Mt. Whitney

The Mount Whitney Trail is a trail that climbs Mount Whitney (Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m)). It starts at Whitney Portal, 13 miles (21 km) west of the town of Lone Pine, California. The hike is about 22 miles (35 km) round trip, with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet (1,860 m). It is an extremely popular trail, and its access is restricted by quotas from May to October. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

The following is a brief account of my recent, successful attempt to summit Mt. Whitney.

My plan was to leave San Diego on Sunday, August 14, and spend that night and the next at the Horseshoe Meadows/Cottonwood Lakes Campground, in the Eastern Sierra. The campgrounds are at 10,400 feet elevation, and only about 20 miles from the Mt. Whitney trail head, so I figured it would be a great spot to acclimate to the high altitude. It was both beautiful, and relaxing. On Tuesday, August 16, I planned to start my hike on the Mt. Whitney Main Trail from Whitney Portal, elevation 8,300 feet. That day I would hike up the 6 miles of trail to my "base camp": Trial Camp, elevation 12,000 feet. From there, the following morning, Wednesday, August 17, I planned to make my summit attempt. I was going to spend the rest of that day and night, after (hopefully) summiting, at the same campsite - followed by a hike out the next morning. I stuck to every part my plan except for staying a second night at Trail Camp. This was because I developed a bad case of " Cheyne-Stokes respiration" at 12,000 feet. That's the doc's jargon for altitude induced sleep apnea. According to what I've read it occurs because of the affect of altitude on your blood chemistry. Altitude lowers your blood/Co2 concentration, which is your strongest subconscious trigger to breath. So, since your blood/Co2 levels drop significantly at altitude, your brain doesn't tell your lungs to breathe. At least not until the level of oxygen in your blood drops. Then you wake up gasping. It only happens when you're sleeping because no one forgets to breathe when they're awake! I also got a little homesick after three days alone on the mountain, and I decided after summiting at 9:20 in the morning that I could be down by 2pm, and home before 8pm. It wasn't a very hard decision.

Without further ado, here is my trip report - with pictures!

DAY 1:

One of many stream crossings on the lower part of the trail. I saw some small Golden Trout at this crossing.




They're super pretty, little fish.



Lone Pine Lake. About two miles into the trail. My first real stop to look around.




A nice waterfall at the top a really pretty alpine meadow.




Here's is that meadow.




Blue Grouse. One of a handful of new birds added to the list. (Along with Clarke's Nutcracker, and Black-capped Rosey Finches.)




Taken just above Mirror Lake. Every fifth lake in the Sierras is named Mirror Lake.




Consultation Lake. It appeared just as I turned the corner of a switchback, about 3-4 miles into my first day of hiking.



The view from my campsite the day before summiting. Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak, in the middle. It's about 2,500 feet above.



Me, not feeling too hot, at 12,000 feet. I slept terribly.

DAY 2:

The beginning of the trail on summit day. This portion is known as the "99 switchbacks", even though there are only 97. The trail zig-zags to the left, between the snow fields in the foreground, then to the right, and up that steep slope, just to the left of the smaller snow field in the background. By the end you've ascended 1,700 feet.




The Trail Crest sign, at 13,600 feet. It's about a quarter mile past the top of the "99 switchbacks". The trail descends about 100 feet between the two points.




The view from the top of the switchbacks, down to my campsite. My tent is setup on the right shoreline of that green lake, at the topmost edge of the snow.




A bad picture off the backside of ridge of peaks in which lies Mt. Whitney. Those millions of acres of wilderness back there are in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.



The view down into Owens Valley from the summit of Mt. Whitney. It was about 100 degrees down there (death valley is just on the other side of the mountain range in the background), and about 50 degrees on the summit




WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!! Yours truly at the top of Mt. Whitney. 14,497 feet. It felt amazing standing up there. Especially knowing that I did it alone. I was pretty proud of myself for seeing the trip through, despite everyone dropping out on me at the last minute. Every day I had to push a little beyond my comfort zone, and summon the nerve to go on. Being alone (basically)in the wilderness for 3 nights, and 4 days, can be pretty challenging mentally. There were a few times I didn't think I'd finish. Eventually I got the job done, though.

The sum of all hiking time/distance - 13 hrs/22mi. Day one: base camp - 6mi, 4 hours. Day two: 1st leg - Summit 5mi, 3.5 hours/2nd leg - decent 11mi, 5hrs. Not too shabby.

it's been too long!

