March 29, 2014 - Marble Falls

 

Title: March 29, 2014 - Marble Falls

Trail head: Potwisha Campground

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Marble Falls

Destination: Marble Falls

Distance:  6.75 miles

Start Time:  9:28

End Time:   3:00*

Travel Time: 5:31* (1.22 mph)

Moving Time: 4:37* (1.46 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,583'

Maximum Elevation: 3,810'

*My GPS batteries died about a third of the way on the return trip. The mileage and elevation should be close, but the time is off.

Description:

We arrive at Kohl's at 7 and it is another long drive to Three Rivers. Like our two previous hikes, this destination is a first for us. So with that in mind, Nat and Jeffery pile into our car and we start out with about 18 other intrepid hikers for a location just outside of Ash Mountain. We stop in Farmersville for a break and hit Potwisha a little after 9.

Canal

The trail head is on the far side of the Potwisha Campground. The first part of the trail is a dirt road which goes besides a canal. Where this canal goes, John's conjecture is to Kaweah Reservoir. And that is a good guess. looking at a topo map, the canal skirts the campground, then crosses the road and the Middle Fork of the Kaweah. From there it meets up with a flume and heads towards the reservoir. Someplace in this area is a Parshall Flume. This may be to measure the river flow.  You can see pictures from 1955 at the Huntington Digital Library showing this flume. Now, what the use is it? I do not know. My speculation is it might be used for water for the campground and visitor center.  

Up the Marble Fork

About a quarter mile up the road is the official start of the trail. You make a right turn and start heading up a short series of steep switchbacks. This gets us up our first 150' and steps the tone for the next two miles. Fortunately, there are many places for the more thoughtful and philosophical minded person to stop and ponder what he sees-not being sexist here, just I am a he. "Shes" have equal opportunity to take advantage of being thoughtful and ponder any philosophical implications of this trail.

Back towards Three Rivers

Yucca Plant

Sherri and Admiration Point

While this is not a wildflower year, there are some redbuds out, along with the miner's lettuce sprouting their petite white flowers. Oh yes, and how can I forget the yucca plants, one of which is just about ready to bloom and stood higher than me! These are a pleasure to observe as we walk along. Today I pretty much stick with Sherri on the way up. And up we continue on, climbing pretty far above the Marble Fork of the Kaweah. The canyon this water is cutting is a steep V. On the other side of the canyon is Panorama Peak. Jerry K says that he and John want to take us-the group--up to another point, Admiration Point. This Point towers above Marble Falls with Switchback Peak between them on our side of the river. The trail calms down and continue a climb which does not seem as steep. But we may have just gotten used it. About 2/3's of a mile from the end of the trail, a couple of people have had enough and will wait until people start returning.

First Falls

But we continue on. I will say this trail is not one of NPS' better maintained trails. One place your get the fun of clinging to a rock and going from one ledge to another-this is not as bad as it sounds. Still for a popular trail, I am a bit surprised. At the end of the trail is another opportunity to climb up a rock about 5'. Here, you find a marble rock bowl which eon's of water has scoured out and is still working on. Several places around the falls have these scooped out bowls.

Middle Falls

Marble Falls themselves are really three sets of drops. The first is down the river about half of a mile and we saw them coming in. Then we are sitting on top of the middle set. Then according to the map, the falls actually labeled Marble Falls is about a third of mile and 400' up from where we are. 



We sit on top for about an hour, soaking in the sun and fellowship. I pass out some of my cookies. And this is where, as John and Cathey say, it is not a hike without a fall happens. I was really hoping the Falls would suffice for a fall. but alas, it was not meant to be. As I was sitting down on what I thought was flat rock, I rolled backwards. Legs going up, camera knocking off my glasses and my pride bruised. But everything else, including the cookies were intact. 

We then start back along the same trail, after all this is an in-and-out type of a hike. I manage to go out without falling. Someplace along the return trip, the batteries in my GPS gives out-I have extrapolated our mileage and elevation from our incoming trip. A bonus is that one of the new people in our group is starting to train to climb Mt Whitney this summer. I talked with her for a most of the way down. At least on my end, it was a pleasant conversation and it made the walk back go fast. She actually did pretty good coming back and we got to wait about 15 minutes for the rest of the group to catch up with us.

Gary, the hiker

Our post hike meal was in Three Rivers at the Pizza Factory. Still enjoyable. Got back to Fresno before 6.

