MT PATTERSON-TOIYABE DOME-MT JEFFERSON AUG l5-18, l986

The 3 of us slept on a side road between Lee Vining & June Lake for about 3 hours, then drove on into Bridgeport for breakfast at the Sportsman's Inn & Restaurant. An off-duty CHP at Ken's Sporting Goods gave us directions on how to approach Patterson via Lobdell Lake, ie, continue on Hwy 395 approximately 12 miles to the "50 MPH Curve". At this point a dirt road branches from Hwy 395 to the north. It is signed: "Burcham Flats Rd." Follow this dirt road north approximately 3-1/2 miles to a post (6" square and 6' tall) lettered: "Lobdell Lake Rd." A dirt road leads Easterly to Lobdell Lake--a distance of about 5 miles. In dry weather, this road continues around Lobdell lake on the left (West) side and intersects a "Jeep Trail" after 1 mile. The Jeep Trail is rocky and very rough but can be driven on to about 9,500 feet, where a slide blocks further 4-wheel progress. If you could get across the slide, you could drive to within 100 feet of the summit. As it is, we had about 2,000 feet of gain in about 2 miles of hiking.

The buffet at El. Capitan in Hawthorne, Nv. was our destination for dinner and we reached it before dark by coming back through Bridgeport and on down to hwy 167, just north of Lee Vining. Hwy 167 becomes Nev 350 and leads right to the front door of El Capitan, which has, in addition to a sumptuous, inexpensive (p4.95) all-you-can-eat buffet; slots, craps, keno, poker and full-strength Martinis for $l.50. Stuffed, Ron Jones, Don Weiss and Lou Brecheen departed East on Hwy 95, 24 miles to Luning. At Luning, we took Hwy 361 North to Gabbs. Just 1 mile past Gabbs, a road turns East to the turn-of-the-century gold-mining town of Berlin, which, along with the fossil diggings of the prehistoric Ichtyosaur has been made a Nevada State Park. The road continues on through the mostly deserted old miring town of Ione. From Ione, measure 5 miles on the odometer. This puts you in the vicinity of the Reece River Ranger Station which is a half mile past a road which turns off to the East at the large, white Yomba Indian buildings. If you reach the Ranger Station you have gone too far. There is a sign at the turn-off which reads in part; "Stewart Creek". Follow the "Stewart Creek" signs at each of the several intersections and you will reach the campground at the end of the road after about 12 miles from the turn-off. Columbine Jeep trail continues on for less than a mile to a steel bar across the road. There is ample space at the campground for about 20 cars. A large grove of Aspen shelters the area. It is about 8,600'.

To reach the summit of TOIYABE DOME, walk up the road, steeply at first, for approximately 1/2 mile, where a sign on the right points to trail on the left side. The sign reads: "Stewart Creek Trail" "Toiyabe Crest Trail-- Xl/2". By walking this trail, one intersects the Toiyabe ridge about 3 miles North of the Dome itself. A good use trail continues, more or less, on top of the ridge, up and down, faint in spots, to the base of the main massif itself, where a steep trail switchbacks up to the narrow summit ridge, where two or three bumps all appear to be "highest". No register was found, although Ron Jones stated that he placed one there in person back in l980 (or was it l98l, when he and Norm Rohn were there?) The total hiking distance via this trail is approximately 8 miles--all Class 1. Hide your eyes while traversing the area of large Aspen trees. The Basque shepherds who roamed the area during the mid-1900's depicted the female form graphically on many of the trees.

To reach the summit of TOIYABE DOME via the Columbine Jeep Trail, continue straight ahead, along the road, past the sign mentioned above. Go around the signed bar blocking the road after another half mile, up through more Aspens, through a meadow, which is obviously very wet in the Spring,
 
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