Since its been super quiet around here lately (zero posts in 48 hours!), I figured that I'd kick this thing a bit.

Anyone care to predict either of the follow?

• Wildflower season (good/bad/weird)?
  
• High temperature this summer (new record?)
  

Have at it!

Wildflowers were almost non-existent when I was down there a few weeks ago ... comparing photos to my spring trip in 2020, and two spring trips in 2019, definitely a lousy year. A lot of my 2021 photos actually looked like they were taken in the fall. Another bad winter in the Sierra. Woof.

Which reminds me, I'm years behind on trip reports.

I predict that you might find a few flowers and it will be hot by June. 

I got my second vax on the 18th and plan on being at SPW for a week starting 3 April. I have to fly out so that's been the limiting factor for me. It has warmed up and this week sounds nice but as the regulars know, early April can be pretty much any temperature. But many more lizards and snakes about, which provides entertainment. Flowers? Nope, it was a total drought year, a severe, no extreme drought year, just forget about the annuals. Stuff like rabbit brush will be nice in the canyons though.

Anyway, I have my nose to the topo maps and other sources and am coming up with my usual volume of hikes, to cover both hot and cold temps. Each year when I start this process, it is with the feeling of "oh well I've been going out for 30 years, it's OK to repeat some of the better hikes now" but by the time I go, I've figured out 2x or 3x as many trips as I'll have time for. Which must mean there's a big backlog in my notes for previous years as well!

Since precipitation was below average this year, I think it's best not to expect too many flowers. I can never remember how La Niña affects eastern California… up here we've had a pretty mild winter apart from one storm in February.

I'm not expecting to see flowers this year. OF course, unfortunately, I'm not expecting to be able to go out this spring either, so it's a bit of a moot point for me.

It's always hotter than mere mortals should deal with, German tourists notwithstanding, so any number is too hot for me.

David Bricker / SYR

Looks like its getting hot out there toward the end of this week. Just in time for me! Maybe too hot to spend too much time down in the valley. I hope not because I have a number of hikes in mind not far from SPW.

I predict that there will be times that 24 or more hours will go by without a post on this forum ... 

You lose. Well, so far at least.

David Bricker / SYR

In six hours it will be an entire weekend without a word. Shhhh ... I didn’t say anything...