Saddlebag Lake
One thing I always wish for is as the winter months go on is a quick winter where the snow melts away quickly going into the summer. Not that I don't like snow, but it makes it easier on the hikes I enjoy doing. At least there is usually less danger going into the back country. It was fun that I got to do Whitney in June instead of July or August, but over all this was a bad year because of the drought. The Sierras suffered for it like a lot of California. One obvious area is Saddlebag Lake off of Tioga Pass near Yosemite. I did a quick and obvious stitch of what Saddlebag Lake looked like in August, 2006:
That is the normal look of that beautiful lake. Here is another regular picture of this lake:
Now, look at this disaster. You would think that this isn't the same area. This year at the very end of July, 2007:
Is this supposed to be some sort of river here? Where is the lake?
Before I cause a panic let's go back to last year:
Compare where the trees are to this.
When I was in the Sierra Nevada this year the first few days I just could not get enough water and other drinks into my system. I felt dehydrated all the time. I was fortunate that some dark clouds came in, cooled the place down, some minor rainfall occurred, and then some breezy wind the rest of the time. I am hopeful that some major snowfall will happen in the next few months to balance things out this year.
That is the normal look of that beautiful lake. Here is another regular picture of this lake:
Now, look at this disaster. You would think that this isn't the same area. This year at the very end of July, 2007:
Is this supposed to be some sort of river here? Where is the lake?
Before I cause a panic let's go back to last year:
Compare where the trees are to this.
When I was in the Sierra Nevada this year the first few days I just could not get enough water and other drinks into my system. I felt dehydrated all the time. I was fortunate that some dark clouds came in, cooled the place down, some minor rainfall occurred, and then some breezy wind the rest of the time. I am hopeful that some major snowfall will happen in the next few months to balance things out this year. 
