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 Post subject: Our Expedition Into The Iceberg Wilderness & Highland Lakes
PostPosted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:39 pm 
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Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:38 am
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
Our Expedition Into The Iceberg Wilderness & Highland Lakes On 8/9/2012

This would be our second expedition to the Highland Lakes region as previously my last time up here we hit a bad hail and rain storm. The weather most of the year can be brutal here with thunderstorms in the summer and massive blizzards in the winter months.

Highland Lakes sits at over 8k they are some of the higher lakes found in the Sierras. The Iceberg Wilderness is similar to the alps generally they stay snow capped all year around however due to a mild winter 95% is gone which has its advantages if your a peak climber like me.

The road that takes you back up to the lakes is a bit rugged its very secluded as well. It crosses over creeks and takes you down into this deep canyon full of woods. All you can see around you are massive peaks some of them as tall as 12k. My goal of revisiting here would be to attain Bigfoot evidence but to also explore some of its more famous peaks in the region.

I do not care what anyone says the area is another world and although we gave you a birds eye view of it last year ago this time around would be different. As with most of our expeditions their would be over 20 miles of pure hiking. Hiking produces great results for our group the problem is finding anyone who wants to do it its very far and a few between believe me.

Allot of you think the wild west is about deserts and ghost towns this is not always the case. Its also about those who built small communities and cabins in the woods. When the snow came their cabins became buried all winter long. Meanwhile many of these trails and passes I hike through were once the site of thousands of immigrants passing through the sierras via wagon and horseback.

I was excited to return here as last year ago when the storm hit we couldn't get any work done although we took some great photos I can promise you the ones we took on this expedition will blow your mind. I always set goals for myself and that would be to at least make the journey atop of Hiram and Folgers Peak. The rest would be all chance and exploration.

I would leave on a Thursday get the food, gear, dogs etc packed on up. My truck gets so full with supplies their really is no room for much else. We desperately need other team members so we can get bigger camps going in major Bigfoot territory. We headed on out it was so hot here in Carson Valley I couldn't wait to just get up deeper into the mountains where its much cooler.

The Iceberg Wilderness is one of the coolest areas in the Sierras so at night it does drop down in the summer as if you are in natural air conditioning. My goal would be to find some Bigfoot evidence in the region as when you explore somewhere new you just never know if your going to find anything. Unlike these TV shows who make claim to find something no matter where they go or should I say fake evidence to make it look as if they are busting balls when in fact its pay me for the crowds best reaction.

However I do what I do out of the love for the outdoors all the way from the wildlife we come across to the paranormal. I will say this has to be one of the oddest camping trips I ever been on in my life. Every camping trip brings a whole new series of surprises but this one had its fair share more so then any other one. That includes wild cattle that roam the woods its the weirdest thing I ever seen besides some of my paranormal encounters.

Once we hit Ebbetts Pass we were nearly home free as we pulled down the long dirt road you know your almost there when you see an old barn with wild flowers growing everywhere. This is besides the point that their are a bunch of old cabins in the area some may date back to a century ago its pretty intriguing. But the Highland Lakes area was ranch land and today it really still is despite its seclusion up in the mountains.

When we passed upper Highland Lake dozens of fishing were jumping out of the water. I thought to myself man their is my dinner yummm. As you pass by the Mokelumne River which is just a small creek it is hard to believe how fast and large the river grows as you get into the foothills. In Highland Lakes parts of it are just trickling water while other parts are just dried out.

Further up the road was lower Highland Lake I would make my turn to the left into the forest then pull down this dirt cut off where we found ourselves a nice campsite. The campsite was on the edge of the lake and at the tree line. I have to say it was one of the best places I ever camped at I could fish, set up my hammocks, put my tent in front of the fire pit and sit at the table under shade to enjoy a nice lunch. I felt like I had it all with hiking access to multiple locations it truly would be a remarkable adventure. Nightfall would set on in and our expedition would began here!

Highland Lakes & The Carson-Iceberg Wilderness

Day 1

It does not take long for nightfall to set in here nor is it easy trying to pitch the tent in the dark. Lucky for us we have lanterns and lights. Hell I think its the best we ever pitched the tent and thanks to Tammy's great sewing the holes Rascal put in are no longer visible.

We had a nice dinner always the first night of camping anywhere we try to eat a decent meal. I have firewood however their was no room for it so the boys gathered some. I looked for some out in the woods with my son we managed to find enough to keep a fire going.

Our first night there the area was pretty barren hardly anybody camping on up there. Generally their are times nobody is up here due to the fact snow is up here most of the year. But with the warmer summer more campers seem to have been coming in so their was others spread out throughout both of the lakes including somebody doing some tripod night photography.

Not to far that evening from the lake shore I did find a very large track I did not measure it till the next day but sometimes around camp I like to see if anything came through scavenging anything left behind from other campers.

I also could not help noticing something moving around the woods the night we arrived sure it could have been an animal and it probably was. This is not an area to mess around in their are bear in the woods and allot of wild animals. They can smell the food for miles and come on in through the wilderness that surrounds the entire camp.

We would eventually find us a well where we could fill up the dogs water. The one well was broken or hell maybe dried up I wouldn't doubt it. Its pretty primitive back here not allot of amenities accept for well water and a couple small bathrooms.

Although you always try to wonder what it is breaking that branch or if your being watched. Without thermal cams its hard to know what is out there staring at you from the woods. The dogs were a bit uptight they didn't want to sit out with me and generally I am always the last one to bed. That is after I drink a couple beers near the fire, eat some smores and sky watch.