March 28, 2014 - Alder Falls

Title: March 28, 2014 - Alder Falls

Trail head: Mosquito Creek

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Alder Creek

Destination: Alder Falls

Distance: 7.88

Start Time:  8:48

End Time:   2:15

Travel Time: 5:27 (1.45 mph)

Moving Time: 4:14 (1.86 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,514'

Maximum Elevation: 5,813'

Description:
Just a small group of people whom we have hiked with before-Dana, Jerry J, and Matt G.  Sherri, Steven and I had breakfast at the Train Depot. Very filling. The group, sans our son, met at Kohl's at 7 and made our way to Mosquito Creek. Matt drove us. Saw snow on the way in, but none at the trail head.

Alder Creek is a hike which Sherri and I fell in love with several years ago upon a recommendation by an elderly volunteer at the Wawona Ranger station. It sounded interesting so we went. We got more than we expected. We are just glad to share it with others.

Alder Creek area

We take off from Mosquito Creek and climb up through the shrubbery left from a fire several years back(Ann Marie Brown in her Cailfornia Waterfalls books says it was a control burn in 2008). At the start, many trees are down, forcing us to climb over logs. But nothing too difficult for us, at least for me, even with my 35 pound training pack on. For awhile on the climb, I am breathing a bit hard. But once I get a rhythm going, the breathing comes around and I can start enjoying the hike. 

Burnt Forest

Each year when we go through the burnt section, we see change, a bit more brush, startings of new trees, and old burnt ones falling. The cycle of the forest taking place in front of our eyes. While I do enjoy the pine and cedar forests I walk through, I am starting to understand and see with new eyes the beauty there can be in this cycle of change.  I sometimes wonder if I will be able to walk this trail when the cycle has come full circle and what will it be like to say to the trees I knew you when you were young?

Manzanita Flower

Snow Plant

But onwards we go. I can see I am not the only one breathing a bit hard. In front, Jerry says that he saw a deer scampering through the forest.  We get to the junction with the trail from Wawona. Now the trail does a gentler, rolling climb. And we start hitting patches of snow. nothing very deep. But still the frozen water crunches under our feet. The covering of snow is one of the things I like about the Alder Creek trail. Each time I travel it, the scenery changes. Sometimes it is the Fall, other times the Spring. We have hiked it in deep snow and now in a light covering. This trail continues to amaze my senses.

The snow is nothing which inhibits our walk. But the covering produces another world of brightened light, creating vivid greens and earthly browns. These are good views as we climb up to the old railroad bed-we understand that this railroad bed may have been from an old logging rail, maybe the Sugar Pine railroad?

On top of Alder Falls

We take a little break before hiking the rest of the mile before the falls. I think the group was a little surprised when I said something about time to progress on to the main event. So along the railroad bed we walked-a lot easier walking on this, even though it is completely snow covered. Nothing exciting, just a general sense of this is good. Then comes the surprise when we round a ridge. Alder Falls is there, showing herself off, maybe not in full splendor, but with enough beauty to dazzle both those who are seeing it for its first time and those who have come to re-acquaint themselves with her. 

Alder Falls

 





After being properly awed, we go to the top of the falls and have lunch. (To clarify, the base of the falls i about 300' below us and would be a very difficult climb down to it. The top of the falls is a ways off the trail and about 50' below us as well, but it can be easier to do, but we do not do so.) The sun beaming down, nice rock to sit on and so much eye-candy to gaze upon. Did I mention pleasant people to share this with? What a place for lunch.

Lunch

While the others sit for awhile, I go up a little ways further along Alder Creek. There were many sights and sounds which gave a sense of serenity and peace. Snow and being alone will do that too you. We have not seen any other people today and that is enjoyable not having the crowds of Yosemite and still enjoying a fall which has such beauty. But I can either stay here and abandon the others or come back. Getting lost in beauty is a wonderful thing. But eventually, you really should be found. This is not the only thing in the world.

Trail above the Falls

Branches of Alder Creek

Alder Creek

 We start back and make good time. The real notable thing for us on the return trip is that much of the snow we walked over on the way up has disappeared. In places it is only our foot path which now is a streak of mud and dirt. In other places whole patches has evaporated. We get down to Matt's vehicle and start our way down. We stop in Oakhurst for our obligatory homage to Todd's. Then it is back to Kohl's and home. a good day.

