November 12, 2021 -Death Valley: Travel to Lone Pine

 

Title: November 12, 2021 -Death Valley: Travel to Lone Pine
Hike Info : Description

Trail head: Fresno

Hike Info:   Type: Car

264 Mileage

Description:

I got up after 7 this morning. Later than I thought I would be. The original plan was for us to camp tonight at Texas Springs Campground. But this requires us to leave at 9:00 so we can get to the campground by 3:30 or 4:00. This requires us to drive straight through without doing any sight seeing. Yesterday Sherri when Sherri and I discussed this trip. We felt that we probably wanted to stop at certain places on the way in. So stopping at a hotel today is a possibility. With me getting up after 7, that means it may not happen.

I do get the car loaded with what is ready. It is fairly packed. Sherri gets up a little after 9, so that means we will stay at a hotel tonight. I finish up writing stuff up from last night’s book group. Then get the rest of the stuff packed. By the time both of us say we are ready, it is after 12 noon.

Sherri starts off driving. We will need to stop in Bakersfield for gas. We may be coming in on fumes. Turns out not quite on fumes as we had about four gallons. It takes 15 minutes to get into Costco gas. By the time we leave, we are hungry for lunch. So we have a burger at Carl’s Jr.

After we leave Carl’s Jr, I am behind the wheel. In the past, we have gone over Tehachapi to get to Lone Pine. But looking at the maps, it is only about ten minutes longer to take 178 by Lake Isabella. I have not been that way before, so we go that way. The road winds its way through a canyon cut by the Kern River. This is not the upper part of the Kern, just the part out of the Lake area. It is a good drive, but not fast.

After passing Lake Isabella, the road follows a flat valley on a gentle incline. Eventually this climbs up to Walker Pass where the PCT crosses. It is a starting place for many PCTer’s. And then we descended down to Highway 14.

It is getting dark-about 5pm. Definitely not heading towards Death Valley tonight. It would be about 8pm before reaching camp. So we ended up going to Lone Pine and the Best Western there. This is where we stayed two years ago. It has not changed much. We roll in at 6pm and they have a room for us. Comfortable. A bit tired, so we pretty much just read or watch TV until bed time.

June 16, 2019 - Delilah Lookout

Title: June 16, 2019 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Background : Menu 

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

I woke up at 0300 with the sky still dark, but it looks like there is a little bit of a cloud cover. But do not fear. I went back to sleep so that I could get up at 0600. After reading for a bit, it was time to go down to the other building on the premise. After that I took a lap around Delilah Lookout. Yesterday I did two, but today, I am more tired and all which I am up for is one. And then it is back up 80’ to the lookout cab-not totally unenergetic.

Cloud build up

Breakfast time-oatmeal again. But yesterday Judy brought some scones, so we get to supplement our breakfast. Because today is our last day, we ferry the non-essentials down to the truck before going into service.

 But before we go into service, we hear a report that there is a fire on Watts Valley Road. It should be pretty much due west of us, but we think that it is hidden behind a hill. Not even the smoke is visible. We go into service at 0930. At 1005 weather and staff is broadcast-we have seen it on the Internet, so we just confirm what we have. A lot easier this way.

Clouds beyond Park Ridge-maybe at Buck Rock

We do our scans and listen to the radio. There is activity on Burton Road (14S02), but nothing which affects us. They are continuing to mop up the Landslide Fire caused by lightning. Also there is a prescribed burn going on. 1100 comes and we respond to Sierra’s inquiry if we are still there with an affirmative. (Maybe not in those words, but to that effect.)

1132 there is an accident by Hume Lake at Sandy Cove bridge. Sounds somewhat serious with an accident between a car and a motorcycle. We will be hearing about this for the next hour.

Distant clouds close to Goddard, maybe

Judy has joined us again today. She is up here mostly to make sure she knows the terrain. While we enjoy her being up in the tower, she is also doing a lot on her own. Back to the normal scan, radio, weather beat.

We get a call from Div3 asking for Mich. We tell him that she will be up in a couple of hours. We are on duty today. He says for her to call him when she comes in.

Then we hear P33 talking to P32 on R5 Project. There is talk about a wildfire, but we did not catch where. So we contact P33 on R5 Project to find out where. It is way out of our area-called the Rock Fire. But P33 recognizes my voice and asks if it is me. Yep, she has it.

Rare View of Kings River from Delilah

You know how yesterday Tom said that at times you can see the Kings River? Found it.

