Thanks for taking us along for the walk. Wife and I did many trips to Lower Velma in the early 70s. Spent 5 weeks in 3 trips there in 72 for our honeymoon summer. Last one was 1st snow fly in October. An especially awesome trip. Once caught a 19" rainbow out of that lake. My backcountry best. Peace
That’s a big trout for the Velmas! Nice memories. My first backcountry trips were in the 70’s too! It’s way more crowded these days but I think the more people that enjoy it the more people that will fight to protect it!
@@ApeMan yeah, the 70s saw a lot of new interest in back to nature. All us hippy college kids discovered hiking boots, and backpacks. But the pressure was less. Especially at the off trail gems like Lower Velma. We often had the lake to ourselves, or shared with just one other camp. The fishing pressure was less too. We never went a night without trout in the pan. Really good times before we had kids, and bought a fixer. Carefree
Thanks for getting me in the Sierra's with the sound of running water and granite walkways. In July I get my yearly fix of the mts by going to Mammoth and staying in a friends old log cabin for the 57 th year. It is a family tradition. Thanks again.
I love Mammoth. Some pretty good fishing not to mention hiking all over that area. Also just chilling and hitting a couple microbreweries sounds great too! Have a great trip!
Thank you for such a lovely break with a moment of fantasizing. No hiking for me this year. Thank Heaven I made it last season. Tween the shut down and hard labor cleaning p some physical and financial messes, hikes and even art are left to my imagination and gifts such as yours. Some time at the end of my labors I will have a dedicated art studio, repaired home, some $$$, cleaned p accumulated tasks--- and the trails will not have gone anywhere and I can take to both art and hiking free from the current frustrations.
Hi Trilby. Nature and us are getting a bit of a break this year. Sounds like you got a lot of stuff done. The trails will always be there! Be safe and I hope to see you back on the trails soon!
WOW....great videos. Thank you so much. I am still thinking, two hour drive, three hour hike. You're awesome. What are the red/deep pink plants growing out of the ground, seen at 7:19?
Thanks Laura. Those beautiful red plants are called snow flowers or snow plants. They don't have chlorophyll which is why they are red. They are parasites that steal food from the roots of conifers. They do no harm and are common in the Sierra right after snow melt. They are short lived but put on a nice show for a couple weeks. Get out there and see for yourself!
Some nice rock, trees, water, and wildlife! Glad to see you weren't stream crossing with bare feet (audio fooled me). One snot rock and down you go. It was 30 years ago this month that I did a 2-nighter @ Middle Velma. Whew, time flies. I did catch a few 'bows back then (MV) but worked it pretty hard. Skeeters were thick. The Eagle Falls trailhead (was and) is still insane on weekends (so I've heard). Weekdays really look like the way to go. The [granite] is calling & I must go.
Desolation was by far the best part of TRT....I hit it from echo lk at lil before dark on full moon....awesome walking with the moon! Early light on dicks pass was amazing! I’m envious you live so close to that amazing area! Can’t wait to get back to the Sierra in September.
Yes I feel fortunate. Desolation is a small area but there is lots to explore and solitude can be found in some remote corners. It's a fun playground but the highpoint is Pyramid Peak at just under 10k. Nothing like those 14ers in the southern Sierra!
Just got back from doing the seasonal grass at my outpost in the Greenhorn Mountains. I finally did the middle part of the Long Meadow Sequoia Grove. It was up an unmaintained service road for about 3 miles each way and around 6 or 700' gain and loss. It was beautiful to drop into the middle of the grove. I never saw anyone for the whole hike and the challenge was doing the downed logs on the road. One was so bad I almost turned back. Now I know to bring gloves, they would of been a great tool in the toolbox! thanks for the video, beautiful!!!
I can't tell in the video but is the grouse sound the deep "woompf, woompf, woompf" sound you hear hiking through the Sierra? This has driven me nuts my whole life.
Sean Snyder Yup that’s it. If you crank the volume you can hear it. Drove me nuts too. They usually hang out in canyons near waterways. That thump carries long distances. Chances are you’ve walked right by them many times without seeing them. They blend into granite landscapes extremely well.
whats up man you got some cool videos! Was Curious how you feel about the fish removal for the yellow legged frog in Desolation ? caught some nice brooks at Eagle, lower velma, and Aloha, on the way from Eagle falls to Echo about a month ago. Really want to catch a golden still never caught one i know they are rare in desolation but any lakes/streams you can suggest for my best shot ?
