February 18, 2023 - Ten Mile Road - Snowshoeing

 

Title: February 18, 2023 - Ten Mile Road - Snowshoeing

Hike Info : Description :  Background :  Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type: Snowshoeing 

Trail head: Quail Flat

Trail: Ten Mile Road, Road 13S45

Destination:  None-turn around at 2:30

Actual Destination:  End of improved section of 13S45

Distance:  3.28 miles

Start Time:  1:06

End Time:   3:44

Travel Time: 2:37  (1.35 mph)

Moving Time:  1:59  (1.65 mph)

Elevation Rise:  516'

Descent: 499‘

Maximum Elevation: 7,024'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Sherri

Several days ago we discussed going snowshoeing. It was too cold last Wednesday for us valley dwellers and Steven wanted to go up. Saturday looked like a good day. But what had changed in the four days or so since we made this plan? I am not sure that is still the plan. Either way, I walk over to a friend's house to retrieve my wheelbarrow. When I return, we decide it is a “go” to go up to the mountains today. It does not take us long to get ready.

Ten Mile Road

By 11:30, we are on the road. The fiddlenecks and a smattering of poppies are coming out as we approach Yokut (Squaw) Valley. Spring is getting closer. When we reach Big Stump, the parking lot is filled. So we do not even get the opportunity to use the restrooms. Onward to Quail Flat. The road past Quail Flat has not been completely plowed yet. So the parking area instead of being its usual occasional car is packed. Do we go up to Princess I think or go someplace else? Fortunately we do not need to make that decision as we spot a place to park. 

 

 

 

We have lunch and then get our gear on. Usually we go down Burton Road, but today Steven and Sherri head down Ten Mile Road. I am wondering is this a mistake? But the indication is they want to do something different. Steven is on skis and Korra takes off with him. That is the last we see of them for a couple of hours. I convey that I am looking at a 2:30 turnaround time. I do not have a destination objective, but even if I did, a turnaround time is good because we do not always make an objective at a reasonable time.

Gary

We watch Steven and Korra go off down the road, even though Korra keeps returning to check on us slow ones until Steven gets too far ahead. There are a couple large ruts going down Ten Mile Road. They do not look like snowmobile tracks, but I do not know what else it is. It does make snowshoeing more interesting picking our way in and out of these ruts.

We get about a half mile down and see a road going up the ridge. Steven has continued down Ten Mile Road. My thinking is going up this road is preferable, as I like going down coming back rather than slogging up a grade. Sherri and I go up, but first I leave a message in the snow for Steven in case he comes back up before we get back.

The road is Forest Service 13S45. Later on I look at a topo map and see that this is also designated as a Nordic Skiing route. The ruts not only go down Ten Mile Road, but start up 13S45.But then there is another puzzle: the tracks stop just a hundred feet in and from there on is virgin snow. Looks wonderful.

Spanish Mountain

Both from Ten Mile Road and from 13S45 we see across the Kings as well as Buck Rock. But the views for the most part have trees framing the scene or intertwined in it. Still, there is something which is appealing looking out over this section of the Sierra (actually there are very few sections of the Sierra which I feel are not worth looking at.)

We go up about a half mile up 13S45. It has good solid snow, which has been settling for a couple weeks. So walking on it is a pleasure. Even I am able to feel good going up the slope. One drawback: there are no dramatic views. “Only” trees and snow are what can be viewed.

It is getting close to our turnaround time. Sherri is ready to go back, but I would like to go on up a short way to a horseshoe turn. So I leave Sherri and continue on up. I get there in a couple minutes. The road starts to level out and since I have about seven minutes to turnaround, I continue on. I quickly came to the top of the ridge. And lo and behold, there is my view! I can see across the Kings to Spanish Mountain and the Obelisk. Looking more westward, there is the Patterson area. Then closer to me, there is he basin where Hume Lake is. And by Hume is a smoke cloud. Wait Smoke! I remember that the Forest Service was doing some burning in the area. This must be it.

Indian Basin Smoke

After taking a few pictures, I head back down. I got to the place where I left Sherri. I see her tracks heading back. I just follow these tracks down. And about a quarter mile later I caught up with Sherri. Down we go. Sherri and I both think this is a trail we will be doing again.

We get to the junction with Ten Mile Road. I check the ski tracks to see if Steven has been by. I only see his tracks going down. So I erased my message. Sherri goes on ahead while I lag behind to see if Steven will come around the bend. By my calculations he is anywhere between right behind us to 45 minutes.

There is a reason why I wanted to go UP 13S45 rather than further down Ten Mile Road. From the junction we back up to the car. I stop every so often to look behind, but no Steven=it also gives me a chance just to take a small break. After a while I hear a mechanical sound. A minute later, a Toyota ForeRunner comes into view. This is an ah ha moment. Now I understand the mystery of the tracks. They are vehicle tracks, not snowmobiles. They pass by and I go on. Shortly before the parking lot, I caught up with Sherri.

