March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Title: March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Trail head:  Highway 49 and Road 6S79

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Miami Mountain Road

Destination:Miami Lookout

Distance:  4.30 miles

Start Time:  11:31

End Time:     2:18

Travel Time: 2:46 (1.55 mph)

Moving Time: 1:48 (2.39 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,148'

Maximum Elevation: 4,337'

Description:
This is a hike which I have wanted to do for about the past 9 months. Miami Mountain has fire a lookout on top of it. From the pictures it looks like it is a 360 degree view. So when Rachel has the day off, Sherri and I plan on going up there to do this 4-5 mile trail. As an added bonus, Steven is able to come with us.

The day starts out with me waking up at 5am. I do my quiet time. Then a little after 6, I get an e-mail from my brother. It looks like Dad has found some more of the tax information for my Dad. So I work on that while Sherri takes care of a medical appointment. At 10, I am still working on taxes while Sherri and Rachel get ready for our trip. I suspect we are all dilly-dallying around, but today may be the wrong day to do that. Fresno will be breaking a heat record-over 90. Miami Mountain is not that high so we will be in the midst of the warmth. But the good thing is that Steven comes home from school and wants to come with us.

So at 10:30 or there about, we start off. Rachel is driving and the first leg goes well. We go up Highway 41 to Oakhurst. Then take a left onto Highway 49. Here a simple journey gets a bit complicated. I know that the road to Miami is a bit hidden, but it is right at a saddle, about two miles beyond Nipinnawasee. So we go over the saddle and do not see a road and do a U-turn. We see a small side road, but it looks more like a driveway. But there is no other road, so we go down farther and come to Wormak Road which looks close, but Steven points out that it must be the little driveway we saw. So another U-turn and we go up the road. It quickly turns into a dirt road. Traveling up this road for a first time dirt road driver is a bit nerve-wracking. Then we come to a cattle gate and there is little room to turn around. There is not enough room to park, so I get the task of doing a U-turn on a one-lane dirt road with a drop off on one side. It is not too bad and we are quickly on our way back to where it is paved. There is a wide spot there, enough to park the car. So that is what we do.

Start of dirt road

Sherri on the road

Before we start out, while others are getting ready, I sort of look over a cattle chute, when I hear a noise and see a doe bound across the road. Nobody else saw her. Then we start walking up the road we just drove down. By the way, Friday, Rachel's dog is with us as well. We also immediately start a pretty good climb up the road. When we come to the cattle gate, some hope over it, but I see where there is a little opening to go over a cut out section of the barb-wire fence. Then it is more up. Now the road is nothing special, but as we climb up a couple things happen. First, the air is warm and the sweat drips freely from me. Second, we keep climbing. But the last thing is that we start to get glimpses of some views. The views are not ones of the high Sierras, but more of the foothills and out into the Central Valley.

View to the south

First view of Miami

When the road tops the ridge to the south west of of the lookout, we start curving back up. We eventually get our first view of the lookout, still high above us. But it gives us hope. Along the northern ridge, there is signs of life breaking out. Some of the smaller bushes leaves are uncurling, making a grand sight against the mountains in the distance.

Approaching Miami

By this time, the heat of the Spring day is starting to get to us, so we are glad when there is a final turn and the lookout springs in front of us. There is a bit of shade on the north side, so we sit by the lookout station, enjoying the view and our sandwiches.

Miami View-South

Miami View North

Miami View North East

Miami View-East

Eastman lake

As we are observing, a lady bicyclist comes up on a quick trip up the mountain. We talk for a few minutes about the lookout. But then she needs to go back down to pick up kids from school. After we take care of some personal needs in the outhouse, we do need to go back down. Some of the good things about  going back down is: we are going down, and you get to see things which you did not see before. On top, Sherri had noticed a body of water to the south of us. Around a bend, we can see it pretty clearly-I believe it is Eastman Lake. Then, around another corner we see Oakhurst laid out in front of us. Pretty good views for a less than five mile walk.

Friendly gopher snake

But wait, there is more. Did I mention we brought along Friday, Rachel's dog? She was about to go over and investigate something when Steven alertly called her back. She had found a snake, which for a minute we were wondering what kind. but it was just a garden variety gopher snake.

We get back to the car without further excitement around 2:15. Now where do we go to eat? We decide that Southgate Brewery would be a good place. Even at 3:00pm, the place has a significant number of people. We enjoy our food and then off to Fresno by 4:30. We now have a new place to hike to.

As a note: I have been communicating with Jeff May, the person in-charge of Miami Lookout. He was saying that only three people, plus the lookout in the tower can be in the lookout at any one time. But he is very welcoming of people coming up. Also where we parked is the appropriate place to start from.

