March 16, 2019 - Miami Mountain

Title: March 16, 2019 - Miami Mountain
Hike Info : Description : Background :  Extra Photo's 

Trail head: Cattle Chute along Miami Mountain Road

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Miami Mountain Road

Destination: Miami Mountain

Distance:  4.36 miles

Start Time: 9:26

End Time:  1:55

Travel Time:  4:28 (0.98 mph)

Moving Time:  2:22 (1.84 mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,068'

Descent: 1,023‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,337'

GPSTracks

Description:

It is turning out to be a nice beautiful day for a walk. A bit cool, but since this walk will have a lot of exposure, that is not a bad thing. We have six people coming, including Sherri and myself. We leave Fresno at 8:00 and head to Oakhurst, stopping at Ralph for a last minute pit stop. We leave and get to the trailhead around 9:15.

The trailhead is just off of highway 49 on a little dirt road. We stop at a wide spot in the road across from an old cattle chute. There we start off up the road to Miami Mountain. A question is asked, can’t we just have driven up the road? Well, yes and no. The yes is that we can go all the way to the gate. But can we turn around?

The Road, looking towards Shuteye

We pass a ranch which owns land which we will walk on. Then up the road to a wye. We go left. The one on the right goes to another ranch, I think. This hike is mostly about the destination, not the journey. But hiking with others provides its own sense of pleasure. I talk with various people on the way up. Sort of takes the mind off of the dryness and the climb.

Shuteye

I hope I do not paint of picture of total bleakness as there are certain places along the road where you do get some eye-candy. About a third of the way up, we look east and see Shuteye. A discussion follows about is there a small building on top of that mountain-yes, a lookout. Then further on we see a lake to the south-Eastman Lake. I later get corrected, not about the lake but about the visibility from the top-you can see Eastman from the top of Miami.

Eastman Lake

When we turn the corner to start up the northwest side of the ridge, we now get different views. When Rose, Sherri and I did this hike last year, there were trees down. But now, it is more just the bark of trees. This side seems a bit more shady and more pleasant to walk. We gain our first sight of Miami Mountain Lookout. To me this is an illusion about closeness. The Lookout is just “right up there”, but we have to travel all the way around it. I am hiking and talking with Carey now at the end-which continue to make the climb less tiring. Then we get to the final turn and the lookout is only a hundred yards away.

West and North Looking

Devil's Peak - Signal Lookout

 And then we are at the top. 360^o view! And this is the clearest of the three times I have been up here. Just amazing. The others also seem to agree. None except Sherri, had been up here before. All are amazed at what they see. We try to pick out mountains and places. I am using Peak Finder to help me out-see the guide below. After walking around the top-and we can see Eastman Lake from here-and having a snack/lunch, I suggest that we start back. But there is universal agreement that can we stay here another 15 minutes. Sure, with a view like that, it is an easy decision.

After staying up on top of the mountain for close to an hour-probably the longest rest stop on a meetup hike I have ever done, we start back. The trip back is a lot easier and quicker than going up. After while, I lag back, mostly to take pictures. Unlike other recent trips, my legs feel somewhat fresh. By the time we get down the mountain, the same way we got up it, it is approaching 2:00pm. Enjoyable. Even Bozo the dog seemed to be happy.

Cattle chute where we parked the car

Sherri and I are going on to Mariposa to pick up a painting. So we leave everybody to fend for themselves for an after hike meal, if they want it. The painting is as good as we remember it. We also have a good conversation with Faith of FaithRumm Studio’s. Then it is onward to hoe with our valuable cargo.

Background


Peaks seen from Miami Mountain Lookout from the PeakFinder application

Extra Photo's

Gary, Peter, Sharon, Carey

First glimpse of Miami Mountain Lookout

Telegraph Peak?

North towards Devil's Peak

Devil's Peak - Signal Lookout

North and East

Zoomed in shot

Same picture as above with labels

Shuteye

Basin where Oakhurst and Ahwahnee lay

March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Title: March 27, 2015 - Miami Lookout

Trail head:  Highway 49 and Road 6S79

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Miami Mountain Road

Destination:Miami Lookout

Distance:  4.30 miles

Start Time:  11:31

End Time:     2:18

Travel Time: 2:46 (1.55 mph)

Moving Time: 1:48 (2.39 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,148'

Maximum Elevation: 4,337'

Description:
This is a hike which I have wanted to do for about the past 9 months. Miami Mountain has fire a lookout on top of it. From the pictures it looks like it is a 360 degree view. So when Rachel has the day off, Sherri and I plan on going up there to do this 4-5 mile trail. As an added bonus, Steven is able to come with us.

