A friendly yellow-bellied marmot

I had to sweet talk this yellow-bellied marmot for 20 minutes to come out from under a rock at 11,500 feet in August. I think he (or maybe she) thought I was going to toss out some food. No such luck for the critter.

Bugs were eating me alive as I shot this photo. Didn't seem to bother the marmot.

There were marmots, pikas and other small mammals all over the place. It looked like spring up there in late August. This was Dusy Basin in Kings Canyon National Park.

At night, there was not a breath of wind. It was a toasty 55 degrees. Loved the sound of dripping glaciers at night. And the daytime sights were equally amazing.

Next year's trek -- wanna go?

A few ideas about the next trek to the top of the watershed:

* I'm not driving 250 miles next time. I want to backpack out of Florence or Edison lake in the San Joaquin River watershed.

* Buy the bug-proof clothing and a ton of bug spray. I will not go to sleep in my tent again staring at splotches of my own blood coming out of smashed mosquitoes.

* Get a scientist to go with me. Maybe a hydrologist. Maybe a geologist or a biologist. Might be a little more crowded. But it would make good conversation. And what about asking other journalists to join us? A few issues-oriented discussions over a campfire?

* Take another 20-something along. Mark Crosse and his son, Tim, came along and it was wonderful hearing Tim's thoughts. He's also amazing at quoting the funny lines in the film "Ghostbusters."

* The elevation-reading device from L.L. Bean does not work. It measured at least 400 feet lower than we actually were most of the time. But the temperature, time and barometer stuff was pretty helpful.

* Nothing else. Other than the bugs and the cheap elevation gadget, I had the right gear and the right distance at the right elevations. Too bad spring was just popping out at 11,500 feet in August.

Sierra trek: reaction to reactions

Just a note after having a few conversations about the post on the high Sierra trek.

* For the folks who dearly love extreme sports in the Sierra, more power to you. I mean no offense by pointing out that many people would consider your passions to be slightly crazy. Your passions indeed are slightly crazy.

* For naturalists who appreciate all facets of the Sierra, including swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitoes, I see where you're coming from. I just don't want to be sitting anywhere near you when you're appreciating those maddening bugs.

* For the people who don't see why I fuss so much about the Sierra and its importance to California, I get it. And it's fine by me. But you breathe air. You turn on the tap, and the water comes out. Do we need the Sierra for those basic things? Yeah. If you live in California, you pretty much need that hulking mountain range.

* For you government wonks in various agencies dealing with the Sierra, thanks for your views on technical details. In your travels and work in the Sierra, I urge you to be as passionate as any one of the people I mentioned above.