November 22, 2014 - Ft Monroe and Beyond

Title: November 22, 2014 - Ft Monroe and Beyond

Trail head: Bridalveil Falls parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Old Wawona Road

Destination: Ft Monroe

Distance: 5.09 miles ¹

Start Time:  9:15

End Time:  2:41

Travel Time: 4:09 (1.23 mph)

Moving Time: 2:44 (1.86 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,413' ¹

Maximum Elevation: 5,391'
 ¹My GPS did not start picking up a signal until about 30 minutes into the hike. So the miles and elevation rise is based upon a hike we did a couple of weeks ago, as well as the map and profile. Also the start time is an approximation. The Travel and Moving Time/MPH is the actual recorded.

Description:
It is a wet day and has been predicted to be so for many days now. It is my second meetup hike as an organizer and at one time, this hike had 25 people signed up for it. But through normal attrition and the impending weather taking a toll, we are down to eight people on hike day. Still for the rain predicted that is good. Three people will meet us at the trail head, so I tell non-family to meet us at my house instead of Kohl's. It turns out this is sort of like the last meetup hike I lead: on that one we had 17 signed up and 18 returned. Today we have eight signed up and will have nine return. For you see, as we enter into Oakhurst, Dana texts us saying she is waiting at Starbucks in Oakhurst-she had decided to go at the last moment.

Our Group

We actually get to Bridalveil Falls parking lot just a tad after 9:00-about half an  hour earlier than I was expecting.   But all three of the people whom we are to meet are there: Jerry K, Mark and Jan. Mark and Jan are people I have not hiked  with before. But that is one of the good things about meetup, you get to meet new people. The rest of our group includes Carol-a friend of ours, Steven and Sherri-son and wife, Betty and Dana-meetup friends, and myself. We drive up a quarter mile, a little above the W1 sign post where we get out and start in.

Cathedral Rocks

Did I say that it was already raining? Not badly, but we do have on our rain gear. We start up the trail: me in the lead and Sherri and Jerry K being the sweeps.  A lot of times Yosemite can be spectacular with clouds: the clouds playing tag with Half Dome or creating contrast with El Capitan. But that is not today's experience: no Half Dome or El Cap in view. There is a solid blanket of clouds obscuring almost all views. In places, we can make out a bit of a nearby ridge-line. Still there are some benefits in this. For one, the trail is not dusty and the rain has rinsed off the leaves, causing them to glisten.

Gary talking

 We climb up the historic Old Wawona Road ², with the light rain which we started with now becoming a real rain. One of my interests when I travel a trail is to understand who came here before me. In this case, the road we travel and the fort we are going to have many stories to tell, and I enjoy talking about these stories. After crossing a couple of dry creeks-Meadow and Artist-we stop at Artist Point ³. This place has inspired many a Promethean pioneer artist. But this would not be one of those days. I do stop with explaining what the artists would see here. But somehow, it is not the same.

View from Artist Point on a clear day

Clear Day View-Artist Point

Looking across the Valley

Now we continue to divide the rain waters and climb up Old Wawona Road. The rain does drive us on rather than having us stop and try to gaze at the cloud-hidden wonders surrounding us. We do some of that anyway. The rain and time of year have knocked down some of the amber and orange leaves, but we still see the immense big-leaf maple leaves underfoot. Some of the autumn leaves still dangle from their perch on the trees surrounding us. After Artist Point, we quickly pass the Pohono Trail. We then climb a coupe of switch backs before emerging onto a flatish area. I sort of thought this must be where Ft Monroe ⁴ is. But it does not correspond to a description which Tony Krizan has given more nor the GPS coordinates which GNIS has. So I think I am mistaken. But that does not stop me from giving background on George Monroe.