 

Clouds above Spanish Mountain

 Close to 1600 the Landslide Fire is reported as showing no smoke and is being put into patrol status. That means that one of the patrols, probably P33 will be going past it periodically to check on it. Also if Buck Rock Lookout was being staffed, they would pay particular attention to the area. But we cannot see it as it is beyond Park Ridge, so to us, it is informational.

Brown patch on left is close to yesterday's smoke. View: McKenzie Heliport

About 1700 Mich comes along. We have several questions for her. Half of them she enlightens us on what should be done*. But the other half is more seat of your pants responses. I guess we are starting to ask more advanced questions. Judy has been playing Stump the Chump with me. I am doing OK. But there is one reading which she and I are disagreeing. So Mich gets asked. She feels it is close to where I spotted it on the map, but a little bit different logic.

We get relieved about 1730 and head on out. Sherri orders a pizza for the three of us. Then we start to head down the hill. We stop at McKenzie Heliport because we got a better view of where Friday’s pile burn was. Then on to Bear Mountain Pizza. It is ready right when we get there. Back home by about 1930.

Background

*If you are really interested in the questions we asked Mich, this is what we asked:

• Who is Patrol 37?
  • All four of us hear P37, but in reality, it is P47, out of our area.
• How did you know where Lone Pine Canyon was?
  • She knew where it was not and asked Porterville some questions about other areas which it might be associated with. (I had found it, but by using a spreadsheet I developed.)
• Is Captain 32 the same as Engine 32?
  • Yes
• Is Davis Road open?
  • No. Even though the gate is open. She will have someone go by and close it.
• How about Burton Road and other things in the area?
  • No
• Is the Fire Finder trued up?
  • Mich will check, but it should be. That was because when I did my orientation points, they all were about 10-15’ off. But Judy and Tom had different readings. So it is probably OK. The general rule of thumb is that if we can report it within 30’, that is good.
• Do we have a map for Tucker Mountain?
  • No. Technically, it is outside of our area.
• Who is Chief 70?
  • Unknown, but it could be associated with Hume Lake Christian Camps.

Menu

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola.	Peanut Butter and Nutella Sandwich, Chips	Pizza At Bear Mountain Pizza	Jelly Belly, Cheese

June 23, 2014 - Hamilton Lake to Big Arroyo

Title: June 23, 2014 - Hamilton Lake to Big Arroyo

Hike Info:

Type:  Backpacking

Trail: High Sierra Trail

Destination: Big Arroyo

Actual Destination: about a mile before the Big Arroyo bear lockers

Distance: 6.68 miles

Start Time:  7:59

End Time:    5:07

Travel Time: 9:07 (0.73 mph)

Moving Time: 4:31 (1.48  mph)

Elevation Rise: 2,470'

Maximum Elevation: 10,736'

Description:

Got up at 5:30. Shortly afterwards everybody else got up. Even then, we got going  at 8. 

Camp Life

Hamilton Lake

There is not too much to say, except once we cross the creek coming out of Hamilton Lake, we start our ascent of Kaweah Gap. This is a 2400' relentless climb. But there is compensation for the aches we have lugging our packs. As we climb up, first we see Hamilton Lake a lot better. Ray talks about the fish he saw in Lower Hamilton. This morning I have been hiking with Ray. He is fast than I am, but I am doing OK.  Then as we climb, we can see where BearPaw Meadow's saddle is. Also the trail which got carved out of a rock cliff before Lone Pine Creek. Just some magnificent sights, every switchback brings new vistas. We can even see Moro Rock where we started Saturday. But the best was yet to come.

More of Hamilton Lake

Lower Hamilton Lake

Falls from Precipice Lake

Hamilton from high up

As we clear the chaparral level of the trail, we start hitting more granite on the trail. You can see where trail crews have carved whole sections of the trail out from granite cliffs. Other parts of the High Sierra Trail gives you we are on the edge of a cliff feel. But on this section of the trail, we are not only getting this feeling, but are on a cliff. This is accentuated when we reach this chute, which we find out is called Hamilton Gorge. We first see a role of thick steel cable, followed by a couple of cement buttresses with huge eye-bolts, one on each side of the gorge. Ray and I speculate what this went to. With an eye-bolt broken off, we think that the bridge failed its stress test. Now there is a tunnel through rock, with the trail hugging a blasted out section of cliff. Later on I find out the story behind the failed bridge:

