Mr. Snow Miser, Yosemite and the Sierra Need You! A Very Dry Hike on the Dana Plateau

Beth Pratt January 11, 2012

Dana Plateau and Mt Dana on January 8, 2012 (Photo by Beth Pratt)We need the Snow Miser in the Sierra!Remember the Snow Miser? In the cartoon, The Year Without A Santa Claus, he and his brother, the Heat Miser, battled over the weather. In a memorable ragtime song and dance routine the Snow Miser exclaimed, “whatever I touch turns to snow in my clutch!”

While I was wandering around Dana Plateau this weekend and gazing at the alarmingly dry landscape in Yosemite and the Sierra, I figured out the solution to this snowless winter. We need the Snow Miser to pay a visit to California! He’ll fix everything.

(The Rankin/Bass reference explained-I am GenXer and their cartoons defined my childhood—along with the Brady Bunch. Heck, maybe we should call in Mike Brady as well. He solved every problem.)

Here’s a video diary I made of my hike with some good views of the surrounding, almost snowless mountains.

While visiting the plateau on this hike—the latest I had ever accessed it—the lack of water and snow attested to how radical a departure from normal this “Marchuary,” (as I have heard it dubbed) is for the Sierra. The creek that flows out of the plateau was bone dry, leaving a sandy bed exposed for the first time in who knows how many years. This summer I had made multiple trips up here in August and September, and the area contained more snowcover then! When I arrived back home, I checked my photos from the latest in the fall I had made to the plateau before this hike (November 4, 2009) and viewed a winter landscape, much earlier in the year.

Dry creek bed on the Dana Plateau (photo by Beth Pratt)

The Dana Plateau remains one of my favorite places on the planet, and I have explored the area extensively. The plateau escaped the last few glaciations in Yosemite, and as such, has remained relatively untouched by some estimates for the last 25 million years. When I hike in the Dana Plateau, my feet trod upon an ancient land, and one that appears very different from the surrounding mountains. Here is a video I made about the Dana Plateau in November of 2009. Check out the snow cover difference from my first video.

As I note in my video diary of the hike, being on the snowless landscape in January had a very voyeuristic feel to it, like barging in on someone while they are undressing. The landscape appeared naked and in need of its winter coat. Hiking this late in winter has been an amazing experience, but we’ll hope Mr. Snow Miser makes a visit to Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada soon! Does anyone know his Twitter handle?

Photo by Beth Pratt

Photos of a spectacular, amazing, not enough adjectives to describe it, sunset over Tenaya Lake in Yosemite

Beth Pratt January 6, 2012

Sunset over Tenaya Lake (photo by Paul Amstutz)My friends Paul and Karen Amstutz took their family up for a skate on Tenaya Lake on January 2 and were gifted with a truly amazing sunset. At about 4 pm, I had headed down the hill back home from my trip to Tuolumne, and Paul and Karen considered doing the same as it looked like storm clouds were approaching. When the alpenglow kicked in the sky exploded in a fiery burst of color and instead of leaving, they remained to watch this mesmerizing scene. I am sad I missed it, but thankful Paul and Karen shared these incredible photos.

The Amstutz Family on Tenaya Lake on a colorful night

Note from Paul: "Since there's been no snow this winter, we've been taking our 3 girls on a few "trans-Sierra-skate" trips. It's been fantastic to skate on June Lake, Gull Lake, the Tuolumne River, and of course, stunning Tenaya Lake. Being a California boy, I don't have much experience with frozen bodies of water, so these weeks have been extra special. In 25 years of living, working & playing in the Park, I'd have to say that skating on Tenaya, by moonlight, warm sunshine, and during astounding sunsets, has been one of my absolute Yosemite highlights!"

Heaven looks a lot like Tioga Pass in Yosemite: record breaking drive on January 2

Beth Pratt January 2, 2012

Heaven looks a lot like Tioga Pass: record opening 01/02/12My idea of heaven is the high country in Yosemite near Tioga Pass. So when I made the drive up to Tioga Pass today-the latest the road has ever been open in its history-I paraphrased the line that Jon Bon Jovi used recently to debunk his reported demise.

The previous record for Tioga Road occurred on January 1, 2000 when the National Park Service reopened it briefly on New Year's Day. Since 1933, the road has been open 6 times past December 1. I wrote a recent article detailing this rare occurrence for National Parks Traveler, spoke about the specialness on KQED, and CNN iReports even featured a video I made of people ice skating on Tenaya Lake from the top of Tenaya Peak. Bottom line: for a Yosemite and Sierra aficionado like me, having access this late is akin to winning the lottery.

Of course when I have no drinking water next summer, I might feel differently. The lack of snow is alarming and the landscape is more reminiscent of spring than winter. Although it's difficult to associate any one weather event or season to climate change, welcome to the Sierra Nevada of the future. I have seen predictions under the best case warming scenarios of an 80% reduction in snowpack. The Sierra can often deliver a wallop of a storm anytime of year, and I have no doubt we'll recover at least some of the snow--this year at least. But this may be a warning from the ghost of the Sierra future.

Despite the threat of drought, let's celebrate this historic occasion--Tioga Road, you did it!

For those of you who couldn't drive Tioga Road today, I made a video and took some photos for you. Enjoy!

