Legendary climber John Long swings back by the TBM studio to unpack an infamous chapter story of Dope Lake. Joining him is his buddy and fellow Stonemaster, Vern Clevenger. In the spring of 1977, a twin prop plane carrying around 6,000lbs of high-grade Mexican reefer crashed into Lower Merced Pass Lake, a small alpine reservoir nestled deep in Yosemite’s backcountry. When the climbers at Camp Four hear about the crash – and the plane’s contents – a second California “goldrush” begins. Chaos ensues.
You may have heard versions of what Men’s Journal dubbed “The Legend of Dope Lake,” but you’ve never heard it like this. This is a deep-dive into the story of the plane crash that turned a ragtag band of climbers into pot-slinging pirates – complete with never before heard details – as told by those who lived it.
Links mentioned in this episode
- Watch Valley Uprising on Amazon Prime Video
- “The Legend of Dope Lake” in Men’s Journal
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Partners
- Special thanks to our partners at Shared Pour! Visit SharedPour.com! Promo code coming soon!
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Many thanks to the folks that made this episode possible
- Featuring John Long and Vern Clevenger
- Archival Photos courtesy of Stone Master Books and attributed photographers
- Intro and Animations by Barry Thompson
- Photograph Contributions for Animation by Carver Weeks
- Additional Graphics by Andrew O’Neill
- Production Assistance by John Stock
- “Welcome to the Backcountry” theme song by Logan Roth, Will Brown, Arjun Dube and produced at Treacle Mine Studios, Phila, PA