March 21, 2014 - Pig Pond/Tunnel Monement Loop

Title: March 21, 2014 - Pig Pond/Tunnel Monument Loop

Trail head: Parking Lot at Pacheco State Park

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Pig Pond/Tunnel Monument/Spikes Peak

Destination:  Tunnel Monument

Distance:  3.67 miles

Start Time:   11:41

End Time:      1:27

Travel Time: 1:45 (2.10 mph)

Moving Time: 1.29 (2.47 mph)

Elevation Rise:  966'

Maximum Elevation:   1,823

Start of Trail to Pig Pond

Description:
Once again we are on our way over to my parents in Mountain View. Pacheco State Park is turning out to be a great place to go for a mid-trip hike. We get to Pacheco around 11:30 and take off to Pig Pond. Previous hikers had not closed gates, but we leave them closed.

Climbing out of Pig Pond

Pig Pond is a familiar route-we have done this several times. While Pig Pond will never be a destination spot, it is a close one mile walk from the car. We travel beyond this, up the hill to a picnic table. This would be a great place to eat, with shade and views of Salt Creek, windmills and even Fremont Peak.

Fremont Peak

But we do not have lunch with us, so on we go, but just a little ways to the Tunnel Monument trail junction. We make a right turn onto the Tunnel Monument Trail and start a training hike up. This is really a steep climb. Glad it is not hot, but it is windy, which cools us a bit. The climb seems to be never ending, but in reality, it is only 500' up! Just straight up.

Tunnel Monument

But at the top you see back towards San Luis Reservoir, then down the west side of Pacheco. Nice, as long as the wind does not blow my hat off too many times. We hunt around for the Tunnel Monument, but do not find it. But we go down the trail thirty yards, and there it is. The monument is only a benchmark which says there is a tunnel below us from San Luis Reservoir to the creek on the west side of Pacheco. But you do enjoy thinking about all the engineering of those who bore through the Coastal Range to make this happen.

Spikes Road Trail

We continue our walk, starting on the return trip. As steep as it was coming up, it us at least as steep going down Spikes  Road. But we rejoin the Pig Pond trail, where it flattens out. From there it is a short walk back to the car. Then off to Gilroy and Subway for lunch-a Chicken Enchilada Melt if you must know.

Trail Lesson:

Say,     do you have any grey pig pond?  (Probably one of those things where you had to be there, but try saying it slightly slurred)

March 19, 2014 - Salt Creek BLM Trail

 Title: March 19, 2014 - Salt Creek BLM Trail

Trail head: Skyline Road, Three Rivers

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail:  Salt Creek BLM Trail

Destination:  Table #3

Distance: 6.99 miles

Start Time:  8:56am

End Time:   2:55pm

Travel Time: 5:58 (1.17 mph)

Moving Time: 3:30 (2.00 mph)

Elevation Rise:  2,068'

Maximum Elevation: 2,733'

 

Start of hike

Description:
One of the fun things hiking with the Mid-Week Meetup group is the different people whom you meet. Such as Lisa and her climbing Colorado 14er's-I am in awe of that; or KO from Three Rivers who I had a good conversation with while she patiently hiked with an old man; or Theresa, Ric's wife, or for that matter Ric whom I had hiked with before but not really talked with. Of course, there is the regulars such as Jerry, John and Cathey, Betty, Rose, Jeffery, Manjeet, Bill, Kate-the list could go on for a ways. But you get the idea. One my major tenants of hiking is that it is as much about the social aspect as the miles and the beauty.

But on to the hike. We met in Fresno for our caravan down to Visalia and Three Rivers. Got to Three Rivers where we picked up several of the south valley group and then car pooled up Skyline Road to the trail head. Parking is a bit tight there so it is fortunate to have a guide like KO to plan for that kind of thing. But we all got there and the cars get  parked legally. The hike commences a few minutes before 9.

The zig-zag up the hill

The Shelf

It is going to be a hot day. But the group is in good cheer and starts out pretty exuberant.  We meander around, doing a little up and a little down. After about a mile, we cross Salt Creek, going to the north side, going clockwise on this loop. The trail then starts rising. I walk with KO and her dog for over a mile. The talk is on the various backpacking trips we will be going on this summer. She is looking at exploring the Kern-Kaweah basin area and is looking for people to explore with her. I am interested, but I think I would be an anchor on a speed boat. With the road rising rapidly, I am needing a bit more breath to talk, or at least a little slower pace. KO goes on and I fall into step with Lee. KO had been accommodating to my pace, but I feel more comfortable at Lee's speed.

