Thursday, March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016 - Briceburg and the Merced River Gorge



Title: March 24, 2016 - Briceburg and the Merced River Gorge

Trail head: Briceburg Visitor Center
Hike Info:
Type:  Hiking
Trail: Merced River Gorge - East
Destination:Edge of the BLM and Sierra National Forest
Actual Destination: Close to the destination
Distance: 7.94 miles
Start Time:  9:16
End Time:    1:54
Travel Time: 4:38 (1.71 mph)
Moving Time: 3:42 (2.15 mph)
Elevation Rise:  361'
Maximum Elevation: 1,365'










The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come
 Song of Songs 2:11-12

Description: 
This is the first meetup hike which I have organized since late October or early November. While not nervous, I am aware that I am a bit rusty. We meet at Kohls at 7am. Including myself, there are 9 of us, two people who have not hiked with me before-that would be Jen and Brandon. We stop in Mariposa at Burger King for coffee and facility usage. Then off to Briceburg.

Old Railroad Stanchion
We arrive around 9am and are on the trail at 9:15. The morning is cool, but the group starts off well. The good thing about this trail is that because it is a former railway bed from the Yosemite Valley Railroad, the trail is almost flat. So we scoot off, enjoying the sunlight.  But we make frequent stops. That is the hazard with this trail, even though it is just across from highway 140, you don't get the feeling of traffic. Maybe it is the Merced River dividing us from there, maybe it is that the traffic has not started yet going to Yosemite. Whatever, we hardly notice it is there, except when the large construction trucks go by.

Sierra Salamander
Redbud and River
But why do we stop so often? Well there is so much eye candy that the photographers in the group stop every 3 minutes to admire the flowers, the trees, the river, or whatever strikes their fancy. And there is a lot to strike ones fancy. For instance, with our Winter rains, there are flowers blooming everywhere (see the pictures below). So our eyes are filled with color: yellows, oranges, white, blues, violets, and purples. They range from small, delicate white flowers which Alpine Companions to the redbud tree. There is something for all of us. Then on top of that, Sierra Salamanders were crawling through the wet morning grass. Some of us scoot them off the trail, others cannot resist holding them. Like I said, there is something for everybody.

Power Line Workers
Power Line Workers
But wait there is more reason to stop and gawk. We kept hearing and seeing a helicopter moving around. But for 15 minutes we could not figure out why. It had a 50' line hanging down which what looked like a hook or latch of some type. Then we noticed that the helicopter had picked up two men in orange jump suits and was placing them on power towers. This fascinated us and we watched them for ever so long. The men would work, then signal the helicopter to pick them up and they would be flown to the next available tower-there was two teams of men working them, probably checking the insulation and making sure all was right. This kept us occupied for awhile. Of course the photographers of the group cannot resist a time of good photos.

Fascinated with the Helicopter
Jody
Jerry and Jen
We continue on with the "ordinary" hiking things, such as unbelievable beauty. Enjoyable time talking with Bill, Rose, Jen, Lora, and Jerry. This passing the time and before we know it, I am thinking, I better catch up with the front of the pack because we are about to enter into the land of poison oak. This seemed like a good place for lunch and we stopped, sat on some rocks and enjoyed the shade and the warmth of the air.

Gary
Sherri and I had Nutella and pretzels which Sherri's cousin got me for Christmas. While the rest did not seem long enough, being the true taskmaster I am, after 15 minutes I tell everybody it is time to head out. The return trip is just over the same path we came up. Somebody makes a comment that they much rather do a loop, but this is pretty good too. We see the lower V which the river has cut through the foothills. Also now that that sun is out, the flowers have opened up. The hills instead of having splotches of orange, now have a golden glint to them. So it is like seeing the trail new.

Merced River



I will confess that when we made the last turn to go down the Merced River, my legs were whimpering, saying it is time for all this goodness to end. The bridge over the Merced while there, seems small and not growing larger faster. But we do get back to the cars before 2pm. But the excitement does not end. Someone shouts out, that raven has a snake in his mouth. A couple of thoughts goes through my mind: 1) Hey cool, I do not think I have seen a bird flying with a snake before, 2) I hope he does not drop it; and 3) is that a rattler?  The raven did not drop it and looked like he ate it in a tree. Also looking at the pictures close up, it does not look like a rattler.

Raven and Snake
But that was an exciting way to end the hike. And now to get filled up in Mariposa at Happy Burger before heading home to Fresno.















Trail Lesson: With your eyes wide open, hiking a trail going in is not the same as it is going out.





