Day 1: Cottonwood Pack Station (Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead) to our base camp. (The specific campsite location will be dependent upon the ground conditions).

Meet at 7am for breakfast and prep to ride. (It is suggested that camping out the night before at Horseshoe Meadow Campground will help with acclimatization to the 10,000’ elevation).

We head east through a beautiful Lodgepole pine forest adjacent to meadows with Belding ground squirrels. We then ride switchbacks to Cottonwood pass at 11,000’ then start down toward out base camp at Big Whitney Meadow (10.000’). The views beyond show peaks of the Great Western Divide in Sequoia National Park where Big Horn sheep again roam in their historic range. At lunch we will discuss the Geology of the Sierra Nevada and the incredible forces that carved them, including rivers and glaciers.

After we settle into camp and have an incredible dinner, we sit around the fire and discuss weather, climate, and how that plays a part is hiker preparedness and, at times search and rescue. (Should the weather forecast show clouds for the next days we may have our astronomy night tonight). The calls of the frogs and coyotes at night are sublime.

Day 2: Breakfast and then an introduction to birds and bird biology. We will walk through a variety of environments, creek, meadow, forest, and the all-important edges where these areas come together. Bring binoculars.

We’ll have made our lunches and now take a day ride to Rocky Basin lakes. The spectacular double headwall is unique in the glacially carved Sierra and in these lakes are where endangered Yellow-legged frogs have been reintroduced. The trail crosses meadows and forest and begins a climb. Along the way we can see Alpine paintbrush, Evening primrose, carpets of red and yellow monkey flowers, shooting stars, buttercups, columbine and more. At the lakes we will have lunch and talk about the Alpine environment and wildflowers. We will also learn about the early explorers of the Sierra.

After the sun sets we will look at the Night Sky and learn the stars, planets, constellations, and the stories behind them. (Unless we have had to present this the night before).

Day 3: Today’s day ride we will travel leisurely down Golden Trout Creek. The trail parallels the creek cascading to the side of the route and contains endemic Golden trout. There are a wide variety of flowers and shrubs as we descend. Before and after lunch, we will discuss the mixed conifer forests, trees, succession, and dendrochronology, the study of tree rings and what they can tell us.

After dinner we will have the Wild World! Skins and skulls and stories about animals and their adaptations, including bear biology.

In the evening we will have a twilight walk. How things change in the evening will be discovered as we use a Bat Detector to “hear” the many bats above us, our Night-Vision Binoculars, and Ultraviolet black light to search out night-time critters.

Day 4: After breakfast we will start our journey through time, following people from around the world and how they eventually came to the Sierra Nevada. Who were they, what did they hunt, gather and eat? Who did they trade with? Then you will learn how they survived by participating in activities that have been lauded as some of the most fun of the trip. You will learn to use an actual atlatl, an ancient spear thrower, and throw them at a target. As your skill quickly increases, there is always a friendly competition as to who will “bring home the supper!” Then we will learn to make arrowheads. Obsidian and flint chert, and ancient and modern tools will be provided as you learn this craft and gain an appreciation for how difficult it is. Bring leather gloves.

After lunch we will ride to Siberian Outpost. A ride through our glacially-carved valley brings us to a delightful little used trail to Siberian Outpost where we enter Sequoia National Park. This open boreal plateau surrounded by trees is a place Paleo-Indians hunted. Arrowheads have been dated by park archaeologists to over 6.500 years-old. We will learn about the minerals in the granite and in particular, gold. The history of the Gold Rush and how gold was mined will be discussed. Then lunch as you relax in the peace of the mountains.

That evening in camp we will again sit around the campfire. Your guide, Doc Nancy, will have a guitar and provide song books and stories on our last night in camp.

Day 5: We break camp and head out along our entry trail to Cottonwood Pass (5 hour ride). Lunch just below the pass will allow a final thought on conservation and preservation that made this backcountry possible.

Remember to bring binoculars and leather gloves. Open to everyone over 13-years-of-age. If you have a person younger than 13 that would like to participate and you feel this trip is right for them, contact Doc Nancy at: Nancy.Muleady-Mecham@nau.edu.

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