View on another day from Inspiration Point

Artist Creek

Now it is a short walk to New Inspiration Point where we were to have lunch. But it is raining harder than ever. For once, people do not want to stop and rest and enjoy a peace lunch. I wonder why? So we then head down the Pohono Trail back to the Old Wawona Road. Here some of the faster hikers want to get back to the comfort and dryness of their vehicles-I do not blame them. But I cannot get much wetter than I am, so I wait around and just make sure everybody is going in the right direction. The trail down from New Inspiration Point is pretty steep, but with water running down the trail, at least we are not choking with dust

Artist Creek

As we come back down the road, there is one aspect of the trail has changed: we now have a creek crossing at Artist Creek. There is a nice bit of runoff there, nothing too dangerous or anything, just a nice surprise. The creek also brings out the colors, so despite the rain, we stop for awhile and enjoy the view before us. But the dry cars are calling, so we march down the road for the final mile.



But we were surprised when we get down to the spot where we started: the cars are gone! It will be a long and wet walk back home if that is true. But before we have a chance to moan about this, along comes Dana. Then Steven and Jerry K is right behind her. So we slosh into our cars, trying not to flood them and agree to meet up at the Chinquapin restroom. Jerry K does say goodbye to us. But we are stopping in Oakhurst at El Cid. We eat and enjoy each other as we warm up before heading back to Fresno. I think we all agree I will need to schedule another trip up this trail this Spring, preferably not in the rain.

Leaves on the ground

Trail Lesson:

Rain is survival able. What you make of being in it depends on you, not the rain.

More Gary talking

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

Talking Notes:

 ²Old Wawona Road

Starts at the Wawona Covered Bridge. Crosses the road around the campground. Around Misquito Creek, it drops below 41 and parallels or crosses it several times. Dr. John Taylor McLean created the road. Once only one of two ways into the valley. remarkable achievements of these pioneers using picks, shovels, black powder and sweat to achieve their goals. Their only monetary reward was a wage of $40s a month, food, and lodging.

Soon after enthusiast James Hutchings began escorting sightseers to view Yosemite Valley in 1855, Andrew, Milton and Houston Mann built a 45-mile toll horse trail from Mariposa to the already-famous Valley via the South Fork. Mainly, they followed the old Indian trails. It was opened August 1, 1856, and operated as a toll route until 1862 when Mariposa County purchased it, declaring it a “Public Highway.” Until then, tolls were: [“]Man and horse each way, $2.00; pack mule or horse, each way, $2.00; Footman, $1.00.” ³¹
In 1869, Galen Clark organized a stock company of eight men to build a wagon and stage road from Mariposa as far as Clark’s ²² (Wawona) which was used as a toll road from 1870 until 1917. As early as 1870, Clark had a survey made for a wagon road from his lodging at Wawona to Yosemite Valley. This road was begun by Chinese laborers, under the direction of John Conway and Edwin Moore and finished by Washburn, Chapman & Company in July, 1875. ³² Most of the 16-foot-wide road was constructed during severe winter weather. The era of the stagecoach, which was to continue, in jolting, dusty fashion for forty years, began for Yosemite-bound visitors.
By mid-April, 1875, the rough road was passable for stagecoaches except for a narrow, 300-yard section still under construction near the old Inspiration Point. To the passengers’ temporary inconvenience and amusement, they walked the unfinished stretch while their quickly-dismantled stage was carried in pieces by hand, then reassembled, harnessed up, reboarded and driven off with considerable aplomb. ³²
The Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Company (Washburn brothers), ran stages from Merced to Wawona via Mariposa where they had a livery stable.
The road from Raymond to Wawona generally followed the route of present State Highway 41, while the stage route from Mariposa, called the Chowchilla Mountain Road, exists today, rutty, dusty and little-changed from its 1870 route.
The Wawona Hotel was a logical and popular overnight stop for stage travelers, and the Yosemite Stage & Turnpike Company, operating two stage schedules and 700 horses, saw to it that their passengers traveled speedily and safely, though dustily.
In 1865, 369 hardy, saddle-sore travelers visited Yosemite. In 1875, mostly in stagecoaches, the Park had 2,423 visitors; 2,590 in 1885; 8,023 in 1902; and in 1914, when automobiles were allowed on the Wawona Road, 15,154. Travel doubled in 1915 when 31,546 visitors chugged in; 209,166 came in 1925 and 498,289 in 1932, ³³ the last year of Washburn ownership.
The Wawona Road accounted for a number of Yosemite “firsts.” The first automobile to enter the Valley traveled it in 1900, and 32 miles of it had the honor of being the first paved road in the Yosemite region in June, 1902 ³⁴ Mud and dust were tamed!
Soon increased automobile traffic made oiled roads a necessity and, in 1932, the new, modern Wawona Road was completed from the South (Fresno) Entrance to Yosemite Valley.

