Gary-Summer: July 28, 2023 - Huckleberry Meadow

Friday, July 28, 2023

July 28, 2023 - Huckleberry Meadow

Title: July 28, 2023 - Huckleberry Meadow

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Highway 180 and Road 13S52

Trail: Road 13S52 and 13S02

Destination: Top of Park Ridge

Actual Destination: Huckleberry Meadow

Distance: 5.62 miles

Start Time: 7:54

End Time: 11:54

Travel Time: 3:59 (1.41 mph)

Moving Time: 3:15 (1.73 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,124'

Descent: 1,167‘

Maximum Elevation: 7,242'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Today is another solo hike. There are two things I hope to achieve today. The first is obvious. I am to continue to get into shape and enjoy being out hiking. The second is to verify what I thought I saw last Summer from Delilah: that would be Buck Rock. When I was looking over Park Ridge, I thought I saw Buck Rock. I was able to semi-verify this with one of the Buck Rock lookouts, but not another. This will be the first time I have been up this road, either driving or walking.

Meadow at top of Park Ridge

Lush ravine

I got up earlier than I wanted to. That is a little before 5am. But this gives me time to finish getting ready, such as eating breakfast, looking for yesterday’s lightning, or just taking care of personal items. So I ended up leaving the house at 6am, getting the truck loaded and out. But as I am about to take off, I realize I don;t have a bottle of water in the car. So my official leaving time is 6:15.

The drive towards the rising sun is uneventful. I get to the Park-not that the hike is in the park-at 7:25. But I get stopped by the Wye because of construction. So I do not park my truck until 7:45. There is another truck dispersed camping right by Highway 180.

Looking into the Middle Fork of the Kings

I get on my boots and start walking up road 13S52. Right away, there appears a reason to walk this road: wildflowers. There are flowers along the road and I start taking pictures. Not sure if that is to give me a rest or to capture the beauty of what I am seeing.

When I stopped to take some pictures, I noticed that some things fell out of my pack. I could have sworn I zipped everything up. I gather several items, including my GPS and put it away, making sure everything is zipped up. Apparently the Zoleo which is attached to the pocket is pulling it open as there is another time this happens during the hike.

The road up is pretty steep. The flowers continue to give a reason to interrupt the climb to ponder and record their beauty. I got to the top of the ridge quicker than I thought I would and wandered along the east side before I realized I was beyond the point which I wanted to check out if I could see both lookouts from the ridge. I still have time to go on, so I do.

The saddle where road 13S52 runs through

I come across this ravine with water still running through it. This is the result of our heavy snowpack this year. I think it would have been dry and starting to turn brown by now, but there is green with ferns flourishing and the purples of lupine thrown in. A little while later, I see a PG&E weather station, #1950.

When I go to a point to look out over the area, a black truck goes by on the road. It is a good reminder that this is a road and I need to be alert for vehicles. The truck did not see me as I was behind some brush. It was not particularly menacing.

Huckleberry Meadow

Now the road takes a downhill tilt. I decide I have plenty of time to get back up, even at a slow pace. I am certainly glad I am tackling this road in the morning. There are stretches where the road is shaded and tree covered, sometimes crossing a creek or a little meadow. But there are many places where there is the road with nothing to protect me from the sun. And I am going downhill now. Wonder about how it will be going back up?

After a mile, the downhill starts to flatten out. I come to a major junction. Looking at the map, this must be road 13S02. I take a left and walk down it for a ways. There is a gentle rollingness to this road. I can tell I am getting close to Huckleberry Meadow, not only because I can read a map, but also there is a shallow bowl. And there it is. I come to a wide place. Looks like cows have preceded me here, but probably last year. I walk to the edge of the meadow and enjoy the view. A few mosquitos make their presence known, but I would expect a lot worse.

I rested for about 15 minutes before starting back up the road. I then heard a noise. There is something in yellow making its way slowly towards where I am. But it stops every once in a while and looks up. It is a person. I greet him. He says that the company he works for is under contract with PG&E to look at trees to make sure they will not interfere with power lines. I notice it is a Fresno company, Mario Tree Service-I have seen their trucks around.

Natural ice?

And now I am off. I quickly make my way back to road 13S52. There are a few bugs and bees which seem to want to go along for the ride. I do not need any freeloaders riding on me. And now I am on my way back up. The heat is there, but not as bad as I feared. I put my head down and trudge on up the slope. Every so often I take a breathing break. But the breaks are usually kept short. My friends the bees seem to find me quickly.

Map of where the line of sight is

I am climbing quicker than I expect, but I am also drenched with sweat. I came to one dispersed camp spot on the way up and noticed a pile of ice somebody, maybe the black truck I saw earlier, left. I put some of the ice under my hat. For a few moments my head cools down. But then I start getting brain freeze.

I realize how quickly I have been climbing when I reach a stretch of road almost to the top of Park Ridge. This is my cue to try to get to the top, where I think I can see both Delilah and Buck Rock Lookouts. When I get to the top, I realize that I am probably not seeing Buck Rock from Delilah. First, there is a pretty solid screen of trees blocking my view in both directions. Second, I am realizing that Buck Rock is not up high enough for Delilah to see it over the ridge-the vertical angles are wrong. Then lastly, when I get home and plot out my path with where the line of sight would be, I am a hundred yards to the north of where the line of sight catches the ridge. I am now speculating that what I saw was a vehicle or something on Park ridge which made it look like the lookout.

Dispersed camping at top of Park Ridge

From the top of the ridge back to the truck, it was only a 15-20 minute walk-a lot easier than the hour walking up the ridge. I made it back to the truck about 11:30. This was a bit quicker than I thought. I then had my lunch before heading back home. I think I must have been more tired than I thought I was since I managed to stretch my lunch break into 40 minutes. I ended up waiting for construction again. Also the air was a lot warmer going down into the Valley than it was going to the Valley. I drank a whole liter of water. I got back to Fresno safely at 1:30.