It's a tough one. The trout weren't native to a lot of these lakes and the frogs were so I gotta go with the frogs. Desolation used to have several golden potential lakes. Leyland lakes which I once fished an entire day without a bite used to have them. Clyde and a section of the Rubicon as well as remote Cup and Saucer Lake used to have them but they have been removed. The only lake in Desolation that still has them is Kalmia and they are well protected being off trail. I would suggest a road trip to the southern Sierra. The biggest Goldens I've caught in the 16-18 inch range were at an off trail lake way in the middle of nowhere over 11k in the southern Sierra. I would suggest the Cottonwood Pass to New Army Pass loop if you are looking for gold. A side trip into Miter Basin gives you a shot at some bigger guys. Rock Creek is loaded with little guys. I would almost guarantee all the Goldens you could want to catch would be easy on this trip. Of course the Cottonwood Lakes along the way are famous for Goldens. Good luck!
@@ApeMan ya that's kinda how i feel about the frogs especially if they really were close to extinction. Sucks for us fisherman i just hope they don't make desolation completely fishless in the years to come. I love backpacking there but with no fish it woudn't be Very enjoyable to me. Might try Kalmia Sometime i'm sure it's a mission to find a way there possibly find a way down off trail from dicks lake. I've backpacked in the Inyo National Forest but i need to take some more trips down there to the john Muir/Golden Trout Wilderness For sure it's just a long drive down there. Appreciate the info you seem like a knowledegable dude with all your experience. Would be cool to see some more Fishing videos from you man take it easy !
Sorry did not quite understand your foot tip of the day. You take inserts and socks off then put your boots back on for walking accross the stream? Then continue on undertill your boots dry out then put your socks on and inserts back in. correct me if I am wrong? Thanks for great youtube vids
John Neff You are correct. It was confusing. If it’s a nice sandy or small gravel bottom I will go barefoot but on slippery boulders like this keep the shoes on for traction after taking off your socks and removing the inserts. A good breathable pair of shoes will dry out within a mile of hiking.
I did a version of your hike today. That trail is a bear. I was good going up, but going down was hard work. Man was it crowded coming back down in the afternoon.
"WHERE'S MY VELMA?!", Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran) screams, at Philip Marlowe (Bob Mitchum), busting an eardrum, and he picks up Marlowe with one colossal hand and arm, and proceeds to turn Marlowe into a human milkshake (or frappe, if you're THAT sophisticated). Moose was in pursuit of his VELMA (Charlotte Rampling) . . . one of the most lethal femme fatales ever, next to Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer). Oops, WRONG Mitchum flick (1947's "Out of The Past"). The one that I'm referring to, is 1974's "Farewell My Lovely". And standing next to O'Halloran, Mitchums' already considerable frame, was that of a 10-year old boy! If you could (were allowed?) eat that dinky little trout, it would take only 4 bites, and he'd be gone, not a whole lot to satisfy. You need a length of a foot or more, before they start to fill you up. Down in Tahoe proper, don't the Dolly Vardens verge on half a yard long? Tahoe's also got Kokanees (Salmon), too. I suppose they're bigger yet still; would their meat be that rich creamy vermilion color, like the wild Sockeyes that I dote on? Did I see some Azaleas, too? Tahoe in 2020, sounds comparatively affable, compared to Gunnison, Colorado, between 1917-1921 (The Great Spanish/Kansas Influenza Pandemic). The Municipal Judge, with the help of the City Attorney, the Police Chief, and that County's Sheriff, ordered an armed perimeter put around the town. Any outsider who was sighted closer than 300 Yards, got just one warning shot, aimed an inch over their head. The next one would be fatal. Prominent signage warned outsiders. Residents had to display a large special colored Pass, at that distance, had they left town that day, and returned . . . nothing overnight or longer, was permitted. It was then an automatic one-month, completely in-house quarantine, with the Police Department to leave groceries at their front door, just for a day trip, out of town. Local physicians would then be drafted, to visit that house, three times a day, and provide The City, with ACCURATE AND VERIFIABLE REPORTS. These physicians were ordered to suspend their regular practices, for the duration. Delivery personnel and ranchers doing necessary business, were given one hour exactly, to conclude their business in Gunnison. The slightest bit of a citizen's fatigue, headache, throat clearing, indigestion, no matter how minor those seemed, meant 3 days minimum, at the local clinics/hospitals, in LOCKED AND GUARDED wards. Visitors already in town. . . that is, guests of residents, at the time the Order came down, were subject to 6 months at the County Farm. Active military returning from Europe, had to live temporarily, in neighboring hamlets, with phone calls and letters, being the only way they could talk to their families in-town. Residents were pressured to report ANYONE, they did not recognize. Going from Montrose to Colorado Springs or Denver, then meant about an 800-mile detour. If defense lawyers were STUPID enough to attempt representation of offenders, the City Attorney filed Disbarment Proceedings against them. Gunnison, as a result, had NO VERIFIABLE Flu cases, during this catastrophe.
