Gary-Summer: May 19, 2016

Thursday, May 19, 2016

May 19, 2016 - Ft Monroe

Title: May 19, 2016 - Ft Monroe
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Bridalveil Falls Road

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Old Wawona Road

Destination: Ft Monroe, maybe beyond

Actual Destination: Ft Monroe

Distance: 6.91 miles

Start Time: 10:19

End Time: 2:09

Travel Time: 3:49 (1.81 mph)

Moving Time: 3:16 (2.12 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,760'

Maximum Elevation: 5,581'

Description:
Sherri and Steven want to bike ride around Yosemite Valley, so this gives me about three hours to go hiking and wandering. The biggest challenge is where? What am I in shape for? What is of interest to me? What is the meaning of life? Oops, not the last. So after doing a fair amount of pondering, I decide to walk the Old Wawona Road to Ft Monroe. With a little bit of effort, I might be able to go beyond where Ft Monroe is and explore a bit. But this might be optimistic.

We leave Fresno around 7:45. I need to stop at Kaiser to pick up a prescription. While I am doing that, Sherri and Steven pick up gas for the car at Costco. Then it is off to Yosemite and adventure. We get to Bridalveil after a brief stop at Chinquapin for their bathrooms. Instead of parking in the Bridalveil Falls Parking Lot, we have to park along the road a couple hundred yards away. By the time I start walking, it is 10:15.

Beginning of Old Road

Downed Trees

I walk the pavement past the parking lot and up another quarter mile to the start of the old road.This road is partially paved, but is a wonderful hike. It starts to climb and as the politicians might say, Can I feel the burn? While the rise is not steep, it is steady. There are many downed trees-more than what I had seen last year. A wet Winter, maybe, or just an aging, un-maintained trail finally start deteriorated to this point? But I enjoy going places where others do not go. So I continue going up the trail, or should I say road.

Ribbon Falls

There are two running creeks in place of of the dry ravines I have seen before-except when I had a hike in a pouring rain. The first creek is Meadow Brook, which above me Silver Strand Falls is created from. No wonder Silver Strand is only a seasonal falls. After that is Artist Creek. I know at that point, I am getting close to my first point: Artist Point. This is one of the finest view of the Valley, except for one.

View from Artist Point

After properly gawking here and trying to find the benchmark-which I don't see, I continue my walking. On the way up, I see a couple looking for Artist Point and I point the way and continue on with mine. Instead of going directly up to New Inspiration Point, I continue on the more gentler route with the road. It goes up and gives a good, but not the greatest, view of the Cascade Falls area. After that, and a few more trees to go over and around before I hit Inspiration Point.

Cascade Falls From Ft Monroe

But my goal is not Inspiration Point, but at least making it to Ft Monroe, and hopefully beyond. At Inspiration Point, I see a few people, but do not stop or even say hello as they are a ways away and I want to get on. More uphill, but not bad. The times I have walked up here, it has been dry. Today, various places of the old road is a bit mushy. Previously, I had seen this old pipe laying on the side of the road, somewhat buried and could not figure out why. Today I see a bit more as water is draining from a small pool behind it. I suspect that at times, this could have been a water supply for someone.

Old Pipe

Cascade Falls

I finally get to Ft Monroe, which if you have read my other blog entries you know that it never was a fort, but a stagecoach stop named after George Monroe, a black stagecoach driver. I realize that I am little bit beyond my turn around time, but I need to have lunch. I spot a place about a hundred yards off the road which looks like it has a good view, and that is where I eat. This is a good place as you can see down the Merced River and across to the Cascade Creek area. Nice and peaceful view.

Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point

But now it is time to return. The first bit is down the road I just came up. But then it is downhill, sol I make good time. I stop at Inspiration Point to get the "standard" photo from there. The view is good and Yosemite looks fabulous. Also Bridalveil is good looking. One can stay up here forever with a mouth open, gaping at this. But I need to go on.

Bridalveil Falls from Inspiration Point

Why you might ask? First, because Sherri and Steven will be waiting for me at the parking lot. But also because there is another view which I like a lot better. I call it "Gary's Point". But I know I am not the first to find it, only one of many who has come across it because there is a path to it, away from the Pohono Trail-which ends at Tunnel View. I found this view a few years ago when I was walking this trail with a few other people and came across the path. I took it to see where it went and saw the best view of the Valley. As a bonus, the path points straight to Silver Strand Falls

Yosemite Valley from "Gary's Point"

Silver Strand and path to Gary's Point

Trees across road

But now, I get walking again and meet a couple who I judge to be a bit older than-hard to believe isn't it? They are backpacking and going to go up to Ostrander Lake. They start at Tunnel View and are doing the climb up-this is a 3,000' ascent. We exchange notes about things and tell them there is a good camp spot at Bridalveil Creek. They are relieved by that. Now I head the two miles back down the Old Wawona Road, stopping to gawk once again at Artist Point. I cross the many fallen logs I encountered when I came up it.

I get to the car without incident around 2:10. Sherri and Steven have been waiting for me for about half an hour. They had made two loops around the Valley floor and enjoyed their time. So off we go to Oakhurst and the Southgate Brewery before heading home.