 ³Artist Point

Thomas Hill is the most noted artist who worked at this point. From sketches he made here, he painted the Great Canyon of the Sierras in 1871. Also he painted Yosemite Valley. This painting gathered top honors in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. He eventually worked out of Wawona at what is now the Ranger Station there. For paintings of his, look at the Yosemite Museum, Oakland Museum and Sacramento's Crocker Museum.

J Smeaton Chase: Yosemite Trails

The road to Fort Monroe was hot and dusty, but mitigated with cool streams and intervals of grateful forest and enlivened by many tracks of deer and bear. The afternoon sunlight was streaming full into the valley as we reached Artists’ Point. The narrowness of the gateway as it is seen from this point brings out strongly the gorge-like character of the depression, and in my opinion renders this the most striking of all the comprehensive views of the wonderful valley. When we reached Inspiration Point it lacked only an hour of sunset. The vast shadow of El Capitan lay already far across the valley, and a long purple promontory ran out from the foot of Three Brothers. I was reminded of the line of Virgil, by which, it is said, Millet was always deeply affected,—

“Majoresque cadunt altis de montibus umbrae.”1

1“And the great shadows fall from the high mountains.”

Certainly it harmonizes well with his sombre and sensitive genius.

 ⁴Ft Monroe

At the elevation around 5,600 feet we arrived at Fort Monroe. These structures were removed when the Wawona Tunnel was completed in July of 1933.

Fort Monroe was named for George F. Monroe, a stage driver for the Yosemite Stage Line. The "fort" was a stage team relay station, and a place where stage line customers and other travelers camped.

Monroe came to California with his uncle from his native Georgia in 1856 to meet his parents who had recently moved to Mariposa as part of the gold rush. George was 12 at the time. George's father Louis became a successful barber in Mariposa,[citation needed] and eventually bought and lived on a prosperous ranch south east of town.
In 1866 Monroe started working for the Wabash brothers, who ran the Yosemite Stage Line, and eventually got promoted to driver. He was said to excel at taking the team over the treacherous road, which included many sharp drop offs at the side of the road and numerous tight switch backs. He never had an accident that cost the company money nor injury to his passengers.[1] It is thought that an accident precipitated his own death at the age of 42. According to one account, he was riding as a passenger in the stage when a horse got away from the driver, and George clambered to the front horse to stop the team, in the course of which he injured himself. A few days later, after complaining of feeling ill, he died at his parents ranch. He was their only child.[2]
Monroe was said to be well known to travelers from Europe, as well as throughout the United States. Among his passengers over the years were presidents Grant, Garfield and Hayes

The location retained Monroe's name after his death. It was always a site of significance, from the stage and horse era of the late 19th century, well into the automobile era when for a time it was an entrance station, and was said to have a fine automobile camp.[3] When the Wawona Tunnel was built, the upper road was converted into part of the Pohono Trail, whose starting point is now located at the Tunnel View parking lot.

J Smeaton Chase: Yosemite Trails

We camped at Fort Monroe, and ate our supper between exclamations at the sunset color on the pines and cedars on the opposite hillside. The level light illuminated the forest with a radiance that was indescribably royal and august, and the great trees stood thoughtful and reverent, ripening their harvest in the golden air.

From just beyond our camp there opened a wonderful outlook to the west. The land here falls away almost precipitously two thousand feet to the cañon of the Merced, where it forms a sweeping amphitheatre at the point where Tamarack Creek enters from the north. Opposite, the unbroken forest rises to the high ridge that is held by the Merced Grove of Sequoias, and which here forms the watershed between the Merced and Tuolumne systems.

In the gathering dusk the myriad pinnacles of the forest rose into a pale, clear sky, down which the new moon passed musingly to sink behind the western mountains.