Case Mountain

The road zig-zags up the side of a hill, rising about a 1,000' in this are. Good thing this is the morning because the sun shines directly on us. In a wet year, or at least a normal one, this place would be just spectacular. Even now there are a variety of yellows, whites and purples. But the density of the flowers is rather lite. There is a rock shelf which we are climbing above. Salt Creek comes over this shelf. This creek and a tributary only leave a wet stain on this shelf. But you can tell there would be a nice set of falls in at least a couple of places if the water was flowing. Guess this means we will need to come back up here another time.

Flowers and Fry's Point

Lee and I stop in the shade of a tree, unzipping our pants legs. Theresa and Harold comes up the road and joins us. When we leave, I leave our bag of jelly bellies for Sherri to pick up.  The sun is starting to get to me-at least I feel my energy sinking. Lee has it right-this road is becoming a trudge. I am sucking water from my bladder like crazy. Fortunately, we round a curve and the rest of the group is waiting at the top of a knoll, around table #3-see the BLM table map. I wait around for Sherri to come up. But she is further back than what I thought she was. The good thing is I think I was walking better than I thought I was.

Comb Peak

Sherri and gang comes up eventually. But there are no jelly bellies in hand. But Jeffery had picked them up. Best laid schemes of mice and men-bet you never thought the Robert Burns would be writing about jelly bellies, did you? Enjoyable time just to relax. Dana introduces Lisa to me and she is interested in GPS'. I tell her what I know, but Ric is Mr. GPS and is able to tell her a lot more about what he these things. In talking with Lisa, she and her husband are in the process of doing all 58 14er's in Colorado which will require many times going off trail, hence the need for a good GPS.

Hikers

We now start out and I walk with John, at the end of the pack. Speaking of packs, I am wearing my Gregory and it is feeling more and more comfortable. The trail starts its descent. Instead of a road like we have been going up, it is slowly turning into a single track, which is fine with me. It is enjoyable walking through the hillside grasses  up, and mostly, down the rolling ridges. Eventually we cross Salt Creek, more of a wide area of water, with a slow little trickle dropping into a ravine. KO has taken a group above where we are. We can hear the voices, but not see them. They are going above the falls, or there would be. KO talks about how the whole area above these falls were covered by moss, but through increased use, about a third of the moss has been removed. We as hikers and people who enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoor need to be on alert to our own impact as we travel through an area.

Newts

John's group comes to another place where there should be falls and they head off other to it-this is at table #6. I wait around and Sherri comes back from looking at the other falls. There is a small creek nearby and she spots a ball of newts in the creek. It should be noted that this newt ball, is really a lascivious event of males swarming over a female-haven't they ever heard of Match.com? Interesting seeing them like this.

Now it is off time to tackle going down a ridge which will cause us to descend until we reach the road we originally come in on. This is going down 1,000', pretty steeply in places. There is a bike track which goes straight down the ridge. Most of our group uses this route. But I notice another patch which forms a sine wave on its side going down the hill. I take that. With the added distance, I can stretch out my legs and not feel like I am pounding my knees and feet with the straighter and shorter way. To the others I think I must look like a fool on a mission. But I get to enjoy the sides of the ridge rather than concentrate on looking only at the trail.

Fry's Point

My Boy Scout training kicks in to provide assistance down some of the more interesting drops. Makes me feel good about myself, more than anything else. But we all make it down and gain the road. Somehow the road seems a lot longer going back than when we started. We get back to the cars a few minutes before 2, hot and sweaty at least I am. Lunch was then pizza in Three Rivers, where many of us are talking about going on a backpacking trip. Then it is on to Fresno, getting home around 6.