I was in the middle of filming when I got up to go to the bench and see a mouse sitting there on the bench. Sometimes you expect to see a racoon or some other animal. But a little mouse sitting on the bench was a bit of a surprise. You see signs that say watch for bears but generally they should post watch for rodents.

My first night here was a restless one although I must say I didn't really even need to sleep in the sleeping bag it was warm all night. Like I said this is a rare thing in these parts so we got lucky perhaps. I would need rest as I would be facing off against Hiram Peak the next morning.

Day 2

Waking up to breakfast and a pretty girl in a bikini swimming in the lake is like heaven itself. I wish Highland Lakes was not so cold even though its clear its probably not the most comfortable swim. Over the course of my camping their were many women who went down to the water to go for a swim. Some jumped in and jumped out within minutes while others got their feet wet and ran lol. I had my fair share of cold water incidents in my years of being a paranormal investigator trust me. I have fallen in icy rapids....through ice.....and even been in rain storms for hours while on expedition. I left the lake to the pretty women who do not mind freezing id rather be above the lakes climbing a cliff.

My sons and I would head out on a journey to Hiram Peak if you can find the trail to the top which is steep but fast it doesn't take very long. Unfortunately when we left to go back into the woods we hit a trail that split off in so many different directions that we lost sight of how we were going to reach the top of it.

Behind our camp little did we know over a ridge their was just miles of wilderness, meadows, wildflowers and multiple little lakes. Well more like ponds as most of them were only a few feet deep and up to a hundred feet across. Their was one pond however that was only about fifty feet across and you could tell it was deep as you could not see the bottom and was very blue.

These little ponds we circled around looking for prints I found some toe impressions in some mud but then again a sneaker impression which means that someone may have gone for a swim in one of them. The water in the shallow little lakes and ponds was much warmer then the deeper highland lakes.We found a dry creek bed as well and it was truly very lush back here. The problem is their were so many trails all of them lead somewhere just none of them seemed to take us up to the top of Hiram Peak.

To our right we could see steep includes leading up to the top of the peak with sheer cliffs above that. So by the time you climb the steep grade then you would have to find a way to climb the rocks that is if you wanted to get to the top which we did but looks can be deceiving with mountains of the sierras. Things are never what they seem to you are physically a few feet away from it.

We could see the ridge on top of Hiram Peak the problem was is getting there the little rugged trail we passed by and were going around the entire backside of the mountain. We followed the trail up a hill which led us around to this massive canyon below us with miles of vast wilderness. Which left us with trying to devise a plan to get to the top then walk the ridge all the way to the front of the mountain which overlooks Highland Lakes below.

Climbing the hills was a bit challenging we hit some brush but nothing like Bear River Reservoir. The views of Airola Peak nearly made me want to change course as that peak is another amazing one adjacent to Hiram. But instead we cut to our rights making our way up the foot hills till we began climbing on all fours up to the side of the mountain. We seen a deer hop out in front of us that was hiding behind some foliage that thing leaped right down the side of a mountain making me wonder at times why I was not born with four legs instead.

Unfortunately we didn't realize that being on the backside of Hiram Peak was a much more challenging climb not for a deer but for us YES. We hit a series of rock formations that we would have to climb on up. It was nearly straight up rock climbing and ledges for nearly a hundred feet. When we reached a small incline we thought we had reached the top of the ridge found on top of the mountain but little did we know we had more obstacles awaiting us which would be a cliff. It was either climb up or risk climbing down and slipping on the loose rock.

The boys and I cliff climbed for nearly another 100' at times we would work our way up a crevice that way we could wedge our feet between some of the rocks. I stayed below to help the boys on up honestly they did allot better then I did the older you get the harder it is to pull your beer gut up any mountain I do not care what anyone says lol.

The other problem was falling rocks whenever I seen some lose rocks I would purposely knock them loose so they would not be a risk during the climb. The other issue is we kept climbing and climbing still not reaching the summit it was as if their was no end to this mountain. What was suppose to be an easy 45 minute hike to the top turned into a level five free climb. Their were some spots we could break at like rocks we found in the crevices or protruding a ways out to rest on but very few. A few times my son grabbed my hand when climbing and my youngest I had to push up onto a rock we worked really good in sync together.

We made it to the top of this small summit with cliffs on every side of us and realized that we would have to continue following a narrow ridge where we would again have to cliff climb to Hiram's Summit. We would work our way down this saddle climbing down cliffs on both sides had to take it real slow. Then we started to once again climb to another summit built into this majestic peak. It was a small cliff and when we arrived on top we had to crawl across a narrow ridge. Imagine crawling across a narrow bridge with cliffs on both sides. I helped each of the boys past this spot as one slip could mean falling.

We had one last challenge and that would be to climb up a wall onto a narrow ledge where we could get onto a much wider ridge. Climbing is not dangerous however for people who are scared of heights those fears can get you killed. Lucky for my sons and I we been traversing mountains for the past few years so you really get use to it.

When we climbed over a pile of rocks which was perhaps one of the highest points on Hiram we found a metal box. Inside were pencils and log books where you could sign your name to. Their were stories from many various hikers about how scary it was to be up here some of them talked about its a gift from god. I read allot of stories before writing my own. My younger boy wrote his own story the older one signed his name to the books. It was a fairly heroin moment for us you have to understand that we didn't take the trail to the top we literally climbed straight up the backside of the mountain ending up on three summits that afternoon.

We followed the summit down to the ridge which would take us to some overlooks of Highland Lakes, our campsite and great views of Folgers Peak just across the lower lake. I told the boys tomorrow were standing on top of that peak and I was not kidding about it either.