We get to the car around 3:45 and start putting away our equipment. Steven gets in as we put stuff away. And then it is off to go back to Fresno. It is a pretty easy drive back and we get back home at 5:20. Another good day.

Background

Smoke. The smoke was from a pile burn in the Indian Basin area which Sequoia National Forest had set. This was part of an effort to clear fuels from around Sequoia groves throughout all forest lands. Indian Basin close to Princess Campground. We would have been right in the middle of the smoke if we had gone there.

Extra Photo's

Snow and Pine Cones

Patterson and Spanish Mountains

Stack of rocks by Ten Mile Road

Buck Rock and its lookout

Looking to the northeast

September 25, 2022 - Princess Campground and Big Stump

 

Title: September 25, 2022 - Princess Campground and Big Stump
Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Princess Campground

Trail: Indian Basin Interpretive Trail

Destination: Loop

Distance:  1.0 miles ¹

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Big Stump Parking Area

Trail: Big Stump

Destination:  Loop

Distance: 1.52 miles ²

Start Time:  2:10

End Time:    3:19

Travel Time:  1:08 (1.34 mph)

Moving Time:  0:56  (1.63 mph)

Elevation Rise:  503'

Descent: 203‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,381'

GPS Tracks

 ¹No GPS track. Just an estimate 

 ²The GPS got turned on about an eighth of a mile along the trail after descending a ways. So the proper distance is about 1.67 miles

Description:

Gary getting ready for breakfast

It is our 46th anniversary! What better way to spend it but by doing something which both Sherri and love-camping! Well maybe backpacking might top it.

Last night was cold. Sherri was up a lot last night-I only got up once to relieve myself. But my mattress had deflated. I got up at 7:30 while Sherri got up at 8:15. I read and had my quiet time. It is pancakes for breakfast. We discovered that the eggs were left behind. That may put a damper on french toast tomorrow. But the mix can be used without eggs, just a bit more satisfying. I mixed up the batter and discovered I had put too much, way too much, mixture in. We will be substituting pancakes for bread at lunch and probably have enough for breakfast tomorrow. It could be worse.

 

 

Clouds rising above a ridge

In August we took John and Cathey on the Indian Basin Interpretive Trail by the campground-we have also snowshoed this a couple of times as well. We did this walk just to get our legs stretched out and to enjoy the morning without much of a strain on us. We heard a couple of gunshots to the northeast of us-we are on Forest Service land and deer hunting season started this weekend. While we feel pretty safe here, the pop’s can be a bit disconcerting.

As mentioned, Sherri was up last night, so our mile walk was enough for her. When we got back to camp, she was OK sitting in a camp chair, then taking a short nap in the tent. I had some hammock time. I do not have it set up right. I am missing a carabiner, so I have improvised. My butt is rubbing against the ground. We had our pancake, peanut butter and Nutella lunch. Now to decide what to do.

Gary crossing a downed Sequoia

I am not terribly energetic and Sherri is even less so. We will save doing the North Boundary trail up to Panoramic Point for another day. The Big Stump loop sounds like a good walk and just about what we need to do. We go back to the Big Stump Parking area where the Dark Sky viewing was held last night.. We grumble about a van with high school students who decide to park in a red zone next to the bathroom-you would think they would have more ability to walk a few steps than a couple who are a year from seventy.

Enough grumbling. It is a good day and we start down the trail. We notice that a new trail is being put in. Maybe next year it will be usable. We quickly get to the reason for the name of this area. We wander around, coming to Big Stump Meadow. Even get to walk across a fallen Sequoia. We come to the far end of the area and see the Mark Twain Stump. This stump is huge. I wonder what it looked like before the loggers got to it (just saw from the link, it was not the logger, but the US Army which wanted to prove how big these trees were.).

Sequoia

 

 

We cross the highway to continue on with the loop. This takes us above the area, where we can catch glimpses of the grove. Once the trail does its short rise, we more or less follow the mountain contour. It is a bit more sunny and a bit more warmer, but pleasant. We stop and sit on a pine stump to enjoy and relax a bit. A short way further, we descend to go under the highway, through a tunnel. This leads us back to the parking area.

 

 

 

 

Mark Twain Stump

Instead of just going back, we took a drive down Burton Road. I was hoping to make Little Boulder Creek and see if the trailhead is now open-it is not and will be closed at least until August 2023. But it is a long drive and when I see a sign saying 5 miles further, we decide to turn around. I had forgotten how long of a drive it was. Still this is a very pretty drive with to die for views of Kings Canyon and beyond. When we got back to Quail Flat, we returned via 10 Mile Road. This will be closed until next year starting tomorrow. We descended and drove by Hume Lake. Then onto Princess Campground.

 

Night sky-with false coloring, from Indian Basin

We got back to our site just before 5. I start off by blowing up my air mattress. After 45 minutes, it still is not firm. Sherri makes us dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Hits the spot. We wait until it gets almost dark and then take Celeste down to the Meadow. She is decent at seeing things a bit closer. While last night, we were spotting far away clusters and galaxies, tonight we are into planets and stars in general. Saturn is already up. Then Jupiter rises above a ridge in the east. We enjoy the night sky for 45 minutes before we head back to our little cloth abode.

