April 29, 2025 - Mt Ely

 

Title: April 29, 2025 - Mt Ely
Hike Info : Description :  Background :  Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Balsom Forebay Parking Lot

Trail:  Balsam Forbay, Dogwood trail, Trail to East Ely

Destination: Mt Ely

Distance:  4.42 miles 

Start Time: 10:37

End Time:    2:23

Travel Time: 3:46  (1.17 mph)

Moving Time: 2:36   (1.70 mph)

Elevation Rise:  890'

Descent: 861‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,930'

GPS Tracks

 

 

Description:

Sherri at start of trip

Rachel has been with us two weeks and we have not been able to go for a hike yet. But today is the day. The question is where to go? The choices which we have narrowed down to are Musick Meadow or Ely Mountain. Which one to go on?

I got up around 5:40. Just did a few things which I needed to get done--at least in my mind they needed to be done. By 9:15, we are all in the car. Fortunately, both of our choices are close to Shaver Lake, so we can discuss it on the way up to Shaver. It was not much of a discussion. We decided to go to Ely Mountain. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korra, the snow dog

We arrived there at 10:30 and hit the trail by 10:45. We have done this walk before, but in the evening for a full moon walk last May. The route we follow is an SCE road almost all the way. The first couple hundred yards is an incline. While my legs are OK, I can tell I have not been up at elevation for awhile.

 

 

 

Unknown dome

We drop down to the Balsam Forebay area and enjoy that view of the water. The ridge which Kaiser Peak is on looks down onto the water-it is a ways away. The road then rolls along for a way. Sherri spots a dome-she calls it a Half Dome, but it looks like a full dome. Not sure what it is, but Kerckhoff Dome is someplace in that vicinity.

QR Code for AllTrails

We come to a junction. Fortunately for us, there are two clues. First a little circular arrow points the way and second, there is an AllTrails QR code enlightening us. Sherri interrogates that, but Steven knows the way and leads on. The road leads down a ways and then we start climbing Ely Mountain proper.

 

 

Remember that comment I made about not being at elevation for awhile? This climbing up the road is doing me in and I am quickly huffing and puffing. I walk a ways and then stop and breathe. Sherri thinks that I am stopping to wait for her, but that is only an appearance.

 

 

Eventually we leave the road and get to a high point. It does not look like where we were before and there is not much of a view. I tell them I am going to wander around and look for a good view. Steven takes a lead and we find a trail which leads up to a higher point with the view. This is where we were last year, instead of at noon, it was with a full moon.

We made it there around 12:15 and had our lunch. There was a discussion about whether we have lunch now or save ourselves for pizza later. We have lunch. This is between looking around at the various sights and the clouds hovering overhead, we stretch our time on top of Ely to about half an hour, not that we are in any rush. What can we see? We look right down onto Shaver Lake. Then to the east of the Lake is Bald Mountain-one of the many by that name. Then looking to the northwest, I saw Shuteye. And close to straight north is Kaiser Peak. There is a lot more which we could have identified if I had spent the time to gaze, wonder and figure out. It is still a wonderful view.

I did say clouds didn’t I? Last Saturday I did a presentation on clouds and thunderstorms. You would think I would be at least a semi-expert on the subject and be able to identify the clouds which I am seeing. I am just enjoying the clouds or as Judy Collins says:

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow

It’s cloud illusions I recall

I really don’t know clouds at all.

The way down is the same up all the way back to the car. One thing which I did not note coming up is that there is still snow on the trail. It is rather patchy and only a couple inches thick in most places. It was pretty firm going up. But coming down the sun has melted a lot of the snow. On the downhill stretches the snow can be a bit slippery. But none of us fell.

We get back to the car about 2:25. There is still a hunger for pizza. We stopped in front of Shaver Lake Pizza and see that it is closed today. But the Pub and Grub is, so we stop in for a bite. We have eaten here before and the waitresses have been friendly. Today is no exception. She tells us she is going to Italy next week and Rachel relays some of her experiences from there. We have burgers which are pretty good and then are on our way. We make 4:30. I think most of us were still feeling the effects of not being at altitude in awhile as we all took time to rest.

Background

Dome. That dome we were seeing is at 354^o , at lat/long of 37.162, -119.258. When plotting this out on Google Earth with a topo map overlay, the dome is called Mushroom Rock.

