June 17, 2020 - Chicago Stump and Road 13S03

Title: June 17, 2020 - Chicago Stump and Road 13S03
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons :  Extra Photo's :  Flowers and Plants

Delilah and Road 13S03

Trail head: Chicago Stump Trailhead

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail: Chicago Stump Trail and Road 13S03

Destination:  None-just wandering

Distance:  3.22 miles

Start Time: 11:33

End Time:    2:23

Travel Time:  2:50 (1.14 mph)

Moving Time:  2:06 (1.53 mph)

Elevation Rise:  666'

Descent: 465‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,647'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I am glad I went on this walk for several reasons. First, I have not really been in the area before. Next got to see Delilah from a different view. Third, I figured out how badly out of shape I am in. Having been thankful for all of that, would I put this down as a hike to look forward to doing again? Probably not. Even though at certain times of the year, early Spring or late Fall this might be nice. But probably the gate to the area will be closed.

Sherri and Steven hiking

I get up around 6:15, knowing that we will not be going anytime soon. Steven is up with Korra around that time. But Sherri is up later on. I think we leave a little before 10am. Sherri is driving. Korra is not used to being driven and it upsets her tummy. But on the whole, she travels without too much bother.

We stop at the Grant Grove visitor center-it is closed due to the virus. But the restrooms are open. We decide that we will head towards the Converse Basin and decide what to do there. The Chicago Stump sounds like a good place to go. I suggest we can also hike some on Verplank Ridge.

Gary and the Chicago Stump

Steven and Korra

The hike to Chicago Stump is really nice-also short, only a quarter mile or so, one way. Only people on it, until we came out. The stump is huge. No wonder the people back East did not believe. Who would? As has been observed before, it was a sad day when this magnificent tree was cut down only to be scoffed at.

Coming out, there were four people coming by who were not wearing masks-we were, when we saw them from a ways away.. We put on our masks and stepped off the trail. I think they were pretty oblivious to any need to have protection.

Now where to? I suggest we go down a road which I had not been down before, Road 13S03. It follows Verplank Ridge. Nobody else has a better idea, so off we go. We walk back to the junction. There I find a wall and wonder what the wall is for. 

 

Rock Wall

There is a chained gate which we go through-it is a forest service area. The gate is to keep cows from grazing outside of their confines. It does seem strange to have cows wandering around so close to the park, but never seeing them.

Guardian Bovines

We soon do see them as they herd together a little ways down the road. Not sure who is more concerned-them or us. They have horns while we have poles and a dog. They back away-I wonder for how long? But as indicated, this is a dirt road. It does not look like it is driven often-there are some tire tracks in the dust. And it is that word, dust which may describe the road. I think the cows' hooves have pulverized the road’s dirt. While not choking, it has a feeling of we will need a shower when we come out.

Hilltop lunch

There is a little ephemeral creek following the road for a ways. And where there is water, plant life will follow. Which means we are gladdened by the sight of color from an assortment of flowers. We meet up with our bovine friends again. This time we decide to head up a hill to have lunch. It is a nice little spot-just glad it is not a hot day. We can see some of the surrounding area and to the park boundary.

Now back to the road, and the cows. They seem to be driven off by our presence. For now, they exit the road and go down a ravine. While the road is hot and dusty, fortunately the day is not. After a decline of about a mile, there is a leveling where we go over some small ridges.

Korra keeping watch on the cowe

We meet the cows again. I think Korra is getting more fascinated by them. She does not chase them but eyes them. Steven has her under pretty good control.

I have been glancing over to the west. McKenzie Ridge is what we see. Sort of interesting seeing the back side of McKenzie from what we normally see. But what I am really looking for is Delilah. We top a ridge and I think it is time to turn back. The road will take another long descent. But I go over a ways to the edge and spot Delilah! Now I am satisfied.Of course, from this distance, even under full 30x magnification, Delilah looks pretty small. Now I wonder how much we are actually seeing through our binoculars from Delilah.

Walking Road 13S03

Time to start back. Korra and Steven are setting a pretty good pace. Even Sherri is doing well. Me? Well I am trudging along, falling further back until Sherri waits for me to catch up-sounds familiar? Sounds more like role reversal.

Not a whole lot of interesting stuff on the way back. It is just the reverse of what we did coming forward. When we reach the top, we poke around the rock wall and only discover there is cement dumped around the bottom. Also there is a mound behind it, like a retaining wall. Wonder if it was a mine or something.

Steven has moved up the car a little ways. Bless you my son. Steven is driving us back and I am with Korra. Both of us nod off at times. No stopping for food on the way back-not sure if it is a positive or not. We make it back home before the 5:00pm traffic. Maybe not content, but happy.

