November 11, 2025 - The Other Wawona Loop

  

Title: November 11, 2025 - The Other Wawona Loop
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Wawona Visitor Center Parking Lot

Trail:  Chowchilla Mountain Road, Four Mile Road, Part of the Bills Hill Trail, Wawona Meadow Loop

Destination: Loop

Distance:  6.45 miles

Start Time: 12:17

End Time:     4:47

Travel Time: 4:30  (1.43 mph)

Moving Time: 3:47   (1.71 mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,121'

Descent: 1,102‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,839'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I got up at 5:30. Today we are going to do a hike up at Wawona. Unlike a couple of weeks ago, we will be doing an extended loop around Wawaona Meadows. But first, I have a 9:00am appointment with my dental hygienists. I worked on my book blog-we are having the author of Consummation for my Book Group Thursday and I need to be prepared for it. The hygienist visit went well. I think this was the first time ever that I was told I am doing well with my flossing.

Fall Colors

I get home at 10:10. Rachel comes in shortly afterwards. Steven will not be coming with us. We are able to leave by 10:40 with me driving. It is Veteran’s Day. So I cannot understand this long line of cars heading south on Highway 41. I am just glad we are heading north. We arrived at the Wawona Visitor Center parking area a few minutes before noon. Coming in we had noticed what looks like a prescribed burn a little ways away from Wawona. When we get out of the car, there is a slight smell of smoke. After discussing it, we felt it does not seem to be too bad. So off we will go on our hike.

At 12:15 we started walking up the Chowchilla Mountain Road, but only about ¾ of a mile up. Tthis part of the trip is where we gain most of the elevation. It is huff and puff time for my part. We did not go on the first junction, but the second junction to the Four Mile Road. This second one is a bit overgrown from disuse. Maybe it would have been better to have taken the first junction.

One of the things which I like walking the Four Mile Road happens right at the apex of the triangle between the three roads. There is a tree which stands right in the center of the two roads. In the Autumn, this whole section is covered with leaves, forming a carpet of brown for us to walk on. The trail now does a series of undulations as it climbs its way across Mt Savage-you have to go either cross-country or find a use trail to go to the top.

The Poseiden Tree

As we walk along the Four Mile Road-not the Four Mile Trail, it gives us a chance to talk. The subject of meditation is brought up. Particularly when walking or hiking. We discuss the various aspects of being able to meditate. There seems to be an element of calming your physical body or at least getting in a rhythm where you do not have to think about what the body will do. But there is also an element of letting your mind rest. Silence is part of this. When walking alone, you only get the sounds of nature-the birds, the wind, the crunching of your feet against the ground and sometimes the little trickle of water running down a hillside. These work to calm and help you to focus your mind on the subject of your meditation. In a Christian it is God. In the outdoors, I usually think about God, the Creator and the God who loves me.

Eventually we decide we want to stop and have a bite to eat as it is around 1:40. We spot a nice log about 15 feet above us and we scramble to it. It is a nice log just to set and eat at. I do notice there are some fungi growing under the log.

 

 

 About ten minutes later, we came to the trail junction down to Wawona Meadow. Something has changed-there is a sign. The first time we walked this, there was a barely noticeable indentation in the mountain misery to guide us where the trail was. Over the years, a bit of flagging was added to a metal pole. Now, the whole world knows where to turn. What fun is that?

Going down Bills Hill Trail

This is a little used trail which I think is part of the Bills Hill Trail. I think it is one of the more enjoyable trails in the Wawona area. We see very few people on it-today the number is less than one. It takes you down from the Four Mile Road to Wawona Meadow. There has been trail work down on it as the downed trees which we used to crawl over have been sawed recently. I have never gone up it, but I think it would tax a person who is in shape, which I am not. But coming down, we see all sorts of trees and brush. Towards the bottom we run into the power lines which come into Wawona. And then there is the service road which goes up to the lower poles. The trail repeatedly crosses this road-you can take the shorter route, but the road is steep.

When we come out on the Wawona Meadow Loop, we find the log which we rested on a couple of weeks ago and eat an energy bar. I give Sherri and Rachel a choice: continue on the Bills Hill Trail up to the top of the ridge to the east of the Meadow, or follow the Loop trail around the rest of the meadow. The choice is to do the Loop Trail. That probably is wise.

Walking the Wawona Meadow Loop trail is comparatively faster than going up either of the roads. Still we found plenty of occasions to stop and take pictures while enjoying the company of each other.

Gary

The Meadow has some very historical aspects to it. Such as tucked away in some trees is the site of Galen Clark’s Inn. Or there was once a landing strip in the meadow. Or there were orchards to supply fresh fruit for guests. It is the last item which has a bearing. The Washburns ran a flume from the South Fork of the Merced over to the Meadow. You can still see the flume and where it drained onto the meadow. It has been one of my fascinations to walk the bank of the flume on the over side of Highway 41 around until we are above the hotel. So endeavored to do that. Rachel decides this type of adventuring is not for her and retreats back to the trail. I think Sherri is doing the same thing.  

 

 

 

 

 

Walking the Flume is Blocked

I try to walk the flume. It has gotten a lot more overgrown since I last walked it before the Pandemic. I detour around part of it. Then bushwack through other parts until I reach a solid wall of young pines. I know when I have been beaten and descend down a steep slope to the trail. I eventually come across Rachel waiting patiently on a log for me. I asked her, “Where is your mother?” “She is following you.” Oh Oh. So we took off looking for her. We were yelling her name and then we heard a response, and then had visual of Sherri. I need to back up a bit. Sherri is coming down the area which I did. When I came through, I noticed a telephone line just about 4½’ off the ground. Since I was lumbering along, I ducked under it. Sherri on the other hand makes a bee line straight for Rachel, not stopping for the line in her path and gets clotheslined, just like in the cartoons. If I was more sensitive, my first response would have been to run over and see if she is OK. But from the way Rachel and I are laughing, you would think this was the funniest thing to have ever happened on earth. After we stoped laughing, we checked on Sherri’s well-being-nothing damaged except for her ego.

