Shaver Lake snow-run 2020 - Feb 15-17

[DHappel]

Feb 15-16-17

(Sat - Sun - Mon)

 

 

 

 

Will we have snow?  How much?  It's too early to make any predictions but it is time to start planning our annual Shaver Lake / Bald Mountain trip!

 

Once again we are basing the trip around the President's day weekend when many get Monday off from work/school.   The trip will 'officially' start on Saturday the 15th, making it easier for those who can't get away early to get out of the bay area without fighting Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic.  However myself and others will be coming up Friday the 14th so feel free to join in.

 

We will be holding our first BoD meeting of 2020 on Saturday in town - specific location TBD.  We'll also likely have a little pre-game trail time on Saturday.

 

The main trail run will be on Sunday this year.  We don't know what the conditions will be like of course but this should help us avoid the worst traffic on the trail should it come to that. 

 

Our campground will once again be Camp Edison.  We usually cluster along the Dogwood loop, roughly spots 221-237.  The spots are big enough to accommodate 2 vehicles per and sharing is encouraged.  Reservations can be made on-line:

 

https://www.sunriser...und/Camp Edison

 

 

A bit about Camp Edison:

 

Shaver Lake is located at the 5,500 ft. elevation, one hour northeast of Fresno in central California. The area is known for abundant outdoor activities: snow skiing, snowmobiling, water skiing, fishing, and backpacking, horseback riding, 4-wheeling and camping.

 

Camp Edison has heated bathrooms with shower facilities (tokens can be purchased with quarters on the way in), and electrical outlets for each campsite. The breakers can trip easily, so please talk to your camp mates about any heaters or equipment with high power needs you may be using. 

 

 

Once you’ve made your reservation, let us know and we’ll post who’s where.  We’re also inviting our friends from SCLR, so we’ll be looking for a few old friends to join us as well.

 

 

Don’t want to camp even with power and hot showers?  Not to worry – there are a number of places where you can have a roof over your head in the area.  Fair warning – I have not personally stayed at any of these places so check specific location and amenities yourself.

 

http://shaverlakevis...com/lodging.php

[DHappel]

General information:

 

 

Location: Camp Edison

 

Trip Leader: Dhappel

 

 

Current Weather Conditions at Shaver Lake

http://wxug.us/1pb3v

 

 

Shaver Lake webcams

http://shaverlakewebcams.info/

 

 

Camp Edison

P.O.Box 600

42696 Tollhouse Rd. 

Shaver Lake, CA. 93664

Phone: 559-841-3134

Fax: 559-841-3193

 

 

Map & GPS of Area:

Camp Edison 37° 7'19.64"N 119°18'53.75"W 

Shaver Lake Snow Run Trail Head 37° 4'6.56"N 119°10'52.67"W

Bald Mountain Trail Head 37° 6'5.17"N 119°10'11.50"W

 

 

Expected Trail conditions:

Expect deep snow fingers crossed, stay on the trial at all times or you will get very stuck very quickly.

There is always the possibility of body damage. Ruts, whoops, drifts, ice, are all common ways to crunch a panel.

If you stop forward movement, do not spin your wheels. The friction melts the snow and then freezes into ice, reducing the quality of the trail surface.

 

Vehicle Requirements: 

Chains- Chains may be required on the way to Camp Edison for vehicles on standard street tires.  AT or MT tires and 4WD (aka most of us) w/o chains are typically allowed by the CHP even when chain restrictions are in place. If you have street tires and plan to hit the trail, you will need two sets of chains. If you have not installed chains before, please test fit them before the trip. Check for clearance issues around brake or ABS lines as well as wheel wells during articulation. Stock vehicles (without chains) should remain at Camp Edison and find someone to ride shot-gun with on Bald Mountain.

 

Tires

All vehicles should be fitted with All Terrain or Mud Terrain tires and have a full sized spare. A tire repair kit is recommended. Tires aired down before hitting trail

 

Recovery Points

Strong recovery points front and rear are a must. Expect to pull someone (or yourself) from either end of your truck multiple times.

