Hike Info:
Type:
Hiking
Trail:
Davis Road
Destination:
Fox
Springs
Actual
Destination:
Distance:
4.31
miles 1
Start
Time: 11:51
End
Time: 2:44
Travel
Time: 2:44 (1.58
mph)
Moving
Time: 1:33 (2.78
mph)
Elevation
Rise: 1,106'
Descent: ‘
Maximum
Elevation: 4,765'
1Sigh, not sure what happened,
but the GPS track starts at the unnamed pond we ate lunch at rather
where we left the car. I think we lost about a mile and a quarter of
tracks. Most of it is downhill.
Description:
 |
| Korra and Steven |
March
4th at
Wawona
Meadow
was the last time we went on a hike. It has been a long two months.
So the three of us, along with Steven’s new husky, Korra, will be
doing a short hike. Unless we find very many cars, we will be hiking
the upper part of Davis
Road to
Fox
Springs.
This is a place we see from Delilah
Lookout,
but have not visited.
We leave our house at 9:25 and
need to stop and get gas at Costco. This is the first time we have
filled up with gas in any of our vehicles in more than two months.
Also Lee had asked me about the road to Delilah. Evidently she and
Kathy-who we hiked with last
year-is
going up there today. Maybe we will see them.
 |
| Common Madia |
 |
| Delilah Lookout |
We get to the junction of
Davis and Delilah Roads. It takes about 15 minutes to unload and get
our shoes on before we go. The road is generally downhill all the way
to the Kings
River.
In various places you also see names like Sampson
Flat
Road instead of Davis Road. On this upper stretch it is a gradual
decline. But what makes this hike really special, besides being on it
for the first time, is the wild flowers. While there is not the WOW!
factor of the fields of poppies you see lower down-actually we did
not see poppies today-there is something refreshing being greeted by
the multitude of colors we saw.
Of course, it is a lot easier
to be refreshed when one is going downhill. During this time I play a
favorite game of mine. This game goes by a couple of names: “What
is that”? “ Can you name that place?” or “Can you see that
from the lookout?” Between all of that and stopping for flowers or
other interesting sights, it takes about half an hour to go a little
bit more than a mile downhill.
 |
| Unnamed Pond |
We stop at the remains of a
house-only the cement floor and chimney is left. I had spotted a
small pond on an old topo map just on the side of the house. You know
how I am. So off we go towards it. First there are vehicle tracks
which end up being a cow trail. Sherri is off taking pictures while
Steven and I continue on. When we do get down to the pond, there is a
sense of peacefulness which you get when nobody else is around and
you probably will not get anybody else here today. Please there is a
subdued sense of beauty. We decide this is a lunch place and enjoy
our Peanut Butter and Nutella sandwich here.
One could be here for a
while-not too long as I suspect this area will be crawling with
rattlers once things heat up. Besides there is more to explore. We
head back up how we came and hit Davis Road. A little snake slithers through the grass-enough to catch Korra's attention, but not enough to identify. There is a gate we are
looking for and a hundred yards down the road, we find it. But where
is the old dirt road to Fox Springs? We head back a few feet and I
gaze across a little rivulet and a 7’ ditch. There it is. I guess
the road is no longer in service.
 |
| Bovine Guard |
Fortunately, we are walking
and can figure a way around. So we cross over, Some cows do not like
our looks and run away. We pick up the remains of the road and follow
it as it looks more and more like a cow track. We go through some
vines, watching out for poison oak and snakes. I am in the lead with
my eyes either forward or towards the ground. I had just come to a
pool in the middle of the path, looking for a way around it, when
Sherri says:
 |
| Smoke beyond Sacata |
Gary! Steven sees a smoke!”
That is something which will catch my attention. Sure enough, there
is a pretty large smoke coming from the northeast, beyond the Kings
River. It looks like it is on the other side of Sacata
Ridge.
Sherri and Steven look through the binoculars to get a fix on it; I
dig in my pack for my Boy Scout compass. It is at a magnetic 3210
(as a note, there
is an almost 130
declination from our location.) With this information along with our
location-Fox Springs and the lat/long, I try to call Sierra Dispatch.
But the number I have is old. So I call Sequoia National Forest’s
Dispatch. After identifying myself and giving the approximate
location of the burn, Dispatch says that there is a burn in Blue
Canyon
which has gotten away. At least they know about it and can take care
of it.
 |
| Gary Walking back to Davis Road |
We decided that with the pool
of water blocking us and we would call that we have been to Fox
Springs. I spent a few minutes getting my backpacked together. By
that time Steve and Sherri were ahead of me. I looked around and saw
a road I missed-remember my head was down. But this road should have
been evident. It crossed over a ridge to the north of us. So I
followed it. Nothing spectacular, except a different view of Sampson
Creek area and across the Kings. Also I think this is where the
campground may have been.
I catch up to Sherri on Davis
Road. Korra was being restless so they went on head to the car. Now
for the time going up the road. Glad it is a cooler day and with some
scattered clouds. We enjoy ourselves. But the return trip is slower.
Definitely not charging up the road. Note to Gary: Save some picture
taking for the return trip.
A truck comes down the road.
We eyeball each other. They are wondering what are people doing down
here and we are wondering how they got past a locked gate. From what
they said, Teresa and John own property around Sampson Flat. We talk
a bit about things and they continue on as we do.
Shortly we are back in the car
by 1:45. Lee and Kathy left a note for us. They walked the Delilah
Road but not to the lookout. We make it home by about 3:00. I am
tired, but enjoyed the day.
Background
When we got back home, I
looked it up and the burn was a structure fire around the Blue Canyon
Work Center and my azimuth was pretty much dead-on. The distance, not
so much.
Turns out Mich and Jim were at
Delilah getting it ready for occupancy. They had seen the fire and
called it in at 1030.
Later on Lee told me that Lee
and Kathy had seen a mountain lion on the way out. This was above the
McKenzie
. Wow!
 |
| Looking down into the Kings from Davis Road |
 |
| Another perspective |
 |
| Sampson Flat Area |
 |
| Lunch-Steven, Sherri and Korra |
 |
| Walking towards the Unnamed Pond |
 |
| Sampson Flat |
 |
| Cabin Remains |
 |
| Looking North |
 |
| Cows Retreating |
 |
| Smoke over Sacata Ridge |
 |
| Another Smoke picture |
 |
| Did this really stop us? |
 |
| Sampson Creek |
 |
| Panorama of the drainage |
 |
| Steven, Korra and Sherri Waiting |
 |
| Gary looking about as good as he could get at the moment |
 |
| Smoke over Sacata Ridge. Fence Lookout is on the right, we think |
 |
| Delilah Lookout |
 |
| Fox Springs from the car |
Flowers and Plants
 |
| California Indian Pink? |
 |
| Common Madia |
 |
| Common Madia |
 |
| Common Madia |
 |
| Twining Brodiaea or Snake Lilly |
 |
| Harvest Brodiea |
 |
| Harvest Brodiea |
 |
| Alpine Gold |
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