Oakhurst

On the way down

Starting to leaf

March 25, 2015 - Ft Monroe

Title: March 25, 2015 - Ft Monroe

Trail head: Bridalveil Falls Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Old Wawona Road and Pohono

Destination:Ft Monroe

Distance: 8.1 miles ¹

Start Time:  9:34

End Time:   2:52

Travel Time: 5:18 (1.16 mph)

Moving Time: 3:35 (2.05 mph) ¹

Elevation Rise: 1,591'

Maximum Elevation: 5,578'

 ¹My GPS had a low battery indicator almost from the get-go. So I needed to turn my GPS off for a time between Artist Point and the faux Ft Monroe. My GPS registered 6.15 miles over 3 hours. The mileage and moving time was from Rose C's GPS.

Description:

Bridalveil in the morning

Here it is again, another Wednesday, but John and Cathey are busy, so I planned a meetup hike-a return to Ft Monroe in Yosemite. Last November we did this hike, it was one of the rare rainy days of the 2014-2015 winter and boy did it rain. But today is about unfinished business, an un-accomplished mission. You see the last couple of times I had been up here, I thought we had the spot for Ft Monroe. There was a flat spot and a pipe sticking out of the ground. When I read Tony Krizan's description and looked at the GPS readings something seemed off from where I thought it was. So my personal mission was to find where this fort was located.

Old Wawona Road

So what do I do today? Invite people from our meetup group to join us and so 25 people, besides Sherri and I show up to help me find this fort-only thing they only know we are going to this mythical fort, not that I don't know where it is exactly. The 25 includes my good friend Doug, his first time with the meetup group.  At 7:10 we depart from Kohl's-once again there is a person who rushes into the parking lot just as we are leaving so she gets stuffed into our car for a ride up to Oakhurst. We make the traditional stop at Starbucks in Oakhurst and pick up a couple more people before getting to the Bridalveil Parking Lot at 9:15. We meet Jerry K-the other half of the John and Jerry team-and Bob whom I have not met before.

The actual start of the trail is about a quarter of a mile up Highway 41 from the parking lot, just past the W1 road sign. There is a small wide space, room enough for three or four small cars, but only Dan and his family take advantage of it. Here, we take our group picture and start out. Most people start out with long sleeves and long pants. Me? It is shorts, but a smart wool shirt. Quickly most of us have stripped to short sleeves. Then quickly to shorts, if they have it available. It is that kind of day and trail which will make you sweat. It is a good pull up towards Artist Point.

Sherri is assuming the sweep role and I try to be somewhat close to the front-but I fail at that task and have to settle for someplace in the middle. But the goodness there is I get to converse with several people about a variety of subject matter.  One such subject matter is a pretty thick cable we see along the way. What it is, is a matter of much speculation, but nothing conclusive. May favorite, which I exposite on is that since Turtleback Dome is up the way, it may be the power and communications line for that.²

 We do get to a place which is close to Artist Point in good time-more about this later. Some of us enjoy the first good view of the Valley-others I think have scurried on ahead, maybe ignoring what their eyes can enjoy.  But there is plenty of time to see views along this trail. See the picture at the top for an idea of what we saw.

Devil's Dance hall and the Cascades

About a half mile after Artist Point, we pass by the trail junction with the Pohono Trail, continuing to follow the Old Wawona Road. Why you might ask since the Pohono Trail is shorter? Exactly is my reply, shorter, but steeper. This old man is getting lazy in his old age. Besides there is unfinished business ahead. We get to the point where I previously thought Ft Monroe was. There is a metal pipe sticking out of the ground and a pretty good view of the Cascades, but this is not it. The GPS coordinates are off. So we go on ahead.

Ft Monroe from Vic M

From Wikipedia

We catch up with the rest of the group and I let people know that there is more. Jerry K has a new Canadian friend who latches onto our group. So we continue up the Old Wawona Road, not the Pohono Trail, for another half of a mile. Here, the GPS says that we are in the right spot and sure enough, there is another pipe sticking out of the ground. I will say, this location is not very impressive. I say a few words about why Ft Monroe was named and what it was-named for a black stagecoach drive named George Monroe and the fort was actually a stagecoach stop.
 

Inspiration Point

Some of the group goes off and plays, that is they wonder what is below. They find some things, but not much-some old cans which they leave in place. I think they were looking for foundations or a building.³ Where they were probably was where the stagecoach station was. But the rest of us go back down to Inspiration Point. Most stay on top, but down about 40' is actually a little bit better place to see the Valley just spreads out before you, the view is less encumbered by trees. We stop for about 30-40 minutes, just enjoying the sun and the view, not necessarily in that order.