Even with this mishap, we are only a short walk back to our car. We get back as the skies are darkening, as this time of year that would be 4:45. Rachel takes up the driving responsibilities. We decided that we wanted to eat before reaching Fresno. I suggested Mexican, to which there were no objections. We decided we wanted to eat at our new restaurant-at least new to us-Los 2 Carnales.

We get home at 7, just in time for watching Jeopardy. Rachel watches it with us. At the end, she goes home and I go to the shower.

Extra Photo's

Wawona Meadow

Four Mile Road

Tree roots by the road side

Four Mile Road covered with pine needles

Autumn Colors

Rachel and Gary on the Four Mile Road

Red Leaf

Sherri and Rachel walking the Bills Hill Trail

Rachel and Sherri  walking the Bills Hill Trail

Rachel consulting Mr Garmin

Light and Tree

Christmas tree

Walking the Flume-what was bushwacked through

 
Flowers and Plants

Phlox

PuffBall

PuffBall

Shelf Fungus

Mushroom

January 24, 2023 - Mariposa Grove

 

Title: January 24, 2023 - Mariposa Grove

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's

Hike Info:

Type: Snowshoeing 

Trail head: Mariposa Grove Plaza Parking Lot

Trail: Washburn Trail, Shuttle Road

Destination: Grove Arrival Area

Distance:  4.24 miles

Start Time: 12:02

End Time:    4:06

Travel Time: 4:04  (1.04 mph)

Moving Time:  2:55  (1.45 mph)

Elevation Rise: 761'

Descent: 758‘

Maximum Elevation: 5,655'

GPS Tracks

Description:

Sherri

Last week we did the first snowshoe walk of the season at Big Stump. It was a mile long walk. For today’s walk Sherri suggested something a bit more-walking up to Mariposa Grove with our snowshoes. We have allocated 2-3 hour. We will see how we do.

Gary

I got up a bit late, around 7:30. I start to drain the rainwater out of the bed of my truck. But only moderately successful. There is a sheet of ice. There is always tomorrow to finish this task. I listen to my weekly weather webcast-nothing which caught my attention. But then I took care of a couple financial things, including reporting a fake PayPal invoice.

 

 

 

 

 

Sherri after lunch

By this time it is a bit after 10:00. We are able to get the car moving by 10:30. We make it to Oakhurst by 11:15. To my surprise, Sherri wants to stop at Judy’s Donuts for coffee and a donut. She even picks up a donut for me. And then we are off to Yosemite. We get into the Mariposa Grove Plaza Parking lot. The facilities are used and we get our equipment together. At least some of it. I discovered I forgot my sunglasses. Sherri has a cheap pair which fits over my glasses.

We strap on our snowshoes and hit the Washburn Trail. Admittedly, I am slightly confused. I thought this was the shuttle road and the trail was down a little lower. But Sherri called it correctly about it being the trail. Start of it is slippery, not icey. We are glad to have the snowshoes on, but I suspect that microspikes would do just as well. The whole path is pretty well packed. So we do not sink.

Our path goes this way

A good thing is that there are not that many people out on this trail. We may be the one of the few adventurers out there, or it could be just a Tuesday and the weekend crowds are not there. Either way, just the quietness of a forest with the snow blanketing the floor and the lack of people gives the sense of tranquility.

 

Snow and Water

The first mile is a pretty good uphill. Even on this uphill, I manage to trip over my snowshoes and fall-but no injury, except to my pride. So when we get to a spot of sunshine, we stop for lunch, around 12”45. It is good to rest and get recharged. Sherri is also refreshed and does well. A couple come up at the junction which goes up to the road. The woman seems to want reassurance about where they are going; the guy seems to want to tell us where we should go. Oh well. They pass by and we continue on our plodding pace.

We are mesmerized by the snow surrounding a few creeks. Or maybe I just wanted to rest my legs a few times. Either way. These little little things on our walk makes these outings so worthwhile. As we get close to the Arrival Area at Mariposa Grove, we see the results of last Summer’s Washburn Fire. In some obtuse way, the burnt trees form a stark setting of beauty with the snow surrounding them.

And this gets us to the Grove Arrival Area. I visit the facilities upon arrival and then we have a snack. Shortly afterwards, a German couple and their baby arrive. We talked for a while. They even snap our picture. Without people up here, the area takes on a whole new look. Not quite natural, but definitely not touristy. I think I like it this way.

And now it is time to go down. We decided to try the road. It has taken us two and a half hours to get up here. So much for 2-3 hours. The road should be faster, plus being able to see things differently. And there are differences. I have always enjoyed the Sequoias by the entrance to the Grove. They remind me of guardians. And then there are places to enjoy looking out over the drainage of the South Fork of the Merced.

You know those loaner sunglasses? I cracked the frame. We had gone through a long stretch of shade, so I took them off. I then fell a second time. In getting up, I heard a crack-yep cracked the frame. There are a few patchy places as the snow is a foot deep at its deepest. A snow cat comes up. Looks like it is a service vehicle for Verizon. This starts a discussion about how the snow is being removed from the road and why there are patchy places. My legs are getting a bit tired. Sherri seems to be in the EverReady Bunny mode. But around 4pm, we get down to the Plaza and the car.

 

 
Extra Photo's

Snow, Rock and setting sun

Looking up the South Fork of the Merced

Snow and Shadow

Devil's Peak

Mt Savage

Sherri's Selfie