Down the Gorge

The climb begins with a series of sweeping switchbacks across the bluffs to the north of the lake, before turning east towards the sheer-walled avalanche chute known as Hamilton Gorge. In 1932, Park Service engineers erected a steel suspension bridge across the Gorge, but in the winter of 1937, a massive avalanche tore the bridge from its moorings and swept its twisted wreckage down to the shores of Big Hamilton Lake. You can still see the bridge's concrete foundations and a few scrap metal remains, but the trail now uses a ledge and tunnel that were blasted by the Civilian Conservation Corps the next summer. From NPS' web page on Hiking the High Sierra Trail

High Sierra Tunnel

Tarn at 10,000'

As we approach a tarn, a little above 10,000', we stop for lunch. We have not traveled far in distance, but it has been a pretty good pull for us. We have stopped below a giant boulder, about the only place we can find with shade. We enjoy our peanut butter and Nutella snack, and then just plain rest for a time. But Precipice Lake is calling and so we don our packs and continue on.

Precipice Lake

From our lunch place, Precipice Lake is only a third of a mile, but it is another 500' of climbing. So when we get to the lake, we are ready for another stop. Here we find another couple of hikers enjoying an Ansel Adams scene. Craig and Paul thought about doing the whole of the HST, but were not making as good of time as they thought they would so. They are on their return trip to Giant Forest. They are the first people, and it turns out, the only people who we will have a prolonged conversation with on this trip. Later on Andrea makes a comment on the JMT Facebook page and Craig recognizes her.

Precipice Lake

Rachel and Ray Surveying our climb

Andrea Refreshed

I enjoy a patch of earth. But others have a different idea of recreating. Rachel, and then Ray, climb a far away boulder for a birds eye view of Hamilton Lake and beyond. Andrea dunks herself. But Ray tops us all by taking a running jump and gracefully diving into the snow bounded Precipice lake. He certainly looked refreshed coming out.

I do not think we would have made it up this far last night, but it is time to continue on. Kaweah Gap calls us and we must go. At this point, the hard work has been done and it is only 3/4 of a mile 300' to the top. The trail leads us through a gentle coulee which points us to the Gap. On the north side is the only real sign that this is a place where much of the Valley's water comes from. There is a bit of a cornice, a carry-over from our light winter.

Last of Cornice

Big Arroyo

Nine Lakes Basin

Craig's Waterfall

 On top of Kaweah Gap

Kaweah Gap is one of those places which is anti-climatic. We have been seeing such vistas on the way up we expected more. But what we got was this gentle break in the Great Divide where on one side we see the pleasant climb we just ascended. On the other side is the expansive Big Arroyo. But the Great Divide itself is noteworthy. At the base of the Gap is a plaque commemorating George W. Stewart by naming the adjacent Mt Stewart. We see the Nine Lake basin and the Kaweah's to the north of us. To the south is Eagle Scout Peak. With this, we rest here-you get the feeling that is all which we do today: rest and climb. but our climbing for the day is over.

Sound of Music Moment

Here we start down the Big Arroyo. I am amazed by the size-in my mind, the word big is too small for this wide expanse at the start of the Big Arroyo creek. After the rugged climb up this place seems too gentle to be in the heart of the Sierra's. Our walking is only burdened by having had to exert ourselves over the morning to the top of the Gap. Now we pick up the pace and enjoy our descent.

Looking back towards Kaweah Gap

After a ways, Rachel and Ray stop for a break while the rest of us continue on. When we come to the crossing of the Big Arroyo, we decide this would be a good place to camp. Andrea, Steven and I wander around, but cannot find a place where others have camped. But we do see remnants of places-horse poop, an occasional burnt rock, but nothing recent. Andrea does find a place to pitch tents and hang hammocks, but the site is not really an established campsite. I have even looked at likely places across the Big Arroyo to no avail. Andrea and I go back up the trail a little ways to tell Ray and Rachel what we found, when i wander off. I am not sure what I am seeing which causes me to wander, but I do. Suddenly by the creek, I find a really good place, complete with firepit. So we go back and get everything and set up camp here. That evening, we enjoy a nice campfire and a time of rest.