We sat at the top of Harim's ridge which looked straight down at the Lower Highland Lake eating snacks and drinking. I had a brew to celebrate the climb their was almost two points I fell to my death one of them happened in a crevice where I was 50' up and I went to step down on a ledge as it completely collapsed. I was so glad to be in one piece. I was also lucky that I was hanging on with my arms and not just relying on footing only so yeah a beer and cigar was necessary.

From where we were at we actually found the trail we were suppose to take off the mountain. It is easier to see from on top of the mountains ridge. But from below you really cant see it to well its not marked and other paths lead you to other places below Hiram. Some of them dead end at cliffs so we had no idea other then to go up till we actually made it to the top.

The hike down was simple as it switch backed all the way down to the forest floor within 20 minutes we were off the mountain without any rock climbing or cliffs. We actually seen a guy climb this huge incline of loose rock and by the time I made my way to the bottom of the trail he was also cliff climbing. He did not take the same cliffs as us but I am pretty sure he didn't mean to go that way to the summit either. Its a good mountain to climb if your into cliff climbing and are looking for a moderate challenge. Sure their are dangers but the rocks have allot of places that you can grip onto. Once you overshoot the trail along the mountain its go up or go all the way back so I didn't feel so bad.

We ended up following the steep trail all the way down to the Lower Highland Lake which is the way we should have originally taken.We must had pissed off a bumble bee because the thing stayed with us for a quarter of a mile landing on my son and I. Eventually I had us leave the path and cut straight down this wash which is usually a fairly active creek that drains out into lower Highland Lake. However in this instance it was not much of a creek but rather some mild trickling water and the ground surrounding it was a bit muddy. Their were allot of wild flowers we encountered as we left Hiram behind. I looked up and could not believe we stood right on the edge of the overlooks and here we are back down at the bottom walking around the lake. The summit overlooked my camp it was so close at least closer then I thought from the front side. The only upside to all that extra hiking and climbing is that we got to see some great views behind Highland Lakes that normally most people do not get to see.

Their was a couple women on the lake sunbathing and someone was canoeing. Some people do not do the heights thing but my kids were pretty happy to share that experience with me. Rock and cliff climbing is allot of fun and when you can sign your name to the logs you just made history.

When we approached camp we heard bells ringing I was like WTF then all of sudden from my campsite were a whole herd of cattle running out of the woods. I know my dog probably scared them and then they looked at us booking. I was like what the hell was that about and I guess Tammy was in the hammock when she woke up to having cattle staring at her in the face. Not something you expect to see but it was good to be back at camp for lunch.

We would have lunch although my day was far from over I had another hike planned before nightfall in the works. There is so much to see and do out in this region that I wanted to get the most out of it. More importantly I wanted to get some Bigfoot evidence if possible. Hiram was more like a warm up exploration sure I got some of the best views of the lakes and other peaks in the region. But it ate into a large part of our day due to us not being able to find a way to the summit we ended up conquering it from the backside.

Tammy and I had plans to hike up to Asa Lake or at least on the Gardner Meadows Trail head which takes you to the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is very well known it goes for miles on end through some of the most beautiful regions of the sierras. For us however nothing ever goes as planned sometimes a detour means better results for finding Bigfoot and other times it means a huge headache.

We parked at this one trail head mainly for horses where a hillbilly in a chair waved at me. I read some information on endangered foxes in the area that have red hair. If you see them your to report them as they are found in this region and they had photos of them. So I made sure I studied them because being that I go off the trail allot I might have seen one.

Tammy and I realized this trail went many miles northward then curved around to the right/east to Asa Lake. The problem was that it would be nightfall in no time so we would definitely have to take the Gardner Meadow Trail head. We would find the meadow where the trail head was eventually however someone smashed the wooden sign to pieces.

In the meadow were cows roaming around most of them ran with the exception of a black one which just stood their staring at me. All I thought to myself is that I had hoped their were no bulls around I am not sure id make a good rodeo clown then again the thought of baring my ass to a charging bull is something I do want to try someday just not in the middle of the wilderness.

The meadow trail head ended at the drive riverbed of the Mokelumne River their was allot of high grass around and it was muddy. Their was some water trickling but not enough to submerge yourself into and we would have to cross the marsh land. Tammy completely lost her shoe in the mud and was standing their in just her sock. I had to back track to help get her shoe out fun stuff but we made it across to more stable land.

We could not find a solid way up over the mountains in front of us without climbing them as the lake was about a mile on the otherside of them. Tammy and I followed the dried river bed westward where we found a less steep hill to climb. Since we could not find the trail to get to Asa Lake my other plan would be to climb the hill see if I could find us the trail on the otherside of it. Maybe we were missing it but it doesn't seem like anything is very well marked out here its easy to get off the trail or get lost unless you do not mind the whole offbeat thing which I do not.

We climbed a hell of a steep series of hills which gave us great views of upper Highland Lake. However Tammy was not feeling well and I was not satisfied with the view. I still could not see what was on the otherside of these mountains but I figured if we couldn't get to Asa Lake I could get high enough to film or photograph it from afar.

I ended up climbing higher up could not see any end to the peak the hill was actually a mountain go figure. I ended up on all fours eventually making it between two mountains where their was a saddle. In between the saddle was a hiking trail maybe this was our trail but it wouldn't matter because the sun was going down quick. We spent nearly over an hour looking for the trail to take us back to the lake and it never transpired. The woods were overgrown, dark and eerie their were no trails.

When I reached the end of the saddle I realized you could hike down into this big massive valley below. There were meadows, ponds, woods etc all below me to venture on into. I would cut to my left out of the saddle where I would end up at the summit which overlooked Bear Meadow below or possible it could have been Gardner Meadows not sure. I could see the meadow below and then narrowed into a canyon which more then likely ended up intersecting with the Pacific Crest Trail. I could see a giant open area in the distance this probably was where Asa Lake was located but it was a good mile away.

