Gary-Summer: Yosemite Valley Railroad

Showing posts with label Yosemite Valley Railroad. Show all posts

Saturday, March 9, 2019

March 9, 2019 - Briceburg to the East

Title: March 9, 2019 - Briceburg to the East
Hike Info : Description Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Briceburg

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Merced River Gorge

Destination: BLM/Forest Service Boundary

Actual Destination: Very close to our destination

Distance: 8.96 miles ¹

Start Time: 9:24

End Time: 2:00

Travel Time: 4:46

Moving Time: 3:21 (2.4 mph)

Elevation Rise: 360'

Maximum Elevation: 1,265'

¹ GPS went wonkish on this hike-it may be the settings I had on it. I only got a partial track with no elevation. The mileage is double what an edited track shows-from our end point back to the cars. Start, end and travel times are guesses. While the moving time and moving speed is the overall time shown on my GPS. Elevation rise is from a different hike while the maximum elevation is from Google Earth. So the hike info is not a good representation of the actual trip, but more of an accumulation of this trip and other trip’s information.

Description:

Railroad Bed

Sherri and I have done this hike many times. Last year the roads were frozen when we wanted to do it, so we are eager to come back and hike the Merced River Gorge, or as we say, Briceburg, this year. I know, anybody from a place where it gets really cold will already have the words “WIMP” on their lips. The wildflowers we are hoping are out in full array, but it has been cold.

There are twelve of us signed up for this hike-it is a Central Valley Hiking Group hike. But one does not show up. We leave Fresno at 7:00am and get to Burger King in Mariposa around 8:30. There, we pick up a couple more people, making our full allotment of eleven and head off to Briceburg.

Merced River looking East

We get there a little after 9:00am and get ourselves ready. I give the last minute instructions, take our picture and then we are off a few minutes before 9:30. It is a pretty clear day with only a few clouds in the sky. A bit cool on the shadow side of the Merced River. But once we cross the suspension bridge and get into the sunlight, we are warmed up some.

Old Railroad support

On this side of the river the sun is shining and the grasses are green. But there are places which we need to slog through runoff where those nice looking grasses turn marshish. But being an old railroad bed, it is pretty level. That is except for a few places where we dip down to a creek bed. We see signs of the old railroad when we do this, mostly in the form of the stanchions which supported the trellises where the rails passed over our little streamlets.

Seasonal Creek-easy crossing type

One of the draws of walking this trail is the fields of wildflowers. But because of the colder winter, they only appear as individuals, nt the usual fields. But the ones we see do delight the eye.

Gary leading the pack

But today there are a few more hazards which makes the hike of interest. First, with the recent rains, we have more runoff. Which the little streamlets we usually step over become more of a logistics challenge. A few get their feet wet. Then there are a few slides, most old, which we pick our way over. And then there are the downed trees. One of them covered the whole ledge we were walking on. Vic tackled it and was able to clear enough away that we could find a way around it by going down the ledge. But what is life, if not finding our ways through adventures. And then we come to another creek and that is enough for some of the people. They hold back while some of us go about a half of a mile further.

A rock above our trail

The rest of us go on for another half to three-quarters of a mile. While not as far as I had planned, it looks like we are close to the boundary of the BLM land and the Forest Service. That is good enough. Besides, it has taken a little longer than I thought it would take and the sky is starting to look more like the predicted rain. So we have a quick stop for lunch and turn back.

We cross the seasonal creeks to find that those who were left at the creek had started back-I had given instructions for them to do so. Now it is Vic, Sharon, and sometimes Becky and I at the back. Vic is curious about everything-a good quality to have. He looks at rocks, flowers, bushes and trees to figure out what they are. I am a bit more concerned with how long I will keep going. Not that I think I will fail, just might drag a bit more.

Around 2:00pm, we get back to the cars. Most of the rest have left. But Sherri, Eileen, Vic and Sharon are here. We decide we will meet at Happy Burger-Yosemite Bug has closed by this time. Vic and Sharon go on to find a few geocache places while Sherri and I go on to eat. Eileen joins us in a few minutes. While we are eating Vic and Sharon come in. After our meal, Sherri and I stop at Faith Rumm’s studio, the Upstairs Gallery. She is having a showing of Yosemite paintings. We are attracted by one, but undecided if it will fit into our house. We get home around 5:00pm, content with our hike.

