Gary-Summer: Railroad Flat

Showing posts with label Railroad Flat. Show all posts

Friday, April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021 - Merced River Gorge

Title: April 16, 2021 - Merced River Gorge
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Railroad Flat Campground

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking
Trail: Merced River Trail
Destination: North Fork of the Merced, maybe Merced Falls

Distance: 5.93 miles
Start Time: 11:49
End Time: 4:40
Travel Time: 4:51 (1.22 mph)
Moving Time: 3:10 (1.87 mph)
Elevation Rise: 398 ' 1
Descent: 364‘
Maximum Elevation: 1,185'

GPS Tracks

Both GPS’ show divergence from our actual tracks. The Foretex401 showed us going well up the side of the hill to the north of the river, while the 60CSX has us crossing the Merced. Neither was accurate. The distance and the elevation on the 60CSX seems to be about right, so I am using those figures. But both the map and the profile cannot be trusted.

Sherri, Lawrence, and Andrea

Description:

This was a trip we were going to make a few days ago, but as things worked out, it was good to have done it today. Andrea and Lawrence had come over for a couple of days. This was going to be a good day hike. mostly level and as long as we wanted to go. Thursday night we had agreed to get started by 8am. But the car doors closed at 9:15. While it is not forecasted to be too hot, still even the low 70’s in direct sun can be warm. We drove in separate cars to Briceburg and then to Railroad Flat. We arrived at 11:45.

By the way, the “we” includes Korra, our son’s dog who has to work. We start off a few minutes after we arrive. First, there is a BLM gate where vehicles are barred from going down the road. Then over Hall’s Gulch, there is another gate to keep out everybody but hikers from going over the bridge.

Our "friendly" Western Pacific Rattlesnake

I have Korra and she likes to be the lead dog. But she does look back a lot to make sure I am following. If Steven was here, she might be off leash since there are very few people around. But I do not have as good of voice control as he does, so Korra stays on the leash. Besides, I can see her wanting to play in the Merced which might not be a good thing.

For the first ¾ of a mile of our journey is along a road which goes to a house, just below Mountain King Mine. I notice a couple of people at the house and I wave at them and they wave back. There are roses out in front of the road. At first I am thinking they have been planted, but as they stretch along the road, I am not so sure.

Lunch Time

Korra and I get a ways ahead of the rest of our group. I see some interesting stone work and wonder about what the purpose of going down to the river would be at this juncture. I hear a voice behind me saying they are passing. Turning around, I see a family of four. I watch as they pass by, and then the mother, who is last, stops. And exclaims: didn’t you see the snake! Sure enough, there is a snake starting to slither across the trail. From the shape of the head, there is a good chance of it being a rattler. The snake decides he does not want to go across the trail to the mother, so it does a U-Turn and heads back into the grass and rocks. There is a pretty heft set of rattles there. Korra has shown an interest in all of this, but is not pulling too hard. By the time our group catches up, the rattler is gone, so I am left with showing pictures.

Flume-maybe to the Hall Mine or power station

The river has been pretty smooth, but running fast until now. As we travel further down the trail, I notice more drops and rocks in it. This all makes for interesting viewing. At one point Lawrence notices an unusual swirling pattern to the current and wonders if water is coming in from underneath.

After a little while, we find a nice shady place to rest and have lunch-it is closing in on 1pm. The snake sighting has me a bit apprehensive, so I give the area a good eyeballing before we sit down. Pleasant being in the shade.

Stopping point on North Fork of the Merced

But we still have not made it to the North Fork of the Merced, let alone to the falls. So onward we go. The trail is pretty much the same-it is enjoyable. Even Korra seems to be having a grin. It does look like we are getting to the place where a ridge comes down to our level. The trail reaches a place where the old railroad line must have crossed the North Fork and our trail takes off up the Fork. We follow our path down to water level and decide this is a good place to drop our packs and enjoy a pool in the North Fork.

I think by an unspoken agreement that this was a good stopping place. A bit of shade, a bit of water and a nice place just to enjoy. While not high on the epic scenery scale, good places do not need to be. All in all, we lolly-gagged here for about an hour-even Korra felt like resting. (We did talk with a guy who said the falls are about a mile further up the North Fork.) We stayed this way until about 3 when we got roused up and reminded that we needed to walk back.

Merced River

While the trip back was warmer, there was a nice breeze blowing up the gorge. Sherri took Korra on the way back. I found reasons to hang back, like taking pictures and wondering about stuff, like the flume. We see a diversion dam feeding the flume. While still having energy and the legs not tiring, I was glad when we got back to the house above the trail. The heat really felt like it was sapping my spirit. There were a couple of bridges made of iron. I think they must have been hot on Korra’s paws.

Diversion Dam on the Merced

We got back to the car around 4:45. While we were all ready to leave, none of us moved very fast. We stopped in Mariposa at Happy Burger. Seems like it took forever for the order to get filled-I had stayed with Korra in the car-she was content to rest, and so was I. We got back to Fresno a little after 7:00pm. A good day.

Trail Lesson: Always be on the lookout for both the expected and unexpected.

Background

Mountain King Mine. There are three mines in the area: Mountain King, Whiteman Mine (Gold), and Hall’s Mine (Gold). The Mountain King Mine looks like part of the operation was around where the house we see on our hike is. At MinDat web site, there is a picture of the operation by the old railroad. In 1917 there was an event where seven men lost their lives due to suffocation-the power had been shut off to the air pumps and the mine was being worked on. The Mariposa Historical Society has published an account of this.

