May 9, 2018 - Ladybug Trail to Whiskey Log Camp

Title:  May 9, 2018 - Ladybug Trail to Whiskey Log Camp
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background :  Flowers and Plants

Trail head: South Fork Campground

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Ladybug and Whiskey Log

Destination: Whiskey Log

Actual Destination: midway between the two

Distance:  5.99 miles  ¹

Start Time: 10:14

End Time:     4:30

Travel Time:  6:16 (0.96 mph)

Moving Time:  3:48 (1.58 mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,692'

Descent: 1,482‘

Maximum Elevation: 5,033'

GPS Tracks

 ¹I stopped about a mile short of Whiskey Log.

Description:

When I read the hike description on Meetup, I was thinking that this will be a bit tough. Based upon the last several outings I am not sure about the 8 miles and 1,500’. Will see.

So it is time to go on another mid-week meetup hike. We gather in Fresno at 7am and get off at 7:25. I am riding in Leslie truck-this is the second week in a row which I am riding with someone. When has this happened? Maybe never. We stop in Farmersville for a break and to pick up up a couple more people. I take over driving duties and on we go. The trailhead is at the South Fork Campground, just inside Sequoia National Park, a bit after Three Rivers. The road to get in is slow and bumpy-I guess that cuts down on the traffic.

A reader noted this is Salt Creek Ridge

We get on the trail about 10:30, 16 strong. Once again, John has me start out. For the first eighth of a mile, I am the strong person in front. But I know this will not last long. After crossing the Clough Cave Bridge, the trail rises up and I slow down. So I start dropping back some.

The trail is warm and the grass is green. Flowers look like they are enjoying themselves. The sounds of the Kaweah bring cheer to my ears and a bit more lightness to my footsteps-still not enough lightness to push me faster though. 


 

Dennison Ridge to the South

I do not remember this trail being so steep when I last did it three years ago, maybe four years ago. Of course there has been many miles and memories since then. So I am huffing and puffing some more, and fall back a bit more. Still it is good to be out with friends.

Not Homer's Nose

 When we round a corner, I see a dome like rock sticking out of the ridge in the distance. I say something like, this is Moro Rock. I am feeling a bit smug being able to identify this, particularly since I think I see railing on the top of it. But, Mike comes along and says it is not Moro as Moro is a couple of drainages away. I ponder this for awhile and tend to agree with him after due consideration. He thinks it is Homer’s Nose. But I think Homer is someplace to the east of us on one of the juts of rock on another ridge. Strike two for me; strike one for Mike. When I get home, I study a topo map to see what I can see. This dome has the majestic name of 8,940’-someplace called it Homer’s Brow. So where is Homer’s Nose? Just to the west of the dome by about an eighth of a mile.

Path close to Cedar Creek

While the above conversations took maybe a matter of 2 minutes, it filled my mind for awhile about what do I really know. So before I knew it, we were at the Ladybug Camp site, close to the river. Here we stop for a snack, or in my case, most of my sandwich, and to take a gander at the falls. Pretty nice.

When we take off again, there is a sign saying 2.3 miles to Whiskey Log, which puts the one-way distance about 4.2 miles. This is also the start of a good climb with one of the few switchbacks on the trail. By the time which we get to the top of this rise, I know that I probably will not be making it all the way to Whiskey Log. The question is how long? It is not so much that the legs are fading, but that the lungs are not getting enough oxygen into the system.

As we continue up, we hear the sounds of Cedar Creek. But a couple of us have slowed down enough that we think this is a good place to stop for the day, at the three mile mark, just before the creek. We convince John that it is OK for him to continue on and we will rest here and wait. We talk about family and the wild and why we are so tired after three miles and 1,500’ of elevation rise.

When another person comes back, I suggest that they start going on down the trail and that I would wait for John and tell him the status of everyone. This is agreeable. From experience, going down or on the flat is not a problem-just a month ago, I averaged 3.5mph over 13 miles. So I should not have an issue going back. After waiting around an hour, the whole group of people come by. I have snoozed a bit, read and wrote in my blog during this time.

Field of Common Madia

John comes up as the sweep for the group, making sure everybody is in front of him. After telling him what the situations I saw in front of him, we take off. Just as I suspected, I am feeling pretty good-may also have to do with having taken an hour and a half rest. We retreat down the trail. This time I have opportunities to take some pictures of flowers.We walk pretty steadily for and hour and a half, getting back to the vehicles around 4:30. I feel better now than when I did two hours ago.

South Fork of the Kaweah from Clough Cave Bridge

After conversing for awhile, we take off to Three Rivers and eat at the River View Restaurant and Lounge. I had their special, the Mountain Western Chicken. One note of warning-when they include jalapeno peppers in the menu, they do not skimp. Then it is off to Fresno, with me driving. In the front seat, we talk a lot of backpacking and I unload what I think would be useful to a person who has not backpacked before, but who is an excellent hiker. Sort of go over a short list of my backpacking stuff. This makes the time go by fast. I get home around 8:30, ready for a shower and on to tackle tomorrow night’s book group.

Trail Lesson: Be sure to know what you are talking about before you open your mouth.

Background

Homer’s Nose. There was a discussion about do Sequoias grow around here. Turns out that there are two Sequoia groves which flank Homer’s Nose: Homer’s Nose Grove and Eden Creek Grove on the north side of Homer’s Nose and down the slope a couple thousand feet.

 
Flowers and Plants

Giant Larkspur

Common Madia