May 22, 2003
"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home..." --John Muir
-----------------
I think lots of people will be "going home" this weekend.
--WEATHER, FISHING, SNOW/ICE CONDITIONS--
Greetings Rock Creekers! Memorial Weekend, the symbolic start to the summer, is just around the corner, and many people are planning to take advantage of the long weekend with trips to the Eastern Sierra and other parts of the state.
The weather has become more spring-like in the last couple of weeks, with highs at Rock Creek Lake (9,682 feet) in the low 60's and lows in the low 30's.
The current weather pattern is expected to continue indefinitely. These warm temperatures are in complete contrast to the cold and snowy conditions that dominated much of the spring.
As a result of the persistent winter-like weather that occurred from late March into early May, the ice and snow at the upper elevations has had little time to melt.
Consequently, the campgrounds at Rock Creek Lake, Upper Pine Grove, and Pine Grove remain closed due to snow and will be closed this weekend.
Sources suggest an opening date of June 1 for these campgrounds. Also, ice on Rock Creek Lake is starting to melt, and open water is expanding at the inlets, outlet, and near Rainbow Bay on the lake's northeastern shore.
It is highly unlikely that the ice will melt by this weekend, however. The road to Mosquito Flat is closed, and the backcountry trails are probably 2-3 weeks away from being hikable.
All backcountry lakes are frozen.
On the positive side, all campgrounds from East Fork to Tuff are open, and fishing is excellent in the creek presently.
DFG has been stocking the creek heavily, and many anglers have reported tremendous amounts of trout in the creek from East Fork to Aspen group camp.
Lures have been working very well. Little information is known about fishing at the lake.
Snow is blocking parking access at the boat dock and the lake's frozen conditions is limiting the number of people that can fish it.
Ice fishing is not an option due to the fact that most of the ice is rotten and unsafe.
I would avoid fishing at the lake until it thaws, which will probably be in a week or so.
--BEARS--
Bears are already active in the campgrounds, and most people are doing their job of securing their food prior to retiring for the evening.
The few people that have made the mistake of leaving food outside found very little of it left in the morning.
Citations and fines are being given out freely by law enforcement officers to those that choose to ignore laws about storing food properly.
These laws are beneficial for both humans and bears, and it is hoped that ALL campers will take responsibility for the bears' welfare and store food appropriately, either in vehicles or in bear boxes that are present in some campsites.
There is a chance that several more bear boxes will be installed this summer.
I hope to have more information regarding their installation by the next newsletter.
--TRAIL RUNNING--
Running has been a part of the scene at Rock Creek for a long time. Besides her famous abilities in the culinary world, Sue King was once a world-class runner as well.
In 1988 she ran the Western States 100 miler (Squaw Valley to Auburn) in 20 hours, 41 minutes.
Please take a minute and contemplate that. Many people get tired DRIVING that distance!
The woman that holds the course record and the majority of top finishes at Western is Ann Trason.
Her best time is 17 hours, 37 minutes!
| Jeff Kozak, an employee of Rock Creek Resort, has been running for many years and began running these "ultra-marathons" about 6 years ago. Last weekend the High Sierra 50 Mile took place in Bishop, and part of the field was Ann Trason along with many other top runners, including Ann's husband, Carl Anderson. In the end, Jeff posted his finest showing at any ultra, winning the race by nearly 2 minutes over Ann Trason and her husband with a time of 7:46:32, the second fastest finish in the history of the race. Still excited about his victory that evening, Jeff stated, "This was the race I've been dreaming about for four years." Congratulations Jeff! Other Rock Creekers that finished strongly were Rayni Chase who finished 12th overall with a time of 10:17:14 and Clem LaCava with a time of 10:50:29. |
|
--ROCK CREEK LAKES RESORT OPENING--
PIE, PIE, PIE!!!!! It's that time again! Rock Creek Lakes Resort will be opening for the season on Saturday, May 24.
Boat rentals will not be available due to the icy conditions on the lake, but all other amenities will be available, including Sue's famous pie.
The cabin road is clear of snow for those of you coming up to stay with us.
--ROCK CREEK'S BOOKSTORE--
Please visit the newly-remodeled Rock Creek Bookstore on the website. A portion of the income generated through it will be used to fund trout plants and clean-up activities in the area.
The bookstore is affiliated with Amazon.com. You can purchase ANY item at Amazon and help Rock Creek at the same time by entering Amazon through Rock Creek...
http://www.rockcreeklake.com/store/books/
I am going to try and feature one book in each newsletter from here on out.
These are books I've read and highly recommend.
|
FEATURED BOOK: The Sierra Trout Guide by Ralph Cutter The Sierra Trout Guide is the "bible" of trout fishing in the Sierra, with an emphasis on flyfishing. No other book comes close. It discusses techniques, hatches, ethics and ettiquette, and lots more. To find out more about this title, please click the book's cover or visit the following link... http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1878175025/rockcreeklakecal |
 |
------------
That's about it for this newsletter. I would like to encourage all of you driving this weekend to take your time and enjoy the ride.
Highway 395 is one of the most dangerous highways in the state, mainly due to aggressive passing in the 2-lane sections of road.
I've seen more than one fatal accident in my time. Do yourself and everyone else a favor...don't pass unless you're 250% sure it's safe, and even then BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS!
Until June's newsletter, get your firewood together, clean up your gear, take it easy and THINK CREEK!
Tim
