Gary-Summer: October 22, 2019

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

October 22, 2019 - Giant Forest

Title: October 22, 2019 - Giant Forest
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Extra Photo's

Trail head: Giant Forest Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Rimrock Trail. Soldiers Trail, Bear Hill Trail

Destination: Wander around Crescent Meadows

Actual Destination:

Distance: 4.04 miles ¹

Start Time: 12:20

End Time: 5:42

Travel Time: 3:22 (1.20 mph)

Moving Time: 2:33 (1.59 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,147'

Descent: 769‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,808'

GPS Tracks

¹GPS went on at Beetle Rock rather than when we started walking. So there is about a quarter mile farther and an unknown amount of elevation change.

Description:

When sequoia giganteas are barely holding their own in a beauty contest with trees turning their autumn colors on, you know it is a splendid day. That is the kind of day it is.

l got up at 7, which is sleeping in for me. We get going around 10am. Our plan is to head to Giant Forest and do something around Crescent Meadows. On the way up, Sherri is interested in her cup of coffee from Clingan’s Junction. Of course, a pastry comes along for the ride. We see Mike coming across the parking lot. Mike lives on the road to Delilah Lookout. We see him on our way out when he is on his bike. We stop and chat for a bit, taking about the Ridge Fire which was a couple of weeks ago. Then it is on to Giant Forest. We get stopped on the General's Highway a couple of times for construction. But make it eventually to Giant Forest.

View south from Beetle Rock


Autumn Colors

When we got to Giant Forest, it looked like there was a sign which said Handicap Only on the road to Crescent Meadows. So we parted in the museum parking lot. What a way to start the day! Sherri found out later that the sign was only for the parking area by the Museum rather than the road. But we were all ready to go, so we decided to make the best of it.

We went about a quarter mile south to Beetle Rock. Now I have never been to Beetle Rock, but I have been fascinated by it since elementary school. As a young kid, my parents would take me to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. I remember one summer, at the evening campfire program, a movie would be shown: One Day at Beetle Rock. I had always envisioned Beetle Rock as a magical place where animals would come out and show themselves, if you would only be patient enough to wait for them to appear. Today, it would be a bit of a hard time to have very many animals appear-there are many people there, taking in the sun and enjoying the view. We stay for about ten minutes before heading out. By the way, there is also a book by the same title.

Path through the forest

Sequoia Grove

We go back to the General’s highway and cross it. This gets us to the Rimrock Trail. Now we have been on part of this trail coming from Crescent Meadow to Moro Rock. But not really on this side for any significant length. Our first impression is that we can have a nice, but not memorable walk-that is except what I memorialize in this blog. We are going through oaks with a few pine and a lot of scrub brush. There are sequoias away from us, but within view. On the other hand, no one is on this trail- nice to be alone, except for a car or two on the road a ways away.

Well there is a couple which goes by. And another couple goes by when we stop to eat lunch. Where we eat lunch is at the top of a ridge before we head towards Moro Rock. While before there was some signs of leaves turning to their autumn colors, now there is a certain lushness to it which adds to the color. When we descend into a ravine before the Moro Rock ridge, colors start popping. When we ascend out of the ravine, we have a decision-where do we want to go next?

We decided to do the trail which Jeff, Rose, and Betty did with us a couple of years ago. This is the Soldiers Trail. It is starting to get into the mid-afternoon area and even making it to Crescent Meadows would say we would just turn back. Soldiers Trail has us walking about a quarter mile up the road to its start. Sherri did get one classic shot which our daughter said I turned into a meme, whatever that may be.

Gary

Before Soldier Trail, there was enough autumn colors to make it worth while. But now, the forest explodes with yellows, reds and oranges with greens and browns as a backdrop. We meet only a couple of people, who quickly pass us by. Sherri and I are content to wander and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings. A sequoia with most of its base gives an opportunity for Sherri to improve her photographic skills. While a sign saying Broken Arrow leads me on a search for this mystery. We also meet an uphill, while not enormous for Sierra standards, it is enough that I need to stop and rest a few times. The top is, well just the top, not a grand vista. It is signals the time to go down. More colors greets our eyes.

By the time we meet the Bear Hill Trail, I am ready to go on flat ground.for awhile. This trail used to be a road and beyond where we go, I believe it still is a service road to a weather station. But for what we are doing, we follow the trail up and around a ridge. When we get to the top of the ridge, there is a Martian robot waiting for us there. Or is this the Bear Hill weather station (RAWS)? We stop and have the remains of an energy bar. Then we go back a few feet to the trail junction heading us down towards Pinewood Picnic Area and the trail back to the museum. This segment is about a third of a mile line. But it passes through several areas of interest, particularly a massive downed Sequoia. At its end is a bouquet of color. On the upper end, the Park has cut out a passageway for us hikers to go through the log.

Downed Sequoia and Autumn Leaves

One more short trail leads us to the Museum at Giant Forest. Then we cross the General’s Highway and are back at the car. From what started as a disappointing we-are-not-going-where-we-want-to-go, it ended up as an amazing hike full of color and wonder.Then down to Three Rivers we go and dinner at RiverView. Pretty good meal by the Kaweah River. Now what could be better than that? Going to Hanford for a sundae, of course. That tops off the day.