Delilah Lookout

Trail Lesson:  An early start avoids the heat.

Extra Photo's

Backside of McKenzie Ridge

Korra chasing a lizard

Pine Ride and Delilah Lookout

Bear Mountain in the background

Terraced Manzanita?

 
Flowers and Plants

Indian Paintbrush

Blue Elderberry

Blue Elderberry

Blue Elderberry

Mountain Strawberry

Young Sequoia Gigantiea

June 10, 2020 - Delilah Lookout

 Title: June 10, 2020 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Background :   Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

I think rhythm is a good word. Yesterday, I did not think I had gotten into the rhythm of being a fire lookout. I always seemed to be missing stuff on the radio or being slow in doing my scans. But maybe with a day under my belt and a good night’s rest, I will be up to speed.

I woke up at 0530 after a restful night’s sleep. There was a glimmer in the east showing the coming of the sun. There is something about the rising of the sun which gives both hope and joy as the colors change from darkness to light. I got up just before the rays of the sun poked through. Even then, when I glanced over, I knew I missed a prime photo opportunity to catch the sun's rays before the sun peeked over the crest. I agree with GK:

I enjoy stars and the sun or trees and the sea, because they exist in spite of me; and I believe the sentiment to be at the root of all that real kind of romance which makes life not a delusion of the night, but an adventure of the morning.
--GK Chesterton, The Illustrated London News,
November 22, 1913, "The Fulfillment of Wishes"

Morning Has Broken

And now back to the amateur writer. Once up, it is a trip down 80 steps, unlocking a gate and then another hundred feet to the outhouse. Nothing like relief. But why waste a good morning? So I went on a walk down the same road as last night. Only thing went up the other side of the saddle a little ways. What a way to spend the morning! Flowers everywhere and I am the only one up here to enjoy it. While I know what some of these are, some names do not come into memory. You will just have to look at the bottom.

When I got back up the stairs, I had a granola breakfast. Somehow, simple tastes good. I then cleaned up and got my stray stuff packed away. For such a small space and only one person, it is very easy to get things cluttered. By now it is 0900 and time to start getting ready for going in-service. I take the weather-still calm and beautiful.

Pine Ridge at Sunrise

Delilah’s cabin is getting a bit warm. Sort of like being in a glass cage, it heats up quickly. Once the sun gets high enough and the wind kicks in, then it is very pleasant, even on hot days. So what did I do in the meantime? Lets just put it this way. Nobody is around for at least three mile and I am behind two locked gates, 72’ up. Who will ever know?

I go in-service with both PTV and SNF at 0930. And now it is part of the daily routine. The duty officer calls me up today and checks to make sure everything is good-it is. This does give me warm fuzzies in that there are people in the Forest Service who care about the lookout and my well being. Actually there are a lot of people who do.

Today I get both the weather and the staffing? Why might you ask? Because I got my voice recorder on the phone to work. Also the dispatcher who was reading the staffing was well modulated and spoke at a normal rate. Afterwards Brent and I talk. Nothing serious. Brent did indicate that he had not received my refresh quiz-sent it yesterday. I sent it again this morning from Sherri’s account. And then it is back to the normal scan and refresh cycle. That rhythm I talked about earlier is kicking in.

Brent calls back in the afternoon. Yippee! I have aced the fresh quiz! There is always that little apprehension of how good did I do, hopefully I did not totally screw it up.

Common Dandelion

In yesterday’s blog, I did not say that close to quitting time, the carbon monoxide detector started chirping. Am I about to be asphyxiated? I change the batteries and the chirping goes on. But the relief is that I placed the detector outside and it still chirps. So chances are I will not die because of that. I talked with Buck Rock about the situation. So she sends PT31 with a fresh batch of batteries. I guess I am not totally isolated. He comes up and I talk with him. But then he needs to go off and examine a burn line from last year’s fire over on McKenzie Ridge.

While I was with PT31, Kathy called. Told her I would call back. We talked for a while on our call back. She was wondering how the sanitation process went? I think pretty well. She mentioned some things and I realized I had not sanitized the weather instruments. Hopefully the person before me did. She had been rafting the Snake River. Sounded like a good trip.

1600 comes along and the SNF checkin and the PTV weather/indices take place. But I am ready. Maybe it is just a bit of catching up on yesterday’s misshapes, Buck Rock calls me and asks about tomorrow's burn status. I was just beginning to listen to the recording when she called on R5. I call her back with No Burn Reporting.

Now for my final two hours in the tower this trip. It has been good to be back up here, but I am also looking forward to returning home, even though it will only have been a day and a half away. I know as the season goes on I will enjoy longer stays.