November 18, 2014 - Trails Around Shaver Lake

Title: November 18, 2014 - Trails Around Shaver Lake

Trail head: Balsam Snow Park

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Bear's Highway Trail, near Shaver Lake

Destination: North Fork Stevenson Creek

Actual Destination: Below the Creek

Distance: 2.55 miles ¹

Start Time:  9:15

End Time:  11:22

Travel Time: 2:07 (1.21 mph)

Moving Time: 1:21 (1.89 mph)

Elevation Rise: 833'

Maximum Elevation: 6,785'

 ¹Two things made this longer. The first is  the GPS did not sync up and determine an accurate location for about a third of a mile. Second is that from Stevenson Creek, there was about .9 to .95 miles of tracking down a group of hikers which was going the wrong way. I think the actual mileage from the Balsam Snow park to the North Fork of Stevenson Creek was about 2 miles.

Trail Maintenance Crew

Description:
Another meetup hike. This one being lead by LiAne and a Jerry J. She lives in the area and will be showing us many of the trails she enjoys. But to add to the fun, it looks like we may get some rain today. So we show up at Kohl's at 7 and then are off with a full car load of people. But first our car needs to stop at home to pick up some medicine. We get up to Shaver Lake around 8:40 and meet LiAne there. From there, she takes us to the Balsam Snow Parking area for the first of our hikes. Along the way, these little flying white balls of frozen water start hitting my windshield. But this stuff seems to be more wind driven than falling: outside temperature is 42^o.

Going down the trail

This first hike is relatively short-but we manage to make it a bit longer-more on that later. The Balsam Snow Parking area is a few miles above Shaver Lake. LiAne and her husband Mike maintain this trail, called the Bear's Highway Trail.  But the temperature is in the 40's. Pretty walkable. That will be the last of the moisture we feel until we finish our day and are safely in the cars.  The first third of a mile is a gradual downhill, along what looks like an old firebreak. Not too bad of walking.

Hikers and Scenery

Then comes the downhill part. Jerry K and I, being in back start muttering that this will be a real bear to go back up. It's steep and neither of us are looking forward to coming back up it. We descend about 600' in a half of mile. But there is some compensation for this: the area is just really good looking. The leaves are all a light tan with some gold and yellow mixed in. The trail itself does wander down, at least not straight down. We do come out into a rock overlook and Shaver Lake spreads out before us.

Shaver Lake and Tree

A few minutes later, we cut off the trail and head down a granite slab to the North Fork of Stevenson Creek. When it is warm, there will be a lot of pools to play in. But today, it is cold. Lee F has a probe and measures the water temperature as being 44 degrees-the air is 47. So definitely not a time to jump in.

North Fork of Stevenson Creek

 

 After milling around the pools for about 20 minutes. We come back up to the trail junction-where we left the trail. And this is where confusion reigns. We should go right and head back up the dreaded hill. But a group has taken off downward, as if we are heading to Shaver Lake. Lee F, Sherri and I catch up to a group who is wondering about the wisdom of continuing down. But others have leaped ahead of them. A couple of the forward group returns and after a discussion, Lee F and and I take off after the lone errant hiker. We send the rest back to the car.

Autumn Leaves

Lee and I wonder if there really is a hiker in front of us or not. But after awhile and looking at marks in the dirt, we decide there really is someone in front of us. Note to Gary: I need to get a lot better at tracking. After a half of a mile, we stop and whistle and shout. A returning call confirms that the hiker is below us. He returns and now for the 800' trudge back up the dreaded hill. I think I am the weak link in the three of us, but we each welcome our brief stops for breath and leg relief. 

Tire along trail

The last part of the trail runs right below Highway 168. We noticed a Subaru wheel complete with a strut laying 10' off the trail. There must be a story here. When we get to the group, we razz LiAne about the inadequacy of her trail cleanup-they really do a good job. She said she saw the wheel and that it has only been laying around about a week now.

But now on to further adventures.

