September 1, 2014 - North Boundary a Trail to Panaramic Point

Title: September 1, 2014 - North Boundary a Trail to Panoramic Point

Trail head: General's Highway and North Boundary Trail

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: North Boundary Trail and the General's Highway

Destination: Panoramic Point

Distance: 3.34 miles

Start Time: 10:48

End Time: 12:54

Travel Time: 2:06 (1.59 mph)

Moving Time: 1:36 (2.09 mph)

Elevation Rise: 864'

Maximum Elevation: 7,513'

Fritz and Gary

Description:
Today we say farewell to Fritz, but not without breakfast and a hike. I have a hearty meal of pancakes. Then we get packed and ride up to our trail head. This is a familiar trail which we hike in the Spring or even tackle with snow shoes. Fritz knows about it from the 80's when he worked up here.

Gary and Sherri

But before we go back up to Grant Grove, we take a brief excursion over to Roaring River Falls. Today it is not roaring that much do to the season and drought. But there is enough water coming down for us to enjoy the time there and take a few photos.

The North Boundary trail is usually one where solitude is encountered. Not many people use it. It starts up at a pretty good incline, but then moderates it slope. It quickly turns into an old road bed for a short ways. That is until we reach a meadow. Here we turn up a sort of hidden trail instead of cutting across to the road to Panorama Point.

Our hidden trail involves a bit of "fern wacking", but then it cuts across a slope and we have a lot gentler time than we usually do. In the past we have gone up a trail which allow access to some power lines. But Fritz finds the real trail which goes up at a more trail-like incline.

Buck Rock From Panorama Point

We pop out at the Panorama Point parking lot and walk up the handicap access paved trail to Panorama Point. A good view, but a bit hazy. We even see Buck Rock Lookout. This is a view we have enjoyed over the years and today is not an exception. Between Fritz and myself we are rattling off peak names for some unsuspecting visitors.

But then we return back the same way we came up, except we do travel faster. This puts us right about lunch tine.so we go Grant Grove and say goodbye to Fritz. Sherri and I head back to Fresno. But Fritz, according to his Facebook page must be a bigger hiking fool than Sherri or I as it seems line finished in the late evening. It has been a good three days.

Sherri, Fritz and Gary