Trail Lesson:

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Peanut Butter and Nutella on crackers	Szechuan Veggie Noodles	Clif Bar, Jelly Bellies, CytoMax, Propel, GORP, Bank Balls

Hiking Folks:

Hiking Twins-Ray and Gary

 

Rachel and Andrea

Successful Ray

Rachel on the Lookout

June 22, 2014 - Nine-Mile Creek to Hamilton Lake

Title: June 22, 2014 - Nine-Mile Creek to Hamilton Lake

Hike Info:

Type:  Backpacking

Trail: High Sierra Trail

Destination: Hamilton Lake

Distance: 6.75 miles

Start Time:  9:09

End Time:   5:03

Travel Time: 7:53 (0.86 mph)

Moving Time: 4:42 (1.44 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,807'

Maximum Elevation: 8,187'

          (Lots of pictures at bottom of blog)

Bearpaw Meadow Area

Description:

Woke up around 5:30, but just enjoyed the warmth of my new bag for awhile. Then did my quiet time. Finally got out of the bag around 6:10. So far the only one up. But Andrea quickly joins me. Even Steven and Rachel are up. We have breakfast and break camp at the un-backpacking hour of 9:07.

Steven looking up at Lone Pine Canyon

The first part from Nine Mile Creek is pretty easy some up, more down. Mostly in shade, but some exposed. After a mile or so, we stop at Buck Canyon for a break, then on we go. Sherri, Steven and I in the lead; Ray, Rachel and Andrea are relaxing by the creek. So we start the climb up to Bearpaw Meadows. This is our first really good climb of the hike. I am sweating early, but we make it up pretty good. There is a discussion among the three of us about having a cleaner camp, than we had at Nine-Mile Creek.

High Sierra Trail

We stop at the junction with Bearpaw campground and rest for a little while. When we pass through the High Sierra Camp, we are less than impressed by what we saw. By a supply cabin, there are garbage boxes stacked high. The store from the outside looks sort of humble, but what you would expect 11 miles off of the closest road? Tent cabins are scattered about. We quickly pass through without sampling its delights.

Going to Lone Pine Creek gives you a good appreciation of the trail builders. We are perched on the side of a cliff, hiking across the cliff. Many places all we have is a little ledge with some great vistas. I think of a friend of mine who would have a bad case of vertigo. He would not like this trail.

Old Bridge on Lone Pine Creek

Lone Pine Gorge

We cross Lone Pine Creek on a new bridge. The wreckage of the old bridge lies below us. I am thinking the trail used to cross a ways above this point-looking at an old topo map confirms my memory. We stop a little ways up the trail, in some shade for lunch. My fiendish children steal my Nutella, but do eventually return it.

Looking down Hamilton Creek

Water over the edge

But even with these shenanigans, there comes a time which we must face the challenges of the day. That challenge was now on us in the form an 800' climb  which is the entrance to Hamilton Lake, our camping place for the evening. 800's gain over two miles does not sound like much, but for some reason, we, or at least Sherri and I were struggling. Maybe it was being on a surface exposed to the afternoon sun, maybe old age, or just not being in as good of shape as I thought. Either way, we bring up the rear. About 3/4 of a mile before Hamilton Lake, the trail crosses Hamilton Creek. We choose this as a resting place, and it is a good choice. From this crossing you have a granite seat which allows us to look down into the Lone Pine canyon, over to Bearpaw Meadow and even the last glimpses of Moro Rock.  This is a good place to send off the Kaweah River.

Falls on Hamilton Creek

There had been talk of going on to Precipice Lake, but we all agree that Hamilton, with its three bear boxes is a wonderful place to stop for the night. Andrea and I talk and she asks if I know where Angel Wings is? No and I do not see it on the map. At home, I find out that Angel Wings is another name for Valhalla, which is on the map and we are passing by it. And it is a good place, that is except for the thieves. I am not talking about Andrea and Steven here, but the deer and marmots are in cahoots with eat other, providing distractions so the other can go after our equipment. Rachel and Andrea run after the deer anytime they are seen to drive them away. Last year, Andrea had one of her poles stolen, but recovered. After retrieving her pole, there was deer slobber on the straps-yech.

Hamilton Lake

Sleeping arrangements

Night Exercises

After a good evening chat, we decide it is time to tuck ourselves in for a good evening of sleep. Goodnight world.

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Peanut Butter and Nutella on crackers	Tamale Pie-Freestyle	Clif Bar, Jelly Bellies, CytoMax, Propel, GORP, Bank Balls

Gary charging on the trail

Sherri admiring the view

Ray and Rachel on the march

Ray high above

Falls on Lone Pine Creek

Andrea tossing water

Us Hikers

Sherri wondering about the climb

Lizard

Lower Hamilton Lake

Peak above Hamilton  Lake

Hamilton Lake at Sunset

Hamilton Lake

Daughter-Father Tandem