At the summit or just below it I did find allot of cattle hoof impressions which means that the cattle may work their way over the mountain to get to the mountain. I am not sure how that works out considering at the summit it had to be a 1000 feet down as I looked at the meadow below. That meadow had over 50 cattle grazing including a creek that meandered through the center of it. Some of them were drinking while others were grazing. Even as high as I was I could heard dozens of bells ringing as each cow has a bell around its neck.

I also found something weird at the summit which was a giant track in some softer earth. It looked as if something was trying to climb up and its foot slid. The impression was rather deep so was the track. Whatever made it slipped which leads me to believe that even though Bigfoot remains elusive he is far from perfect when it comes to him mountain climbing. This peak I was on had no trees I believe its part of an old volcano so its just one giant summit of rock which gives you great views of the Iceberg and Mokelumne Wildernesses.

The sun went down behind the mountain to the west to the east the forest and mountains were darkening quick. I had to get off the summit fast perhaps to fast because I slipped on loose rock sliding for nearly 15' as their are no trees or much foliage on this mountain. Their was some grass growing on the one side but the crown was all loose rock which makes it hard to grip onto anything period.

Tammy and I were standing on the giant hill when we thought someone was in our truck. I zoomed in with the cam and laughed when I realized that the cattle were looking in our windows. The same black cow that I came face to face with had his nose pressed against the passenger window while other ones were checking out my truck. It looked like an African Lion Safari only it was an American Cattle Safari!

Nightfall had set in by the time we made it to the truck the cattle were gone but we had to make our way across the muddy riverbed and back to the lake where we parked at. I was just happy that I had the chance to climb on day two a couple of summits. Although I didn't make it to Asa or Half Moon Lake I did get a nice view of the surrounding mountains in the region during sunset and a meadow below. I also found that large strange track which really was found at an area that overlooks upper Highland Lake and a very primitive region of the Iceberg Wilderness in the Stanislaus National Forest.

We would go back to camp have a good dinner I did some fishing was not having any lucky. These trout seemed very reluctant to bite my line then again nobody was catching any fish that was the big disappointment about the trip. You always hope to land a bit one for the fire.

I was at this point pretty beat down but was ready for the next day of adventuring which would prove to be the most difficult day of all. That night a Vole ran through our camp Tammy yelled hey its a rat but it wasn't. I told my son to chase it away from camp and he did. The Vole instead ran under his foot and he stepped on it killing it by accident. Rodents are suppose to run away from you in this case it ran right at him under his foot.

It was a strange day nothing went as planned but everything worked out as I had hoped. I had to muster enough strength for Day 3 that would be a challenging one and would test my limits. You could spend your whole life here you would never see everything in this region so to try to pack in all of this in a few days would take a toll on me.

That night I did a little fishing I didn't have any luck not sure what the deal is with he fish at Highland Lakes. I guess I fished to late at night or arrived back to camp to late. Strange how at Cole Creek we caught some brook trout late at night but the fish at this lake just had no interest period.

Day 3

This would be the most intense expedition day of our entire trip. My morning goal would be to climb to the summit of Folger Peak. While I spent time on Hiram I was able to spot a wash that went nearly to the summit so we would try to follow that to the top. Although their was a trail that leads to the top it actually would take more time to get to the summit using it so to cut our climb time down we would take this way.

As we gathered our gear we packed this time allot more food and drink as this is a peak that towers over 10k. It may not be the largest in the region but it is still a beast to get to the top of and even though a summit may look a stone throws away its really not.

We would cut directly through the woods over a dry week and right up into the wash. Looking straight up at the peak is a bit intimidating their is no lying about it being a steep climb. We followed along side the wash up to nearly the summit through wild flowers and at times a bunch of loose rock. The loose rock is a pain because you have to constantly dump them out of your shoe.

Their really is not anything to grab onto no rock formations or trees its just a gray and brown mountain without any shade from the sun at all. The boys and I were making good time within a half hour we could see the summit within our reach.

Their was another group of hikers they had a baby on their back they were on some trail. We did not take the trail but we would follow it back out to see where it goes out of curiosity. The views we left to our backs were of both Highland Lakes. We were almost nearly level with Hiram Peak as well just climbing now on opposite ends of this giant valley.

The final climb was a few hundred feet their was a path with allot of small stones fine like gravel it was very steep and our feet kept sinking in it. We had to stop a couple times to dump the gravel out of our rocks. It was much worst here because the entire summit is a bunch of loose rocks and at the summit is a small slab that only a few people can physically stand on it.

The path ended up traversing to our left which right along it was a massive cliff you get to close to that its all over for you. When we reached the summit which was a series of rocks you had to climb we sat their and fairly didn't move much. You have three cliffs on each side of the summit although I did stand on the edge a few times to get my photo taken of all the sierras behind me I had to be extremely cautious.

The group of people with the baby never came up to the summit one of the men did he also stood at the edge of the cliff walking around us. Its an exhilarating feeling as long as you do not mind the whole heights thing. It was kind of windy up here but we had a nice half hour to sit and relax. We brought food and drinks I smoked a cigar leaning back. I was able to see the Spicer Reservoir from up here I thought it was the Stanislaus River my bad but in fact its this giant reservoir in this canyon about 10 miles away. Which would be the basis later for me trying to hike to it till things took a bad turn.