 
More Photographs:
 














Merced River from the Briceburg Bridge


Sierra Salamander under water

Sierra Salamander

 Helicopter Shots:

Power company helicopter

Dropping a worker on a power line

Workers behind the tree


 Hikers:

Hiking along the Merced

Rose

Merced River and Hiker

Art getting his picture

Reloading-it was getting warm


Redbud by the merced
Redbud by the merced

Saturday, March 19, 2016

March 19, 2016 - Million Dollar Mile and Beyond





Title: March 19, 2016 - Million Dollar Mile and Beyond
Trail head: Italian Bar Road
Hike Info:
Type:  Hiking
Trail: Million Dollar Road
Destination: Powerhouse #6
Actual Destination: About a mile short of the powerhouse
Distance: 12.89 miles
Start Time:  10:07am
End Time:     3:09pm
Travel Time: 5:02 (2.56 mph)
Moving Time: 4:17 (3.01 mph)
Elevation Rise: 1,258'
Maximum Elevation: 2,298'


Redinger Lake
 Description:
The morning started off fine enough. We left the house at 6:50 and had a good breakfast at The Train Depot.  With a good feeling in our tummies, we head off to Prather and our walk. We get to Prather all right, then things fell apart. As we headed down Audberry Road, we missed our turn off to Jose Basin Road. By the time we figured out we were not where we wanted to be, we were a long ways off of were we should be. So we put in some coordinates around where we wanted to go and headed off to Audberry again. This time, the GPS headed off down towards North Fork. Sigh. By this time we have spent an hour and half wandering around the area. I finally got smart and put an address close to where we wanted to go and we ended up at the Million Dollar Mile trail head. Should not happen again-loaded the trail head into our GPS.

Power Lines
The idea behind this hike is to walk for four hours-two hours each way--and walk the entire road from end to end. That would be a 14+ mile walk. We will see how we do.

By the time we put the first step onto the pavement, it is after 10am and I am tired from driving.  But we get rejuvenated as we start walking. Why you might ask? Is it because we are walking along pavement and over steel bridges? I do not think so. How about the steel lines of power from the generators? Not a chance.

First Adit
It is because as we walk along we see streams of water falling over rocks. Wildflowers are blooming in all their colors. Then there are the shear walls of the gorge which the San Joaquin River has cut through the centuries. All of these make it a good walk. We even visit an adit which SCE has been cleaning up the muck and berry vines so we can walk all the way into it rather than being stopped by the thorns of blackberries.





















 In a little more than an hour, we have traveled 3 1/2 miles to Stevenson Falls. The falls are going strong and with the sunlight shining through, it is refreshing. We stop for a few minute break and munch a Luna bar.  Then shove off to the remainder of the road. But we only have 50 more minutes to cover another 3 1/2 miles.


Stevenson Falls
Stevenson Falls





















Falls across the canyon
We have not traveled this part of the road, except for once-last year. So we are amazed by the gorge we go through (would you say it is gorgeous?). But that is not the only thing we are in awe of. There is water coming down the rock every couple hundred feet, making the walk seem like lushness on one side and stark on the other. But on our side, there is moss and grass hanging from rock, along with trees hanging over the road. And of course, flowers bring bright spots to these gardens.

Lunch Spot
At the two hour mark, we come to a waterfall, 6.25 miles from the start of our walk. Here we stop and have lunch-peanut butter and nutella sandwiches. It was good and we were refreshed and ready for our walk back. But my legs need to figure out that they have been rested and should be feeling better, rather than stiffing up and feeling old. But as we go, the legs get better, but the feet decide to take over the aching. At the end of the hike, I realize there is a small blister. Also by the time we got home, the legs were stiff and I was tired.

We got to the end of the road around 3pm and picked up a bit of garbage around the car. That is when we noticed a sign, a big sign, which said Road Closed. Did that mean closed to bicycles and walkers or just vehicles. Of course there were other signs talking walkers and bikers to be careful. So I think we are ok. After that we stopped in Prather at the Pizza Factory. Then on to home around 5pm. A good day.  (Note: The road is open for walkers and bikes. Just a new sign)



Gary stepping out

Sherri moving along


















Us at Stevenson Falls


Photo Extra's:

Scenes from the Road:

 
The road we will travel

Sherri on the road, with our road in two miles

San Joaquin River

Heading Back



Looking West





Stevenson Falls:

Stevenson Falls

Stevenson Falls




Stevenson Falls

Stevenson Falls






Flowers:




Field of White