Gary-Summer

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

November 1, 2023 - Crescent and Other Meadows

Title: November 1, 2023 - Crescent and Other Meadows
Hike Info : Description : T Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Crescent Meadows Parking Area

Trail: Crescent Meadow, Circle Meadow, Trail of the Sequoias, Log Meadow

Destination: Wander

Distance: 5.95 miles

Start Time: 11:05

End Time: 3:43

Travel Time: 4:38 (1.28 mph)

Moving Time: 3:43 (1.60 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,173'

Descent: 1,194‘

Maximum Elevation: 7,344'

GPS Tracks

Sherri on path

Description:

It has been a couple weeks since we went hiking. Also about this time the broadleaf trees should be turning into more autumn coloring. It will be just Sherri and I. Also, it is the first day not doing a lightning report for the fire lookout-we went out of service Monday.

But I still get up before 7. Sherri gets up about half an hour later. We left our house at 8:45 with me driving. Once we get to the foothills, we see smoke and it is getting pretty dense towards the Redwood Mountain area which means it could be either or both the Big Stump prescribed burn or from the Rabbitt Fire. When we got up to the Park's entrance there are signs saying don't report the smoke as these are known fires already. We definitely do not have the car windows rolled down. When we drive by the Buena Vista area, we see small columns of smoke rising from blacked stumps and branches. But as we moved towards Giant Forest, away from the fires, the smoke decreased.

Sequoia at end of Circle Mdw

We talked about doing a loop we have done a couple of times. But the KNP Complex fire a couple of years ago did a number to parts of the trail. So we parked at Crescent Meadow Parking Area at 10:50. Even though it is not smokey, maybe a bit hazy, here, there is a slight acidic smell which I identify as smoke.

At 11:10, our boots hit the dust. Usually we have gone somewhat counter-clockwise. Today we start off the same way the clock does. We head along Crescent Meadow. The meadow is in its seasonal decline. Most of the grasses and ferns have faded to a yellow. But then the Sequoias which ring the meadow just show that much more.

We bump over a low ridge and come into Circle Meadow. We take the trail to the east of it. The trail goes up and down to avoid trampling on the meadow. The meadow is in the same seasonal status as Crescent. But this one is a bit longer, so we look down the length of the meadow, seeing Sequoias showing off.

There are two things which cause us to pause. The first thing we have seen is the burnt remains of a Sequoia. This gets me to wondering how this tree caught fire and burnt so badly. The tree seemed so isolated as there were no other seriously burnt trees close by. It takes a lot to burn a Sequoia. Later on there was a large area where there were many more burnt trees. I think this area was a large and maybe intense spot fire from the KNP Complex.

Chief Sequoyah Tree

The second thing is the number of freshly fallen trees. These are monster size Sequoias, looking like they have fallen within the last six months to a year. Some of them still had greenery on them. I started wondering if a Giant Sequoia fell and if nobody was around, would it still measure on a seismograph? (By the way, the answer is yes.) The thought I really had is if these giants could topple over after standing centuries or a millennium or two, what chance do I have for standing up against time and the elements?

Just before we hit the Congress Group, we stop and have lunch. There was a nice tree to sit on and it was pleasant enough in the area. Before taking off again, I shed the pants legs and hike the rest of the day in shorts and a T-shirt. Not bad for the first day of November.

When we get to The Senate Group, we branch off onto The Trail of the Sequoias. The Chief Sequoyah Tree starts us off. While not the most awesome tree in the forest, it is a tree of significance. Chief Sequoyah is who brought a written language to the Cherokee and was subsequently adopted by other Indian nations. He is also who the Sequoia trees are named after.

The Trail of the Sequoias now ascends up the ridge above the Congress Grove. When we get to the top of the rise, we come across a whole area-several acres-which were burnt during the KNP Complex. It does not feel like this was the main part of the fire, but maybe a spot fire? We met a guy from Los Angeles. He did not think this was a spot fire. Later on looking at some of the fire maps, I think my guess of this being a spot fire is correct.

Gary wandering the paths

Still the area looks so different than the last time we were here. Not only coming up from a different direction, but the extent of the burn. There is a majestic tree right at the top. It had been previously burnt, but now it looks so much more black today. After ten minutes of walking, we leave the burnt area and continue on the Trail

We debated about going on the Eagle View or drop down to Log Meadow and Tharp's Cabin. We decided that we have walked enough for now. So we dropped into Log Meadow. As we descend, we see some color we have been looking for come into view. It looks even more impressive when the background is a giant Sequoia which fell a long time ago.

A short walk away is the cabin where Tharp Summered in the area. I am always impressed with how short Tharp must have been. Now we are less than a mile away-even though the sign says 0.08 miles-it is more. But the walk is pleasant as the sun still provides some warmth for us weary travelers.

When we get back to the car, I see that SEKI Fire is here, particularly BC-3. I met him a couple of months ago as I was going into Park Ridge and he was coming out. He was over at Eagle View to observe the Redwood Fire-it is still going, sending up columns of smoke, but not really much volume.

We take off for Fresno about 4:00. We both are a bit hungry, so we stop in Yokut or Squaw Valley at Bear Mountain Pizza. The pizza was better than the last time we were here. On the way back to Fresno, we join the family Zoom call-a good way to end the day.

Extra Photo's

Giant Sequoia

Burnt remains

Freshly fallen giant

Tree at the end of Circle Meadow

Castle Rocks across the Kaweah from us

Gary on the trail

Another burnt tree

Sherri, Gary and the Chief Sequoyah Tree

Chief Sequoyah Tree

Sherri

Creek into Log Meadow

Gary at Log Meadow

Giant fallen long ago at Log Meadow

Log Meadow

Gary walking through a Giant Sequoia

Flowers and Plants

Sunday, October 22, 2023

October 21, 22, 2023 - Delilah

Title: October 21, 22, 2023 - Delilah

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Animals

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

This is probably our last time at a fire lookout this season. Delilah shuts down at the end of the month and the calendar is full.

