Rushing Water at Whitney Portal
"Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water. Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong, none can withstand it, because they have no way to change it. So the flexible overcome the adamant, the yielding overcome the forceful. Everyone knows this, but no one can do it." Laozi
NASA data shows that this winter's snowpack levels in California's Tuolumne River Basin, are higher than they were in the last four years combined. Think about that. This years snow fall total is more than the last four years combined. At one point this winter much of the Central Sierra had snow that was 25 feet deep. In some high mountain basins, it was deeper than 80 feet!
The last couple of weeks the warm temperature it has all that snow starting to melt in earnest! LADWP predicts that the snowpack runoff level from the Eastern Sierra Nevada will be one of the largest in the 100-plus year history of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. It could cause $500 million in damages.
What that means is in the Eastern Sierra is that water is everywhere. It is beautiful, powerful, and dangerous.
So let's start with powerful. Here are some images of some of the "small" falls in Lee Vining Creek around Aspen Campground and Big Bend Campground.
Lee Vining Creek at Aspen Campground
Lee Vining Creek near Big Bend Campground
Now for the beautiful:
McGee Creek
So one note to illustrate the amount of water now in the streams. The rock on the bottom left I was able to stand beside it and it was over my head!
McGee Creek Swirl
Whitney Portal - Feeder Stream that runs by the Trout Pond.
Whitney Portal by the store
The dangerous. Several unsuspecting folks have l lost their dogs in the swift stream currents. One lucky hiker on the PCT in the Tuolumne area got swept off his feet and lost his backpack and the rest of his gear. He was skilled/lucky and traced his path back to a road where a road crew was plowing 120. So come enjoy the beauty but respect the power that is on display and be careful of road closures due to flooding!