Trail head: Balsam Snow Parking

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Dogwood Trail

Destination: Ely Mountain

Actual Destination: Southern California Edison

Distance: 4.01 miles

Start Time:  11:28

End Time:     3:02

Travel Time: 3:34 (1.13  mph)

Moving Time: 2:11 (1.84 mph)

Elevation Rise: 585'

Maximum Elevation: 6,912'

Description:


 Now that we are all at Balsam Snow park, we head across Highway 168 and start walking down a dirt road towards Balsam Forebay. A short time later , there is a fork in the road and we spy the Forebay. Our section of the road veers left around the western part of the Forebay and then to the right before we observe a chain-link fence guarding the Forebay's dam. But being a keen observer, I note, it really is not designed to keep us out as there is a two foot gap under the fence where even I can crawl under.

Tractor in Buck Brush

A short ways later we see a caterpillar tractor ripping away buck brush. Later on, LiAne says that Southern Cal Edison does experimental programs to see how best to regenerate an environment. This is one of them. 

After following the road a ways, we veer off again, onto the Dogwood Trail. Many ducks line this trail and for the most part they are helpful. But this get Say, Jean and I into a discussion on why are ducks called  ducks?

Kaiser Peak in middle; Kerkoff Dome

But we are getting close to the top of Ely Mountain. I cannot say this is the best view ever. But when we descend a little down from there onto its western flanks, we do get to see Shaver Lake-if it was only full. Right now, it does look like it has a brown bathtub ring. We get to stop and enjoy things for about ten minutes.

Shaver Lake with bathtub ring

Now comes a fateful decision. There is a proposal: LiAne will return back the way we came and pick up her vehicle and drive around to the heliport. We will continue on for a short 20 minute walk down to the heliport.At least that is the plan and the start of the fun.

Are we really going down here?

I do not know where the trail went, but I do not think we followed it. I was in the back, so I was not really watching out for possible trail diversions-more watching to see where people went. Where we went was down the spine of Ely Mountain. The top of the spine consisted of several dome-like granite slabs, each being concave. Most of the time I enjoy walking down granite slopes, but today's granite had a fair amount of scree. So in some places you get the effect of trying to pick your way through a field of ball-bearings on a slope, while not falling. Sherri and I were pretty successful at this, but we know of one person who did fall and bent their pole.

This kind of slope is not Sherri's cup of tea, so we were rather slow in picking our way down this. By the time we got down this 700' granite field, we definitely were the last. But this had a bit of advantage. Most people, except for Lee J, Say and Jean had already scampered on and were coming back to say they could not find the trail. They wanted to go back up a ways. At this point, looking down, I thought I could find a route down. So off I went, crashing through the manzanita brush and down the hill side.

Sherri and Lee on the descent

Some people followed the way I was heading-actually Richard, Lee F, Sherri and I were the only ones who did. It turned out our team's way was relatively easy compared to others. We arrived at the heliport first. LiAne had already arrived a while back and was off looking for people. She came back with Jerry K. Slowly the rest of our group arrived and everybody was accounted for.

Sherri on the rocks

LiAne  drove us to retrieve our cars and then we all meet at LiAne 's place. She has opened her cabin for this group of sweaty people and prepared a nice after hike meal: chili beans, chipotle mix and minestrone soup. So good! We spend several hours at her place, just enjoying things before we realize we have a drive back. I vote that all after hike meals be held here.


Trail Lesson:

1) Good instructions to hikers helps make everybody know where they are going.
2) When going off-trail or cross-country, keep together. If not possible, split into distinct units.
3) Know where your path leads.


Duck Note:
North American trail marks are sometimes called "ducks" or "duckies", because they sometimes have a "beak" pointing in the direction of the route. The expression "two rocks do not make a duck" reminds hikers that just one rock resting upon another could be the result of accident or nature rather than intentional trail marking. From Wikipedia

The upside of ducks is that they are very easy to construct, and where used you are likely to find many of them. The downside of ducks is that they are very easy to construct and where used you are likely to find many of them. Because so little effort is involved in creating a duck, and because lost people seem to love to make them, they may not provide you the desired level of confidence. In fact, in some areas, they are more like graffiti than trail marker. From HowToWilderness

