Friday, July 23, and Saturday, the 24th

No Company! No Trail Culture! Just Me!

After leaving Stroker at the junction between Hwys 395 and 108, so he could head South to Bridgeport, my ride brought me North on Highway 395 to Mill Canyon Road.

Mill Canyon Road shortly intersects with the Golden Gate (Mine) Road, where you veer right to follow the Golden Gate Road up to Rodriquez Flat, where our Corral Valley trail head is located.

The Golden Gate Road is a high quality dirt road leading 6.75 miles in distance and 3000 feet up in elevation to both my trail head at Corral Valley, as well as the Little Antelope Pack Station.

I would have no company on this remote, 2 day long, section of my trip between Hwy 395 and the Pacific Crest Trail.

That's because I was entering the Sierras by hiking up through a remote section of the Eastern Flank of the Sierras.

Yes, I walked the whole length and elevation of Golden Gate Road from Highway 395 to the trail head. It is pretty remote, so I was not surprized that I did not get a ride up. It happens. But it put me a half-day behind schedule.

To reach the main North-South trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, I was required continue West, to cross two river valleys, the Silver King and the East Carson River, as well as navigate through a significantly difficult cross-country section along the East Fork of the Carson River, before I could finally join up with the Pacific Crest Trail.

I reached the junction of the East Carson River "Trail" and the Pacific Crest Trail as evening fell on Saturday, July 23, after a grueling hike. The PCT was quiet.

There are two campsites at the East Fork of the Carson River and the Pacific Crest Trail junction.

One is on the Pacific Crest Trail itself, a rather small and uneven site, and the other is about 100 yards down the East Carson Trail. This site is rather expansive, with numerous flats for tents or sleeping bags.

The next day, Saturday the 24th of July, I started South on the Pacific Crest Trail, and soon ran into a whole bunch of Pacific Crest Trailers heading North.

For more about this part of the trip, from Rodriquez Flat to the Pacific Crest Trail, see

Walker to Sonora Pass: A Great Three Season Backpacking Trip. Marines, Leavitt Peak, and Snow Trips Too! June 1, 2010 Update...

Index By Page

Trail Culture Index

Hwy 395 to Corral Valley

Corral Valley to PCT at East Carson River

The E Carson Headwaters to the Sonora Pass

Kennedy Meadows Pack Station

Hiking towards Brown Bear Pass

Brown Bear Pass to Stubblefield Canyon

Stubblefield Canyon to Cold Canyon

Cold Canyon to Tuolumne Meadows

Map

Eastern Flank Sierra Entry through Mill Canyon Golden Gate Road to Rodriquez Flat and the Corral Valley trail head

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Looking East at Antelope Valley from Golden Gate Road.

Unlike the extensive Western Sierra Foothills, The Sierra's Eastern flank ends abruptly, and steeply.

The Golden Gate Mine's Mill.

About a mile past the mill a "scruffy" bear crossed the road.

It got into the forest again before I could get a picture.

A "scruffy" is a three or four year old bear who is no longer protected by mom, and not yet established.

They are scruffy looking.

Clamper Monument about the Golden Gate Mine

see enlarged version

Spring flowers bloom on trail heading West from Rodriquez Flat, July 22, 2010. Large View.

Bear in Poison Flat, between Silver King and E Carson Rivers, June 2, 2010. Not a scruffy. A fine looking young adult. It was not happy to see me at all.