Gary-Summer: January 15, 2020 - South Shore Trail

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

January 15, 2020 - South Shore Trail

Title: January 15, 2020 - South Shore Trail
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Animals

Trail head: McKenzie Point parking area

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: South Shore Trail

Destination: Winchell Cove

Actual Destination: Beyond Winchell Cove

Distance: 4.98 miles

Start Time: 10:45

End Time: 1:55

Travel Time: 3:08 (1.59 mph)

Moving Time: 2:15 (2.21 mph)

Elevation Rise: 645'

Descent: 556‘

Maximum Elevation: 745'

GPS Tracks

Description:

We just want to get on a trail today, but we need to be back at home by 3:00pm-going to a Sierra Club meeting tonight featuring our fire lookouts. On the other hand, we do not get out of the house very quickly. We have decided to go up to Millerton and do the South Shore Trail. It is close by and fairly easy.

Juvenile Goshawk?

On the way to the trail, we stop in to the Millerton State Park office to procure a Golden Bear Limited Use Pass. This allows us into almost all of the state parks during the off-season. This time around, we bring a copy of our marriage license. Score! For $20, all we have to do is go into a state park twice to break even. That should be easy.

We continue on and park at the McKenzie Point parking area. Sherri discovers that she forgot her phone at home, so no phone, no camera-guess you are stuck with my pictures. There a couple of birders with some significant looking leans are eyeing a bird in a tree-a hawk. But what they were really looking for were eagles, which they did not find. But we had a nice conversation before they left and we started out.

Is this Billy Goat Gruff?

Before we got very far, there was a hawk-maybe a goshawk-just sitting high in a tree. He checks us out occasionally just to make sure we will not be messing with him-which we do not. So I get some pretty good pictures of the hawk. Then it is onward.

Sherri climbing up the the Cemetery

The South Shore Trail is 1.7 miles long and pretty level, maybe with a variance of about 50’ or so. Still you are on the side of a hill with Millerton Reservoir on the other side. We have hiked this several times, the first time in a drizzle-it is that kind of trail where you can enjoy the walk no matter the weather. Well maybe in the middle of Summer you will want to get an early start. Today not only did we get a hawk, but two goats were on the trail. We approached them carefully. They finally moved, much to their annoyance.

Winchell Cove Cemetery

We rounded a point and entered Winchell Cove. Then the pit stop at the outhouse at the end of the trail. We still had a little more time to hike, so we went around the end of the cove and went to the Winchell Cove Cemetery. When the Reservoir was created, they had to move various things like the original courthouse of Fresno and Ft Miller. There was also a pioneer cemetery which got moved to a point along side of Winchell Cove. In 2007, an Eagle Boy Scout project renovated the cemetery.

There is still a little more time, so we head up the slope-this is most of the elevation gain for today. I would classify this as a journey hike. We get to a place on the side of the ridge and decide to make it back, we needed to turn around. Still a nice walk.

The trail beyond the Cemetery

The trip back is mostly a reverse of the trip in. Except we do follow the trail down to the end of the cove. The goats have moved themselves so we are able to pass through. There are a couple of kayakers on the lake. Wait, one is calling out to us. It is one of our hiking buddies-Bill and his friend Leland. We talk, or I should say yell, for a few minutes. Then we both depart our separate ways. We get back to the car at 2:00 and are off.