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Dick's Adventures of
2022 - Part 2 |
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of 2021 2022 Part
1
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Tesoro
Viejo Again
Hermit Hole Camp
Sumner Peck III
Spring Drive & Hike |
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Tesoro
Viejo You
can't hike new place just once. After two hikes at Tesoro Viejo, I returned
again on February 12, with a group of half a dozen. This included my
daughters Teri and Jennifer, their mother Jackie, Teri's friend
Kara, who has hiked with us a number of times over the past few
years, and Sue Wirt, long-time member of the Ramblers. I
walked this trail with Rambler Wes on January
12, and with the Ramblers on January
24. Refer to those reports for information about the location
and other details. On
this hike, the weather had warmed up considerably, and it was one of
four consecutive days when we set a new all-time high temperature
for the date. While we were not dripping sweat, at the end of the
hike we were definitely "glowing." To
compensate, the warmer weather had brought out a few more flowers.
The most common were blue dicks, which we saw all along the trail,
especially on the back end where the terrain sloped slightly
downward and faced the rising sun. We also saw scattered
examples of the rare ham
& eggs. The little yellow bud-like blossoms do resemble bits
of scrambled egg, but it's hard to see the reddish stems as ham. It
helps when there's a massive
bloom, such as we saw near the Upper Kings River a few years
ago.
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Blue
dicks provide a nice contrasting color in the rocky soil |
Tiny ham
& eggs are best seen in massive
fields |
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Despite
the warming temperatures, the grass is still green, and the shapes
of hills and little valleys was a delight. For
the first time, along with the rest of the group, I went to the
point where the trail goes steeply down to the San Joaquin River
near the Sumner
Peck Ranch. I was delighted to be able to see the massive
Wheeler Oak that I wrote about when I returned to Sumner Peck on
January 28. |
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Ancient
river rock lines this little side valley |
Another
channel that drains down into the San Joaquin River |
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Tara
contemplates the work Native Americans put in to
grind acorns to meal in these bedrock mortar holes |
The San
Joaquin River, with the Wheeler Oak at left center |
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My
previous walks here had been on weekdays, when we saw only two or
three others on the trail. On this weekend day we must have seen 50
people or more, and at least 30 bicycles.
When
we got back to the parking lot Jennifer had to leave for home, but
the rest of us enjoyed a delicious lunch at the AXIS
Coffee Bar & Eatery. The three Ramblers encouraged Teri and
Kara to join us on our next hike, February 21, at the San Joaquin
Gorge. Since it's a holiday, we have high hopes of getting some
working people to hike with us.
--Dick
Estel, February 2022
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Hermit Hole Camp
You
may be asking, "Where is Hermit Hole?" "Is there really
a campground by that name?" "Is the hermit still
there?"
OK,
you probably are not really asking these questions, but I will answer
them anyway.
Going
from last to first, I did not see a hermit. I did see "Spotlight
Man," or at least his pickup that slowly drove in after
dark and kept flashing a spotlight to the sides of the road. Poachers
and other suspicious characters are known to do this, but maybe he was
just looking at the poppies. I say "Man," because most women
have better sense than to drive on a narrow, crooked, rocky road in
the dark.
No,
it is not an official campground. It is a "Raft
Put-in," a location where rafting companies launch trips down
the Kings River. It has no picnic tables, but two unisex toilets. Why
so many? When rafting season is going strong, large numbers of people
will arrive at this location to float down the river.
To
get there, follow Trimmer Springs Road all the way around Pine
Flat Reservoir and past the upper end
of the lake. Cross the first bridge from the north side of the river
to the south, drive a mile or so, cross back to the north side on the
Bailey bridge, and immediately turn right on the dirt road that is
still called Trimmer. This road goes eight miles up to Garnet Dike,
which is another raft put-in area, and the trailhead for the Kings
River National Recreation Trail.
I
backpacked on
this trail several times in the late 1970s and early '80s, and
have driven up there twice recently, in 2016 and 2018, hiking in a
mile or so on that second trip.
