Report California Sightings of Venomous Yellow Bellied Sea Snakes!

 

Taken from iNaturalist

iNaturalist and Herp Mapper are asking beachcombers and hikers to document sightings 

of the highly venomous Yellow Bellied Sea Snakes washing up on our California beaches, possible due to El Nino storms.  The snakes have been reported as far north as Oxnard, although it is normally at home in tropical waters, and can give birth out at sea.   

Yellow Bellied Sea Snakes normally live in warmer tropical waters, but the effects of El Nino may be the warming of the ocean off of California. The snakes are 28-35 inches long. This bicolored cobra relative will be yellow or brown below and may have a series of black bars rather than a single black stripe on the top side.  
"The snake venom can cause damage to skeletal muscle with consequent myoglobinuria, neuromuscular paralysis or direct renal damage."
"The E. schistosa antivenom was tested specifically on Pelamus platurus, and it effectively neutralised the venom." Source link.

If you have it available, please use GPS coordinates when sending images of your sightings.  Warnings are to avoid touching the snakes, but photograph or film them, send your findings to the links above.

Visit The Reptile Database for more information and images.

Loch Leven Lakes- Donner / Tahoe Area, CA

*  If you double click on a photo below you'll be able to view each of the photos enlarged.  At the bottom of the article will be a map, an elevation profile, and a Wikiloc link for GPS tracks.

On this beautiful hike of 7.2 miles, we passed 6 lakes and ponds, each one inviting and remote.  

Difficulty:  Moderate.  Distance is flexible but also farther than beginners usually want to tackle for a day hike.  For backpacking though you do half of that each day, then 3+ miles is an easier distance.  Be prepared for rocks and tree falls though.
Elevation changes:  Ascent 1218; Descent: 1198, no section steep as you will see on the graph below.
Driving Directions:

• Take 160 toward Yuba Gap.  
• In .2 mi. turn right onto Lake Valley Road.  It turns slightly left and becomes Crystal Lake Road. 
• In .2 miles make a slight right toward Lake Valley Road.  Continue for 1 mile.  
• Make a slight left onto Forest Route 19 and drive for 3 miles. 
• Continue onto Power Line for .8 miles.  
• Continue onto Forest Route 19 for .2 miles.  
• Turn left and drive for 1 mile. 

The TH is after Huysinks.  The last 4 miles are dirt and the road conditions change, but on this trip in July 2012 I could have gotten my car there but there are some deep tire ruts and a lot of washboard or potholes. 

Notes:  If you are a backpacker, I highly recommend this popular trail and the lakes.  There is plenty of room and many campsites along the way.  Sure, there are people at the first lake but the further you go, the fewer you'll be likely to see.  For me the last lake was most beautiful and enjoyable.  The first Loch Leven Lake is large and groups were there of young people swimming.  Various backpackers were solo and had separate camps with privacy enough. 

WILDFLOWERS, for those who stop by to see what's blooming in the wilds:

This time of year is full of color and variety.  I love the macro shots like this first one.  Enlarged, you'll see the little residents and scavengers that may appear to be dirt or debris in the field!

We were also treated to a section of trail covered with these beauties.

Our hike started in the shade of brush and willows, when we suddenly stepped out into this sublime meadow.  I'm happy to report we didn't have to break out bug spray to fight off the biters that commonly stalk hikers along moist areas.

Quickly the trail reentered the woods and there were several larger fallen trees to climb over, or in the case above, through.

For the most part the trail is in good condition and easy to follow. but of course, GPS helped us along the Salmon Lake area.  We did some granite crossing and boulder scrambling in that area, all fun and nothing treacherous!

This unnamed grassy lake hid a treasure for me:  my first chance to photograph what I believe was a great blue heron.  You'll have to enlarge this to find it because I zoomed my lens as far as possible taking the photo, and still can barely see the giant bird in the tree (below).

It caught me off guard and flew down into the grasses where I thought I had missed my opportunity but at home on the laptop, there it is hiding.  Another one to enlarge or zoom in on.