We left the peak in a really good mood Hiram peak was more challenging then again Folgers may have been if we climbed on its back side as well considering the cliffs and steepness. We seen an older man who came up to the peak he asked me what mountain this was. All the guy had was a small bottled water I thought to myself how the hell did this guy make it up with so little water considering how hot the sun was. But I guess taking the trail can really cut down on your climb time especially if you leave it and cut right down into the foothills.

Anyhow the view was stellar I seen Mount Raymond another peak I conquered last year ago and some other really awesome sites in the sierras that I been to. Their was some really great scenery from this peak 360 degrees which is going to look great on our site to give you an idea of why we think Bigfoot roams this region. You will never see anything like this in your life its vast that I will say.

The trail on the way down was not to bad we actually took it along the peaks crown and eventually walked right down the ridge for a little ways. We found wild flowers all along the path and some lower hills that overlooked the lakes that allowed us to take some really nice shots of one another.

We were just above the trees where the camping area was and walking down rolling green hills of flowers. When we ended up coming out of the woods we were minutes away from our camping area. On my way I seen a massive log which I went and got my truck to pick up. This thing was definitely over 100lbs much larger then the tree stump I burned the night before that I found. This thing probably could burn for a day it was as large as my trucks backseat.

Nothing irritates me more however then people who cut down trees Highland Lakes has woods but they are patchy problem is if you cut down all the trees then their is no shade. We had somebody camping near us who was sawing down small trees while we seen a fresh century old tree cut into 5 pieces across the road from us. Their is so much free firewood if you just hike and find it. Hell some parts of the sierras the rangers cut it up and have signs to take some so I just do not get it. I have never had to cut a tree or foliage down no matter where I camped. I am a tree hugger oh well I love trees hate to see people cut them down then they don't even use the wood really.

I would come back to have lunch we were only gone a few hours great time considering the monster we just climbed. The boys did a good job I have taught my kids so much over the past few years. They have out done any investigator I have ever had they have done the rock, cliff and mountain climbing with me numerous times. As a matter in fact they have saved my ass a few times from falling. But I have also taught them safety and everything else. If we had more investigators I could pass down my knowledge to them but lets face it to many people are to scared to live.

I was pretty tired honestly storm clouds were coming in I seen them on Folger Peak thought I could beat them or stay away from them. My goal was to hike into the Iceberg Wilderness this would be a trip for just Rascal and I. Rascal I am training to track down Bigfoot he does okay but he is still very young and has allot to learn about the outdoors.

The hike down into the Iceberg Wilderness is a challenging one as it goes into this deep canyon following Highland Creek which drains from the Lower Highland Lake. The trail is very steep to a point that without proper footing you may fall and slide as the trail takes you right to the canyon floor.

In the canyon are meadows, woods, massive rock formations and cliffs everywhere. Its a wide canyon perhaps up to a mile wide and its like being in a lost world. As we made our way into the canyon deeper it was obvious some of those peaks towering over us had to be 12k I felt so small roaming this canyon.

At times we lost the trail no its not marked sometimes it splits off other times its overgrown or trees cover the pathway. So our first time we were turned around I was just roaming the woods when I came across it again. Even more so the trail off and on crosses Highland Creek so it was a good way for Rascal to get a drink if he needed one.

The skies were darkening and we heard thunder but I continued onward. The path at times was 12" wide so again we had trouble following it. Rascal though kept finding it for me as he always stays a couple feet to the front then at times we switch and I lead. Its kind of odd but if he is not sure of something he lets me lead so I can show him such as crossing a log or going around some obstacle. Unfortunately I sprained my left ankle again this is the fourth time it was not as bad as the other ones but it just shows you how week my ankle has become since I injured it in Yosemite. I had to keep pushing on despite the fact that I rested for about 10 minutes for the pain to subside.

We came across a giant open area with very little trees growing in it. Their was a ton of rocks it was like a drive lake or river bed. It was obvious that it was dried out as their were banks 4' high indicating that water once filled this area. What was confusing about it is the trail ended at this dry lake bed I didn't find any trail after that despite someone made a homemade rock arrow pointing straight ahead. What I did find however is two creeks flowing on each side of the canyon and the one in the middle was dried up.

As I hiked further up the canyon we found some parts of the Highland Creek that widened and was deeper water. Their was even some small waterfalls and things of that sort. I am not sure how many times we crossed the creek to make our hike a bit easier. I felt that if I followed the creek long enough it would take me to the Stanislaus River an area I have had luck with when it comes to Bigfoot.

By this time we were a few miles up into the canyon so the thunderstorm missed us by a hair as dark clouds were being left behind. However the sun came out strong and my arms burned bad. I had to carry triple in my backpack which also cut into my shoulders. I did not have any investigators with me to help with supplies so it made the hiker that much more difficult.

Their were parts of the creek that were reduced to a mere pool of water you could see trout trapped in these small pools with nowhere to go. I thought to myself that if I had to survive I could make a fire catch one and have it to eat if it was necessary. I also found some hidden primitive campfire sites with stone fire pits built by other backpackers.

On a hillside looking down at us I seen that rare endangered Red Fox looking at us. It had red fur but it was a bit larger then I expected. When I looked at it as we both stared eachother down it ran off very fast. Maybe Rascal scared it but the chances of seeing a creature like this is rare like a needle in a hay stack.

Being in the canyon was very lush their was an area we went the foliage was so thick I had to crawl through it and it would come out to some hidden place in the woods. I kind of felt as if I was in some adventure movie because the canyon offered everything a hiker could ever want. Their were cool pools of water, rapids, waterfalls, rocks as large as houses, woods, meadows etc. The problem is even if you are heading deeper into the canyon you really cannot see what is around you just massive cliffs and peaks towering above you.

