Emergency Information Location Backcountry (On-Trail) Mammoth Hospital 85 Sierra Park Rd Hospital Mammoth Lakes, CA 760-934-3311 911 Services? Yes Mammoth Ranger Station 2500 Main St Local Contact Mammoth Lakes, CA 760.924.5500 Cell Phone No Coverage? BCM Phone Numbers Agnew Meadows Emergency Phone Number 800.208.2483 BCM Course Area Guide If an emergency arises on trip that needs immediate assistance, call the emer- gency number first to reach a BCM staff member. If you do not receive a re- Backcountry turn call within 20 minutes, refer to the emergency contact sheet you received at the beginning of your trip or directly reach out to BCM staff. Regional BCM office numbers are listed below. Denver Office 303.271.9200 Chicago Office 847.636.0422 (cell) Pacific NW Office 541.233.6922 (cell) SF Bay Area Office 510.558.2795 Trip Code ________________________ Additional Emergency Information: Inyo National Forest, 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 200, Bishop, CA, 760.873.2400 Instructor ________________________ Cell Phone Coverage: No cell phone coverage at Camp Mather 16 1 Table of Contents Instructor Comments Trail Summary ............................................................... 3 This area will be used for free form comments from Instructors to future Instructors. Please use the Field Journal for feedback and Trail Information ...................................................................... 3 comments. Trail Description ...................................................................... 4 Route Description .................................................................... 5 Trail Distances ......................................................................... 5 Trail Elevation Profile .............................................................. 5 Trail Map & Key ........................................................... 6 Camp Site Information ............................................................. 6 Map Legend ............................................................................. 7 Trail Map…………………………………………………….8 Hazards .................................................................................. 10 Recommended Destinations ................................................... 10 Fishing ................................................................................... 10 Summits ................................................................................. 11 Daily Outline ............................................................... 12 Curriculum Checklist ................................................... 13 Instructor Recommendations ....................................... 14 Instructor Comments .............................................................. 14 Instructor Feedback Form ...................................................... 15 Emergency Information ............................................... 16 BCM Phone Numbers .................................................. 16 2 15 Curriculum Checklist Trail Information Day 1 Lessons Trailhead Name: Agnew Meadows Welcome Lost & Alone Trailhead Camp: Agnew Meadows Campground Introductions & Ice Breaker Camp Craft 101 Reservations secured Expectations LNT Policies Group Travel Permit (Expiration): Use Code: 153, ID# MLD100013T (8/10/2011) 7-Day Overview Food Waste Disposal Special Use Permit is provided in Trip Binder. Campsite Selection Permit Pick-Up: Mammoth Ranger Station Day 2 Health & Hygiene 201 Trust Activity Cat-Holes Wilderness Permit: Please see the ‘Permits-Inyo’ page in your Instructor Policies Review Pack Packing Binder for wilderness permit and pick-up information. Food Protection Permit Pick-Up: Please see above. Daily Activities Water Treatment Quote of the Day Lightning Safety Trail Name(s): National Scenic Trail Reflection Roundtable John Muir Trail Journaling Type of Trail: Loop Outcomes Mileage: 18.88 miles Set expectations, roles & responsibilities. Establish structure & daily routine. Alternate Routes: Yes; Thousand Island Lake Summit Build Trust. Alternate Mileage: 15.54 miles Establish common understanding of trip purpose. Reflect on physical and emotional stresses. Trail Location: Inyo National Forest Understand one is capable of overcoming & learning from challenges. Ansel Adams Wilderness Work as a team to overcome challenges. Mammoth Ranger District Support and encourage each other to overcome challenges. Peak hike: overcome challenges, reflect, and learn from experiences. Maps: BCM provides USGS Maps: Celebrate achievement. USGS Mammoth Mtn Create Meaning: How did we overcome challenges? USGS Mt Ritter Create Meaning: What are our strengths and weaknesses? Create Meaning: How do we transfer what we have learned home? Flora/Fauna: The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada Setting individual goals for the future. Sierra Birds: A Hiker’s Guide by John M Laws Record learning and achievement in something tactile that teens can take home with them as a reminder of their experience. Weather Trends: Average High 80 °F / Average Low 40 °F 14 3 Trail Description Daily Outline Hiking in California is dry and fast. Beautiful granite slabs make for an Recommendations easier terrain, great picnic areas and flat, smooth campsites. Expect to hike Expedition Preparation and Planning through pine forests and fields of Manzanita brush. Manzanita, which liter- ally means "little apple" in Spanish, is characterized by orange or red bark and twisting branches. Sometimes Manzanita grow to the height of small trees. Meet at the North Face Agnew Issue Individual Gear The mountain ranges of California are known for their excellent light qual- Day Meado Pre-trip teen surveys ity, referred to as alpenglow. When the sun is just below the horizon, a red 1 ws Duffle Shuffle glow can sometimes be seen on the opposite horizon. Look for alpenglow Camp Issue BCM Group Gear after sunset or before sunrise, when there is no direct sunlight. Instead, Camp at Agnew Meadows Campground light reflects off airborne snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmos- phere. At any time of day, the views above tree line are stunning. Day Camp at Shadow Lake: 3.34 miles 2 During wildflower season, late spring through early summer, expect lots of lupins, paintbrush, columbine, and California poppies. Watch for marmots Head west following the John Muir Trail. This trail and pikas--they are everywhere. dips south and then heads north. Keep going until Day you reach Garnet Lake. Camp east of the lake at 3 Altha Lake: 3.14 miles. Stonger groups may choose to continue (another 3 miles) to Badger Lakes. IN Other groups: summit at Thousand Island Lake from THE Day FIELD Altha Lake. 4 Stronger groups: go NE and at Middle Fork, NW to Badger Lakes for camp. Other groups: go NE to Middle Fork and traverse the land eastward over the San Joaquin River (SJR). Hike southeast to reach the final campsite along the Day SJR: 2.11 miles. 5 Stonger groups: From Badger Lake, summit at Car- son Peak: 18.88 miles. If group summited yesterday, go on to the final site at SJR for camp. Hike out this morning (SE - 3.26 miles from SJR Camp or 5.57 miles from Badger Lakes) Day Camp Clean gear / Laundry / Showers 6 Mather Pick Up Breakfast for Day 7 Evaluations & Surveys (D/A Profile) Celebration Dinner Call office with ETA Coordinate with Youth Leader for how to get teens Day HOME home. 7 Instructor debrief with RPM (volunteers not required to join.) 4 13 Area History Route Description These trails travel through national forest and a wilderness area, Overview both public lands, owned by the federal U.S. government and pro- Start at Agnew Meadows and make your northwestern loop journey up to tected from private commerical development, but for different pur- Carson Peak or Emerald Lake. poses. The initial and continued mission of the National Forest Ser- vice, established in 1905 (within the Department of Agriculture), is: Details "...the greatest good of the greatest number of people in the long Agnew Meadows is the start of this loop. Go NW to Shadow Lake. Head run.” Focused on conservation, timber and mineral deposits are up north to Altha Lake. Most groups will continue to Badger Lake and managed in a manner similar to agriculture or farmed crops. summit at Carson Peak. Go NE and at Middle Fork, NW to Badger Lakes. Summit at Carson Peak for stronger groups. Wilderness Areas were established with preservation in mind. The Other groups can summit at Thousand Island Lake. Stay two nights at Al- Congressional Wilderness Act of 1964 was approved to “secure for tha Lake. From Altha Lake go west on the John Muir Trail, then NW past the American people of present and future generations the benefits Ruby and Emerald Lakes. Beyond Emerald Lake is the summit. of an enduring resource of wilderness.” As such, Wilderness desig- nation protects the area from roads, logging, oil and gas drilling, and Altha Lake (ALTHA)-Campsite 2 to Thousand Lakes: 2.14 miles any commercial enterprises. In part, to retain the quiet, motorized Badger Lakes (BAD)-Campsite 3 to Carson's Peak: 2.81 miles and mechanical vehicles and motorized equipment are not allowed. Trail Elevation Profile* Local Environment Elevation Gain:4,996 ft. Min. Elevation:8,352 ft. Elevation Loss:4,961 ft. Max. Elevation:11,800 ft. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are an uplifted, tilted block of granite 400 miles long by 100 miles wide; the result of fault-line tectonic plate activity. Subsequent erosion, due to streams and glaciers, carved out U-shaped valleys, lakes, rugged