So play a little "Where's Waldo?" and find the bird in the above photos.  Help me if you know for sure what type it is.  Good luck.

A bit of adventure struck us here because somehow, talking too much I guess, we lost the trail but took our time on the granite resting and snacking, taking pictures of Salmon Lake and wondering if we needed to go all the way down to the lake or not.  We opted for a bit of cross country in the compass direction of Loch Leven and with a little bushwhacking we were able to reconnect with the official trail. 

As we srolled along and greeted hikers and dogs, Loch Levens first lake presented herself in full color and beauty.  As you can see, a breeze was steady but it sure didn't slow down all the young people swimming!  They were across the lake between islands squealing, laughing, and splashing.  It did nothing to dampen my enjoyment.

 Neither did the various camps set up along the trail.  Our ambition was to get to Upper Loch Leven though so our stay was shorter here at the largest of the lakes.

My vision of what it might be like was good as gold.  No one was there but us, no splashing or tents.  We picnicked and took off our boots for a wade in the pleasantly warm shallow water.  This was a fantastic destination!

Our chosen spot was here at the southwest side of the lake where we found some boulders and a long shallow area perfect for soaking our tired dogs.  Lily had a blast splashing and digging up mud between snacking and finding sticks to be thrown.

Sunset was on our way out, but worth stopping for this shot. This was a fun moderate hike and might be a good start for a new backpacker.  Our 7.2 miles could be shortened and was a round trip total.  No bathrooms. For the day, take a water purifying means, food, sunscreen and bug spray (and your swim trunks)!

Wikiloc  for GPS.  Other tracks are available.

Related Articles:
Grouse Ridge Trails
Survivor Night on Crooked Lakes Trail
Carr Lake Under Snow

Peachy Hiker's Table of Contents
Happy Trails! 

Redwoods: Montgomery Woods State Reserve

*If you click on the photos or maps, they will be enlarged.

The World's Tallest Living Things"

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     This unique redwood grove is worth driving the winding narrow road for 30 miles out of Mendocino or a mere 13 out of Ukiah.  This Reserve began as a small donated parcel of nine acres in 1945 and has grown to over 1300 acres today.  What makes this grove special is its location, accessibility via a well maintained trail, the five memorial areas dotted with carved wooden benches, a babbling creek, and lush vegetation growing thickly beneath the majestic 300 foot tall redwoods.  Included are several varieties of ferns, sorrel, wild irises, miners lettuce and the inevitable poison oak!

     The path is reported as 3 miles by the forestry website, and I included a map as well as links in this article for more in depth information seekers.  "No dogs" is posted along with the sign shown below that says "Steep Grade".  As my friend and I easily ambled uphill, we wondered where the "steep grade" part of this loop would begin.

Montgomery Creek Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     On our right, and across from the picnic area next to the creek,

there was a gate of sorts and a wide trail heading uphill, traversing steadily and with a steeper grade, so we bounced along thinking we had found the way to the grove.  It was a sweat breaker, but I wondered quietly, "Why is this section such a mess?  How do families with children get up this?"

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     Onward and upward until we reached a chain link fence posted "No Trespassing"  and "Private Property".  We bushwhacked to the left and up a bit to see if we could see the magical redwood wonderland.  Nope.  So we turned back and headed down.  We met a couple coming up so we warned them and they turned back as mystified as we were.  I guess we have done too much bushwhacking!

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     The original bit of uphill trail WAS the steep grade.  No worries.  You and your family will have a great time wandering through the almost timeless groves although there are stairs carved into fallen trees.  In a very short distance from where we rejoined the original trail, we found the mystical redwood grove.

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     There were carved benches such as this and stairs were cut through fallen trees for ease in following the trail and maintaining the natural environment.

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

Taken May, 2012 by Ken Pugh in Montgomery Reserve

     At first the trees impressed us, but the deeper we hiked into the grove, the more awe inspiring the trees were!  I could picture children having fun running and playing hide and go seek here!