Extra Photo's

Slate Creek Bridge on Highway 41

Side of cliff above the trail

Seasonal Creek

Season Falls way up on the hill

Merced River looking West

Flowers and Plants

Baby Blue Eyes

California Golden Poppy

Unknown

Some sort of growth

Unknown

Thursday, March 24, 2016

March 24, 2016 - Briceburg and the Merced River Gorge

Title: March 24, 2016 - Briceburg and the Merced River Gorge

Trail head: Briceburg Visitor Center

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail: Merced River Gorge - East

Destination:Edge of the BLM and Sierra National Forest

Actual Destination: Close to the destination

Distance: 7.94 miles

Start Time: 9:16

End Time: 1:54

Travel Time: 4:38 (1.71 mph)

Moving Time: 3:42 (2.15 mph)

Elevation Rise: 361'

Maximum Elevation: 1,365'

The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come

Song of Songs 2:11-12

Description:
This is the first meetup hike which I have organized since late October or early November. While not nervous, I am aware that I am a bit rusty. We meet at Kohls at 7am. Including myself, there are 9 of us, two people who have not hiked with me before-that would be Jen and Brandon. We stop in Mariposa at Burger King for coffee and facility usage. Then off to Briceburg.

Old Railroad Stanchion

We arrive around 9am and are on the trail at 9:15. The morning is cool, but the group starts off well. The good thing about this trail is that because it is a former railway bed from the Yosemite Valley Railroad, the trail is almost flat. So we scoot off, enjoying the sunlight. But we make frequent stops. That is the hazard with this trail, even though it is just across from highway 140, you don't get the feeling of traffic. Maybe it is the Merced River dividing us from there, maybe it is that the traffic has not started yet going to Yosemite. Whatever, we hardly notice it is there, except when the large construction trucks go by.

Sierra Salamander

Redbud and River

But why do we stop so often? Well there is so much eye candy that the photographers in the group stop every 3 minutes to admire the flowers, the trees, the river, or whatever strikes their fancy. And there is a lot to strike ones fancy. For instance, with our Winter rains, there are flowers blooming everywhere (see the pictures below). So our eyes are filled with color: yellows, oranges, white, blues, violets, and purples. They range from small, delicate white flowers which Alpine Companions to the redbud tree. There is something for all of us. Then on top of that, Sierra Salamanders were crawling through the wet morning grass. Some of us scoot them off the trail, others cannot resist holding them. Like I said, there is something for everybody.

Power Line Workers

But wait there is more reason to stop and gawk. We kept hearing and seeing a helicopter moving around. But for 15 minutes we could not figure out why. It had a 50' line hanging down which what looked like a hook or latch of some type. Then we noticed that the helicopter had picked up two men in orange jump suits and was placing them on power towers. This fascinated us and we watched them for ever so long. The men would work, then signal the helicopter to pick them up and they would be flown to the next available tower-there was two teams of men working them, probably checking the insulation and making sure all was right. This kept us occupied for awhile. Of course the photographers of the group cannot resist a time of good photos.

Fascinated with the Helicopter

Jody

Jerry and Jen

We continue on with the "ordinary" hiking things, such as unbelievable beauty. Enjoyable time talking with Bill, Rose, Jen, Lora, and Jerry. This passing the time and before we know it, I am thinking, I better catch up with the front of the pack because we are about to enter into the land of poison oak. This seemed like a good place for lunch and we stopped, sat on some rocks and enjoyed the shade and the warmth of the air.

Gary

Sherri and I had Nutella and pretzels which Sherri's cousin got me for Christmas. While the rest did not seem long enough, being the true taskmaster I am, after 15 minutes I tell everybody it is time to head out. The return trip is just over the same path we came up. Somebody makes a comment that they much rather do a loop, but this is pretty good too. We see the lower V which the river has cut through the foothills. Also now that that sun is out, the flowers have opened up. The hills instead of having splotches of orange, now have a golden glint to them. So it is like seeing the trail new.

Merced River

I will confess that when we made the last turn to go down the Merced River, my legs were whimpering, saying it is time for all this goodness to end. The bridge over the Merced while there, seems small and not growing larger faster. But we do get back to the cars before 2pm. But the excitement does not end. Someone shouts out, that raven has a snake in his mouth. A couple of thoughts goes through my mind: 1) Hey cool, I do not think I have seen a bird flying with a snake before, 2) I hope he does not drop it; and 3) is that a rattler? The raven did not drop it and looked like he ate it in a tree. Also looking at the pictures close up, it does not look like a rattler.