Rascal and I found our first Bigfoot track off the path like I said we were not longer on any path at all. It looked like to me their was three creeks that flowed throughout the canyon most of them were dried on up or barely flowing nothing more then a foot deep. My track we found was hidden in the woods were not even sure where but it was hidden in some thick brush measuring about 17 inches and extremely wide. It was obvious something stepped down and gave away to something very heavy. Not to far from this location we found some stool much more and larger then what any human could producer.

We followed the creek for awhile at times crossing it other times climbing the rocks to tower above it. This canyon was like an obstacle course and without a decent trail we just had to head towards the direction of Spicer Reservoir.

I noticed I seen something else that was odd perhaps not to those who study birds. But I seen a bird with about an 8' wingspan fly up from around a bend in the creek. I could not get a photo off in time of it but a quarter mile later once again I spooked it and it flew off this time for good. I am not sure what kind of bird it was maybe a condor who knows but it was large. Very large compared to the hawks that circled Folgers Peak earlier that day.

Rascal and I came on up to some barbed wire we were on the wrong side of the creek. We had to cross it in hopes of getting back on the trail. The trail actually was back around the otherside of the creek problem is we had no way to get to it so we went underneath the barbed wire. It really didn't matter much because cattle roamed both sides of the fence so I was not sure how Rascal would react as I could hear bells ringing from all over the place around us.

Rascal and I climbed a hill to get a better look at the area we could see hoof prints everywhere as we were in a muddy flat area of land. Their was a creek actually flowing down the hill that we crossed it was obvious we were approaching some meadow.

When we reached the meadow we came around the corner and sure enough their were cattle grazing. Rascal took off full speed after them chasing them towards Highland Creek. He then circled back around chasing them through the brush and down some trail we were hiking down. The cattle ran past me then came Rascal behind them barking. I could hear the cow bells fading and Rascal was gone.

At the same time this was happening I seen a giant rabbit come out of the brush sit down and look around. This was the largest rabbit I have ever seen must had stood a few feet high. Hell I told Tammy it looked more like a Wallaby. I continued to head south down the canyon looking for Rascal calling him. The foliage was thick I couldn't see him just heard cow bells ringing everywhere even ran into some cattle face to face. I did not know if Rascal was stomped on or if he was lost.

I stayed close to the creek was calling him when I heard a female voice. She told me she seen him chasing the cattle and she turned out to be a forest ranger. Boy was I glad to see her I thought I was the only one back here she was on the otherside of the creek and told me this was the trail. She commended me for coming from Highland Lakes she was like wow your not camping? She told me how miles I was from Spicer and gave me some ideas where he may have gone. I guess down into the canyon deeper their is a meadow and old cabin. She said their are more cattle their and that is where he was heading.

I had to give up my journey to Spicer it was getting dark and my buddy was missing. I heard up the side of a mountain cow bells they were on the run I knew Rascal may have been there. The close I would get to Spicer was about two miles away when I stood up on a hill in the canyon. Behind me however were the cattle so instead of trying to go deeper in the wilderness I back tracked.

I had to be careful as not only was Spicer up ahead but the canyon split a few different ways the ranger told me those other ways are rough country. She also explained to me there was a forest fire near Spicer and that I could view the helicopters gathering water to put it out but she also recommended not hanging out their to long. That explained the smoke I seen from atop of Folger Peak it made sense now. I was worried that my dog may have headed off this way but at this point it was a needle in a hay stack.

After climbing up a large hill saying by to Spicer instead of climbing deep down into the canyon to search for the meadow I heard cows running behind me. So I assumed Rascal backtracked from where we hiked in. So I changed my plan to hiking back as it was getting dark and I figured he might be back at the meadow.

The cows were running in the woods but not from Rascal but me with the exception of one of them I walked up to. Most of the cattle are very skiddish they are harmless though but believe me they can outrun you and me as they are not your normal cattle.

When I came down off the hill I found a massive 15.5 inch track it was obvious something big was cutting down the hill. I seen other impressions but only one of them was a viable track that I could record and measure. Eventually I would come out into the meadow in the canyon where multiple cattle all stood in alignment and stared me down. Honestly that was the scariest part of the investigation I thought to myself what is wrong with this picture?

Nightfall had set on in not sure how I did it but I ran into the trail by some mishap not even sure how. When your not on the trail its confusing with the winding creeks and maze of foliage in the canyon. You know your heading the right direction but you just have no idea where the trail is once you leave it. I was around 8 miles in deep so you can imagine how long it would take me to get back to my truck considering that nightfall sets in earlier here and I didn't get back to camp till 11pm.

I was in tears lost my dog was feeling the pain my arms were so bad they were blistered and the backpack cut into my collar bones. I had a hard time staying on the trail at times it vanished and on more then one occasion I had to backtrack. Sometimes I would go into the woods it would be so dark even with my lights on and id be like whoa where is the trail!

It was the hardest thing I had to do was follow this trail no markings just a few rocks that mark it time to time. Then if another animal trail crossed it you couldn't tell the difference. I did not panic but things heated up when I was about two miles from the meadow. I heard branches breaking loud and groaning it sounded like something big was following me through the woods.

I was followed for nearly four miles my camera batteries ran out water was out my beer bottle broke was covered in miller genuine draft and I was exhausted. You try chasing your American Bulldog through the wilderness I climbed to massive hills in seconds to get him and that did me in for the hike back.