Tahoe is most known for the large Lake trout. The Kokanee Salmon spawn in Taylor Creek every year and it's pretty spectacular to see. They don't get that big really - maybe 18 inches max. I don't prefer eating Lake trout but Kokanee are delicious and the meat is usually red but not always. A backpacking meal of trout is always appreciated and brookies tend to overpopulate so a little thinning is actually good for the fishery. Tahoe was one of the most strict areas of corona preventive measures. So far it has worked but people are streaming in again from all over so I'm worried.
Great video! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for taking us along for the walk. Wife and I did many trips to Lower Velma in the early 70s. Spent 5 weeks in 3 trips there in 72 for our honeymoon summer. Last one was 1st snow fly in October. An especially awesome trip. Once caught a 19" rainbow out of that lake. My backcountry best. Peace
That’s a big trout for the Velmas! Nice memories. My first backcountry trips were in the 70’s too! It’s way more crowded these days but I think the more people that enjoy it the more people that will fight to protect it!
@@ApeMan yeah, the 70s saw a lot of new interest in back to nature. All us hippy college kids discovered hiking boots, and backpacks. But the pressure was less. Especially at the off trail gems like Lower Velma. We often had the lake to ourselves, or shared with just one other camp. The fishing pressure was less too. We never went a night without trout in the pan. Really good times before we had kids, and bought a fixer. Carefree
Nice to see you ran into a Sooty Grouse. I like to hear the drum in early spring! Nice video. Thanks!
Nice!
The Velmas are so pretty. Thanks so much for sharing! ❤️
Thanks for getting me in the Sierra's with the sound of running water and granite walkways. In July I get my yearly fix of the mts by going to Mammoth and staying in a friends old log cabin for the 57 th year. It is a family tradition. Thanks again.
I love Mammoth. Some pretty good fishing not to mention hiking all over that area. Also just chilling and hitting a couple microbreweries sounds great too! Have a great trip!
So good to see you back on trail. Great video. Thank you.
Thank you, as always. Watching from southern Illinois. I want to be there!
Thank you for such a lovely break with a moment of fantasizing. No hiking for me this year. Thank Heaven I made it last season. Tween the shut down and hard labor cleaning p some physical and financial messes, hikes and even art are left to my imagination and gifts such as yours. Some time at the end of my labors I will have a dedicated art studio, repaired home, some $$$, cleaned p accumulated tasks--- and the trails will not have gone anywhere and I can take to both art and hiking free from the current frustrations.
Hi Trilby. Nature and us are getting a bit of a break this year. Sounds like you got a lot of stuff done. The trails will always be there! Be safe and I hope to see you back on the trails soon!
WOW....great videos. Thank you so much. I am still thinking, two hour drive, three hour hike. You're awesome. What are the red/deep pink plants growing out of the ground, seen at 7:19?
Thanks Laura. Those beautiful red plants are called snow flowers or snow plants. They don't have chlorophyll which is why they are red. They are parasites that steal food from the roots of conifers. They do no harm and are common in the Sierra right after snow melt. They are short lived but put on a nice show for a couple weeks. Get out there and see for yourself!
