Gary-Summer: August 8, 2023 - Biledo Meadow II

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

August 8, 2023 - Biledo Meadow II

Title: August 8, 2023 - Biledo Meadow II

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

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Long Meadow

Trail: Forest Service Roads 5S22, 5S06, 5S05X, 5S05XA 5S48

Destination: Biledo Meadow

Distance: 7.81 miles

Start Time: 9:58

End Time: 4:18

Travel Time: 6:20 (1.23 mph)

Moving Time: 4.48 (1.63 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,388'

Descent: 1,318‘

Maximum Elevation: 7,240'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I am going to get a second chance to go to

Horse at Long Meadow

Biledo Meadow. Today we will try making it to Long Meadow and start there. But first we need to make it all the way there. Steven, Sherri and Korra will be joining me today.

I get up at 5:30-once again, no lightning to report. I finish getting everything ready and have my breakfast. We are to leave at 7:30, but by the time the car starts rolling it is 8:15. First, we stop at Costco for gas. Then I drive straight through to Fish Camp and Goat Meadow. Once again, I turned onto road 5S06-the same road we took Friday. But instead of continuing on 5S06, we take the road to Long Meadow. The drive on this road is a lot better than last Friday. Fortunately we do not meet anybody on this stretch. There is about a mile of road which hugs the side of a ridge and there is not much place to yield to oncoming traffic. At the top is Long Meadow and the place where we will park our car.

Approaching Rainier Creek

Our road, 5S22 junctions with the road we came in on. We spent a while getting ready, while wondering about the camper parked above us, But we did not see the people occupying the camper, but there is some movement. Where we are parked there is not much shade; wonder how warm it will be when we get back”

Sherri crossing Rainier

At the road junction

We start off. Our road has a gentle incline, running along a branch of Long Meadow. I stop often to examine flowers along the road. Not many in the meadow. It is a peaceful scene. That is until we spot a couple horses. The horses are peacefully munching grass in the meadow. There are a group of dogs at the caretakers camp which discover we are walking the roade. Their barking tells us not to doddle here, not that they are chasing us. We just do not want to find out if they will. We also find out that they are not the only domesticated animals in the area-there are a couple of horses grazing in Long Meadow.

Biledo Meadow

We move on, enjoying the forest around us. When we round a small ridge, the road goes on a small decline to Rainier Creek. I think earlier this season, it would have been a problem crossing it. Even now the creek has rocks and sticks for us to walk on. We manage to cross without getting wet.

Then it is about a half of a mile to the junction with 5S06. This is the road Sherri and I tried to drive last week, but decided to stop and explore Mariposa Grove. Once we started up this road, it became evident that we would not have made it very far past the junction, if we could make it even this far. It is steep and rutted. Glad we are walking rather than driving it.

Steven and Korra

We passed a couple campsites. The one we are impressed by is where we turn onto road 5S05X. This campsite is situated on the side of a small meadow. There are some good sized solar panels gathering the sun’s rays; a tent and many other camp equipment. We are wondering who is there. Looks comfortable.

And now we start a good climb. We see the area where we walked on Friday, high above us. Do we need to climb up that? We continue to climb, resting on occasion. We do hear a noise like a vehicle, but not coming up our road it turns out-it is a puzzle to us.

When we come into sight of Biledo Meadow, we decide to have lunch on a log. The map shows a road here, but it has been awhile since it has been used. While we have lunch, we gaze down. There are some buildings which look a bit old. We wonder what they are.

Cone Flowers and Cabin

After lunch we have the option of returning to the road which circles around the Meadow or just drop down into the meadow? Which one do you think we did? On the way down, a vehicle drives through the meadow- I know there is a road down in the meadow, it just is an optical illusion that it is blazing through the grass.

When we get down to the meadow proper, we are plain old gobsmacked! There is a riot of flowers. Is this Spring? Then the old mining cabins set in this scene makes you think there could be a place for this in paradise.

Sherri and the Biledo Greeter

We descend to the road and walk towards one of the cabins. The vehicle is parked a little ways from the farthest cabin. The man and woman are with the vehicle and we say hi to them . And then get into a long discussion about Biledo Meadow. Mark and Jeana are very familiar with it-they have a cabin in Wawona. They indicate that this is the best that they had ever seen Biledo. We find out about some of the cabins. Also the trails of the area, such as one which goes to a mine on the other side of the meadow. They also note that there is a back way into the meadow where most vehicles can drive almost all the way in. We found out that the campsite we were admiring is Joe’s and he has been around for awhile. Then they suggest we go on to the cabin to be greeted by the lone remaining resident. By the way, their vehicle is a snowcat,

Meadow Flowers

Sherri goes on ahead of Steven and I lag behind. There is a surprise awaiting Sherri with the resident laying on a bed, semi-seductively, for the right person. Fortunately, none of us are right for her.

Steven and Korra on a hot road

Approaching Rainier Creek

We wander up the road to the 5S48. This looks like the road which even the Highlander could drive on. Unfortunately for us, it means that there is little overhead tree coverage. So the sun beats down on us and we are feeling the heat. But unlike the trail up, this road is pretty smooth with an eventual downhill bent. When we get to the junction with 5S06, we have a decision, not really much. Do we make a bigger loop or go back down 5S06. I think we have had enough of the sun, so down 5S06.

Someplace along this road, my faithful Asolo boots fail me. The sole on my right boot delaminates. I walk with it flapping until we get where 5S06 crosses Rainier Creek. While Steven and Sherri look at the creek, I sit down and use the duct tape which I had wrapped around my hiking pole. My doctoring job seems to be working, but for how long?

We passed by the junction with the trail where we climbed up to Biledo. Also the campsite we were admiring is now occupied. But we continue on, retracing our steps. I am happy to come to our crossing of Rainier Creek. Once again, we cross Rainier without mishap.

And now it is less than a mile back to the car. We passed by Long Meadow and the barking dogs and are happy to see the glint of our Highlander. My boot repair did hold up. Then it is the long drive back to Highway 41. Carl’s Jr in Oakhurst was calling us hungry hikers before we drove back to Fresno.