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

     Trees whose centers have been burned out become homes to a variety of birds, bats, and mammals.  In the canopy, there is estimated to be 5 to 10 times the ecomass of any rainforest!  Some limbs support 3 foot thick mats of soil and huckleberry bushes bearing fruit, along with several varieties of ferns.  The top predator is the wandering salamander who may never even touch the ground, and feeds on prey such as termites! 

Wild Iris

Redwood Sorrell thickly carpets the grove floor.  Kids who enjoy looking for 4 leaf clovers will delight in these extra large clover shaped leaves!

Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

      It seems impossible to capture the enormity of these trees that reach up to 300+ feet tall, over 30 stories high!  Their crowns obscure the sky and shade the forest floor.  Todd Dawson estimated that 1/4 to 1/2 of the redwood's water comes from fog.  This also prevents the sun from drying the ground and creates a dense green ecosystem at ground level known as understory vegetation.

Banana slug

      The map shows a single loop but there are so many directions you can go to wind your way through the grove.  It's small enough you won't get lost, and big enough to make the drive to get there worthwhile. I would suggest a picnic and cool drinks.  (The grey dotted line meandering off of the dark line is the trail we mistakenly took. As you can see from the topo lines, the elevation gain is a far cry from what the true trail called a "Steep Grade"!)

     The temperatures here stay cool, highs ranging from 52 F to 70 F and lows from 36 F to 49 F partly due to the thick redwood canopy, all the moisture it contains, and abundant shade.  I imagine there are times mosquito spray would be a necessity, although we didn't bother.  Taking layers is suggested due to the north coastal type of weather.
     Parking can be limited, so I might go early or avoid weekends, but there is also an overflow parking area across the road.  We went on a three day weekend, early afternoon, and parking was full, but with people coming and going.  It is just such a long ways from other activities, no parking could be disappointing.  Bathrooms are available near the trailhead..  The road here is full of hairpin turns and some steep hills.  In some places it was more civilized and others were potholed and one lane wide!  Take Dramamine if anyone is prone to car sickness.  Otherwise, the drive is an excellent sunny day, country day outing, with the redwood grove being a memorable destination.

The trail heading out. Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

      In researching this reserve I learned a surprising amount about the history of the movement to protect the redwoods ancient stands from logging, and the forestry's programs to replant and provide the best environment possible to support new tree growth, and logging practices evolving with our knowledge.
     I discovered things to put on my own bucket list like enriching my appreciation for these groves by traversing a redwood canopy via ziplines!  There are children's programs to provide experience in and knowledge of the complex biodiversity, and the truly unique nature of groves never logged.
     Below is a list of links that helped inform me more about adventure opportunities in the redwoods, including hundreds of miles of backpacking trails and primitive campsites, as well as newer scientific discoveries about the various ecosystems that depend on old growth redwoods.  I learned valuable information from other sources offline too, but these websites are easy for readers to access and a good start.  National Geographic's feature "Climbing Redwood Giants" is worth looking up.  I found it on Netflix.

•  The History of the Redwoods

• The Flower Society

• The Redwoods League 

"Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish. Your donations help us purchase redwood land, restore logged forests, study how to best protect them and teach children and adults about these magical expressions of life." 

• Redwood Hikes 

The best site I found for photos and information about California's Redwood Forests.  It is well researched, written, illustrated, and worth your time.  The blog has an extensive list of redwood forests, and although some information may be outdated, it is still the most organized, comprehensive guide I found.

•  Zipline the Redwoods for 2 hours

This site operates zipline tours of the forest canopy, children's educational programs, in  addition to specially arranged experiences from their campus located near Santa Cruz, and adjacent to the redwood forest.

• California Parks

California Parks government website.

• Guide to California State Parks

This is a blog by John McKinney about hiking.

     More often than not, redwoods sprout from a mother tree rather than from seed.  They call these "cathedral rings".  The trees may only bear seeds once in 10 years, and most seeds are not fertile.  A cone is the size of a tomato! Taken May, 2012 by Laura Sheffield in Montgomery Reserve

Interesting views along the drive.

The straight section of the winding road.

Overflow parking.

The foot bridge just prior to the trailhead.

Ken, and one of the grand mother trees with fire damage from the 2008 fire.

 
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