Common Madea

Besides looking for smoke during these last two hours, I am also getting packed. The Covid-19 protocol calls for the cabin to be cleaned twice during our stays. Once when we come and once when we leave. So I am on the leaving sanitation process. There is a twofold reason for the leaving. First, it gives time for the various agents to work against the virus. Second is that whatever I miss, there is a pretty good chance that the next lookout will sanitize.

1800 rolls around and I go out of service with PTV and SNF. It has been a good day. I lower what can fit into the basket down to the ground. The rest is packed into my backpack. I do the final look around to make sure I have left things OK and lock up everything. After unloading the basket and my pack into the car, I put away the basket. I then glanced up and realized I have left one last thing undone, about 65’ up. Do I really need to go back up those stairs? Yea. So my day is not done yet. I go up and turn off our water supply and re-lock the gate. I put away the keys and drove off.

For the first time out, not bad. I am sure things will go smoother when we come up in three weeks. I get home around 2000 and had dinner.

Background

Two days after I was up at Delilah, my replacement got a smoke, actually it was three smokes. Brent saw the smokes right when they were infants and nailed their locations. SNF was able to hop right on it, even before those who were close by phoned in. This is the Hog Fire on the northern banks of Pine Flat Reservoir. The total acreage is 533. There is a mixture of admiration for Brent for finding and being able to accurately report the fire; a bit of jealousy-one never wants to have a smoke happen on their watch, but if it does, I want to be the first to report it; and a touch of relief that it did not happen on my watch.

 

Animals

Tiger Swallowtail

 
Flowers and Plants

Common Dandelion

Common Dandelion

Common Madea

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

June 9, 2020 - Delilah Lookout

Road in Delilah-Flowers are blooming

Title: June 9, 2020 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's :  Flowers and Plants

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Today is the first back in the tower. I'm a bit nervous. Will I get things right? Will I be able to operate the radio? Will I sanitize the tower when I get in? All these things. Also Sherri is not feeling up to coming, so I will be doing this solo. It is not that I cannot be in the tower alone for two days-I went four days last year. But the first time around, it is good to have someone to keep me upright when I get in my mind to do stupid stuff. We will see how these two days go.

I got up this morning at 0540 (yes, it is military time now that I am back in the tower). I get the Toyota all packed and ready to go. At 0705 I leave home without saying bye to Sherri-she is still asleep. I think I have everything I need for these two days. I do not think I will die, even if I forgot all of the food-I have enough on the body to last that long.

Patterson Creek

It is an uneventful ride, that is until I reach Forest Service land. The gate across the road is locked. Got hold of Buck Rock and she told me the secret belly rub and head pat pattern I needed to get past the gate. This is almost as much fun as battling trolls to cross a bridge. Once past, I guess I am locked in for the duration. If there are visitors, they will need to walk three miles in-not impossible. Also the gate on the tower’s stairway will be locked.

 I reach Delilah at 0850 and start the sanitizing efforts. The Buck Rock Foundation has done a pretty good job of figuring out how to sanitize lookouts between volunteers coming in. It will take a bit more front work, but it is a lot better than getting the Covid-19 virus. Lugging that backpack up the stairs is a bit heavy. But neither have I been carrying my pack on my morning walks. So I am paying the price. Still I make it up the stairs and get the place sanitized.

I get myself together and look at the clock-time to go inservice. Porterville-Delilah, Inservice; Sierra-Delilah, Inservice. It is 0931. Not bad. I hear Buck Rock come in right after I do. Not bad. Now to do my first scan. I know I am forgetting something. Oh yeah, I need to take our weather and it is 0955.In service with PTV(Porterville) and SNF(Sierra) 931. I did the first scan. So at 0955, I took the weather-a bit late.

PTV broadcast the weather and staffing at 1000. The weather I got-it is on the ‘Net and the dispatcher read it at a pace I could deal with. But my oh my, the staffing was a total fiasco. I must be out of practice. I was able to find most of the staffing. But the most important part of the staffing, who is the duty officer for the day I completely missed. The dispatcher seemed to be in a race to get through the list.

Patterson Mountain

So what does a bewildered lookout do? Radio Buck Rock to come to my rescue. Buck Rock called me and she was able to tell me who the duty officer was. She also checks to make sure I am doing OK-that is always a good plan. After I hang up on her, Brent calls and is interested in the general situation. Also, were there any supplies needed? Things are pretty well stocked, but I have not really looked yet. Still good-but I have not done a scan in about 30-40 minutes now. So I do that.

Kathy calls. Well, she tried to call and I fat fingered the cell phone and hung up on her. I called her back-she is in Oregon, on her way back from rafting in Idaho. She was calling to check in on how things were going. I guess I must have sounded frazzled as she said she would call back later on this afternoon-I probably am. I do not have a rhythm yet.

And that might be the key thing to keeping sane: To establish a rhythm. Be conscious of the time-there are certain checkpoints-check in, check up’s, weather, staffing, indices, and taking the weather are all done at certain points. Everything else is what happens in the lookout. Since there are no visitors at Delilah-never has been a great deal of visitors, the lookout can establish their own rhythm. The lookout is constantly eyeing the area. But once about every 15-20 minutes they need to do a more in-depth scan. That is the part I do not have down yet this season.

Gary, the fearless lookout

Another reason why I am a bit frazzled is that Wendy had just sent an email about a fire in Sequoia National Park, the Cabin Creek Fire(36 39.030, -118 49.110, about a tenth of an acre). The question I was pondering was how close of a strike, at least recorded. I have enough in Sherri’s computer to look. But, not in depth. I did see where the closest strike was over a mile away. This does not look promising for the accuracy of the lightning map.

At 1100, I did catch the morning lookout lineup from Sierra. One victory for the morning.

Back to scans. Judy calls-she is somebody who we have refreshed in the lookout the past couple of years. Been fun, too bad we will not have the opportunity to do that this year. She just wanted to say Hi and add joy to our lives-she then found out Sherri did not come, so it is only joy to my life.

Now I do my scans as there is not much external activity. Brent had sent out a refresher course for us to follow when we first got back in the tower. So I ponder it, fill it in and send it off. Wondering how well I did.

In the afternoon, I start to get that rhythm going. I even find time to do a little bit-a very little bit-of refreshing on where places are around us.

Smoke in the Valley

As I look around all points of the compass, I see almost directly West of me, over Tivy Mountain, a smoke. Be still my heart! But then I realize, this is not a smoke I will be calling in. Anything beyond Tivy I understand that the various districts will take care of their own. We can be a nuisance as even as something as clear as this would be pretty hard to pinpoint a close distance.

1600 brings a bit of conflicting radio calls. First, PTV does their weather and indices at this time. This is something which we just listen to and get certain information which we put onto our logs. Last year we were able to get this information in advance, only confirming that what I was getting was what was being said. This year we need to pay attention to the indice reporting, particularly the burn status.

The other half of the confusion is also at 1600 SNF has their lookout checking. Buck Rock and Delilah are right at the start. We need to respond. This coincided with the PTV 1600 call, leaving me to miss the burn status. I had tried to set my voice recorder to record PTV, but it did not cooperate. Oh well. That is the story of today.

The next couple of hours are quiet. At 1800 I go out of service. After resting a few minutes, I go downstairs and take an inventory of what is in our storage shed. This gets sent on to Brent and Mich. I decide this is a lovely time to go for a short walk, down to the saddle between us and Delilah Mountain, only about half a mile. Still a good time just stretching my legs.

The big on a glass-taken with a flash

Sherri has made bierocks and sent me with a couple of them. While it is warming up, I talk with Sherri. Tavern Theology, a Facebook group, has decided to meet at someone’s home tonight, so no Zooming in on that. Sherri decides she will enjoy the time out. So around 2000 we ended our talk.

Andrea wanted to talk but she is attending a virtual birthday party for Cristal. She will call me later. It is starting to get dark, but with a good sunset. So good to see this. Always a good way to end the day in the tower. So I climbed into my sleeping bag and read while waiting for Andrea's call. She calls at 2100 and we chit-chat for a while.

I hear a thump on the window above me. A bug 2-3” long is parched on the outside of the window. I decide it is prudent to close the window. Andrea does wonder about her father at times. But the bug seems to be content just to be there. After our call ends, I turn off the electronics and go to sleep.

Background

Normally I take a picture of my logs. I forgot to. So some of the items in my blog may be out of place. But I am pretty sure they all happened.

Sanitizing. 

The Buck Rock Foundation has a pretty good document, at least to this amutur’s eyes, on how to sanitize the lookout, particularly the cabin part, to minimize the dangers of the Covid-19 virus. Most of it is pretty standard stuff. Wear gloves until the cabin is sanitized or if you touch unsanitized surfaces. Make sure surfaces are cleaned off with IPA or cleaning solutions. Clean with wipes those things such as radio’s, firefinder, weather instruments, handles, log binders, pens, … I realized afterwards, that I was not as thorough as I should have been. Next time, I will do better.

Extra Photo's

Road into Delilah

Fox Springs area.

Flowers and Plants

Hiker's Genterin