Extra Photo's

Cloud over Shaver Lake

Balsam Forebay

Steven, Rachel, Friday and Sherri

Rachel and Friday

Sherri

Shaver Lake

Kaiser Ridge

Baldy Mountain

On the way out: Rachel, Steven and Sherri

 Animals

 
 

Flowers and Plants

Manzanita

Snow Plant

Snow Plant

July 7, 2023 - Park Ridge Lookout

 

Title: July 7, 2023 - Park Ridge Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Background

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Today will be my first day back at Park Ridge this season. It has been a month and a half since I was at Delilah. So I expect some of my skills to have oxidized a bit.

I really have not packed yet-only gotten a few things together. But it should only be two hours max to do that. I did my lightning report-none, but I let people know I will be away this weekend. As I was eating breakfast, Sherri came hobbling out. She did not sleep well at all last night because her hip was being painful. She is thinking that going up to the lookout may not be good. We will discuss this later on, but it does not seem promising.

I talked with Wendy for a while. She gives me the rundown on Park Ridge. Everything is pretty much the same. But there are some issues with the radio. Our rechargeable battery is not charging. The AA batteries are all corroded. So we may need to use the base radio. At least Wendy alerted me so I could think about how to handle this situation before going in. Also Nancy and I will refresh each other.

It does not look like Sherri is going. While her hip is improving, she does not think climbing up into the tower will be good for it. But she does make stir-fried chicken for my going away dinner. Steven helps to pack some of the heavy stuff into the truck. And then I am off a little after 1300. Traffic is not too bad. I get to Grant Grove at 1430. But going up towards Panorama Point, I got behind a car, while not slow, was taking his time. We all have to pull over a couple of times.

Close to the top, I cut off onto the service road. I betcha you that the car I was following was wondering, where is he going? After unlocking and relocking the gate I continue on. The usually soggy part of the road is not too bad-it could have been a lot worse. And then I meet up with a Park truck. I need to back up a ways, which is a minor adventure. I meet BC-3 and exchange greetings. The rest of the trip to the lookout is uneventful. I do pass three groups of hikers along the way. As one of the fire people says, I dusted them, but I tried not to leave too much dust on them.

I get to the lookout a little after 1500. By the time I get parked and get a load ready to go up, one of the groups of hikers I passed is already up in the tower. Nancy explains the working of a lookout and what we do. After they leave, I ask Nancy to refresh me. We start off with the classical “name that place”. To my embarrassment when Nancy asks me to point out Bear Mountain in Fresno, I point to Bald Mountain. I quickly realized my mistake and pointed to the right place. We also go over the radio and how to change tones. This might be useful if the NPS radio runs out of power like our notes indicate it might.

Clam Shell with the missing pin

By 1700, we felt good that we could find places and use the radio well. So Nancy takes off and I start settling in. I take stock of the radio battery situation. It looks like the rechargeable battery is fully charged, so I changed that out. One minor success which will make my life easier. Looking at the AA’s, most of them are pretty grody-a technical term meaning that they are corroded, consequently unusable. But I still have enough to last me through the weekend. Looking at the spare holder for the AA batteries, it also has corrosion in it. It is also missing a pin. So it is not good.

At 1758, Buck Rock went out of service, along with Delilah. I go out of service right at the same time. I fix myself a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich and get settled into my home for the next 48 hours. I read and rest. 

That is until 1954. Rich over at Delilah text’s me about a wildfire on Butternut Lane in Miramonte. He must have been listening to the CalFire radio. I look at an ESRI fire map called #FireMapper and zero in on an incident called Butter. It looks like it is just off of Butternut Lane on a road called Baldpate Lane. I give him the azimuth from Delilah , but he cannot see it, too many hills in the way. But I look straight down on it and do not see anything. I hear on the CalFire radio they have aviation involved. They do not see anything either. Wendy also calls me up and asks what is going on. I tell her that it looks like a false alarm. Friends of hers were concerned about the tank overhead.

Recently I bought a personal locator beacon called Zoleo. When I tested it out last month, I got inconsistent results. So I am trying it out tonight. Once again, was not too successful. But my daughter came to my rescue. She sent me a page which explained what I was doing wrong. Instead of holding down the check in button, just tap it. Bingo! Much happier now.

