May 30, 2017 - Wawona Meadow Loop

Title:  May 30, 2017 - Wawona Meadow Loop
Hike Info : Description : Background :  Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Wawona Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Wawona Meadow Loop

Destination: Loop

Distance:  4.40 miles

Start Time: 12:16

End Time:    3:10

Travel Time:  2:54  (1.52 mph)

Moving Time:  2:00  (2.20 mph)

Elevation Rise:  450'

Maximum Elevation: 4,235'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Poppies and Lupine

Today started with a trip to the dentist office. After getting out of there around 10 o'clock we stopped at Costco for gas and then headed up to Wawona.

I have been hampered by double vision so I have been wearing an eye patch. This causes both headaches and tiredness on my part. We should see how today goes and if I can complete it. Sherri is raring to go. With the patch or the eye it hampers the depth perception. But the whole Wawona Meadow Loop Trail is on a partially paved old road. So it is fairly level and the depth perception should not be too much of a problem.

By the parking area, there are some California golden poppies and lupine in bloom. They make it a nice display of gold and purple to have us start our walk with. We start around 12:15, doing the loop in the traditional counter-clockwise manner. A few people are met, but it is not really crowded.

Pleasant creeks come down many ravines-both due to being still early in the season and the wetness of our winter. There are some wildflowers out, but not of “superbloom” quantity. Still the flowers up here are refreshing. We make it almost to the trail junction with a couple little used trailes before having lunch. The traditional
PB &  Nutella.

Then it is continuing around the meadow. Nothing unusual about our hike, except this hike is always a relaxing one. For me, it is good to get out. On the last mile, I stop to take a picture of some squirrel tracks in the mud. A couple and their dog catch up with us. Our conversation starts with them saying you can find better tracks along the river, instead of the mud along the trail. Thanks. Then we start talking about cats, both bob and mountain lions. As we talk along, we find out that they are rangers in the area-day off and their names are Cory and Shelly.  That gets into do they know anything about the Wawona Cemetery? General information and confirming I am on the right track that it is up the hill, across from the stables. More info about the history of the area. Cory mentions in the Wawona Hotel, there are many interesting pictures.

Wawona Meadow

Dogwoods

So after our new friends come to their car and we separate, we decide to stop by the Wawona Hotel and look through the pictures on the wall. That is one of the great things about the Ahwahnee and Wawona Hotels, there are interesting things to look at in each and it is open to the public.  Pictures of lots of scenes from around Yosemite and particularly Wawona. One which I liked-but having seen it on Wikipedia is of George Monroe-a black stagecoach driver of the area.

Wawona Cemetery

After a quick stop at the Visitor Center, or Hill’s Studio, if you prefer, we decide to go on to the cemetery. We cross the covered bridge and go through the Pioneer Historic Village. There is the stable, as we expect. Then cross the road and trudge up a small hill. There it is! I will say that the finding is more exciting than the content. There is 20+ bodies buried there and around the wood enclosure, but only a few are marked and maybe four or five have a marker saying Unknown. 

Unknown Marker

It is time to go back to the car. On the way back, a worker stops and asks did we go up to the cemetery? Yes. His remark is only three people he knows of have been up there. We do a quick tour of a few of the Pioneer buildings and head to the car. On the way back, we stop in Oakhurst at the Sugar Pine Pizza. I think it is a new favorite for us. The owner upgraded our pizza so we could get a split topping. Plus it tastes pretty good. We get home about 6:00pm.

As a note, the following day I was beat. So maybe I am not yet up to this hiking thing.

Background

Yates Marker

Wawona Cemetery. See Shirley Sargent’s book Wawona Yesterdays. A few pioneers are marks: Nathan Phillips, HR Sargent, and John Yates.

Names. I prefer to use the older names instead of Big Tree Lodge (Wawona) and Majestic Yosemite Hotel (Ahwahnee)

Extra Photo's

Path through Poppies and Lupine

Memorial Statement

Wawona Cemetery

Animals

Mourning Cloak

Squirrel Tracks

Owl Feather

 
Flowers and Plants

California Waterleaf

Hartwig's Iris

California Golden Poppy

Lupine

Incense Cedar

California Indian Pink

Dogwood