Ape Man Gorgeous! I hope to one day soon. For now, will settle for Ape Man videos
Well done! The video was fantastic....GoPro Hero 8 with stabilization?? Peace.
Yup! The stabilization is amazing!
Some nice rock, trees, water, and wildlife! Glad to see you weren't stream crossing with bare feet (audio fooled me). One snot rock and down you go. It was 30 years ago this month that I did a 2-nighter @ Middle Velma. Whew, time flies. I did catch a few 'bows back then (MV) but worked it pretty hard. Skeeters were thick. The Eagle Falls trailhead (was and) is still insane on weekends (so I've heard). Weekdays really look like the way to go. The [granite] is calling & I must go.
Desolation was by far the best part of TRT....I hit it from echo lk at lil before dark on full moon....awesome walking with the moon! Early light on dicks pass was amazing! I’m envious you live so close to that amazing area! Can’t wait to get back to the Sierra in September.
Yes I feel fortunate. Desolation is a small area but there is lots to explore and solitude can be found in some remote corners. It's a fun playground but the highpoint is Pyramid Peak at just under 10k. Nothing like those 14ers in the southern Sierra!
Just got back from doing the seasonal grass at my outpost in the Greenhorn Mountains. I finally did the middle part of the Long Meadow Sequoia Grove. It was up an unmaintained service road for about 3 miles each way and around 6 or 700' gain and loss. It was beautiful to drop into the middle of the grove. I never saw anyone for the whole hike and the challenge was doing the downed logs on the road. One was so bad I almost turned back. Now I know to bring gloves, they would of been a great tool in the toolbox! thanks for the video, beautiful!!!
Usually the challenges of getting there are worth it. Sometimes not. Love to have the solitude of no other people.
I can't tell in the video but is the grouse sound the deep "woompf, woompf, woompf" sound you hear hiking through the Sierra? This has driven me nuts my whole life.
Sean Snyder Yup that’s it. If you crank the volume you can hear it. Drove me nuts too. They usually hang out in canyons near waterways. That thump carries long distances. Chances are you’ve walked right by them many times without seeing them. They blend into granite landscapes extremely well.
@@ApeMan Oh yeah I hear it. Wow, thank you!
whats up man you got some cool videos! Was Curious how you feel about the fish removal for the yellow legged frog in Desolation ? caught some nice brooks at Eagle, lower velma, and Aloha, on the way from Eagle falls to Echo about a month ago. Really want to catch a golden still never caught one i know they are rare in desolation but any lakes/streams you can suggest for my best shot ?
It's a tough one. The trout weren't native to a lot of these lakes and the frogs were so I gotta go with the frogs. Desolation used to have several golden potential lakes. Leyland lakes which I once fished an entire day without a bite used to have them. Clyde and a section of the Rubicon as well as remote Cup and Saucer Lake used to have them but they have been removed. The only lake in Desolation that still has them is Kalmia and they are well protected being off trail. I would suggest a road trip to the southern Sierra. The biggest Goldens I've caught in the 16-18 inch range were at an off trail lake way in the middle of nowhere over 11k in the southern Sierra. I would suggest the Cottonwood Pass to New Army Pass loop if you are looking for gold. A side trip into Miter Basin gives you a shot at some bigger guys. Rock Creek is loaded with little guys. I would almost guarantee all the Goldens you could want to catch would be easy on this trip. Of course the Cottonwood Lakes along the way are famous for Goldens. Good luck!
@@ApeMan ya that's kinda how i feel about the frogs especially if they really were close to extinction. Sucks for us fisherman i just hope they don't make desolation completely fishless in the years to come. I love backpacking there but with no fish it woudn't be Very enjoyable to me. Might try Kalmia Sometime i'm sure it's a mission to find a way there possibly find a way down off trail from dicks lake. I've backpacked in the Inyo National Forest but i need to take some more trips down there to the john Muir/Golden Trout Wilderness For sure it's just a long drive down there. Appreciate the info you seem like a knowledegable dude with all your experience. Would be cool to see some more Fishing videos from you man take it easy !