But now it is time to go back down to the cars at Bridalveil. Instead of returning the way we came, we finish our lollypop loop by going down the Pohono Trail, about half of a mile till we reach the Old Wawona Road again. But about 2/3's of the way down, there is a little social trail. As good as Artist and Inspiration Points are, I think this little trail offers a view which even surpasses these fine points. Just the broadness of view and the look down the Valley is, well, breath-taking.

Artist Point benchmark

We go on down the road until Artist Point. I have been talking with Jerry's friend about other hikes he might consider, when I realize he probably should have continued down the Pohono Trail to Valley View. But it is a good talk.  I have been looking for a benchmark to say exactly where the Point is.  Sherri finds it, right across from the good view at Artist Point. Now the trip is complete and we return back down the road to the cars.

But a meetup trip would not be complete without an after hike meal. So we stop in at Southgate Brewey. it turns out that Southgate is owned by a friend of Dan's. We get back to Kohl's around 6, dropping off one of our pasengers-Karen, another first time hiker with our group. We take Doug back to his house which is on the way home. It has been another good day and another good hike. But of course, what else could it have been? We were in Yosemite!

Broken cable

 ² Vic M wrote to Yosemite NP. The Park responded through a person named Jeffery with This is an old telephone cable, which has since been replaced by a microwave system. Also Vic's source noted that the line went all the way from Yosemite Valley to Wawona.








 ³Also from Vic M and his correspondence with Jeffery:  

Can around Ft Monroe

 As for the rusted cans, I don't have any other details. There are numerous old dumps all around the park, although I'm not sure if this is from one of them. Often, what makes an artifact valuable is its context (what else was nearby, exact location, etc.), so removing an artifact without studying the site might preserve the individual can, but might not result in much else besides a rusted can in a drawer in the museum. So, we do still want people to leave artifacts where they're found (reporting them is useful, though).

Another source is the Yosemite site on the Protection of Archeological Resources

March 11, 2015 - Hite Cove

Title: March 11, 2015 - Hite Cove

Trail head: Savage Trading Center

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Hite Cove Trail

Destination: Hite Cove

Actual Destination: About three miles into trail

Distance: 5.92 miles ¹

Start Time:  9:40

End Time:   4:03

Travel Time: 6:23 (0.93 mph)

Moving Time: 4;12 (1.41  mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,403'

Maximum Elevation: 1,617'

  ¹Hite Cove is about 4.5 miles from the Savage Trading Center. But I stopped about 3 miles up the trail. The red trail line reflects how far I went. The blue dots is the rest of the trail to Hite Cove,

Trail along side of ridge

Description:

South Fork of Merced River

It is an overcast Wednesday morning, so a-hiking we will go. We meet at our normal gathering spot for meetup and take off for Mariposa. After a brief stop at Burger King, where we celebrate Donna's birthday, it is time to take off for the Savage Trading Center, just west of El Portal. Along the way, it starts to rain, but not too bad, just enough to wet the pavement and cause us to put on rain gear when we stop.

Lava Rock

John talks a bit about Major James Savage and that Savage seemed to enjoy the benefits of many well placed Native American wives. Dan notes that according to Kit Carson's diaries, that Carson saw Yosemite as early as in the late 1820's. With this brief interlude into the past, it is time to charge up a small ridge, in the rain still.

Lichen on Rock

But the good thing about the rain is that it clears the air and the dust from the flowers. That is what this trail is known for-flowers. On the other hand, the rain makes an already somewhat treacherous trail even slicker and the lack of direct sunshine keeps the flowers undercover. But with the company we have, we enjoy the ramble.

Western Pond Turtle

Our Trail through poppies

California Golden Poppies

Newt

There is about a half mile section on this trail which is a bit sketchy. We have seen worse on many high Sierra trail. Still it can be unnerving, particularly going down something like this in the rain. So we get a bit of a trail jam in this place. Everybody makes it through pretty nicely.

Mist in the foothills

One of the advantages of traveling with the slower crowd is you get more opportunity to look around. While this year is not reported to be a stellar wildflower year, there is more than enough to go around. Poppies line the path and purple, white and yellow blaze among the green grass. But that is not all. Many newts litter the trail and Carl, Donna and I spot two Western Pond Turtles enjoying the wet weather.

Purple Flower

 
Around 11, the wet weather turns dryer with only a drop here and there-not sure those drops did not come from trees. But about the three mile mark, a couple of us out of the 34 people on this trek turn back, I provide the accompanying escort. It is more of the same. Shortly afterwards, the first of the Hite Cove people pass us by. I guess they were tired of the wetness. Oh well.

