Trail head: Goat Meadow Snow Play
Trail: 5S06
Destination: An hour and a half
Actual Destination: Buffin Meadow
Distance: 2.84 miles 1
Start Time: 1:15
End Time: 4:00
Descent: 611‘
Maximum Elevation:5,762 '
1I forgot to bring a GPS along. So I created a track on Google Earth to approximate our trip.
We have not been snowshoeing in over two months. So we will go someplace easy. I am thinking of Goat Meadow. Since it is a Friday, not many people should be there. Steven asks a pertinent question: are we hiking or snowshoeing? I reply snowshoeing.
But first, I sleep until 7. I
do a few things, eat breakfast. Yesterday I bought a new lawn mower,
a Kobalt electric corded mower. Since I am not seeing anybody up, I
prepare to mow the lawn. I see Steven up and then Sherri. But it does
not look like anybody is quite ready to go, so I finish mowing and
edging the lawn. Mower works great. Lots easier than my older gas
one.
Sherri putting on snowshoes
By the time we get ready, it
is a little after 11. Not only is Sherri and I going, but Steven has
the day off so he is coming, along with Korra. Sherri starts us off
and drives to Oakhurst. Then I drive up to Goat Meadow. You know that
question Steven asked? There is a lot less snow on the way up 41 than
there was one week ago. Maybe we will hike. I also suggest a few
alternatives.
Korra, the snow dog
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| Steven and Gary going past a slash pile |
We eat lunch at Goat Meadow and then decide that there is even snow to snowshoe with. By this time, it is about 1:15. I do not see the road I am looking for. So we just head off up a promising slope. Lo and behold there is the road. It is road 5S06, the road I was looking for.
Almost as soon as we hit the
road, the snow disappears from the road and the surrounding area. So
we take off our snowshoes and walk about ten minutes before hitting
enough snow to walk on. Will this be the story of our hike?
Sherri and Steven
Along those lines, Steven and
I talk a bit and I make the comment that this is more of a journey
trip than a destination. He agreed with me. But after ten minutes of
walking, there is enough snow to put our snowshoes back on again. We
just follow the road as it climbs up. We do come across three more
places where the snow gives out, but there is only 10 to 20 yards of
bare ground. So we just walk gingerly across these areas, hoping for
the best.
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| More of the snow dog |
The uphill is wearing on me. I am hoping to make it at least to the junction with 5S43. Also my 90 minute travel is coming into play. Just as I am thinking that we should turn around, Sherri wants a picture of all four of us. I spot a clearing ahead and hope that we get a good backdrop.
When we get there, this snowshoe turns from a journey trip to a destination. We see Mt Raymond and in the distance is White Chief Mountain. There is an unnamed mountain just to the north of Raymond which looks like it should be named. Also there is a horse corral right there. We have arrived at Buffin Meadow.
Gary, Steven and the road
After some pictures, we turned
around. It is a lot easier going down 600’ than going up. But I
think both Sherri and I are a bit tired, so Steven and Korra go on
ahead. After about an hour of travel, we come to the car and are
ready to be off our feet for a little while.
Steven drives us out of Goat Meadow. Now the question is what do we do for dinner? Mexican seems to be the choice for us. When we come to El Cid’s, it looks like it is filling up fast. So we go into Oakhurst and ate at Plazuelas Mexican Restaurant-Sonya friend of ours first told us about this place. The food is good: Sherri has a Rib Eye Taco, Steven a Birria de Res and I have a Super Burrito. The meal was a bit more than I was expecting. But like I said, the food is good. We made it back to Fresno with me driving about 6:30. We are pretty tired, but in a good way.
Animals
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| Spider on snow? |