 

Required Safety & Recovery Equipment

Fire extinguisher, Hi-Lift and/or X-Jack (at least one vehicle carry one), winch (every other vehicle is optimal), recovery strap (each vehicle should have their own)

Metal shovel (shovel snow), first aid kit, repair tools and spares to suit your vehicle, tire gauge and tire pump

Emergency overnight pack of food, water, blanket

 

Trail Communications:

HAM radio 146.460 (simplex)

 

Shaver Lake Repeaters

146.820- 141.3 KE6JZ

 

Clothing Suggestions:

Snow/winter clothing- layer with base clothing that wicks sweat, polar fleece, wind/water repellent shell jacket or winter jacket; winter gloves, hat or beanie, and snow boots. Be prepared for rain/sleet as well. Sunscreen and sunglasses are recommended.  Again, we don't know what the conditions will be this far out and weather in the mountains can change rapidly.  Be prepared for anything from t-shirt weather to arctic tundra.

 

Food / Meals: 

Meal plans: BYO, or plan with others

 

After the trail we stop at the local pizza joint in Shaver Lake for tasty goodness before returning to camp.

 

Misc Items to Bring:

Camera and extra batteries, winter tent, sleeping bag and blankets, extra garbage bags, GPS unit, map of the area and compass, drinking water, fire wood 

[Andrew Wood]

I will be coming up Friday at lunch time and I am in camping spot 222

[lutz]

will also come up friday .just booked space 224

[Elherbinator]

Got 221

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobertDingli]

I’ve changed my hotel booking to the new dates and will also come up on Friday. We will head over to the campsite to say hi probably on Saturday morning.

 

For reference, we will be staying at Shaver Lake Village Hotel. 42135 Tollhouse Road, Shaver Lake, CA 93664, USA

[Andrew Wood]

For people coming up who don't have mud terrain tires I would suggest trying GoClaws made by Flex-Trax. They are a advance traction system that replaces tire chains.

[DHappel]

I’ve changed my hotel booking to the new dates and will also come up on Friday. We will head over to the campsite to say hi probably on Saturday morning.

 

For reference, we will be staying at Shaver Lake Village Hotel. 42135 Tollhouse Road, Shaver Lake, CA 93664, USA

Sorry about the confusion.  When I first posted the thread I had the wrong dates.  I corrected it the the text of the thread and on the calendar but couldn't change the title of the thread.  Eric mentioned that it was confusing people so I deleted the old thread and made a new one.

[DHappel]

will also come up friday .just booked space 224

me too!  

[DHappel]

damn - looks like the links from my copied posts didn't copy correctly.  I need to get on the road now but will try to fix them tonight.

[Mr.BlueSky]

I am very sad that I am going to miss this... it is literally the one place the Snowflake feels at home

[LP Rover]

Booked into site 217 for Friday through Monday.  Sorry you can't make it this year, Miles.  Hoping we'll get a good turnout this year and that we'll make a bit more headway than last year given we haven't had the crazy snow we had in 2019.  

[DHappel]

Booked into site 217 for Friday through Monday.  Sorry you can't make it this year, Miles.  Hoping we'll get a good turnout this year and that we'll make a bit more headway than last year given we haven't had the crazy snow we had in 2019.  

Well, the bay certainly got smacked with plenty of rain today so don't count on that light snow year just yet.

[blacklistedrovers]

I would like to join. I do not have HAM radio, is that required?

[blacklistedrovers]

Also, is anyone interested in sharing a campsite? We will go up Friday and leave Monday.

 

Our D2 is our tent. Me and Lisa and our dog Burger. So we just need a parking space and we are happy to share food and beer and of course half the camp site cost.

 

No worries if not, I will get a campsite.

Edited January 17, 2020 by badfysh

[LP Rover]

I would like to join. I do not have HAM radio, is that required?

Not required per se - but you should just splurge and buy a handheld like this for $22. That’s the primary mode of communication on club trips and is really a must have in my opinion. Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Radio 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual-Band Transceiver (Black)

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RBDiEbHQ5M1MR

Edited January 17, 2020 by LP Rover

[DHappel]

I would like to join. I do not have HAM radio, is that required?

No not required but always recommended as it just makes communications on the trail easier.  I usually bring a few extra hand held radios to loan out anyway for just such an occasion so come on up!

[lutz]

I would like to join. I do not have HAM radio, is that required?