Yellow Flower

Sketchy Trail

On the treacherous part of the trail, I hang back and make a couple trips up the slope. But I suspect this is more to make me seem useful than anybody really needing assistance. We get back to the cars around 4, ready to eat. To continue the birthday celebration, we retire to Mariposa and have a meal in a parkway by a stream. Sherri and I grab a Subway sandwich. We hit Fresno someplace after 7pm. A long day, but looking at the pictures, there was a lot to enjoy.


Trail Lesson:

Sometimes just take your time and enjoy what your effort brings. Let nature show off the glory God has given it!

More trail, more poppies

Unnamed Creek with a little fall

South Fork of the Merced

March 7, 2015 - Million Dollar Mile to Stevenson Falls and Beyond

Title: March 7, 2015 - Million Dollar Mile to Stevenson Falls and Beyond

Trail head: Italian Bar Road

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Million Dollar Mile Road

Destination: End of the Road

Distance: 14.73 miles

Start Time: 8:52

End Time: 2:33

Travel Time: 5:40 (2.60 mph)

Moving Time: 4:45   (3.10 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,663

Maximum Elevation: 2,514'

Description:
This will be the last serious push to get ready for our half marathon in a week. So we have put it up on our meetup hike. We did this road to Stevenson Falls last month, but it is a good place to go beyond the Falls and up the road. We will see what we can see then. It is a timed walk so at a particular point, we will turn around and come back.

We meet at Kohls at 7:00 and are on our way with 24 of our best friends-at least for the day. We will also meet some new canine friends as well-all well-behaved. A good many people will join us in Prather or at the trail head. LaTanya is riding with us, along with Steven, our son. We get to Prather a bit earlier than I anticipated-about 7:50 and wait for Betty-I had told her 8am is when we would get there. Then it is off to the trail head on Italian Bar road.

Stevenson Falls

Just before 9, we gathered together and I gave the ground rules for today. This is not a destination hike, but a timed hike. We will hike for 2 1/2 hours and stop, enjoy a break or lunch, then hike back. We should all get back around 2:15. After taking a group picture, we head out at a pretty reasonable pace. I walk with Von and Don, in shorts and a T-shirt. While cool, in a short time I am starting to sweat from our walking.

In just over an hour, we reach Stevenson Falls. This is where we have reached before and stopped. Stevenson is worthwhile stopping for. One of those hidden gems. The flow is variable, based upon how much water is being released from Shaver Lake. We stop for awhile before moving on.

Road above Stevenson Creek

When we do move on, it is time to go to parts unknown, at least for me. Looking forward to seeing what is here. Like the more westward portion of the river, this part of the San Joaquin River has formed a deep gorge, cutting through slabs of granite. We are walking over 200' above the river. In one place, there is a steps which lead down to the water, but none of us go down-maybe we know that the rest of the hike will be hard enough on us without adding a climb back up.

Dam #6

As we look up the gorge, we see a dam. I am not familiar with the landmarks of the area, but after consulting a topo map for the area, I realize this is Dam #6. This is close to the end of the road which we are following. I think we have made a lot better time than what I anticipated!

End of the line

Sure enough. We come around a corner and there is Liane, Lee, Donna, Steven, LaTanya, Karen, Joe, Gary F, Don and several other people sitting, enjoying some shade under a couple penstocks, at the end of the road! Here we break out lunch and enjoy a break. My legs are just starting to feel a bit tired, so getting the weight off of them is good.

Penstocks at the end

Judy went down a ways and found a small waterfall. But the only taker she found on a return engagement was Jerry J and Liane. The rest of us were content to munch on lunch an enjoy the shade.

Dripping rocks

Deadly Lizard Face

Adit

At 11:50, we started to break up and be on our way back. While the road was much the same, except reversing the ups and downs, it did give me time look around a bit more. Such as examining some water coming down the face of a rock or looking in at one of the adit's coming out of the side of a mountain. These adits were used to provide access to the bigger tunnels being drilled through the mountain from Shaver lake, according to The Clovis News. We even found a lizard enjoying himself on the pavement.

Stevenson Falls

I had walked with Steven for a ways. he was being slowed up due to some blisters on his feet. At the halfway back mark, I caught up with Sherri at Stevenson Falls, There Steven caught up with us and Sherri administered some of her Second Skin magic. Liane and Gary F offered assistance which Steven declined, saying he thought he would be ok.

From there, it was anti-climatic getting back to the car. I walked with Steven as he hobbled along. We got back in at 2:30, slightly behind schedule. The last of our friends came in a few minutes after that. From there, many of us retired to Velesco's in Prather for a good and well deserved after hike meal. Liane has gotten Donna a pre-birthday cake which we all enjoy before our meal. Then it is time to return to Fresno.


Trail Lesson:

Life is for Living. - courtesy of Sandra S

San Joaquin River

Dam #6