Hikers and Autumn Leaves

Looking down onto Stevenson Creek

Playing around the pools

Shaver Lake

Say, Jean and Lee J

Shaver Lake in Autumn

November 12, 2014 - Old Wawona Road (Ft Monroe)

Title: November 12, 2014 - Old Wawona Road (Ft Monroe)

Trail head: Bridalveil Falls Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Old Wawona Road

Destination: Ft Monroe

Distance: 5.09 miles

Start Time:  10:32

End Time:     2:44

Travel Time: 4:09 (1.23 mph)

Moving Time: 2:44 (1.86 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,413'

Maximum Elevation: 5,391'

Description:

Old Wawona Road

A Wednesday without a meetup hike. How novel. But we did join with our friend Rose for a day in Yosemite. Around 8 we picked up Rose and went on up to Yosemite Valley. It was time to buy our annual permits-maybe for the last time since next year we turn 62. But it goes to our parks so that is not a bad thing. We arrive at the Bridalveil Falls parking lot a little before 10:30. Actually we park about a quarter mile up from the parking lot, just a 100' from the W1 milepost. 

Old Wawona Road

Across from us we see the remnants of the Old Wawona Road. There are some branches and boulders across the road's entrance. The road has a nice grade up, not too bad, but enough to let you know you are walking up. We quickly slip to a forested area and see the numinous of Autumn in the golden and red leaves around us. Between the yellowing leaves of the dogwoods to the occasional reds in the maples, we are confronted by color, the color of the earth turning to rest.

Then we pass both Meadow and Artist Creeks before coming to Artist Point. Those old artists had the right idea. The view is just so good. Of course, we stop and gawk and take pictures. But there is more than just a mile and a half of walking today. We shortly get to the junction with the Pohono Trail going to Inspiration Point. But our route continues along the gentler Old Wawona Road. While the scenery is good, it is not classic Yosemite Valley view, but the road is enjoyable.

Artist Point View

Artist Point View

I should have described the Old Wawona Road before now. The road itself used to be paved. But over time, the asphalt has worn look. In places you think a car, a small car, could still drive it it-only for a very short way. Then the pavement gives way to where water has worn small gullies to rock. Or a tree has fallen across our path-this is an unmaintained trail after all. Rocks have fallen on the pavement. But the road is very walkable. You just need to be able to pick up your feet.

We hit a couple switchbacks which raises up a a couple hundred feet and brings us to a shoulder and view across the Valley, or gorge at this location. We see the Fireplace Bluffs and the Cascade drainage.  In this clearing we think stood Ft Monroe, our destination. There is a 3" pipe coming out of the ground close by and it matches a slide we saw on a Tony Krizan slide. We did not realize this was the place until after we left. But about 75' away, there should have been a garbage dump. We will need to come back another day to do a closer examination.

Instead we continue on the Old Wawona Road. This part for the next third of a mile is a bit overgrown. One large fallen log forces us to circumnavigate it, but the going is still pretty easy. A bit a ways we come up over a small ridge and are greeted by a group of college students playing Frisbee. How did they get here? We quickly realize we have come up on the back of New Inspiration Point. This is a lot easier than charging straight up the hill to it.

Inspiration Point

Not only is it easier, but as we wander around, we come to a ledge which has been used as a campsite. And what a campsite this would make! The view from a tent in the morning would be spectacular. Sun rising over Half Dome, sunset colors playing on El Capitan. Just thinking about it makes me want to camp there now. Instead, we ate lunch and enjoyed what we saw.

Instead of returning back via the road, we of follow the trail down to the Old Wawona Road. It is steep. But there is one more view we gather in before hitting the road. It rivals our lunch view, but I give the lunch view an edge on beauty. We follow the Old Wawona Road back down, stopping again at Artist Point.here we see the difference of morning and afternoon lighting the Yosemite walls.

Artist Point of View

We get back to the car around 2:45pm. Then head back to Fresno. But first we stop in Oakhurst at Remiers for ice cream. After all, it was too early for dinner and we needed something to reward us. A good day and a good hike.

At Inspiration Point: Sherri, Rose, Gary

Gary and Rose

Sherri

Rose and Sherri

Rose and Sherri returning

Old Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point

Inspiration Point