Lodestar Lightning
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Touchstone
N 37° 37.557 W 119° 26.999
11S E 283793 N 4167137
In 1977 a Lockheed Lodestar, laden with tons of marijuana, crashed at Lower Merced Pass Lake in the remote backcountry of Yosemite National Park. The incident in 1977 was the inspiration for Nevada Barr's national best selling book, "High Country". The true story is almost stranger than fiction.
Waymark Code: WM8AT
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/04/2006
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member mtn-man
Views: 310

 

 

"Everyone knew that a Lockheed Lodestar had crashed into one of the high country lakes, and its cargo was hardly a secret. The word was that tons of dope lay submerged in the Lower Merced Pass Lake, just below timberline in the Clark Range. In early Febuary a Customs Service helicopter began shuttling between the lake and Yosemite Valley, and agents unloaded the big, heavy bundles in El Cap Meadow. just a few yards from the road. When the noisy activity ceased two days later, people assumed the operation had succeeded in recovering all the contraband. It hadn't. But no one outside the federal agencies knew this."

Thus begins the story of the Lodestar Lightning by Kief Hillsbury, written for the obscure Mountain Gazetteer.  The story goes on to tell how three climbers, in Yosemite for a little backcountry skiing, are approached by a ranger friend who suggested that they may want to change their backcountry plans and check out a small remote lake at the headwaters of Illilouette Creek.  The three friends decide to take a look and begin the 20+ mile slog through the snow to the crash site.

What they found turned out to be a crash site littered with debris, but no drugs.  They hacked away at the ice for awhile, but the lake was frozen pretty solid, and it appeared that the secrets of the Lodestar would lay at the bottom of the lake until spring.  They found some scraps of plane and made a makeshift shelter and built a fire to warm their hands.  Finding a few buds that the Custom Service didn't have the time or inclination to sweep up, they rolled a joint and discussed their options.  The small amount of marijuana they did smoke that day turned out to be very high quality.  And then...

"Maybe smoking it was the charm, a burnt offering to appease the mountain gods. Less than ten minutes after they wandered back onto the ice, Jackson's quiet determination erupted into a madman's dance. Nick and Craig rushed to the small hole he'd opened up and there it was. Black plastic and sodden burlap, bouyed up by the air bubbles inside. They poked at the bundle and it quivered as if alive. It seemed substantial."

They had scored the motherlode of dope deals.  Some of the bags contained high quality Qualidad marijuana, as well as lesser grades.  They spent the rest of the day pulling bags from the lake and drying the weed on scraps of airplane wreckage.  The rest is history, as they say.  Word quickly got out and an army of stout hearted adventurers made the march to the lake to cash in on the windfall.  The Gold Rush lasted just a few weeks before the Park Service got wind of it.  The three friends were enjoying the fruits of their labor, when their ranger friend came up late one night:

"One sunny Monday a group of friends were admiring Jackson's newly-purchased Econoline when the same friendly ranger who'd advised Craig and Nick to change their hiking plans wandered over. "Now this is strictly off the record," he said, "and you understand I can't tell you if there's going to be a raid or when it might be." He paused. "But - I have a feeling that Wednesday won't be a good day to be on the Mono Meadow trail." The ranger looked up at the cloudless sky. "Looks to me like there's a storm front coming in," he said, and walked away."

Sure enough, the feds clamped down on the site.  Scores of people scattered into the woods when the helicopters descended on the lake.  Only two arrests were made (and charges were dismissed).

Many myths and legends have sprung up about the crash, but a few details are for certain:

"In fact, it is likely that more than half a million dollars worth of marijuana was recovered in the unauthorized salvage operation. Airplane sold for $400 a pound, minimum, and the price ranged up to $650 for the best quality buds. Most 'prospectors' made brief trips to San Francisco or Los Angeles and returned with thick bankrolls. Park Service estimates vary, but between 3100 and 4500 pounds were ferried out by the government before and after the Gold Rush. In Yosemite, the latter figure is regarded with as much suspicion as the offical "only four people scored" theory, but it still leaves 1500 pounds of the six ton cargo unaccounted for. At $400 a pound, that's $600,000, an impressive haul by anyone's standards."

The bodies of the pilot and the copilot were recovered in the spring during a salvage operation.  The wreckage was removed and little evidence (if any) remains as a reminder of that cold spring day in 1977 when the Lockheed Lodestar crashed into a remote mountain lake in Yosemite's backcountry.


Web Address for Related Web Sites: [Web Link]

Date of Crash: 03/01/1977

Aircraft Model: Lockheed Lodestar

Military or Civilian: Civilian

Tail Number: Unknown or unmarked

Cause of Crash:
Unknown. Legend has it, the copilot was in on some conspiracy and shot the pilot in order to hijack the cargo. The struggle in the cockpit left the controls damaged and the plane unflyable. But like I said...that's the local legend.


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