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