Inyo NF in July?

[Bruce in PA]

Hi --

My son is heading out to work on an SCA trail crew in Inyo National Forest (specifically in the Duck Pass Trail/Barney Lake area) for the month of July. Can anyone give some general idea of what he should expect temperature and weather-wise, days and nights?

thanks, Bruce

[oldhiker]

Good for your son - it should be a great experience for him.

The weather in the Sierra is always variable. That's at high elevation - sounds like they will be reworking the Duk Pass trail. It's very exposed and sunny but there is timber around Barney Lake. He should bring rain gear as there can be thunderstorms. I like the long sleeved/breathable shirts from Ex Officio/Railriders/Northface etc. They have vents in the back and seem to work well in a broad range of temperatures. He can wear shorts or the same kind of pants made of the same material as the shirts. I love my Railrider pants - and the bugs seem to have a harder time biting through the material. I would also recommend that he get lighter colors to reflect the heat. It will run between the 40's and the high 70's most of the time - but the sun is intense & penetrating at high elevation. He will want a warm jacket for the evenings and early mornings too. and maybe some leather gloves - he'll need work gloves anyway. count on it that everything will get stained with dirt and sweat. He will probably want some camp shoes as well as boots. T-shirts and shorts are OK but he'll need to change out/add layers come evening and early morning. Lots of mosquitos in July from Barney Lake down to the trailhead.

[Sierra Lady]

Here's a little write up on the trail from my friend Colleen's book, "Mammoth From the Inside".

More info can be found by Googling "Duck Pass Trail Barney Lake, Eastern Sierra".

Tell your son to pack plenty of bug juice and sunscreen! What a great experience he will have.

[Bruce in PA]

Thank you both for the great info. He is very excited about heading out there and I agree that it'll be an incredible month. It sounds like they'll be doing some hard labor, too -- maybe some of that will rub off around the house when he gets home!

[oldhiker]

It sounds like they'll be doing some hard labor, too -- maybe some of that will rub off around the house when he gets home!

Ha Ha Ha - Only if you pay him!