November 20, 2013 - McKenzie TableTop

See Note Below

Title: November 20, 2013 - McKenzie Table Top

Trail head:  Parking Lot at Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Hike Info:

Trail: Table Top

Destination:  Table Top

Distance:  6.26 miles

Travel Time: 5:10 (1.21 mph)

Moving Time: 3:15 (1.93 mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,132'

Maximum Elevation:  1,847'

Description:
If it is Wednesday, it must be time for another Mid-Week Meetup Hike with John, Jerry and Cathey. Preceding this day, the weather forecast was for stormy weather-rain which we sorely need. But on the day of the hike, the ground was a bit wet from a light rainfall that night. But the skies were clearing. So it looks like another beautiful day in the Central Valley.


This hike is at the Ruth McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve, 2600 acres held in trust by the Sierra Foothill Conservancy for open spaces and to continue ranching. Part of this preserve is Table Mountain and is not a public access area. Nat is a docent with the Conservancy and was able to get us permission to go on the property. A couple of weeks ago, I hiked along the northern base of the mountain along the San Joaquin River Trail. This time, we will climb the Table Top, to the side of Table Mountain, from the south and go to the top. Exciting. 

Meetup Marching Along

We got to the McKenzie parking area, just off of Audberry road a little before 9, after driving from the Kohl's parking lot in RiverPark. It turns out there is another group who is also on the Preserve today-a group from Gateway High School in Clovis. Looks like there is 15 of them. We will be leapfrogging them all morning. So Nat has altered our route a little bit so we will be hiking separate trails for about half of our walk today.

This takes us more to the west and up a single track trail, along the spine of a small ridge. After maybe a third of a mile, we meet a dirt road. This contours around the Table Mountain and then below the Table Top area-a separate plateau from Table Mountain. We are starting to enjoy the views of the foothills. After a ways, we are done sluffing off. The climb starts in earnest when we leave the road and return to a trail.

This is slow going for a couple of people--they are huffing and puffing. but what makes us feel good is that we have caught up to some of the high school students and they are doing worse than us. It is a perverse pleasure to observe someone having more trouble with a slope than you are. But we all make it to the top of the ridge and have lunch there.

Upper end of Millerton Lake

Most of us proceeds to the Table Top. It is a short climb from the ridge. Once on top, we see where the top has been somewhat weathered and is rough with small stones, just trying to catch your toe and making you trip. So even though it is level, the going is slow since we do not want to fall. On top we get some good views. First to the north where we see the upper end of Millerton Lake. Then towards the south and the area which Audberry Road goes through. 

Nat talking about the grinding holes

The sun is nice; the sky is clear and blue; and we get a bit warm. On the return trip, I hike down in shorts and a T-shirt, feeling very comfortable.  On the way down, Nat takes us around a different way. First there are some grinding holes used by the Native Americans in the area, maybe Yokuts. We pass several places where there are holes. Then Nat takes us to a place where the miners in the 1870's would crush rock in a fashion, similar to how wheat is ground. A donkey is fixed to  pole and drags around a heavy stone, crushing the ore.

Illustration from Nat

A short walk later, we are back to our cars. We finish up at 2pm. Then it is on to Don Fernando's's Mexican resturant, just a couple miles up the road. A good way to end the hike.


Note:
The map above and the path we took do not exactly line up correctly, particularly on top of the Table Top. Use this as an approximation.