Hall’s Mine was across the Merced, maybe close to where the flume or rock walls were we saw.

Extra Photo's

Korra

Korra walking Gary

Gary


Poppies and the Merced

Andrea

Gary hiking

Merced River

Andrea by the North Fork of the Merced

Merced River

Lawrence catching a few Z's

North Fork of the Merced

Merced River

Andrea, Lawrence and Lupine

Lawrence, Andrea, Sherri, and Korra

Animals

Western Pacific Rattlesnake

Catipiller-Tiger Swallowtail

Variable Checkerspot

Flowers and Plants

Liveforever

Rose of some type

Poison Oak

Mariposa Lily

Wild Hynecth

White Lupine

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

March 24, 2021 - Briceburg to the West

Title: March 24, 2021 - Briceburg to the West

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Briceburg

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Incline Road
Destination: Railroad Flat Campground
Actual Destination: Good Gulch, but Sherri, Betty and Rose made past Hall Gulch
Distance: 6.97 miles¹
Start Time: 10:51
End Time: 3:18
Travel Time: 4:27 (1.57 mph)
Moving Time: 3:22 (2.08 mph)
Elevation Rise: 352'
Descent: 302‘
Maximum Elevation: 1,216'

GPS Tracks

¹I turned around about ¾ of a mile before Railroad Flat Campground, while Betty, Rose and Sherri went beyond Railroad Flat down the Merced River Gorge Trail. The mileage and elevation is what I traveled. The ladies traveled around the same mileage on their travels.

Description:

Rose, Betty, and Sherri above the Bridge

Today’s trip is one we have done a couple of times. The first time was with our son when we discovered the beauty of walking down this pretty warm road. The next time was with our Meetup group, in a pouring rain. Still enjoyable. Today we will hike with Betty and Rose. I wonder what this trail will bring?

Merced River

We leave Fresno at 9:00am with Betty. In Madera we pickup Rose-each in a separate car. You know we still are in the middle of a pandemic, even though we all are on our way to getting fully vaccinated. We arrived in Briceburg around 10:40. We pretty quickly started walking after arriving.

We cross over the Briceburg Bridge, being chased across by a car trying to cross after us. Then it is down the Incline Road. That pretty much describes what we will be walking on for the next several hours.

Redbud along our road

Of course the rest of the description is a lot different. We walk along the Merced River. While not the River of cascades and falls and rock of the upper part of the river. Still it is not a tame river, it is a wild and scenic river. But even the Merced is not the main draw. During the Spring time when the sun is shining, the wildflowers are out. There are the Redbuds, Shooting Stars, Blue Dicks, and then there are some California Golden Poppies. Not just some, but as we head down the River Gorge, there fields, and then whole hillsides of poppies. It is truly a glorious sight. The whole scene reminds me of:

California Golden Poppy

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
A hillside of poppies

Apparently the secret of this area is out Today both coming and going, we see several other people walking the road. Not only people, but the road is open to vehicles. Several cars go down to the three campgrounds. In previous trips, the road was closed and we pretty much had the road open to ourselves. We stop for lunch at one of them, McCabe Flat. Pleasant enough place.

Decision Committee

By this time, it is about 1:00pm and we have about an hour more before we need to turn around. I am feeling it is a bit warm-the ladies do not seem to be affected. We start hitting more poppy fields which mesmerizes the eyes and lifts one's heart.

It does not look like we will make it as far as Railroad Flat. But I know that is where the truly amazing poppy fields are, even though these are pretty good. So a plan is forming in my mind. I suggested that I go back and bring back our car, they can continue to walk down the road and hopefully see the poppy fields. After considering it, they accepted.

Merced River from another view

I start back while Rose, Betty and Sherri continue on down the road. While I am going uphill, the rising is really gradual. Something about seeing things in reverse, you pick up things which the eyes in the back of your head missed. While I stop occasionally, not nearly as much as when we came down. There is enough there to have me stop and take some pictures

Halls Gulch

By the time I got back to the car, it was 3:40. The drive down was a bit slow. The only hurry on my part is to be able to be in our regular 6:30 family Zoom. It took me about 25 minutes to drive the dirt road, dodging a few hikers and on-coming cars. The ladies were walking back up the road after having a great walk about a mile or so beyond Halls Gulch.

House along trail below Railroad Flat

By the time we got to Briceburg, it was 4:30. Then the discouraging incident which marred the day. Somebody had tried to break into Betty’s car, really messing up the handle on the passenger side. By the time we leave, it is closing in on 5:00pm. Sherri and I stop at Burger King in Mariposa-an OK place to eat. We arrived back home about 6:40, joining our Zoom meeting a bit late.

Merced River Trail

To fill you in on the ladies part of the trip, Sherri will tell us about that portion of the trip:

Gary graciously said He would go get the car so we can continue on our trek. We continued to enjoy the many flowers also the way as we came to Willow Placer Campground. We were figuring out where each of us would have our campground. Lots of shade at this campground. We continued on another half a mile to the Railroad Flat Campground. Again where do we want to camp? So on to crossing the bridge but first we explored the small waterfalls by the bridge. The poppies become even more expansive. The trail went right through the middle of the field. We came upon a house. It looks like it may have a stop on the railroad line but the house is updated for the current residents. It did have some amazing rock rolls by the house. There was also what looked like it may have been a coal chute. The road finally turned into the Merced River Trail. Our discussion here was what were those very green cedar doing here? They really seemed out of place. We wanted to go further but our turnaround time had come. We need to come back and go further on the trail. But as we turn around the poppies seem to explode with color. What an amazing place to be.