I know I haven't been keeping up-to-date on my birding blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been birding. As always, when a new class starts, I spend most of my mornings holed up in a computer lab, making maps. So, that's where I've been when I'm not birding, and not working. I haven't had too much time for updating the blog. Besides that, you may have noticed that I've introduced capital letters to this blog - don't get used to it. It is a bad habit that I acquired while writing resumes and professional emails. I hope to be back to my lazy writing style some day soon. So, here are some updates.

Tecolote Project:
I have kept up. I did one count in mid-June, while following up on a reported LEAST BELL'S VIREO sighting. Alas, there was only one singing HUTTON'S VIREO at the reported location. I have also gone twice this month. Lists Below.

On a drizzly day in June:
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
COOPER'S HAWK
NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
HOUSE WREN
SPOTTED TOWHEE
CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
SONG SPARROW
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
BUSHTIT
WRENTIT
HUTTON'S VIREO
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
HOODED ORIOLE
CALIFORNIA THRASHER
AMERICAN RAVEN
WESTERN SCRUB JAY

July:
4 HOODED ORIOLE
2 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
3 WESTERN SCRUB JAY
4 LESSER GOLDFINCH
1 COOPER'S HAWK
4 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
3 CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
2 BLACK PHEOBE
5 BUSHTIT
1 SPOTTED TOWHEE
4 MOURNING DOVE
6 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
3 WRENTIT
3 CALIFORNIA THRASHER
3 BEWICK'S WREN
1 AMERICAN RAVEN
1 AMERICAN CROW
1 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER

The two lists are very similar, but that's because I birded the same section of the canyon every time (I know, I know...)

Besides the Tecolote Project, I've kept up my banding, and am finally getting good at extracting birds from nets, and taking measurements in the hand. Aging birds is still something of a mystery to me. I understand the concept of aging by molt and plumage, but recognizing molt stages by feather type (adult/juvenile), and age by plumage differences in specific bird species is something that requires years of experience to do reliably. I laugh now when I hear birders age birds with just a quick look through binoculars. Many times while banding we have to use calipers to measure certain plumage characteristics to accurately age a bird. And even then the certified bander often has to make a best guess, not a definite proclamation, as to the age of the bird.

I've also been out birding at the San Diego River mouth, Mission Bay, San Dieguito Lagoon, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, and Kitchen Creek Road. The last in a most likely successful attempt to locate GRAY VIREO. I say 'most likely' because the GRAY VIREO is a bird that is notoriously hard to catch a glimpse of. This drab little gray bird blends in seamlessly with the dense scrub it calls home. Because of this birders rely a great deal on hearing it's call for identification purposes. Now, I have no experience whatsoever with the call, but when I was out there I did hear one very vireo sounding bird calling. I wrote it down as "'chee-yoot chee' burry'. When I got home and searched through recordings online, I found that my bird's call was a nearly identical match (it was still ringing in my head) to one of the phrases in its long and complicated 'official' song. After doing more research I learned that GRAY VIREOs in San Diego are often know to sing only a shortened version of their more complex song. And you know what? that shorter version sounded, when written out (because I couldn't find any San Diego recordings), just like my bird! So, even though I won't officially count it on my list, I do believe that I was hearing a GRAY VIREO while out at Kitchen Creek Rd.

GRAY VIREO



Also, yesterday (7/27), a neighbor called to report an injured COOPER'S HAWK in her back yard. I responded swiftly, scooping the bird up, after chasing it into a neighboring yard, and placing it in a box. It was taken to Project Wildlife this morning. What a murderous beauty that hawk was. Its face had such an intense glare - he really did look ready to attack me at a the drop of a hat. I wanted to give him a good inspection, like we do while banding. I wanted to extend a wing and inspect his feathers, give his feet a close look, and really drink in the rare chance to have a COOPER'S HAWK in hand. And I would have done so if it weren't an injured bird. Well, maybe next banding session we'll catch one...

tecolote project #5 (may)

so, it's been a while - i've had some competing interests (cycling, as i believe i mentioned in an earlier post), and been busy at school and work. however, i've still managed to stay active, and expand my knowledge of birds into new realms.

i've been out to starr ranch twice this month as a volunteer bander for audubon, and both times were amazing. i've finally started to learn the finesse and patience needed to extract a severely entangled bird from a mist net. i'm just starting to feel i'm more of a help to the audubon people than a hindrance. i've also just begun to delve into the intricate, and confusing world of bird molts, molt limits, and aging by molt and plumage. it is really much more complicated than it sounds. the simplest part to learn is how the molt cycle itself works, but even that can be confusing when every book and article on it uses different (and usually non-intuitive) terminology to describe the same thing. after you get that down, you have to learn about every bird's individual molt strategy, e.g. how many phases, what feathers are molted in what order, etc... when aging by plumage it is also necessary to know the plumage characteristics and stages of each individual bird. crazy, but very interesting, stuff.

