Gary-Summer: August 17, 2019 - Buena Vista Peak

Saturday, August 17, 2019

August 17, 2019 - Buena Vista Peak

Title: August 17, 2019 - Buena Vista Peak
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Buena Vista Peak Trailhead

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Buena Vista Peak

Destination: Buena Vista Peak

Distance: 2.34 miles

Start Time: 5:18pm

End Time: 7:04pm

Travel Time: 1:46 (1.32 mph)

Moving Time: 1:12 (1.94 mph)

Elevation Rise: 577' ¹

Descent: 610‘

Maximum Elevation: 7,589'

GPS Tracks

¹The elevation on the GPS did not record correctly. The elevations here is from Google Earth.

Description:

Sherri and I were to be out camping by now. But having an extra day at Delilah put a crimp in that. Then I got a call and said there was a problem in the sale of my parent's house. So I am having to do some research. Do we still want to? Can we actually go up and at least do a hike? Yes, lets get some dirt on our feet-it turns out getting dirty is easier said than done. But the things with my parent’s estate had me looking all morning for some documents.

We left Fresno at1:45. First, we needed gas. So off to the new Costco we go. Then we head to Grant Grove, still not sure what trail to go on. But we will stop at the Visitor Center to check on what is open. There, we ask about the Boole Tree-closed. Then, what about Little Boulder Creek-it is most likely open. So off we go down Burton Road. It is a pleasant drive. But today, there is much more traffic than our usual-which is nobody else taking my road. But they do look like they are trying to find a place to 4-wheel drive.

We travel down Burton Road, aaaah and ooohing about the scenery, but wanting to get on the trail. Sherri and I have been on this one with Rose a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. But the area has been closed now for the past couple of years. We round a big curve and what do we see? A gate, blocking our progress to the trailhead. There is a sign which says we would need to walk about 2½ miles to even get on the trail, let alone walk it. Since it is about 4, this will not work out. So much for Little Boulder Creek being open. We back track, stopping along the way to view the Kings River and beyond.

But the star attraction today will be Buck Rock. When we turn our gaze from the Kings, the lookout stands stately, high above us, like a queen ruling the sky. It turns out that today, she will be our companion in our travels. No matter where we turn, there she is.

When we get back to Quail Flat, we make a decision: we would still like to hike and Buena Vista Peak is just down the road. So this will be our hike for today-pretty short, still a hike. As we get ready at the trailhead, I spot a Sequoia Forest truck go by us-it is Patrol 33 who we know.

Mt Sillman

Our hike starts a little after 5pm. Steven charges ahead; Sherri and I lag behind. Maybe it is the length of the day so far or just not having walked in awhile, but this hike is pushing me- I would classify this as an easy hike or slightly above, suitable for most people. I am breathing a bit more than I should. I am just glad that Sherri is also stopping as well. Still it is wonderful being out. Buck Rock comes into view-I told you it was her day. We are escorted on the way up with some late blooming flowers-no pictures, sorry. As we close in on the top, a hiker comes down. We chat for awhile-he is planning on doing Whitney in a week or so and has been training. We talk about different places. He asks about a peak to the southeast-it looks like Mt Sillman to me-not Whitney. He is carrying bear-spray. I do comment that he may want to find out how legal it is to carry the spray in the park-later I look and it is not. He is concerned about cougars/mountain lions.

View from the top

Then we are off and reach the top in short order. Here we just enjoy the view. It is very hazy as we look West towards the Valley, but pretty nice the rest of our viewing direction. One of the good things about this peak is you have a 360 view. If you know where to look you can see Park Ridge, but not Delilah. After awhile, it is time to move on.

The trip down is a lot faster and easier. My stride returns to more of a normal length and cadence. A few places it is easy to mistake a place where others have gone for the trail-this is what happens with Sherri. But we all make it down OK.

Now where do we eat? We decide on DNC in Grant Grove. It has been enjoyable for the last couple of years, but just a bit slow. When we get there, the wait staff looks frazzled. A couple large groups are in. But we get a table fairly quickly. The food is adequate, but the waitress is very scattered-Steven never gets his water after asking twice and a refill of ice tea for me only gets done when she gives us the bill.

We make it down the hill to Fresno. Sherri and I are having a debate about where certain lights we are seeing from Delilah are. One set of lights we find are from a warehouse just north of the airport. The other set, we are not sure about. But Steven shows us where the water tower is at Fresno State. We get home about 9:50. I take a shower and climb into bed.