I crossed the creek twice at one point I took a break near a rock shelter to eat and finish the last of my drinks. I took out a rock I found for my son on the drive river bed and was feeling so overheated that I left the rock behind. If you want to know what kind of father I am after a mile of hiking through the woods despite that thing chasing me I went back for the rock. Normally I carry a shotgun with me I was not armed this time around since I brought Rascal. I just didn't know Rascal would have vanished and honestly it was the hardest hike I ever had to do. My dog is my best friend I love him he was a rescue and I have given him a good home. He loves to hike, climb and chase down tracks with me but he also is a working dog so he did round up the cows. Just rounded them up in the wrong place lol.

I was not feeling to good about hiking in the canyon their was foliage I had to fight through, rocks I had to cross over moving water and the trail at times I lost. I had to gamble allot on the hike in the dark I had hoped that maybe continuing to call Rascal he would come or hear me. All I could think about is how sad the kids and Tammy would be. How do you tell your family hey our dog went missing while looking for Bigfoot. Turning a dog into an investigator takes time its a learning process for us both. He has done very well path finding, climbing and going long distance.

Unfortunately I had the other problem to deal with as something in the woods continued to stalk me. You could hear branches breaking, groaning and movement. At times I would stop dead in my tracks grab my knife when it got close then it would back off. You have no idea how many explorations I have done at night alone most are peaceful but this time around I was not alone their was something in that canyon with me and it knew I was alone.

Being that I had no camera battery life left I ended up taking out my audio recorder I made an audio diary for at least three hours telling everyone what is going on where I am going and what I am encountering. I probably will make the Lost Tapes available on youtube to go with the rest of the investigation.

My final ascension was to get out of the canyon its a hell of a climb out of there its very steep but their isnt many trees its all rock formations and a steep trail that goes right up to lower Highland Lake. The moment I seen the wildflowers and creek as the trail leveled off was the moment I knew id be at my truck. I thought to myself my poor dog is out their by himself what if he encounters a bear or is lost in the Iceberg Wilderness. I hiked 6 to 8 miles in the dark I can only imagine if I had issues getting back how would he get back. Their are small cliffs, rocks bigger then trucks and maze like foliage for miles.

When I was making my audio recording I noticed as I walked up to the truck a set of green glowing eyes the same eyes Rascal has at night. He stood up took a step and even though I could not see it was him I said his name. He charged me full speed tackled me was licking me, tail was going but he was shaking and scared. You could see his paw prints on the drivers side he waited for me to make it back and was waiting for me. I do not think I could share such an amazing story I have no clue how he found the truck or his way back. Sure we left some of our scent in the canyon but we also crossed allot of creeks, paths, ravines etc Not only did he beat me back to my truck but he waited at it for me to return. He I am sure made it through the dark with no light at all so that is all I cared about is that he was safe.

On the otherhand my family was pretty upset with me I didn't get back into camp till 11pm at night I didn't cook dinner for everyone and I was delayed in the wilderness due to Rascals cattle chasing. I did however find one pile of large stool and two very large Bigfoot tracks. If some of you think I am just chasing tales recently this week alone two forestry employees reported Sasquatch Sightings in the sierras and three campers. Something is making those tracks, screaming in those mountains and leaving behind its stool. Something is mutilating those animals and the sightings have really been increasing over the past year. Just like the amount of overwhelming evidence we have given our fans such as the video of rocks being thrown at us all the way to some of the largest prints your going to ever see in the mountains.

When I arrived back at camp I could finally relax I must had ate a grocery bag of food I was so hungry and thirsty. I drank a couple beers and smoked a cigar had a nice fire going. Rascal went straight to the tent and he was beyond exhaustion. He slept for nearly two days straight didn't want to play or hardly move. I bet he was as tired as I was. I promised a family day my 4th day which is good because all our hard work was done so it was time for some fun. I wish I made it to Spicer to see the fire and all but more happy that I made the right decision to get back to the truck where my boy was waiting for me.

Day 4

I woke up feeling like a ton of bricks hit me I nearly hiked 20 miles between climbing Folgers Peak and Hiking in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness. I had a nice breakfast then the boys and I did some fishing. Well I fished while the other two swam. My son swam out to the middle of the lake yanked on my bobber messing around. Surely no luck fishing but it was relaxing to sit back with a brew.

When we arrived back at camp for lunch we had a steak dinner with all sorts of other food it was a feast and dessert was watermelon. We had to get ready to pack up of course someone just up the hill wanted our spot. Who does that makes a camp then wants to move it 100' away. Its like just let me leave and grab it don't go begging me for it sheesh.

We had allot to pack on up including the hammocks, chairs, watering down the fire, saving all the gear, tent etc I did re measure the track I found near the lake I believe it was around 16". The boys were hitting pine cones with badminton rackets.

Another rain storm was coming on in so it was time to really get on out of here. Precipitation in this region is very high it comes off the ocean in San Fran. then hits the foothills ending up gathering more moisture in this region. That is why they get rain often here and over 20' of snow in the winter. However this past winter was mild generally all peaks in the iceberg wilderness are snow covered however on my hike I may have spotted only two peaks with a little bit of snow on them so it wasn't much like the Alps this time around as it was lat summer when I hiked in this region.

I went to use the bathroom some guy was in their for over 20 minutes it pissed me off. He comes out apologizes to me and I see chewing tobacco. So then he comes back knocks on the door says hey I forgot my chew. Apparently someone is trying to chew behind their wifees back lol. This is why I never use restrooms when I camp I go off in the woods let it hang out and enjoy mother nature. The moment I use one I have to sit outside why some guy finishes chewing his tobacco. Its like shouldn't it be the other way around you go chew in the woods why I go take me a leak here?

The boys and I drove to a secluded location after we packed camp for some target practicing. We set up bottles and cans it was a blast. We set up near the creek so we could shoot from above and below it was one of the highlights to our trip. My first shot hit a can I like to brag shooting can be fun as long as its for the right reasons. My youngest hit more targets then any of us though he has a pretty good eye for things. I guess that is why he finds arrow heads, bigfoot evidence and even gold.