A horse, of course, and Shepherd Peak

March 14, 2014 - San Joaquin River (Pa'san Ridge Loop)

Title: March 14, 2014 - San Joaquin River (Pa'San Ridge Loop)

Trail head:  Ya Gub Weh Tuh Trailhead

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: San Joaquin River (Pa'San Ridge Loop)

Distance:  7.60 miles

Start Time:  8:03am

End Time:   12:32pm

Travel Time: 4:28 (1.70  mph)

Moving Time: 3:19 (2.28  mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,739'

Maximum Elevation: 1,842'

Description:

The morning started on a sour note. Two of our bikes were taken from the garage. Needless to say, we are not happy about the event and are a bit in a acheronic state. But we are having some people over for breakfast who we will be hiking with. So we need to get the  breakfast of pancakes and bacon together. Three of these people we invited last Monday after the Pinchusion Peak hike. We enjoyed them and just wanted to have them over. We found out that a couple of other people from Wednesday's hike would be doing today's walk, so we invited them as well. Seven was about as much as we could handle the first thing out. Our breakfast was simple: pancakes, bacon, fruit and orange drink-Brian brought the orange drink  and Kate the maple syrup and whole oranges. A good morning meal.

We meet the other people at the Temperance Park and Ride at 7am and rode up to the Ya Gub Weh Tuh Trailhead. We get started a little after 8-sort of nice to be able to start hiking within an hour of meeting people. This hike starts on the south side of the San Joaquin River on BLM land. We drop 350' down to the San Joaquin River. While only a mile or so, we get a taste of the trail. Wild flowers have started to come out. So the hillside has a scattering of yellows, whites, blues and purple flowers. But mixed in is some poison oak with its shiny, oily leaves, just starting to turn red in a few leaves.

Meetup Hikers

After going through two cattle gates-being careful to close and chain them-we come to a bridge crossing the San Joaquin River Gorge.  By this time, Sherri is lagging behind because she is trying to deal with the stolen bikes. But once off the phone, we start walking earnest. We come to the start of the loop where our group has decided to take the clockwise version of the trail-more shade on the return trip. So we get up to the junction and make a left turn.


 


Immediately we start climbing. It is not a bad climb--like some of the breathlessly steep high Sierra passes Sherri and I have done--we can breath on this one. But it is still a good climb. I am carrying my new pack with about 28-30 pounds in it, as a training exercise. While not feeling terribly heavy, I can tell that my breathing is more labored than it would have been without the pack. But that is why I am wearing it today-training. Much better now than later.

Fields of Wild Flowers

Sherri and I catch up with Bill pretty soon-he has been taking some of his wonderfully artistic pictures. I guess you cannot speed the artist. But this makes us feel good that at least we now have company. The hills have that Spring-time green which our foothills should have. But you can tell there is not the moistness in the ground which a normal year has. Eventually my long-sleeve shirt comes off; then the pant legs, so I am walking in hiking shorts.

Reflection on the San Joaquin

We catch up with Dana and Lisa a little while later. Of course, you can claim the only reason why we caught up with them is that they needed to receive an important phone call-but we will take what ever reason. They soon resume their quicker pace and leave us behind in the dust. As we continue our climb to the top of the gorge, it is relaxing seeing the wildflowers. You get a rudimentary understanding of what Jesus was taking about when he said:  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin^.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. How soon I will forget that lesson, even in retirement.

San Joaquin River Gorge

Eventually we catch up to the group, at the top of the gorge. They have settled down to enjoy the vista along with some food. Why does the eye candy we get at the top of places make the food we eat seem so much more enjoyable? One of the things I have been lugging around this trail is a bear canister. The canister is filled with cookies we made earlier in the week. I do not think anybody complained of the lack of freshness. Maybe it is the enjoyment factor of the views.

After a nice break, we start our downward trek. Seems a lot easier or is it we take more pictures? Sherri settles in with Rose and I walk with Bill. Conversations flow a lot better when you are not gasping for breath. We soon come across an AmeriCorps (National Civilian Community Corps) trail crew. Trail crews are what makes it possible for hikers like me to walk all over the mountains. I thank them for their work. 

Cow-a-bunga

Shortly afterwards, we come across some of the makers of the patties we have been avoiding along this trail. Yep, there are bovines eyeballing us as intruders into their territories. But they leave us along, but we insist on getting their picture. Seems like they tolerate us, but wish we would go away.

Kerkoff Powerhouse

We come back in sight of the Kerkoff Powerhouse and know it is not much farther. Down we go to the bridge and start back up the trail. Seems like it is harder going back up this mile stretch to the car. Also a bit more sweat is clouding my glasses. But we come back to the parking lot. The trail is clear and we enjoy a few more minutes of camaraderie before we take off back to Fresno. All in all, a good day on a trail neither Sherri or I had been on before. Glad we came.

San Joaquin River Gorge