The day starts out with me waking up at 5am. I do my quiet time. Then a little after 6, I get an e-mail from my brother. It looks like Dad has found some more of the tax information for my Dad. So I work on that while Sherri takes care of a medical appointment. At 10, I am still working on taxes while Sherri and Rachel get ready for our trip. I suspect we are all dilly-dallying around, but today may be the wrong day to do that. Fresno will be breaking a heat record-over 90. Miami Mountain is not that high so we will be in the midst of the warmth. But the good thing is that Steven comes home from school and wants to come with us.

So at 10:30 or there about, we start off. Rachel is driving and the first leg goes well. We go up Highway 41 to Oakhurst. Then take a left onto Highway 49. Here a simple journey gets a bit complicated. I know that the road to Miami is a bit hidden, but it is right at a saddle, about two miles beyond Nipinnawasee. So we go over the saddle and do not see a road and do a U-turn. We see a small side road, but it looks more like a driveway. But there is no other road, so we go down farther and come to Wormak Road which looks close, but Steven points out that it must be the little driveway we saw. So another U-turn and we go up the road. It quickly turns into a dirt road. Traveling up this road for a first time dirt road driver is a bit nerve-wracking. Then we come to a cattle gate and there is little room to turn around. There is not enough room to park, so I get the task of doing a U-turn on a one-lane dirt road with a drop off on one side. It is not too bad and we are quickly on our way back to where it is paved. There is a wide spot there, enough to park the car. So that is what we do.

Start of dirt road

Sherri on the road

Before we start out, while others are getting ready, I sort of look over a cattle chute, when I hear a noise and see a doe bound across the road. Nobody else saw her. Then we start walking up the road we just drove down. By the way, Friday, Rachel's dog is with us as well. We also immediately start a pretty good climb up the road. When we come to the cattle gate, some hope over it, but I see where there is a little opening to go over a cut out section of the barb-wire fence. Then it is more up. Now the road is nothing special, but as we climb up a couple things happen. First, the air is warm and the sweat drips freely from me. Second, we keep climbing. But the last thing is that we start to get glimpses of some views. The views are not ones of the high Sierras, but more of the foothills and out into the Central Valley.

View to the south

First view of Miami

When the road tops the ridge to the south west of of the lookout, we start curving back up. We eventually get our first view of the lookout, still high above us. But it gives us hope. Along the northern ridge, there is signs of life breaking out. Some of the smaller bushes leaves are uncurling, making a grand sight against the mountains in the distance.

Approaching Miami

By this time, the heat of the Spring day is starting to get to us, so we are glad when there is a final turn and the lookout springs in front of us. There is a bit of shade on the north side, so we sit by the lookout station, enjoying the view and our sandwiches.

Miami View-South

Miami View North

Miami View North East

Miami View-East

Eastman lake

As we are observing, a lady bicyclist comes up on a quick trip up the mountain. We talk for a few minutes about the lookout. But then she needs to go back down to pick up kids from school. After we take care of some personal needs in the outhouse, we do need to go back down. Some of the good things about  going back down is: we are going down, and you get to see things which you did not see before. On top, Sherri had noticed a body of water to the south of us. Around a bend, we can see it pretty clearly-I believe it is Eastman Lake. Then, around another corner we see Oakhurst laid out in front of us. Pretty good views for a less than five mile walk.

Friendly gopher snake

But wait, there is more. Did I mention we brought along Friday, Rachel's dog? She was about to go over and investigate something when Steven alertly called her back. She had found a snake, which for a minute we were wondering what kind. but it was just a garden variety gopher snake.

We get back to the car without further excitement around 2:15. Now where do we go to eat? We decide that Southgate Brewery would be a good place. Even at 3:00pm, the place has a significant number of people. We enjoy our food and then off to Fresno by 4:30. We now have a new place to hike to.

As a note: I have been communicating with Jeff May, the person in-charge of Miami Lookout. He was saying that only three people, plus the lookout in the tower can be in the lookout at any one time. But he is very welcoming of people coming up. Also where we parked is the appropriate place to start from.

Oakhurst

On the way down

Starting to leaf

Places: CA-Eastman Lake

H V Eastman Lake (Raymond)   
(37.2308478,  -119.9724778)

Description:
Named by Congressional Action: Public Law 93-217, 93rd Congress, HR 655, December 28, 1973. (US-T121)     Formed by daming the Chowchilla River 7 km (4.3 mi) west of Raymond. Named by Congressional action in 1973. From GNIS

Also called Buchanan Reservoir-from GNIS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the lake to be created by the Buchanan Dam on the Chowehilla River, California, authorized by section 203 of the Flood Control Act of 1962, shall be known and designated as the "H. V. Eastman Lake". Any law, regulation, document, or record of the United States in which such lake is designated or referred to shall be held to refer to such lake as the
"H. V. Eastman Lake".  From public cal 93-217, December 28, 1973

Trips:

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References:

•  Durham, David L. Geographic Names of Madera County California. Fresno, California: Pioneer Publishing, 1987. p17
•  H.V. Eastman Lake and its forgotten frontiers by Norman L Wilson

Pictures:

From Miami Mountain

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