unfortunately, my bird watching has suffered a little, and just seeing the way a bird flies, or getting a short listen to its call, is not always enough for me to make an i.d. anymore. this i will actively work to remedy.

i took a step toward that today, when i completed my monthly tecolote bird count for may. all in all it was an awesome day. i got out at 8am, and birded until about 1030. i had two personal firsts for the canyon, and one probable returning migrant, the same individual likely, from last year - since he was on the same tree where i observed him many times last year (a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE).

on my way back to my car, at around 10am, i noticed a pair of RED-TAILED HAWKs hunting together in the canyon. i'm not sure if they were mated, or providing for young, or what. but, they were traveling along together and hunting. as i observed them, one hawk suddenly got into a stoop, zoomed by at high speed, and landed on some unlucky creature on the far side of the canyon from where i was standing. it sat momentarily with its wing stretched out above its prey, looking cautiously around, and began calling to its partner, who soon was perched atop a nearby bush. i pulled my binos away from my face to rest my eyes for just a sec, when out of nowhere swooped a bluish-grey raptor with long, fully extended, pointy wings, its tail tightly pointed for maximum aerodynamic benefit, banking at about sixty miles per hour along the canyon wall. one quick tuck and it torpedoed into a bush, bringing a quick end to someone's day.

PEREGRINE FALCON:


shortly thereafter i also ran into a BLUE GROSBEAK, a personal first for tecolote.


here is my complete list from today, 5/28 (X means too many to count):

2 BLACK PHEOBE
X HOUSE FINCH
8 SONG SPARROW
14 COMMON YELLOW-THROAT
1 BEWICK'S WREN
13 SCRUB JAY
8 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (lots of singing males, and one female with a brood patch)
X LESSER GOLDFINCH
9 RED-CROWNED PARROT
X CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
1 COOPER'S HAWK
17 CLIFF SWALLOW
6 WRENTIT
3 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
2 COMMON RAVEN
30 BUSHTIT
9 PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER
18 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
4 WHITE-THROATED SWALLOW
4 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
2 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
1 HOUSE WREN
2 RED-TAILED HAWK
1 WESTER WOOD-PEWEE
6 MOURNING DOVE
2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
1 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD
1 BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD
3 HOODED ORIOLE
1 SPOTTED TOWHEE
1 PEREGRINE FALCON
1 BLUE GROSBEAK

that's 32 different species, bringing my year total to 49. only one warbler (not good), no vireos (also, not good), all expected flycatchers (nice), and my first BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD of the season (also, nice).

and the list grows on

last week was a stellar week for me all around [good hikes and a trip to the wild animal park (WAP)!], but for birding in particular. i got two new year birds, which also happened to be lifers. both were a surprise - one because i was hiking and wasn't really thinking about birds, and the other because i'd forgotten it occurred in san diego, and, as it flew by at about twenty feet above my head, just didn't look like it belonged in this part of the world. part of the reason for this confusion was because my girlfriend and i were walking through the 'hart of africa' section of the WAP seeing all manner of strange birds from abroad. my brain was just tuned to seeing exotics. luckily, as the bird soared overhead, i had the presence of mind to check its legs for bands (all WAP owned birds are banded), and seeing none, my brain was jolted back to san diego. seriously though, does the bird below look like anything you've ever seen in san diego? probably not.



as my mind revived, i remembered that a WOOD STORK had been spending time at the WAP for the last few years (though i'd never seen it), and that this must be the same bird. it was very cool revelation, and a very cool bird to finally see.

my other lifer from last week is pretty standard fare. the BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHER. it likes to hang out in places like cowles mt., and mt. woodson (which is where i saw it) - where its rocky, and not too densely vegetated. it looks very similar to the CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER, but because of the way a birds tail folds, the underside of its tail feathers appear all white, instead of black with small white tips. this can sometimes be a hard field mark to see because they have a habit of perching with their tails held up in the air, while facing you. they are also, usually, very active.



2010 year list:162___________life list:245

nothing too special

i went out to fort rosecrans national cemetery today to do some birding after finding myself with a few extra hours. the weather was glorious, and the the bird were very active. i was able to pick up three new year birds:

BARN SWALLOW
CHIPPING SPARROW
NASHVILLE WARBLER

along with the BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK i saw at our backyard birdbath/feeding station, that brings my year total 159 birds.