Sorry did not quite understand your foot tip of the day. You take inserts and socks off then put your boots back on for walking accross the stream? Then continue on undertill your boots dry out then put your socks on and inserts back in. correct me if I am wrong? Thanks for great youtube vids
John Neff You are correct. It was confusing. If it’s a nice sandy or small gravel bottom I will go barefoot but on slippery boulders like this keep the shoes on for traction after taking off your socks and removing the inserts. A good breathable pair of shoes will dry out within a mile of hiking.
I did a version of your hike today. That trail is a bear. I was good going up, but going down was hard work. Man was it crowded coming back down in the afternoon.
For us bad knee people those long downhills hurt! That made me sure about getting the 2nd knee done in 6 months.
Thanks for sharing. I'll put on my list to do
thanks .. great views
Can you bring an inflatable kayak to Velma lakes? Legally?
I’m pretty sure you can but a call to the local ranger station would be a good idea. Better access for fishing the lakes! Happy paddling!
"WHERE'S MY VELMA?!", Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran) screams, at Philip Marlowe (Bob Mitchum), busting an eardrum, and he picks up Marlowe with one colossal hand and arm, and proceeds to turn Marlowe into a human milkshake (or frappe, if you're THAT sophisticated). Moose was in pursuit of his VELMA (Charlotte Rampling) . . . one of the most lethal femme fatales ever, next to Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer). Oops, WRONG Mitchum flick (1947's "Out of The Past"). The one that I'm referring to, is 1974's "Farewell My Lovely". And standing next to O'Halloran, Mitchums' already considerable frame, was that of a 10-year old boy! If you could (were allowed?) eat that dinky little trout, it would take only 4 bites, and he'd be gone, not a whole lot to satisfy. You need a length of a foot or more, before they start to fill you up. Down in Tahoe proper, don't the Dolly Vardens verge on half a yard long? Tahoe's also got Kokanees (Salmon), too. I suppose they're bigger yet still; would their meat be that rich creamy vermilion color, like the wild Sockeyes that I dote on? Did I see some Azaleas, too? Tahoe in 2020, sounds comparatively affable, compared to Gunnison, Colorado, between 1917-1921 (The Great Spanish/Kansas Influenza Pandemic). The Municipal Judge, with the help of the City Attorney, the Police Chief, and that County's Sheriff, ordered an armed perimeter put around the town. Any outsider who was sighted closer than 300 Yards, got just one warning shot, aimed an inch over their head. The next one would be fatal. Prominent signage warned outsiders. Residents had to display a large special colored Pass, at that distance, had they left town that day, and returned . . . nothing overnight or longer, was permitted. It was then an automatic one-month, completely in-house quarantine, with the Police Department to leave groceries at their front door, just for a day trip, out of town. Local physicians would then be drafted, to visit that house, three times a day, and provide The City, with ACCURATE AND VERIFIABLE REPORTS. These physicians were ordered to suspend their regular practices, for the duration. Delivery personnel and ranchers doing necessary business, were given one hour exactly, to conclude their business in Gunnison. The slightest bit of a citizen's fatigue, headache, throat clearing, indigestion, no matter how minor those seemed, meant 3 days minimum, at the local clinics/hospitals, in LOCKED AND GUARDED wards. Visitors already in town. . . that is, guests of residents, at the time the Order came down, were subject to 6 months at the County Farm. Active military returning from Europe, had to live temporarily, in neighboring hamlets, with phone calls and letters, being the only way they could talk to their families in-town. Residents were pressured to report ANYONE, they did not recognize. Going from Montrose to Colorado Springs or Denver, then meant about an 800-mile detour. If defense lawyers were STUPID enough to attempt representation of offenders, the City Attorney filed Disbarment Proceedings against them. Gunnison, as a result, had NO VERIFIABLE Flu cases, during this catastrophe.
Tahoe is most known for the large Lake trout. The Kokanee Salmon spawn in Taylor Creek every year and it's pretty spectacular to see. They don't get that big really - maybe 18 inches max. I don't prefer eating Lake trout but Kokanee are delicious and the meat is usually red but not always. A backpacking meal of trout is always appreciated and brookies tend to overpopulate so a little thinning is actually good for the fishery. Tahoe was one of the most strict areas of corona preventive measures. So far it has worked but people are streaming in again from all over so I'm worried.