Tioga Pass is OPEN (photo by Beth Pratt)

On Tioga Pass on 1/2/2012

Ellery Lake and Mt Conness (photo by Beth Pratt)

Dana Meadows (photo by Beth Pratt)

Mono Lake (photo by Beth Pratt)

From Yellowstone to Yosemite: my top ten wildlife encounters of 2011

Beth Pratt December 28, 2011

As a child who grew up reading Ranger Rick and watching Wild Kingdom, I cherish any wildlife I encounter. I’ve been lucky enough to live in Yellowstone, where I viewed charismatic mega-fauna on a daily basis, and now live near Yosemite, where the critters aren't as big but still really cool, but I also love seeing the tiny tadpoles swim in my backyard frog pond. This year has been filled with wonderful encounters, so as a way of saying Happy New Year, I share with you my 2011 top ten wildlife moments.

1. The remarkable life of Yellowstone wolf 495M: A friend of mine sponsored a radio collar in my name for 495M. When I lived in Yellowstone, I followed his adventures as the alpha male of Mollie’s Pack. He died this year, but had a remarkable life and got to live and die like a true wolf. You can read the full story here.

495M while tranquilized for research (Photo: Yellowstone Wolf Project)

2. Zisa, the late bison calf in Yellowstone: Most bison give birth in late April through May, but this little guy came into the world in late fall—and faced many challenges in surviving the winter so young. He hung out near my home in Yellowstone and we all rooted for him and named him Zisa, the Lakota word for orange. Against all odds he survived the winter, but once he changed color to the traditional brown he was tough to track. NWF is working to restore bison to the Great Plains of Montana-read more about this great project.

Late bison calf "Zisa" in Yellowstone (photo by Beth Pratt)

3. Pika running over my foot: On a hike to Gaylor Lakes in Yosemite, I was standing at the shore of the lake and suddenly felt something scurry over my boot. I looked down and to my delight saw a pika hurrying away over the rocks. Very cool!

The pika who ran over my foot poses for a photo. (Photo by Beth Pratt)

4. Two bald eagles in one day: I had never seen a bald eagle in the Sierra. So imagine my surprise when I encountered two in one day this winter—one perched along the bank of the Merced River and the other soaring over Tioga Pass in Yosemite.

Two bald eagles in one day in the Sierra (photo by Beth Pratt)

5. Dancing penguins on Hollywood Blvd: Although Hollywood is known for its 'anything goes attitude,' it’s not often you see penguins dancing in the streets. During the premiere of Happy Feet 2, I had fun dancing with colorful penguins. The National Wildlife Federation teamed up with the movie to encourage people of all ages to take the steps necessary to protect amazing wildlife species such as penguins and wild places such as Antarctica.

The joy of dancing penquins (photo by Beth Pratt)

6. Bighorn sheep in Anza-Borrego State Park: After a mere fifteen minutes upon entering Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, my friend Michelle started pointing and uttered something incomprehensible in her excitement. Finally, I made out the word “sheep” and pulled off the road as soon I could. To our delight, a herd of ewes and young lambs leapt up the rocks and gazed back at us as we stood watching their movements. Desert bighorn are rare to spot, and although the animals were once in abundance, the population in the park has decreased to less than 300.

Desert bighorn sheep in Anza-Borrego State Park (photo by Beth Pratt)

7. Black bear in Tuolumne Meadows:The road to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite opened very late this year because of what seemed like a never-ending winter. During my first trip to Tuolumne in June, this black bear wandered out of the forest. I think he was hoping the long winter would end as well.

Black bear in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite (photo by Beth Pratt)

8. My backyard frog pond: My proudest accomplishment is being a mother to hundreds of tadpoles each year in my backyard frog pond (and in my NWF Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitatof course). I love watching the tiny frogs take their first steps out of the pond.

The life of a frog in my backyard pond (Photos by Beth Pratt)

9. Misguided frog mating in Yosemite: During a spring hike in the Gaylor Lake Basin, I spent an hour listening to the music of pacific chorus frogs and watching some “misguided” mating attempts—see the video below for the full story.

10. Ranger Rick at the Ahwahnee Hotel: During the first meeting of NWF’s California Advisory Council, we had a special visitor—Ranger Rick came to Yosemite! Also in the photo, council member Jack Laws, the talented naturalist and author of The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada.

Ranger Rick in Yosemite! With myself and Jack Laws.

Help California wildlife by donating to the National Wildlife Federation's California program! Donate today and help support our important work in the state. THANK YOU!

Above Frozen Tenaya Lake: Christmas Eve Hike up Tenaya Peak

Beth Pratt December 24, 2011

Tenaya Lake from Tenaya Peak, 12/24/11 (photo by Beth Pratt)

Tenaya Lake taken from Tenaya Peak, summer (photo by Beth Pratt)

Last week I walked and glided in sneakers across the frozen Tenaya Lake, delighted to be up on Tioga Road after the National Park Service reopened it--a rare experience in winter. The weather has remained fair, and indeed we seem likely to break the all-time record for the latest closing of Tioga Pass in the road's history--January 1.

Today, I watched the skaters having fun on the lake--but from 2,000 feet above them! I decided that since I walked across Tenaya Lake last week, I would walk above it for my Christmas Eve hike. What an amazing day! Although the lack of snow and almost balmy temperatures made for perfect fall hiking (in December) I was a little alarmed at the lack of snow as I hiked mostly on bare granite. Despite fears of an impending drought, I had a marvelous day in Yosemite and the perfect early Christmas present-the chance to explore the winter world of the high country near Tuolumne.

Here's a video I took from the top of Tenaya Peak. You can see people skating far below and I included a 360 view.