NASHVILLE WARBLER:

desert specials

every year, beginning in late february and lasting through early april, birders visiting anza-borrego state park are witness to a spectacle of nature that seems to be as little known as it is amazing to watch. it begins at dusk when large groups ('kettles') of migrating SWAINSON'S HAWKs descend on the desert plains surrounding the city of borrego – feeding, as the do, on newly hatched insects, both 'hawking' them in mid-air, and foraging for them on the ground.


for these birds, borrego is just a brief overnight refueling stop on a long journey from the steppes of argentina to its breeding grounds in the western united states and canada. after a night's roost on the open ground, the birds awake and begin the process of feeding and migration, again. watching as many as 500 of these incredible fliers take to the morning skies on hot air thermals, catching flying ants with mid-air acrobatics, is a sight that any nature lover located in san diego should make a point of seeing.


i arrived in borrego yesterday (3/30) at about 9am, and headed straight for a well know hawk-watch post. when i got there i was informed by a volunteer that i should head over toward clark dry lake, because he hadn't seen any SWAINSON'S HAWKs in hours. as i drove the stretch of road leading to the ancient lake i saw a state park ranger vehicle, with a ranger and volunteer outside, looking off into the distance. i pulled along side, got out, and scoped the area along with them. all we had was one bird, far off on the horizon. it was barely visible, and though i had only half expected to see any hawks (because of a report of zero birds from the day before), i was still a little disappointed. a few minutes later, however, over a distant ridge, i saw my first kettle of over twenty birds rising into the sky. i watched as they swirled into the air, diving to and fro, catching flying insects. before i knew it several birds had covered the seven or eight mile distance between the far off ridge and where i stood - feeding directly overhead. they were close enough that i could see the smallest details of their plumage, and really sear into my mind an exact mental image of how these birds looked, flew, and fed. throughout the morning we had over 420 hawks! as i ate my breakfast of fruit, trail-mix, and soft-boiled eggs, standing in a field of blossoming flowers, i thought to myself 'this might be the best breakfast i've ever had!'



yesterday morning i also stopped at the tamarisk grove campground, and the borrego sink where i was able to pick up these new year-birds:

WHITE-WINGED DOVE
PHAINOPEPLA
LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD
VERDIN
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE
WILSON'S WARBLER
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW
HOODED ORIOLE
WESTERN KINGBIRD

along with SWAINSON'S HAWK (a lifer for me!) that's 13 new year birds, bringing my 2010 total to 155.

bird banding

last weekend (3/19-3/21) i attended a beginners bird banding class at audubon's starr ranch bird observatory in orange county. starr ranch is 4000 acres of largely untouched open space, flanked by 5000 acres of caspers regional park to the south, over one-hundred thousand acres of the cleveland national forest to the north and east, and the 1000 acre dove canyon housing development to the west. such a large track of wild space makes for an excellent place to observe nature, and the area is home to many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals (including numerous mountain lions).

the two-day bird banding clinic consisted of several parts. First, was mist net handling, where we were shown proper set up, maintenance, and take down of our nets. second, was bird extraction, which consisted of "triage" - or assessing which birds are in the most vulnerable positions and extracting them accordingly. this was followed by different extraction techniques for removing entangled birds from the netting ("feet first", and "body pluck"). then came the actual practice of banding - which included bird handling (we learned two basic grips for passerines, the "bander’s grip", and the "photographer's grip"), ageing (by examining molt), determining sex and breeding status (by examining plumage, and looking for cloacal protuberances in males, and brood patches in females - both sexually determinant signs of breeding), measuring (weight, primary feather length, etc...), and choosing and placing the leg band properly. finally, we learned how to watch for signs that a birds is over-stressed.

in the afternoon, when banding had stopped, we spent time in the classroom learning about bird topology, molt, banding "dos and don'ts", bird first aid, and several other important bird related topics.

check out some pics from my weekend of bird banding below:

an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER caught in a mist net:


extraction of a COMMON YELLOW-THROAT:


yours truly banding a HOUSE WREN:


fully processed HOUSE WREN in the "bander’s grip" (notice the band on the right leg?):


HERMIT THRUSH in the "photographer’s grip" (used for photo-documentation of birds):


while there, participants were also able to witness the banding of a brood of four BARN OWLETTES. these birds were totally against being banded, and fought their captors viciously. the man pictured below had his hand mauled pretty badly a short time after this picture was taken. the bands used for these birds are industrial strength, and have a locking mechanism so the birds don't pry them off. our little passerine bands needed only to be crimped.

angry BARN OWLETTE:


all in all it was a great way to spend a weekend. i learned a great deal more about birds by actually handling them, then i would by just looking at them through bino's. future volunteer banding gigs will help take my understanding of birds, and my birding, to a whole new level.