to the end of July, depending on elevation, aspect in relation to the sun, how much snow fell during Winter, as well as each season's profile of Spring temperatures and storms. From the first of the Spring thaw until late July there are lots of mosquitoes between the South Upper Truckee Trail head all the way down to Mount Whitney. By the time we hit Tuolumne Meadows the mountains will have dried considerably and the mosquitoes will significantly diminish. But the mosquitoes are still thick when we hike South from Lake Tahoe in Spring For more about mosquitoes in the High Sierras see "High Sierra Mosquito Cycle," and Camp and Trail Skills. Let's keep hiking South and take a look at Meiss Meadow's four-season beauty.
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North: Hiking Past Round Lake South: Meiss Cabin and Meadow