August 17, 2016 - Wolverton to Heather Lake and the Watchtower

Title:August 17, 2016 - Wolverton to Heather Lake and the Watchtower
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background :  Extra Photo's :  Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Wolverton

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Lakes Trail including The Hump and The Watchtower trails

Destination: Heather Lake and the Watchtower

Distance:  8.00 miles
Start Time: 11:02
End Time:   6:42
Travel Time:  7:39 (1.05 mph)
Moving Time:  4:43 (1.70 mph)
Elevation Rise: 2,070'
Maximum Elevation:9,434'

Description:
This one started as an overnight trip to Pear Lake, then a day trip up to Pear Lake. Now it is lets see how far we can go and just enjoy the day out.

Sherri at the start of the trail

By the time we leave Fresno, it is close to 9:30 and we get to Wolverton a little before 11. Sherri takes off. But I stop and talk with a backpacker from Carlsbad. He has a "Take A Hike" T-Shirt which features the three Sierra National Parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia. He has hit the trail in all three of these and will return back to teaching next week. But he had a grand time. We talk about different places. He mentions the Lost Coast and I tell him it is on  my list of hikes to do.

After talking for 15 minutes, it it time to rejoin Sherri. But she has stopped only a hundred yards up the trail, waiting for me. Foolish woman! You would think that after close to 40 years she would know how long I could chat with someone?

The thing about this trail is that it is a long and grinding uphill. The trail is not content just to defeat you, but to pulverize you into trail dust. So why do it? Because you know there is rewards to those who preserver. Sort of like life you know, just because there is pain and suffering, is the end result is worth it, you continue to endure. If not, you look for an alternative.

We eat lunch at the Panther Gap trail junction. I also am testing out our SPOT device. It did not function reliably during our abbreviated JMT trip. During lunch, a couple of young women came up-Nikki and Sonya.  They are from Fresno and this is a different Sonya than the one we usually hike with. We talk for a while and then they leave right before we do.

The Hump trail is about a quarter mile from our lunch break and that is the trail we take. It is used during the Spring and until the Watchtower trail is safe from ice. But the disadvantage is that it does go a couple hundred feet higher than going via the Watchtower. Also this is not a trail of grand vistas but through the woods. Also there is no downhill on it. It is all up. And that is what we do, climb to the top of the Hump, and there we start to get our reward.

Looking North From the Hump

Gary enjoying the view

At the top, we stop for a break. Or do we stop to gawk? Either way it was time for a rest. And if our resting spot gave us a view, who am I to complain? From our vantage point, we can see across into the Tablelands. This is a treeless area at the headwaters of the Topakah Creek. No trails go through there, but it is a favorite cross-country route for many people. Another test of one of our SPOT devices.

Then we drop down a couple hundred feet and join the Watchtower trail to Heather Lake. There we met some hikers. One has a good nature comment of, you are close, you are almost there. I apologized in advance and replied I was going to get metaphysical on him by asking "What does he mean 'almost there'? I prefer to think that I am here." He replied that he really liked my comment.

Gary heading towards Heather Lake

But my new friend was right, we made it to Heather Lake in just a steps. While Sherri went off to visit Nature, I stayed by the lake. Our now old friends, Sonya and Nikki then strolled up. We talked for a good length of time while relaxing by the lake. Nothing deep, just friendly. But then it was time to leave.

About this time, we raise the question, have we told Steven, our son who is taking care of my Mom, that we are out hiking? We think so, but cannot think of a specific conversation. Will try to reach him on the way down.

Heather Lake

Gary on the Watchtower Trail

Instead of coming back via the Hump, we will take the more scenic route of The Watchtower. This trail is cut into a cliff, giving a great view of the Tablelands and the Tokopah Canyon area. But it is not for those with vertigo or a concern for falling. One slip and you will have a one way flight to the bottom, maybe a thousand feet down. On the other hand, bring your camera since each step you take presents new opportunities for pictures of the oooh and ahhh quality.

View from the Watchtower Trail

Sherri looking across the Tokopah Canyon

The Watchtower

By the time we reach the Watchtower, it is pretty late. So we do only a brief stop and gawk. Enough to take a few pictures and then move on. It is about 3 miles back to the car and mostly downhill. We meet an older couple who are struggling a bit. but who are taking a small break. They comment about how hard this trip is. Hard yes, but not too bad for those in shape-I only think it, not say it. Am I getting wiser in my old age?

