TRAVEL: CANOE CAMPING IN THE SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST AUGUST 2010

Our friend Joe owns two canoes and a dog, so we followed his advice and accompanied him on a canoe camping trip to Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest south of Yosemite National Park.  A dammed section of the San Joaquin River, Mammoth Pool Reservoir offers great trout fishing and boating at 3300 feet elevation in the Sierra Nevada.  Canoe camping is just like car camping, so we brought all the gear for a comfy overnight stay, including table and chairs for cooking and dining.  The drive into Mammoth Pool includes the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway and the scenery doesn't seem to be intimidated by proximity to Yosemite.  Forty miles from the town of North Fork, the byway and National Forest is accessed from CA State Route 41 and the south entrance to Yosemite.  Speaking of North Fork, we stopped for refreshments at the North Fork Super Market in town and were struck by the character of the place.  Across from the market, a Christian organization was sponsoring free hot dogs and in the market parking lot a stand offered Indian Tacos.  If you reside east of the Mississippi, you may not be familiar with Indian Tacos.  Originating as Navajo Tacos, this version of the taco is served on frybread (also known as bannock), a Native American specialty.  In addition to tacos, we got the distinct impression of a bygone era in the market - illustrated by treats such as Wright's (So Good!) Pink Popcorn.

After stocking up on supplies (beer), we drove the 40 miles to Mammoth Pool with two cars, two canoes, two dogs and three people.  Mammoth Pool feels like the middle of nowhere and it is.  And nowhere could you have a Sierra Nevada lake experience like this: we saw only five other boats the entire two-day excursion.  The boat launch is free and the ramp is easily accessed.  Joe's dog, Cody, is always overjoyed to see any body of water and proceeded to find the largest stick ever to cavort with in the drink.  Then he began this peculiar love affair with the stick, but more on that later.

Cody, the happiest water dog ever

We packed the canoes and cajoled Cody into the boat.  After launching, we paddled across the lake at a steady pace and compared the granite scenery to Yosemite.  Our dog, Fleabag, is not the happiest water dog at 14 years old.  He still loves to camp, though, and after overcoming a bout of nervous shakes in the canoe, mostly dozed as we paddled.  Fleabag appreciated the beer break on a sandy beach - accessible only at low water like we were experiencing in late summer.

Fleabag dozing in the canoe

Ted canoeing in a manly fashion

Joe and Cody in the canoe

Ted and Joe doing what they do best

We relaunched the canoe convoy and continued to tour the granite landscape.  After a short while, we struggled to paddle with the afternoon wind.  We discussed our options and opted for landing when convenient. Fortunately we sighted the ideal campsite near a green meadow and made our way over.  Obviously the campsite of choice at Mammoth Pool, the site offered a fire ring, sandy beach, level spaces under the trees and plenty of privacy when necessary.  We pitched our tents, did a little swimming and then Joe and Ted headed out in the canoe for some fishing.  Joe was intent on trout for dinner, but we had burgers as backup.

No campsite is complete without drying underwear

I stayed at camp with the dogs - who are really no good at fishing, go figure - and explored the lakeshore.  Our campsite was situated next to a meadow that was fed by a spring or creek as the grasses were still so green near the creek bed and you could see constant water seepage on the sand between the meadow and lake.  We camped well above the high water line, and the goodly distance between high water and current water level was littered with tree stumps.  But not just any old stumps, some were massive in size.  What could have led to their cutting?  I noticed some suspicious orange scum in the water that reminded me of bacterial mat at Yellowstone, but in the main, odd-colored additions to water can't be a good sign.  Luckily we had a lot of beer to keep us hydrated.  Coincidentally, I also captured some distinct bear tracks next to the creek.

Ted and Joe returned triumphantly from their fishing excursion with two trout, but we opted for burgers for dinner anyway.  Enjoying the campfire and pink clouds after sunset, we made dinner and relaxed. 

In the morning there was more swimming and fishing, so we fixed up trout (and bacon) for a late breakfast.  After breakfast we packed our gear and loaded up the canoes.  The afternoon weather was worrisome, as we had to head back directly into the wind, though the day was mostly sunny.  With effort we paddled back the way we came with only one instance of nearly tipping.  Here's my canoeing tip of the day: in strong winds, keep the canoe pointed directly into the wind, otherwise if you let the boat get sideways to the wind - you're a goner!  Due to the effort required to get back to the launch, no more photographic evidence exists, so here's some parting camp shots of our breakfast courtesy of Mammoth Pool:

On our way out we visited Wagner's Resort store, part of a concession that maintains the Mammoth Pool campground.  We were delighted by yet another instance of a bygone era in the form of the lunch counter in the store.  Picture a U-shaped counter with Naugahyde-covered stools (originally from the 50s I'm certain) and a giant menu board on the wall behind the counter.  If you've been to Yellowstone you see these vintage lunch counters in the stores at Old Faithful and Canyon.  I worked on restoring some of these counters during my various store re-model projects for Yellowstone General Stores.  We also finished the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway loop and really enjoyed the drive.  We ended up in Oakhurst for dinner at DiCecco's italian restaurant which is apparently a Central Valley chain that just recently expanded to include Colorado.  We enjoyed our calamari, pasta and meatball sandwich and our fellow diners didn't seem to mind our camping grime.

Canoe camping is great fun, but by far the most entertaining aspect of the trip was Cody's passionate love affair with various large sticks.  See for yourself (don't worry it's PG rated):

Junket Ratings:

North Fork Supermarket: Junkety-Junk-Junk

Wagner's Resort Store: Junkety-Junk-Junk

DiCecco's Restaurant: Junkety-Junk-Junk