Gary-Summer: March 17, 2021 - Giant Forest Snowshoe

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

March 17, 2021 - Giant Forest Snowshoe

Title: March 17, 2021 - Giant Forest Snowshoe
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Extra Photo's

Trail head: Giant Forest Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Trail: Crescent Meadow Road, Soldier’s Trail, Cross Country, Bear Hill Trail
Destination: Loop
Distance: 4.56 miles
Start Time: 10:33
End Time:    3:04
Travel Time:  4:30 (1.01 mph)
Moving Time: 3:41   (1.24 mph)

Elevation Rise: 761'
Descent: 664‘
Maximum Elevation: 6,655'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Today’s adventure was fun, with a side of beauty and a touch of where am I? Not that we were ever in any danger of being lost, just did not have a correct idea of my location.

Sherri and Betty at start

Sherri and I leave our house a little after 8am. We met up with Betty in Farmersville at 9. And then we were off. After going through Three Rivers, the road gets pretty curver and so it takes a while to climb up to Giant Forest. The road up this, in case you have never been up it, is just one switchback after another as it climbs up almost 4000’. A road to take, nice and slow, both going up and down.

Crescent Meadow Road

We get out of the car before 10:30. After seeking relief we started walking up the Crescent Meadow Road. Once we come to the closed gate, on goes the snowshoes. We do not really need it because the snow has been so packed.There is only a couple of inches of snow, or where people have walked, I think ice. So the grips on the bottom of our snowshoes come in real handy. Several people pass us in both directions. Of course, when we stop and look, it is easy to be passed.

The Red Kaweah, I think

We get up to the junction between Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow. Most people are going to Moro Rock. But we are not like most people. We head towards the Tunnel Log and Crescent Meadows. As we pass the Buttress Tree, we gawk at the massive root system and go on. But it is lunch time and Betty wonders if we can get a good view. We can try, so we get to the top of a small rise and head south, to the top of a hill. The view is almost good. We see the Red Kaweah through the trees as well as Castle Rocks. But the emphasis is through the trees. Still a pleasant place for a lunch stop.

The next part of the trip gives rise to an epigraphical type of statement: Is this being lazy or stupid? This is in regards to going across an area without tracks so that we do not have to climb up. As it turns out, this does not need to be an either/or situation as it can be both. I will leave that discussion for further on.

Sherri and Betty on Soldier Trail

We go on down about 30-40’ and meet up with the Soldier Trail, right before the Tunnel Log. It turns out someone else has been trudging through this before us. They went with just boots, not snowshoes. The path they are taking follows in the general direction of the trail, so I am content. We did this trail last November and the Fall colors are spectacular. The Winter season has its own beauty. With the snow piled against the redness of the Sequoia’s it causes us to pause often.

Spear or Frog

See the Frog?

And we had a lot of reason to pause-more than my usual huff and puff. We only had two people pass us-they were not stopping to gawk. Something about being in the snow, away from everybody, without distractions makes the beauty of the area stand out even more. When Isaiah talked about a crown of beauty and oaks of righteousness being planted by God, I wonder how his poetry would have soared to see scene after scene like we have seen on this adventure. But then again, Jesus pointed out that those who have seen great things do not change and have a measure of disbelief. The prayer of the day would be open not only my eyes but my heart to your things, O Lord!

How misplaced was Gary?

In the snow, I like to wander. Also when you get away from other tracks, tromping through an area on fresh snow is fun and enjoyable to me. Having been on this trail, I know that once we go over the ridge which Bear Hill is on, it drops steeply into the Deer Creek drainage, only to climb back up to Bear Hill. So why not just follow that ride over to Bear Hill? The topo map shows a nice downhill.

Gary wandering; Betty following

So why not indeed! You know that thought of lazy vs stupid? The intersection of both is heading on a fast train towards me. The ladies are willing to follow me and I am willing to take off on this adventure. Of course, it would have really helped if I had realized my exact location, like consulted the GPS I carried. Or at least have studied the map closer before leaving. But no, that would require a bit of thinking and dependence on something else than my instincts :-).

We were not as far along the trail as I thought we were, so the hump we followed was not the ridge to Bear Hill, but a spur off of that ridge. So we went and enjoyed a pleasant, gentle time without a trail or track, looping around until I spotted an indention in the snow similar to a trail. I/we followed that. As it started wandering in a direction I did not want it to go, I realized that we were not where I thought we were. The question ended up in my mind, where are we? Ten minutes later, that question is answered as well. I see a sign in the distance and realized our location: back at the road with the junction at Moro Rock and Crescent Meadow

Maybe a Perfect Sequoia

When we got just above the junction, we saw a group of young men wondering which way to go to Moro Rock. Like a voice from on high, we point the way. Then we descend onto the road back to the car. A couple of noticeable things. First, the snow is melting fast. This is evident in one particular spot where we walked across snow coming in and now there is a wide and long spot of asphalt. The second is that there are many more people coming up the road, and going back, than there was this morning. We scoot over to the side of the road, creating a wide space between us and them. A few we talked with when they returned our greeting.

And now, a little after 3:00pm, we make it back to the car. We chatted for a while with Betty before taking off. You would think that after four and a half hours we would have chatted enough. But that is how it is with good friends, you do not want the time to end.

Gary, Sherri and Betty

We go back down the same curvy road. As we approach Visalia, we lose Betty as our tail. By now, we get hungry. Sherri spots an In-N-Out on Yelp and directs me to it. But the line is long and confusing, so we go off in search of other food. Foster Freeze is always good. We get in line, but this line is slow. And once we get our food, the burger is pretty crunchy, not juicy. I think we have spent about 40 minutes trying to get “fast” food. We make it home right at 6:30 and get on our family Zoom call shortly afterwards. It is a long day. But not as exhausting as last Saturday. Both days I would repeat.