By the time we make it back to the car, the shadows are getting long and I have not been able to reach Steven to confirm that he is taking care of my Mom. I do a final test of the SPOT and place it on top of the car. We decide to see if the Lodgepole cafe is open. It is and we have a hamburger. Sherri calls Steven and finds out, no we have not told him we went hiking. But an intelligent son that he is, he has deduced it. As we pass by Squaw Valley, I hear a thump off of the car, and nothing else. We continue on. By the time we get home, it is after 9pm and we are tired.

Trail Lesson:

Being "here" is much better than even being "almost there."


Background
We have two SPOT devices: SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (Ritto) and a SPOT Connect (Shirley). The devices are named after our pets. In the past they have worked OK, with  80-90% success. But during our JMT walk, Ritto only connected once out of the three nights. So this hike, I wanted to test it out. Below is the results-it is an e-mail I sent my brother. I also sent the contents of the e-mail to the SPOT people.

I am not sure if I have an endorsement of the SPOT or throw it away decision. After our aborted JMT attempt and getting only one out of three signals to be received, I have been trying to get the SPOT Messanger to work. First the endorsement:

We had come back from our hike out of Wolverton in Sequoia NP. I wanted to get one last "OK" message sent. So in the parking lot I set off the "OK" message and set it on top of the car to transmit. It actually did transmit. I also had Tracks on.  But as you might have guessed, I forgot the SPOT on top of the roof. As i am driving home last night, I hear a clink on the roof, but not sure what it is-this happened just outside of Squaw Valley. I get home, do not find the SPOT device. So before going to bed, I look at the SPOT map and there it is at the corner of Lovewell and Hwy 180. I get up this morning and there is a ton of tracks at that location. This morning I drove back out there and was able to recover the device.

So why am I about to throw it away?
1) When out on the trail, two out of three OK messages were not received.
2) Last Saturday I walked around my neighborhood with Tracks on and with trying the OK button a couple of times-55 minutes. Not one was received.
3) Yesterday I set on TRACKS at the start of our hike, around 11am. We finished up a little before 7pm. I pressed OK three times. I got one of them. The first two times was once at lunch around 12:30; the second when we stopped for a rest at the top of the Pear Lake Hump. Both times we were stationary about 20-30 minutes. The one time it did show was the one which I left the SPOT on top of the car. The TRACKS on the trail was only a little bit better. I had six tracks left between 2:30pm and 4:40pm. One wonders what happened to the tracks between 11am and 2:30 and the those between 4:40 and 6:45pm.

While I will not "throw it away", until I understand better why it is not reliable, it will not be relied upon. Sounds like a support call.

On a recent backpack trip I got three out of four messages from "Ritto" and three out of five from Shirley. SPOT support has offered a discount on a new SPOT. But then I also got a notice that SPOT is raising their service fee by about 33%. So I am not sure I will renew. I have a month to think about it.

Extra Photo's

Up the Tokopah Valley

Trail View looking west

Alta Peak on the Right

Trail Through Two Trees

 
Flowers and Plants

July 30, 2014 - Watchtower and Tokopah Falls

Tablelands

Title: July 30, 2014 - Watchtower and Tokopah Falls

 Trail head: Wolverton Parking Lot

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Lakes Trail

Destination: Watchtower

Distance: 6.59 miles

Start Time:  8:29

End Time:   1:24

Travel Time: 4:55 (1.34 mph)

Moving Time: 3:48 (1.73 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,972'

Maximum Elevation: 8,910'

Description:
When I think of a hike up to the Watchtower, I think of a good climb through forests and then a single place to find a sight worth the climb. But today, I got all of that and more.

I started the morning by stepping outside and immediately decided to go back inside. The sky was dark and clouds were ominous. So I went back inside to get my rain jacket. Now I am prepared, I think. On the drive to Kohl's, saw a couple flashes of lightening-well, maybe not all that prepared.  At Kohl's, picked up Brian W and went ahead to load Bill and Richard on the way. Even driving up, we saw lightening flashing from the clouds down to earth. There was a few drops of water hitting my windshield. After a break at Big Stump, we traveled on to the Wolverton parking lot, the beginning of our hike.
 

Cathey and Audrey walking through meadow

This hike is nearly a consistent uphill coming in. We start with a good climb out of the parking lot until we meet the ridge overlooking Lodgepole. The word overlooking is a bit of an exaggeration as the view into the Tokopah Valley is mostly obstructed by trees. But that is OK since the trees have a tendency to keep this trail cool and are enjoyable to walk through, even in bright sunshine. But today, it is overcast with a bit of concern about rain, not that the rain ever shows up.