Oct 20, 2023

Even today will be a partial day. Terry has taken the morning until 1530. We will try to make it up there before he leaves.

I get up at 0600, do my lightning report-none and then get ready to go up. Packing is pretty easy. Standard stuff, a bit cooler weather. Sherri is coming up with me today. We agreed to eat out and then go up. So that means I only need to pack for two lunches and one breakfast. After our stent at Delilah, we will have Steven grab a pizza.

We leave our house at 1230. Lunch/Dinner is at Red Robin in Sierra Vista. We got a trainee server. She does pretty well. Sherri had a late breakfast so she only eats a bit of her hanburger. We are out after 1330. I wonder if we will make it before Terry leaves.

We follow a red Toyota SR5 into Delilah. This makes my normal entry to park a bit of an issue. So I backed up the slope, parking in back of Terry’s Highlander. As it turns out, we made good time, making it to Delilah by 1515. Terry is a first year lookout whom we have not met before, at least I do not think so. But he knows a little bit about us. Such as we go to First Presbyterian Church. He also goes there with his wife. It turns out he knows our pastor, Jeremy, and had dinner with him and his wife. During the conversation, Jeremy asked Terry if he knew us. No, but now he does. We compare notes and when he finds out that we worked for FUSD before retirement, he asks if we knew a friend of his, Kurt-yes I reported directly to him. After talking for a few more minutes, he left the lookout at 1535.

We settle down into the normal lookout routine. At 1600 Sierra does their lookout check in-Delilah is not called. We are a bit puzzled by this. A short time later, Lori at Buck Rock tells us that when Terry did not respond, they marked Delilah out of service-Terry had visitors and did not respond to the call. Later in an email conversion, Terry said that he tried to reach out to Sierra, but did not get a good response.

Delilah was not out of service. At 1630, I noticed smoke behind Dinkey Mtn. Since it looked big-the area is 17 miles away, I am thinking it has been reported, but we had not been told. There was nothing in the logs about it. On the board there was a prescribed burn at Dinkey Creek which would be this location, but the board has the location for the burn in a different spot. So I radioed in asking if there was already smoke in the area. Yes, it is a private prescribed burn. That answers that question.

We are seeing smoke from the Big Stump burn, but only dispersed smoke from the Rabbit. By 1700, both Buck Rock and Delilah goes out of service. We wait a little while, reading and chatting before having dinner. Sherri has her Red Robin burger and I have a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich. By the time we finish, it is dark, but too early to go to bed. So more reading and chatting. The sky has gotten dark and we admire the stars. By 2030, we are taking out our sleeping bags and crawling in.

October 22, 2023

I saw that the Orionid meteor shower

Orion

reached its peak yesterday morning. So we should still have a pretty good shower this morning. So I set my alarm for 0100. I was awoken up from a deep slumber by the alarm and went outside to see if there were any meteors to be spotted. When I stepped outside I noticed a slight smell of smoke-probably from the various prescribed burns around: Dinkey, Rabbit and Big Stump. Also there is a line of clouds to the west. Overheard? It is clear, beautiful, and dark.

The stars are shining ever so brightly. Orion is hanging there to the east of the lookout. I settle down to watch for shooting stars. I wait and look-I am a lookout so I do know how to look and wait. I might have seen a couple very faint streaks of light or I may have been hallucinating. After 40 minutes of watching, I decide that I am getting sleepy again. So back inside I go and slither into my sleeping bag.

I woke up a few minutes before 0700, feeling refreshed. Even with the break in the middle, I sleeped long and well. Still no lightning-I was not expecting any. I make a trip downstairs, but do not go for a walk-we are at the end of hunting season and I did not bring anything red with me. After Sherri comes back up from the outhouse, we have our breakfast-oatmeal and granola.

By the time I finish washing dishes, it is 0900 and the new day of being a lookout is set to start. That means taking the weather readings. It is pretty obvious just by looking out the window-cool, no wind and we are mostly socked in with clouds. At 0931 we go in service with a visibility of 0 to 2 miles.

That last phrase is the key for the day. Every 15 minutes or so we do a detailed scan of our surroundings. Usually this takes 5-7 minutes. But if we cannot see, we can look very quickly as we can only see what is close by. In some cases just to the trees around the road circling the lookout.

The radio chatter throughout the day is also pretty light. There are reports about the various prescribed burns-Rabbit and Big Stump in the Sequoia National Forest and a private burn at Dinkey Creek in the Sierra National Forest. Of course there is the weather and staffing from Porterville and the 1100 lookout check in from Sierra. That later is a pretty lonely affair as Buck Rock has not come in yet and few of Sierra’s lookouts are still in service.

So the day is spent talking, reading and scanning. At 1304 Buck Rock calls over and asks a few questions about the water situation. But that is the extent of our excitement for the day. Close to 1600, the clouds lift a bit, particularly to the west and we can see the Central Valley pretty nicely. As the time nears 1700, we clean up the cab area. I did not clean the windows like I usually do. Too cool and moist to do much good. But Sherri cleans the floors and we tidy up. We cheat by a few minutes and go out of service at 1655.

The drive home is pretty tame. Lots of hunters still out during these last few hours of deer season. We got back home at 1845. Steven has gotten pizza and we are ready to eat. This is followed up by being on our family’s Sunday evening Zoom call. A good way to end the day. Well actually a good way to end the evening was taking a nice hot shower.