January 24, 2015 - Henness Ridge Lookout and Deer Camp Trail

Title: January 24, 2015 - Henness Ridge Lookout and Deer Camp Trail

Trail head: Yosemite West-Azalea Lane

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Henness Ridge Lookout Service Road

Destination: Henness Ridge Lookout

Distance: 2.13 miles

Start Time:  9:05

End Time:  10:20

Travel Time: 1:14 (1.72 mph)

Moving Time: 0:51 (2.50 mph)

Elevation Rise: 388'

Maximum Elevation: 6,277'

 Description:

This walk was originally meant to be a snowshoe hike. But there was one requirement lacking-SNOW!  So we turned it into a hike in two parts. The first is fast becoming a favorite short hike. 

Leslie and Sherri on way to the Lookout

We meet at Kohl's at 7. We have six people on the hike-ten signed up for it. But we have Leslie and Dennis as well as Rachel and Sherri from my family. A sixth hiker is Eric whom I have not hiked with before, but have seen as going on several meetup hikes. As the day progresses, I enjoy talking with Eric throughout today. After a brief stop at Starbucks in Oakhurst, we progress on. We do see Jodie and Dana, but they are going on another hike as well as Mark D's group who is climbing Chilnualna Falls.

We get to Henness Ridge around 9. A bit cool, but comfortable. Way warmer than a January morning at 6,000' should be. We scurry on up the service road to Henness Ridge lookout. Our group is impressed with the view, and slightly skewed on directions. Sometimes being on top of something has you a bit turned. Sherri and I talk about our lookout experiences to the amazement of the group, spending a while just admiring what we are seeing. Then stopping for a group pose before returning to the cars. But now it is onward to the next adventure.

Trail head: Deer Camp Trailhead, across from Yosemite West

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Deer Camp

Destination:Strawberry Creek

Actual Destination: Bishop Creek

Distance: 6.08 miles

Start Time:  10:35

End Time:     1:36

Travel Time: 3:00 (2.03 mph)

Moving Time: 2:20 (2.61 mph)

Elevation Rise: 547'

Maximum Elevation: 6,236'

Description:

Dennis and Eric walking old Railroad bed

I have never hiked along this section of the Deer Camp Trail, so going with 5 other people will be an adventure, which I am looking forward to. Someplace I read this trail was an old railroad bed used for lumber trains. That makes sense since we will be crossing a creek named Rail Creek (turns out that was a false assumption. Rail Creek gets it name because of the place where they made the railroad ties.). Also where parts of this trail meets up is over at Alder Falls which I know is an old rail bed.

After making use of the facilities at Chinquapin, we come back to the trail head, right across from Yosemite West. The turnout is a bit hidden, but having scouted it out before, we don't do much searching. Plenty of room to park our two cars.

The first 50 yards, we do a slight rise which we buzz through. And that is the last time we see any signs of significant elevation gain-and this gain may have been 30-40', if one is overly in need of altitude gain. The rest of the trail is about as flat as you can get in the Sierra's. I have previously said that I thought Lyell Canyon was the flattest trail in the Sierra's, but I will be modifying that trail to being the flattest on the JMT. We speed along-for us-at about 2.5 miles, talking and enjoying the sights.

Rail Creek trickle

Deer Camp Trail is just flat out pleasant to walk on. Relaxing, most places two or three people can walk together and enjoy each others company-which is what we did. Pleasant is a good word since this is a journey of no jaw-dropping vistas, just forested lands. In spring when there is run off and the world is wet I suspect  the ground will be littered with wildflowers. We are the only ones making sounds, all is quiet, since we are about a third of a mile down the trail. The trail does parallel Highway 41 until 41 drops away on its route to the Merced.

Little meadow close to Strawberry Creek

We come up to Rail Creek-it actually has a little bit of a water flow. But it is enough for us to stop and look. On the upside of the trail, the water trickles into a culvert pipe, but does not emerge on the other side. Should call the water department and tell them we have a leak or something? We travel on and come to what would be a wondrous meadow in the Spring. I think this was a site of the proposed Olympic games in the 1930's-went to Lake Placid instead-I am glad. Shortly afterwards we get to Strawberry Creek. No water there and a bit in the shade so we travel a hundred yards up and find glorious sunshine and have our lunch.

Some snow, lots of dirt

We do feel like hiking a bit more, so we make Bishop Creek in about 10 minutes after eating lunch. It is time to turn back. I have said this would be an easy hike, and it is. This will put us at 8 miles for the day, which is beyond most people's definition of easy. But between the group's experience level and the flatness of the trail, it is well within the group's capabilities. We return the way we came. Nothing heart stopping, just a lot more of enjoyable peacefulness. We do see across the way. Eric spots the antenna for data communications on Henness Ridge. Also we can look across the drainage to see where we have come from at Bishop Creek.

We get back to the cars about 1:30. The only other people we saw on the trail was right at the end-four college kids with some beer. We decide to head on down to Oakhurst and stop at Southgate Brewery for eats. All enjoy and get back to Fresno by 4:30. About the time we start to leave Southgate the Chilnualna folks come in, looking mighty pleased with themselves. But I think we had a good amount of pleasure ourselves today. My conclusion about our new trail? This is not a destination trail-where you are going somewhere, but a journey trail where you enjoy where you are walking.

Henness Ridge from Deer Camp Trail

Trail Lesson:

We don't need extreme beauty to make a walk pleasurable-good scenery, good sunshine and good people help.

Bishop Drainage

Rachel contemplating Rail Creek