Now the more  from above is this: surprisingly there are flowers presenting themselves, particularly in the meadows. Not so much surprising that there are flowers here, but that there are flowers here now, with as little water as we have had this year. There are some Columbines and Indian Paintbrushes. But also several varieties of whites and yellows, with blues. Just an eye opening time. There is more to this trail than just the Watchtower.

Across from the Watchtower

We reach the junction with the Panther Gap Trail-the same one we walked with the meetup group in mid-June. But we take a left, and shortly ignore the cross-over Hump Trail to Heather Lake. The rise is still moving us upward, but not as steep, until right before the Watchtower.

Once we climb a few switchbacks, the Tablelands open up for us. This is the area beyond the Watchtower in the upper Tokopah drainage.  Just an amazingly inviting country. Sherri and I have done Pear and Moose Lakes. But the area beyond is calling me. We can see across to Silliman Crest and that area. 

Tablelands

Watchtower cliff

John

The Watchtower is a place just to rest and cogitate, but not if you have vertigo. The trail brings you to the edge of a 1,100' drop straight down. Most of us enjoy the view, but from a distance at least six feet from the edge. The actual Watchtower is about a hundred feet across a chasm. Some of our group go around and climb up it and enjoy that sight.

Now it is time to return back to the cars for more fun. The return trip is backtracking along the trail we just came up. For some reason, it is easier to return going down. But somehow I am now feeling more tired. We get down just five hours after starting. Time for another walk, but this time gentler.

Trail head: Lodgepole Campground

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail:  Tokopah Falls Trail

Destination:   Tokopah Falls

Distance:  4.01 miles

Start Time:   1:46

End Time:     4:16

Travel Time: 2:30 (1.60 mph)

Moving Time: 2:08 (1.88 mph)

Elevation Rise: 502'

Maximum Elevation: 7,155'

The Watchtower

Description:
For the second part of the day, we scurry over to the Lodgepole Campground. There is a trail head inside the campground. So we park on the south side of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River, cross the bridge. The entrance to the trail is just beyond the bridge on the north side. In case this sounds familiar, our meetup group did a hike in March to some falls on this fork.

The trail is gentle, at least compared to the Watchtower.  So this does allow for conversations to occur, rather than the gasping for breath which happens on high altitude climbs. So I walk with a couple others and get into a conversation with Audrey, a third grade teacher with FUSD. Just a pleasant time to chat about people whom we both know.

Tokopah Falls, or trickle

Marble Fork of the Kaweah

But back to the trail. Towards the Falls, we get into granite blocks which we climb through. We come out to the trail's end, where the falls are. Or I should say, where the falls should be. But now there is only a trickle coming down. Sort of a disappointment in the falls. But as John said, you can just imagine how beautiful they would be-he is ever the optimist! People start to leave and I walk back with John and Cathey.

Bear Cub

The hike back is on the same trail. But it amazes me to see how different the same dirt can be going in a different direction. Just the trees and the creek and looking down valley have a different perspective. And a bear cub gently grazing for his huckleberries. Wait! A bear you say? Well really a cub about 30' from the trail. Several of us, and others, stop to gawk and take pictures. I was told that after I left mama and and another cub came up.

Grouse

Not much more after that, except for a grouse posing for a picture. We get back to the trail head and the car. Our car decides to continue back to Fresno rather than stopping for a bite to eat. I get back to home around 5:30.


Trail Lesson:
Prepare to enjoy the beauty you do not expect.

June 18, 2014 - Panther Gap

Title: June 18, 2014 - Panther Gap

Trail head: Wolverton

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Lakes/Panther Gap

Destination: Panther Gap

Distance:  7.01 miles*

Start Time:  8:55

End Time:   2:12

Travel Time: 5:16 (1.33 mph)

Moving Time: 4:07 (1.70 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,664'

Maximum Elevation: 8,639'

*Other GPS' got 8+ miles. My Foretex GPS initially got 7.9 miles, but after removing some of the static, the mileage is lowered to 7.

Description:
It is the standard meetup thing-get to Kohl's by 6:30 and pick up a couple of riders-Majda and Jerry J. Then it is off to the Wolverton parking lot. Unlike last week, we did not encounter delays due to construction. So we got in around 8:40.

Picture from Shawn S

This trail is not known for its great vista's, it does have some. Nor for phenomenal flora and fauna, it does have some really nice flowers in spring. Nor for its extreme workout, but we do get that. It is a good solid, trail lending itself to good conversation-when you can take a breath-and to enjoyment of just being there.

We can take this trail either counter-clockwise, heading south out of Long Meadow or clockwise up the Lakes Trail. We have chosen the wiser and saner clockwise direction. The other way is just super-steep. Even clockwise, the first couple miles of this hike leads you up 800'. Coming from sea level, there is a breath-taking element to this trail. But good conversation helps take my mind off of the walk.