 

I had thought of going for a walk, but it is getting dark and I am tired. I talk with Sherri for 30+ minutes before going to bed. After reading, I roll over and fall asleep before 2200. I must have been tired. But it has been a good day.

Background

A couple of weeks ago, we were rear ended on our way to Salem, OR. I have been having a stiff neck. A Kaiser doctor recommended not lifting more than ten pounds. So Sherri and Steven have helped me get thighs together. The neck is doing much better now.

October 13, 2019 - Delilah Lookout

Title: October 13, 2019 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Background : Menu :  Animals 

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

Deer in the morning

Seemed like whichever way I turned my head last night, I ended up with a headache. Eventually got up at 0645. Just sort of mozied around until Sherri got up. Then we had breakfast and got ready for the day. It is the usual stuff as we take our stuff down to the truck-today is the last day of our three day stint up here. It might be the last day at Delilah for the season.

To back up a bit, while I said I mozied around a bit, I did enjoy the morning light coming over Park Ridge. The shadows from the ridges recede from the golden sides. The air is still and all is quiet. It is a good time to be up here, even if it is a bit cool. Or maybe the coolness helps to enliven my senses.

Deer Love

At 0929 we go in service with a low RH : of 15 to both Sierra and Porterville. We then settle down to our routine of scanning, radio listening, and identifying places. Sherri and I talk a bit about our experiences, or lack thereof, of identifying smokes. As you go through this, you learn the terrain better, so that part is faster in figuring out where the fire is. Also you understand it is good to get an approximate location out to the Forest, then give them more details. We are still working through what is a real smoke and what is an illusion.

Is there a smoke close to Nelson?

As if right on cue, Sherri sees something suspicious. Is it a smoke? Or is it a haze or something else. We start figuring out where this is-the South-Southeastern flank of Mt Nelson, probably about 17-18 miles from us. Whatever it is, looks like it is behind Poison Ridge, probably past the McKinley Grove area. But it does not look like anything is really showing. So we monitor it and continue to try to figure out what we are seeing. We get Celeste involved, but Celeste only sees trees and granite. Then Kathy calls, our expert in all such things. She gives us some recommendations, including talking to Buck Rock and Sierra’s Battalion Chief 42. Sherri calls Buck Rock, but does not see anything, so we are content to monitor. As time goes on, the haze clears out and the white rock gets more visible.

By this time, it is lunch and we have our sandwich, between scans. Our looking around continues, with not much exciting. To tell you what keeps us “entertained” is we are listening to an incident way to the south, beyond Mineral King in the Sherman Pass area. A SPOT message was received and an ambulance is sent and keeps asking for directions about where to pick up the victim. We keep wondering, where is Sherman Pass? We figure out where it is and start thinking about visiting it one of these days.

It is getting close to quitting time. As the days shorten, so does our duty houses. We will be going out of service at 1630 today. But at 1600, we hear a report off of Dinkey Road at the Bald Mountain Trailhead that there is an out of control campfire. It will be named the Glen Fire. A passing contract logger calls it in. can we see it? No, but we do look for it. Sierra is on it right away. It will take the next 7 hours to put it out, but they caught it early.

A bit of orange close to Garlic Meadow

At 1630, we go out of service, getting packed up. Sherri notes that it took awhile for us to get out of the lookout today, about 40 minutes. But thinking about it, the Glen Fire got us occupied close to quitting time, so we did not get things ready before the end of our shift. We meet Steven in Fresno and go out to Sweet Tomato’s for dinner.

This may be our last time at Delilah for the season. The next weekend is unstaffed. We are over at Park Ridge Thursday and Friday, but have told folks that if they want us over at Delilah, we are willing to shift over, whichever is more important and is harder to staff.

Background

RH. What is an RH? it is a measurement of how much humidity there is in the area. Less than 20%, the forest wants to know about it. At this level, any spark can take off, particularly in the dry grass we have at this time of year. More than about 60-70% it is awfully hard to start a natural fire

Menu

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Sandwich: Peanut Butter, Nutella	Sweet Tomato’s in Fresno	Almonds and String Chees

Animals

I see you

Not a salt lick

More deer love

June 27, 2018 - Delilah Lookout

Title: June 27, 2018 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background : Extra Photo's 

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

The sun started showing a bit of light on the farthest mountains well before I opened my eyes. By 0550, my eyes could not restrain from looking to see what the sun was going to show me today. What I saw was the air was clearing and the day promised to be pretty good, After Sherri gets up, I fix our morning breakfast-oatmeal. Then it is time to tidy up and before you know it, it is time to start our lookout duties.