 

 

 

 

Our 5 star room

We manage to climb into bed by 9. My mattress is already deflated. I read until 9:30 and then close my eyes for the night.

Extra Photo's

Night Sky

Did Jupiter really move that much in 20 seconds?

Gary on the Big Stump Loop

Big Stump Meadow

More of Gary walking the Big Stump Loop

April 19, 2022 - North Grove and Dead Giant Loops

 

Title: April 19, 2022 - North Grove and Dead Giant Loops

Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: General Grant Tree Parking Area

Trail: North Grove and Dead Giant Loops

Destination: North Grove Loop

Distance:  3.23 miles

Start Time: 11:57

End Time:    2:53

Travel Time: 2:55  (1.11 mph)

Moving Time: 2:21   (1.37 mph)

Elevation Rise:  661'

Descent: 660‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,327'

GPS Tracks

 

 

Gary with the Sequoias

Description:

We were going to go to Yosemite today with Jessi, but the weather forecast scared us off. On the other hand, the rain was not forecasted to get as far down as Grant Grove. So Sherri and I decided to go up there for a day.

There was no hurry to get up there, so we managed to leave around 10:20. The trip up is uneventful and takes a little bit more than an hour to get to the Grant Grove parking area. By this time it is 11:45. It still takes us about 25 minutes to get our boots moving towards the trailhead.

Lately when I have been hiking, I have gone down to my T-shirt and shorts. But today is a bit cool, actually pretty cool. So long pants and a long sleeve shirt are in order for me-Sherri is even a bit more bundled up. 

 

 

Looking up the trunks of Sequoias

Our route takes us down an old road which is the start of the North Grove Loop. Usually we go clockwise, but to be different, it is a counter-clockwise day. The first quarter mile is pretty level, but then it drops. We are too busy gawking at the Sequoias really to pay too much attention to the road as it starts its descents. I have always been enamored by a couple of Sequoias at the top of this descent. They do not seem as imposing as when you come from the bottom. The little meadow right afterwards is still recovering from the Winter. We will see more of it again later in the season.

Forest being rejuvinated

All of which I can say is: there are more Sequoias. It is hard to look at other things when you walk through these tall and big trees. Your heart can only rise try to meet the heights of these trees. If only I could reach to the heavens like these trees do.

Scorched trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

We now come to the west end of the loop and the scenery changes. The change is that six and a half years ago the Rough Fire stormed up through this part of the ridge. We see the forest being rejuvenated where it was not badly burnt. There is low level green sprouting up. But then a hundred yards later, there is nothing but blackened forests.Reminds me of blackened matchsticks. We quickly go through this section, saying “hi” to a few folks who are coming clockwise. 

Gary looking at Lake Sequoia

 

When we come to the junction with the Dead Giant Trail, we have a decision to make: have we had enough for today or go and do the Dead Tree Trail? We decide to do more-sort of our modus operandi. But first, let's find a log and have lunch.

After lunch, we continued down the road for a quarter mile or so, rounding a meadow with an unnamed creek draining into it. Sort of a quiet space so close to the hustle and bustle of the General Grant Tree. A long dead Sequoia lays across it, even in its mortality it attests to its inherit majesty.

 

 

Life on top of the Dead Giant

When we get to the loop, we go clockwise, which is contrary to our normal way. It is pleasant walking along and in a few minutes, we get to an overlook to Sequoia Lake. A really peaceful look. We then go on around the loop, to the Dead Giant. It is an imposing tree-I wonder what it looked like in its prime. While taking a picture, I noticed a twig with some pine needles on the top of it. Even in death, these giants give life.

A few steps later, we encountered three girls, they are young to me, probably in their 20’s.. Turns out they are from Nashville. I give them a few pointers-I guess I fall into the tour guide mode naturally. Nashville is where Rachel will be this weekend, to run a race. Coincidence? I wonder.

 

 

Downed Giant Sequoia

 

 

We now make our trip back up the slope to the parking area. It's a bit harder going up than down. Still it is a good walk. Just before we get to the parking area, we fall into a conversation with another older couple. A long conversation about all the good things there is to experience we have each done in our retirement.

 

 

 

Looking down into Redwood Canyon

And then it is back to the car. We go on, but I am wondering if Burton Road is open. So we get to Quail Flat. Nope, Burton Road is still closed. On the way back, we stopped at an overlook and looked into the destruction which the KNP Complex did in Redwood Canyon. So sad. We then go on back down to Fresno, getting back just before 5pm.

Extra Photo's

Nicely shaped Giant Sequoia

Sherri approaching the Dead Giant

Delilah Lookout

Sherri on the prowl

A couple of Sequoias growing together

Gary looking up a couple of Sequoias