Getting home was nice I was tired it takes me a few days to recover from these expeditions. We work very hard their is very little rest and get pretty dirty. I had so much mud on my legs and arms from crawling as well as climbing.

Tammy ran out and got us some Jack n the Box.....which by the way taste really great when you been out in the woods for four days lol. I eat pretty good at camp I cook steaks and brats etc but a little fast food is always nice to knowing I do not have to come home just to cook.

I look forward to returning to the Iceberg Wilderness its so large that it goes all the way down to Yosemite its over 160,000 acres. It is part of two national forest contains some of the highest peaks in the Sierras and stays cool almost all year around. Last year I hiked in it my first time through Wolf Creek and I seen some pretty amazing places. This time I hiked through from Highland Lakes so their is multiple ways to access it however its primitive so it requires allot of foot travel to get back to some of these jewels found within it.

It also is the perfect location for Bigfoot to thrive their are many hidden places some have not even been explored trust me. Lots of rock formations, caves, dens, high peaks, brutal weather, creeks, rivers and a vast amount of wildlife. .

In conclusion this will be a wonderful addition to our site and a second chapter in the highland lakes region. We have had such a high success rate this summer with Bigfoot investigations. Technically I have had more evidence and occurrences dealing with Bigfoot then any group in the world. When you look at the evidence we found its just another chapter we can add to our research. I have maps I printed each one marks an X where we found evidence or sightings ourselves. Their is a pattern developing with our research if we can use that we may be able to locate where this creature is dwelling.

We work very hard on these expeditions you have to give blood, sweat and tears if you want to find the truth. I wish we had more cryptozoologst on our team and parapsychologist. But the truth is most volunteers are not willing to go the extra mile. All the evidence we find is never on the trail we find it by climbing and going deep into places most dare not to venture in. Every exploration this summer has been a success I am proud to say that and unfortunately nobody will give us credit for our hard work. The anomalist refuses to post my articles on paranormal fraud on television. Coast to Coast rather host people who take photos of dust they refuse to interview me about my research. Its not fair however I know what is real and the work we do is genuine research.

I can never take anybody out with me because they get scared to easily we find some pretty intense things then the individual bails. I will not mention names but we lost four adventurers who were suppose to camp and work with us. None of them are there all the work this summer has been done by my son and I along with my dog.

We want everyone to learn something from these adventurers they are journeys into the unknown. We never know what we might find and we sacrifice everything we have for this cause. But I know one thing when this goes onto the site your going to enjoy the wild flowers, scenic photos, paranormal evidence, videos and the lost tapes. This was an amazing expedition the Iceberg Wilderness is like a lost world and I firmly believe it is a Bigfoot hotspot. Those cattle are scared of something if they could talk I bet they would have some stories to tell.

Their are many other areas of this wilderness I want to work with coming back to Highland Lakes really closed a chapter onto our site. You have to look at what was achieved such as I made it to the top of three peaks. I found three tracks and a large stool pile that did not match any animal or human. I seen an endangered fox and a massive giant bird. I was chased for miles in the woods by something with intelligence. I hiked over 20 miles on the expedition, camped four days and even though I came back hurting I did it. I did it without very little help this is not TV its the real thing. On television these investigators are dropped off with helicopters they hike a few feet film it and make it look like they are on the massive hunt for Bigfoot. What we do here is the real thing their are no luxuries when I climb a cliff I have to accept the fact that I could get hurt. When I go deep in the wilderness I have to accept that their are vicious wild animals.

I do not have investigators to help carry gear and unfortunately allot of people are missing out on some really great Bigfoot evidence. They are missing out on so much they could learn all because so many people are afraid to live. This is not TV this is The Paranormal & Ghost Society even if its just me going off into the unknown years later I still am doing what I love which is truth seeking. When I find a massive Bigfoot track their is nobody I can share that with except through the photos and videos we collect for you our viewers. So please support us and I promise you everything ill give you will be 110 percent real.

I thought I almost lost Rascal you have to understand we make allot of sacrifices and we take allot of risk When we put these expeditions on our site and you look at them. Close your eyes and then go through our site trying to understand the amount of work that goes into what we do. We never ask anything from anyone just for your support, friendship and you to try your best to be a part of our society.

This expedition will blow your mind if you want to see what the sierras are truly about you will find out. Sure I took you to Yosemite, Red Lake, Wolf Creek etc etc but now your about to get a taste of one the most secluded locations in the western half of the United States. You will be wowed and you will see an unforgettable adventure. When I read the log books on Hiram people preached god for this lands beauty while others had shown fear. Were not going to preach god were going to preach the hard work we did to bring you this. It was intense their was places rocks gave way, edges of cliffs, climbing high heights, sliding 20', crossing streams, herds of cattle running all over in the woods and strange finds.

This summer between Jobs Peak, Genoa Peak, Bear River Reservoir, Yosemite, Big Trees and now the Highland Lakes region has proved to be some of the best Bigfoot investigations we have done in years. We look forward to the upcoming autumn season where we will transition into some ghostly investigations. Their is so much to see I have no regrets relocating here I promised our members years ago and here we are living the dream! I have been to places that most people dream of my only wish is that others would accompany me on these journeys so that I could share them with YOU! All in all Rascal is safe I survived the canyon in the dark and we came back from this expedition in one piece with allot of content to share. This journey will never be forgotten and you will not either trust me!
Lord Rick
Founder

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Love is like a ghost sometimes you cannot see it but it is There


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