Alta Meadow and Peak - July 27, 2013 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Alta Meadow and Peak |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | California |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | July 27, 2013 |
| Duration: | 1 day |
| Trail Conditions: | Good |
| Trail Traffic: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Weather: | Partly Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Light |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 81-90, Low: 31-40 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | The G-man and I woke up at Dorst Creek Campground this morning after a good night’s sleep in our trusty old backpacking tent. We packed up in short order and drove to the Lodgepole Visitor Center to pick up our permit, which I had previously secured online. After a quick breakfast, we headed out to the Wolverton parking lot where we spread out all of our gear and supplies on a picnic table to redistribute and repack. All food, toiletries, and other similar odorous items are required to be stored in bear canisters. We had one of our own and had borrowed another from a friend, so we were all set. The hike to Alta Meadow was fairly uneventful with only a few chance encounters with some other hikers, a single deer, and a few tiny little lizards, which G was fascinated by. A party of two had spent the previous night at Alta Meadow, and had hiked to the summit of Alta Peak this morning. They were already packed up and heading out by the time we reached the meadow, and we ended up having the place to ourselves for our entire stay. The views from Alta Meadow were awesome, and the little bit of wildlife we encountered offered up a unique experience. We saw a nice size male mule deer with an impressive rack foraging right next to our campsite. He wasn’t at all concerned with our presence, and solemnly went about his business. But the most interesting experience came from the peregrine falcons, which neither G nor or I had ever seen hunting in the wild. These birds would effortlessly float high above on what seemed to be an endless supply of wind, which we could barely feel from the ground, and then suddenly drop into a full-on, full-vertical nose dive for hundreds of feet as they swept in on some unsuspecting prey below. At one point, one of them flew directly over my head as it made its way to roost in a nearby tree. As it did so, it made a piercing, almost blood-curdling, screeching sound that sent shivers down my spine. Throughout the remainder of the evening, G and I took countless trips to the tree trying to spot the falcon in its roosting spot, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Apparently, falcons are as stealth at roosting as they are at hunting. We finally gave up, cooked some dinner, and called it a night. |
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