Before we go inservice, we take the weather readings-visibility is a lot better than yesterday. Then at 0930 we go into service with Porterville. We also radio SNF between a couple of fires (Homestead and Cone) that we are inservice and I think I hear a response. Now we go along our normal day. Such as our 1000 weather and staffing from Porterville. And the 1100 check in with SNF. But wait, they do Buck Rock and other lookouts, but not Delilah. Why? After consulting with Buck Rock, Sherri radio’s in that we are inservice and SNF responds. All is well, at least we think.

During down times, when we are not scanning, we practice our sightings, particularly around Bald Mountain in Fresno County, which is 250⁰ 50’ from us. So we spend a lot of time examining how the sight of Bald Mtn compares to what the topo map shows. Then it is off to looking at other points in the opposite direction. We do some periodic scans while looking at points northeast of us.

Then at 1255 we hear on the radio three beeps-this says that there is a reported fire. Where? Then Porterville says reported fire on Hills Valley Road close to Highway 180. Wait! This is in the exact direction we have been looking at with Bald Mtn! We swing the firefinder around and pick up an azimuth and distance of the fire from Delilah (235⁰ 40’, 13 miles). We radio in a confirmation of the fire as there is smoke billowing between two hills in the area. Several of our units from the Hume Lake Ranger District respond to this CalFire incident. They called it the Anchor Fire because of being at Anchor Ave and Hills Valley Rd. We monitor the smoke from the area all day, but it is diminishing.

Left is how the smoke actually was, while on the right is how it looked like from Delilah

The big question is why did we not see the smoke? 15 degrees away from where we were looking and 8 miles farther, we should have seen something if there was smoke then. Just 45 minutes previous we were looking intently in that directly and saw nothing. I do not think we were blind. Probably by the time the smoke started being visible, we were concentrating on looking at other features and our map reading. Note to selves: take time to look around as well as studying.

View to northeast-not what we were studying. Castle Peak on right with Mt Goodard in rear on left.

Helicopter 522 requests flight following from Porterville. While this does not follow us, we decide this would be a good drill for us to figure out what does this Flight Following look like? Basically it is when the aircraft is in the air, there is a timed interval which the aircraft wants to check in with a ground unit. The ground unit keeps track of location and time of last contact. This is in case the aircraft does not respond, a search can be instigated based upon direction, and last coordinates. We have not done this for real, so we are just getting used to what it looks like if we are ever called on to assist an aircraft in this fashion..

At the 1600 SNF lookout checkin occurs. We are all ready to answer the call that we were there. But once again they skipped over us. So Sherri radio’s in to say we were inservice and have been since 0930. Of course there is confusion of are we going out of service or in service? Just recording that we are in service. At 1800 we go out of service with both Porterville and SNF.

Mystery Truck

While am I down at the outhouse, Sherri phones saying there is a vehicle on the road (12S19B) to the west of us. Nobody travels that road. We think that it is closed. So we monitor their travels. They go up a ridge opposite of us. They try to climb up an old fire break which was created for the Rough Fire. Then come down and stop at the junction of the fire break and road. Two people get out and disappear, a third stays with the truck. Something to keep track of and wonder what are they doing up there? This is the question which we take up. Are they ne’er-do-wells? Or just campers? We understand there are pot farms in the area. Are they part of that? The sun goes down and we have kept the lights off so we can plot their movements, and maybe a bit incognito on our part. But surely they know we are up there. Getting a bit paranoid are we? Yes! Just remember we are a 45 minute drive from Highway 180. We have locked the lower gate, like we do every night. Still an uncomfortable feeling.

Dinner at the lookout

 

On the other hand, with a full moon, it is a wonderful evening. We see it rising over Park Ridge and somehow that is comforting.

Trail Lesson:  The basic duty of a fire lookout is to look out. Take time to DO, not only study.

Background

Anchor Fire. It grew to 76 acres and was considered out on July 1st at 7:40am.

Extra Photo's

Moon over Park Ridge

North Fork of the Kings

More Moon over Park RIdge