I to will have a extra ham with me if someone needs it. Will be good to see you on the trail agian.

[blacklistedrovers]

I'll get one of those, no problem.

[blacklistedrovers]

Reserved 223

[blacklistedrovers]

Not required per se - but you should just splurge and buy a handheld like this for $22. That’s the primary mode of communication on club trips and is really a must have in my opinion. Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Radio 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual-Band Transceiver (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RBDiEbHQ5M1MR

Don't you need a license for HAM?

 

Why not just use GMRS or whatever. Regular walkie talkie type radio.

 

Just asking. I'll get the ham radio, just curious why.

Edited January 19, 2020 by badfysh

[DHappel]

Yes, you need a license.  It's pretty easy to get and is inexpensive.  The simplest way is to find a local club hosting a 'ham cram' - a one-day session where you can walk in with zero prep, spend half a day learning the answers to the test (they don't really teach you much about radio, they assume you'll pick that up once you start using it - they just want to get you a license) then after lunch you take the multiple-choice test and they grade it right there.  Most people pass pretty easily, though a few will fail and have to re-take it.  

 

With all that said, for the sort of stuff we do a lot of people are not licensed.  It's true that technically this is a federal crime, however using a low power hand held radio on simplex (basically like a walkietakie) you're only covering a small area and only the hardest of the hard core radio types would be likely to call you out much less attempt to track you down and report you; even then it's questionable if the FCC would have any interest in taking any action.   I have literally never heard of it happening.  Further, there is a provision within the law for an unlicensed user to use a radio while 'under the control' of a licensed user.  I believe that would mean they were sitting in the same truck as you but not 100% sure on that.  

 

Of course we would strongly encourage everybody to get their license.  As noted, it's fairly painless and opens up a lot of possibilities.  

 

As for why HAM vs CB, FRS, GMRS, etc, there are a number of reasons.  

 

HAM is FAR superior.  It has more frequencies you can use, even with the most basic Technician class license.  It has far more powerful radio options.  FRS is I believe limited to 2 watts.  CB 4w.  GMRS varies somewhat based on which channel you're on but I think is 4 or 50w.  (don't quote me on those, I pulled that from memory)  HAM can go up to 1500w.  Of course a typical mobile radio is more likely to be 50.  Also the antenna limitations of some of the other services can be a problem while those are not such an issue with HAM.  Also HAM is simply far more common.  But the single biggest advantage of HAM is the repeater network.  A repeater is basically an automated station located somewhere on a mountain top or similar with good coverage.  You can talk to it and it re-broadcasts your signal to a much broader area than you could ever reach from a mobile unit at a lower elevation.  For us, the most well know is the 805 network.  This is a network of different repeaters that work together to cover much of the Sierras from Truckee to Sacramento.    While you can't hit it from every valley, it's huge.  Plus it's also tied into the interwebs, so you can access it from an app on your cellphone from literally anywhere in the world.  

 

There's much more beyond that, like position tracking via APRS, etc.  I'm not nearly enough of a radio nerd to explain half of it.  But as for why HAM, it's just better.

 

One of our buddies is a big HAM nerd and has a website geared toward off-road HAM use.  He also teaches classes and has a study program you can use to then go in and take the test on your own if you don't want to do a CRAM.  You'll have to forgive him somewhat, he is a toyota guy.  https://myoffroadradio.com/

[HAVMALL]

Uh oh, dates changed nevermind, cant make it Edited January 20, 2020 by HAVMALL

[DHappel]

Uh oh, dates changed nevermind, cant make it

Actually the dates didn't change, there was a typo on the original header but it was always the same on the calendar and in the description of the event.  But the forum software doesn't let you change the header and it seems some people were only looking at that so I eventually had to delete the old post and create a new one.

 

The short of it is we're still using President's day weekend just like the last several years.  

[HAVMALL]

Actually the dates didn't change, there was a typo on the original header but it was always the same on the calendar and in the description of the event. But the forum software doesn't let you change the header and it seems some people were only looking at that so I eventually had to delete the old post and create a new one.

 

The short of it is we're still using President's day weekend just like the last several years.

Oh ok got it. No worries, will be sad to miss it non the less(Or maybe I can trade weekends with someone )

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk