May 10, 2024 - Wawona Meadow

 Title: May 10, 2024 - Wawona Meadow

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

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Wawona Parking Lot

Trail: Wawona Meadows Loop

Destination: Loop

Distance:  4.06 miles 1

Start Time:  1:34

End Time:    4:16

Travel Time: 2:42  (1.50 mph)

Moving Time: 2:23 (1.70 mph)

Elevation Rise:  461'

Descent: 480‘

Maximum Elevation: 4,257'

GPS Tracks

  ¹Steven’s Strava had 4.2 miles.

Poppies and Lupine

Description:

Today is going to be a full day. I slept well and got up at 6:30; Sherri got up shortly afterwards at 7. She has an 8am dentist appointment. Then I have my Osher Book Club between 9:30 and 11:00. We are discussing a book called Untold Power about Edith Wilson, Woodrow Wilson’s wife. I am ready to go at 11:02. We actually leave at 11:15.

I think it will take about an hour and a half to get to Wawona. I am wrong. Sherri is driving and will drive us all the way up to Wawona. But my timing did not account for a half an hour wait to get into Yosemite. So we get there about 1:15. After visiting the bathroom, we are ready to go. I ask at the Visitor Center about the weather. I am told there is a warning about Thunderstorms.

We started walking about 1:35. But even before I have traveled a few feet, there is lupine and poppies blooming. So beautiful, just waiting for a picture to be taken. Sherri, Steven, Korra and Friday have crossed the highway and start walking. As I catch up with them, I realize that maybe my hamstring may not be too much of an issue today. But we will see at the end of the walk.

Gary among the dogwood

 We have walked this loop many times. So the terrain and route is very familiar. I will not include too much description about the trail.

More flowers are seen. I think there is a bumblebee on some apple blossoms. About a mile later, the dogwoods start-they keep going almost all the way until we get back to the parking area. In the meantime, there are butterflying flittering by. We also see a lizard trying to pretend that he is not there.

Lunch Time

 

 

 

Like any good walk, we also want to stop and enjoy a bite of lunch. There is a favorite rock where we have eaten at before. So we stop there, eat, rest, and enjoy the blossoms around us. The dogs seem to also enjoy the rest.

 

 

Dogwood

We are just a little less than half way around. A family with a couple of dogs pass us by. They do not get too far behind them for most of the rest of the trip. Steven and I discussed last night’s book group-the book was She-Hulk Goes to Murderworld. This helps to keep the steps flying by.

I do not know if it is the beauty of the dogwoods giving Friday motivation, but she makes it about three miles before she starts to get tired. Steven has been carrying her carrier. In goes Friday. She rides high on Steven’s back, looking out over her subjects. I also realize that my hamstring must be much better as it is felt only a little bit. Not enough to drag me down. Still I am mindful not to stress it out too much.

Creek Crossing, Sherri Style

When we come back to the parking lot, I go by the Visitor Center, primarily to use the facilities. But I also asked my new favorite volunteer, Colleen, about the trail to Alder Falls. She says that it is free with no restrictions. Maybe a few tree falls. 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven and Friday

We left the parking lot about 4:40. Sherri saw a BBQ place in North Fork. The place is called, simply enough, North Fork American BBQ.There seems to be some confusion.Sherri orders the pulled pork sandwich-called the Carolina Pig, while both Steven and I order Tri-Tip Sandwiches. We were thinking that the bill was a bit high for what we ordered. Sherri gets hers, but instead of two Tri-Tips and out comes three. That explains the bill. We get an apology. We go ahead and take the third sandwich as a to-go. We arrive home a few minutes before 7, in time for Jeopardy.

Extra Photo's

Steven examining dogwood

Steven and his followers-Korra and Friday

Dogwood

Dogwood

Animals

Sierra Alligator Lizard

Sierra Alligator Lizard???

California Bumble bee

Turkey Vultures

Turkey Vultures

 
Flowers and Plants

 Dogwood

 

California Golden Poppy

Black Oak Leaves

 

Lupine

Apple Trees

 

 

Hartweg Iris

 

 

Snow Plant

 

May 1, 2024 - Big Stump

Title: May 1, 2024 - Big Stump

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's 

 

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking 

Trail head: Big Stump Parking Lot

Trail: Big Stump Loop

Destination: Loop

Distance:  1.70 miles

Start Time: 11:54

End Time:     1:10

Travel Time:  1:16 (1.34 mph)

Moving Time: 0:59   (1.73 mph)

Elevation Rise:  360'

Descent: 286‘

Maximum Elevation: 6,387'

GPS Tracks

Description:

My hamstring is still bothering me. So the thought is to do something light with a little bit of up and down. We had invited others to come with us., but they had other obligations. It is Steven, Sherri and I who are going. Since this is a short walk, we leave a bit later, at 10:30. 

 

 

On our way up, I stopped at the Hume Lake Ranger District

office in Dunlap. One of the staff had given a presentation on the history of logging and firefighting in the area. He had mentioned that he could give me a pdf of it for the

Big Stump Parking Area

Buck Rock people. Turned out that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are his days off. Another time. Sherri stopped by Clingman Junction and got a cup of coffee and a couple of scones.

Sherri's drink of choice

 

 

 

Sherri takes over driving and we arrive at Big Stump a little after 11:30. There are three chartered buses waiting for us along with lots of students, having fun. We get ready to go and hit the trail a bit before noon.

We have tromped around this trail several times before. The only difference in the actual trail is that the Park has created a different main entrance for it to the west with a lot of rock. But we still descend using the older trail. Some students are throwing snowballs at each other. But a teacher tells them to hold on until we pass. We quickly leave the parking area, with Sherri carrying her cup of coffee, and consequently leaving most of the people.

 

 

 

Steven and the watery path

Going down into the meadow, my hamstring is not bothering me. We talk with a couple of people who are interested in where Sherri got her coffee. They are much faster than us, particularly myself. I just lollygag at the back of us, taking my time, using the opportunity to be slow by taking pictures. This is pretty effective.

We go down the path and circle around the meadow. Part of the loop has us going past a part of what is called the feather bed. We never notice it this time-on previous walks we have. A feather bed is where the loggers tried to break the fall of the Sequoias. A Sequoia has pretty brittle wood so it had a tendency to shatter when it hit the ground. Thus being useful for things like fence posts and shingles. From what I heard even having a bed was ineffective.

As you may have noticed, kids throwing snowballs means that there is snow around. But it is patchy. There is only one time when we cross over a little bit of snow. The temperature is cool, but nice enough that Steven and I are in shorts and a T-Shirt. Also by inference, nice temperatures, patchy snow means lots of water. When we hit the meadow, parts of the path are nothing but a channel of water.

This leads us to the Mark Twain Stump where we meet the coffee people. They are wondering which way to go. I tell them that the loop around is only marginally longer than going back in the same direction they came from. They take off that way. After a few minutes enjoying the area, so do we.

Shortly afterwards, we cross the road going into the Park and continue on with the loop. A slight uphill, nothing strenuous, but I do feel the hamstring a bit. So I continue to pull up the last. There is a tree called the Sawed Tree which is 100 yards off of our trail. We do not go to it. We come to our only patch of snow and make the most of the traverse, extending out the crossing from the six feet of worn snow to going about 50 feet. 

 

Steven in the tunnel

The rest of the trail is just enjoying being out and walking with each other. We go over a few rises, before coming across a downed tree. Sherri points out “feather bed”. Yep, lots of boughs covering this area from the fallen tree. I still do not think it would stop a Sequoia from shattering. There is one more fallen tree to go around and a muddy path to navigate. Then we head through the tunnel under the road and back to our car.

We ordered our Bear Mountain pizza from the parking lot, before heading down. It is about a 40 minute drive. Steven is driving, giving his old parents a break. We got to Bear Mountain Pizza and the pizza had just come out of the oven-good timing. By the time we got back to Fresno it is about 3pm. We are surprised that we hit traffic this early. We still got home before 3:30. For a short day, I am still tired. I guess this hamstring is taking more out of me than I thought.

Extra Photo's

Big Stump Meadow

Moss covered rock

Seasonal creek

Stuff the Sierra is made from: Granite and Sequoia