Almost to Panther Gap

Once we hit the junction with the Alta Peak trail, and leave the Lakes Trail, the walking is more lateral than vertical. But this does mean we cross a few rivulets. Which means that the mosquito's decide an early season snack would be in good taste. Still as we close in on Panther Gap, there is a final thrust up a hill. Ordinarily, this is not a problem, but coming after the other good uphill, I am looking forward to a snack break at the top.

View from Panther Gap

When we reach the top, we see the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River stretch out before us, from the Kern-Kareah Divide to Ash Mountain. We are fortunate to have a relatively clear day. The mandatory pictures are taken, along with the customary ooh's and aah's. An all around enjoyable moment, and the only really good vista we will see on this trail. But now it is time to stop for that most important time on the trail: The Snack Break. We as a group pretty much excel in this aspect of the trail, even though a few of people decide that resting their eyelids may be more important. Either way, this is a time of refreshment and conversation.

Lunch Time

One of these conversations was on my pack. For the past month or so, to the meetup hikes I have been ratcheting up the weight on my pack. Today I am wearing my Kelty and it is just a tad less than 50 pounds-my packing weight for an upcoming 10 day trip. This is drawing attention from other backpackers, one who tries it on. We compare relative weights of our packs-just your typical hiker gab. Also there was discussion about what food were we taking. For a sample of our food, see the 1972 entries on this blog.

Picture from Shawn S

Now it is time to move on. Several of our group decide to do a side trip up Panther Peak, a short distance off the trail, about 500' above us. So Jeffery, Joe, Majda, Dan and John-not W, leave us for the peak and the rest of us take off down the trail, or should I say up it as there is still a 200' rise to get over one of the spurs of Panther Peak? Along this trail, it circumnavigates Panther Peak going through a shaded pine forest. Even in the midst of this walk, flowers appear and enliven our eyes. The walking is easy compared to this morning. But then we go over the spur and the trail drops steeply, about 600' in a half of a mile-no wonder we chose the clockwise direction on this trail. We level out and hit the trail junction to Giant Forest, but we head north to return to Wolverton. But first, there is another sharp 200' drop down to Long Meadow.

Long Meadow. Picture from Shawn S

Now Long Meadow is one of those place appropriately named. At first it is a relief from the constant down hill. But after awhile, you wonder, will this trail end? But like so much of trails in the Sierras, all which you need to do is let your mind adjust and pretty soon you enjoy the greenness of the meadow and the flowers blossoming on the side. We even get some glimpses of the Sillman area, but I think the peak is behind the ridge we see.

Towards Sillman Area

Just as we enter the Wolverton area, the Panther Peak group catches up to us. Looks like everybody got back ok, even though Majda took a spill-sorry Majda, the picture did not come out. Everybody got back to the parking lot and we decide to head to Squaw Valley for pizza at Bear Mountain. Jerry J  has already left and and Majda decides to head back with Jerry K to pickup some things. So Sherri and I get to head directly home.


Trail Lesson:

Castle Rocks

Kern-Kaweah Divide

Lunch Time

Place: CA-Panther Gap

Panther Gap-8,484' (Lodgepole)   ( 36.5849433, -118.7039863)
Panther Peak-9,048' (Lodgepole)   (36.5832769, -118.7156531)
Panther Creek-3,714' (Lodgepole)   (36.5391106, -118.7192636)
Panther Meadow-9,205' (Lodgepole)   (36.5885544, -118.7062086



Description:
The creek was named because of a panther (mountain lion) killed there by Hale Tharp in early days. (G. W. Stewart.) Northwestern Mountain Lion (Felis oregonensis), also known as cougar, panther, puma. (Grinnell and Storer: Animal Life in the Yosemite, 1924, pp. 95-98.)  From Place Names of the High Sierra (1926) by Francis P. Farquhar

From GNIS:

• Panther Creek: In Sequoia National Park, heads on the south slope of Panther Peak, flows south to Middle Fork Kaweah River just north of mile marker 64
• Panther Peak: In Sequoia National Park, at the head of Panther Peak, 0.96 km (0.6 mi) west of Panther Gap

Trips:

• June 18, 2014 - Meetup hike from Wolverton to Panther Gap across Panther Peak then down to Long Meadow and back
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References:

•  Backpacker Magazine on Panther Gap Loop
• Moon Guide Book on California Hiking by Tom Steinstra and Ann Marie Brown
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Pictures:

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