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Having no raft, I camped here
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Having no picnic table, I put a bunch of stuff on a
tarp on the ground
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At
the beginning of February I had camped
on the other side of the river, about two miles up the south side dirt
road, and wanted to return to the area while we are still enjoying
spring weather (yes, it's still officially winter, but de facto spring comes
early to our part of the country). On February 28 I set out, hoping to
camp at Bear
Wallow Camp, about three miles up from the bridge. There are
three campsites, but only one with a picnic table, and it was
occupied, so I decided to try for Hermit Hole, another three miles. I
had not brought my large folding table nor my portable toilet, but I
had a card table. After looking around the site, I decided I could
make do with what I had, as long as there was a bathroom. I believe
that rafting has been suspended during the pandemic, so I was not
expecting to have to put up with hordes of people. In fact, I met two
vehicles when I was driving in, and no one else drove by except
Spotlight Man.
One
reason to visit this area is the hope of seeing massive poppy blooms.
There were hardly any when I camped at the end of January, and only a
few scattered patches when the Ramblers
hiked at Sycamore Wildlife Area on February 7. This time I began
seeing fairly good amounts as soon as I reached the foothills. They
were fair to good all along the road around the lake, but any one who
would brave the rough dirt road was rewarded with a display that was very
good and sometimes excellent. I'll let these photos "speak"
the next few thousand words of this report.
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A hilltop painted orange
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Poppies in the rocks and above a drainage across
the road
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River bank and hills in the late afternoon sun
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Bright green grass and California poppies
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Like
my previous camping trip to the Upper Kings, this was a one-night
event, and again, I did not do any serious hiking. The first day,
after I had set up camp, I relaxed with a drink and my current book,
enjoying the view of the flowers on the hills above me and the oak
trees around the camp. Also visible from this spot is a small
waterfall, just a trickle at this season, that drops pretty much
straight down maybe 50 feet. Many years ago I was in this area for two
days when it rained most of the time, and the falls was like a
mini-Yosemite. When I drove up here in 2018 there was a fairly
good flow.
I
had to dig sand out of the fire ring, but when the temperature cooled
off, I was able to have a nice fire till I was ready for bed. Again it
was a clear, moonless night, with a brilliant star display. In the
daytime it had been warm enough to have just a t-shirt, whereas last
time I wore two or three layers all day. It was also warmer than the
25 degree low of last time - 26 degrees!
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This little waterfall can be very impressive after
a good rainstorm
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Valley oak near the camp entrance
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Despite
the chilly low temperature, the morning warm-up was much quicker this
time. The sun was already starting to hit my camp area when I got up,
and I only had to move my chair about 10 feet to be in full sun while
I had my tea. By the time I fixed breakfast, I was removing most of my
top layers.
I
did a short hike before eating, out to the main road and east a bit
more than a quarter mile. There were a lot of fiddlenecks along the
road there, as well as popcorn flowers, and of course, poppies. A
little driveway of sorts led off the main road toward the river. It
was covered with tire tracks, and marked with a sign that said
"Not a Road." When I got back to camp, I had hiked almost
seven tenths of a mile.
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Lots of fiddlenecks near the camp
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A closer look
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After
breakfast and hiking I started loading up in my usual leisurely way,
getting started for home at 12:35 p.m. The floral and riparian scenery
on the way out made for an enjoyable drive, a good thing since it took
an hour to travel the 5.8 miles to the paved road, with a few stops
for photos along the way. The drive around Pine Flat is tedious, since
it's rare you can exceed 30 MPH, but it was like a freeway compared to
the rough, rocky road to camp.
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Looking down the river canyon
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Poppies in the rocky road bank
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In
the past I have almost always camped at least two nights, believing
that the work involved hardly justifies a one-night stay. However,
with these last two trips, I felt that one night in the
"wilderness" was enough. Could I be getting old?
--Dick
Estel, March 2022
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Sumner Peck III
For
my third hike along this trail, I was joined by several family members
- daughter Teri, her mother Jackie, grandson Johnny. his wife
Brittany, sons Colton and Jack, and Dottie the Dog. March 13 was a
sunny, breezy day, with a few streaks of cloud overhead. This trail is
almost 100% flat, with a couple of very short sections, twenty feet or
less, up or down, one of them to the old road that leads to a bridge
across the San Joaquin River.
Of
course, my main goal was to see and to show the others the massive
Wheeler Oak, a venerable valley oak that has a circumference of 24
feet. We were all delighted to see that the tree has leafed out since
my two previous visits, and is still surrounded by the green, green
grass of spring.
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The Wheeler Oak, in its spring finery
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Colton and Jack are dwarfed by the massive trunk
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Of
greater interest than the Wheeler tree to the two young boys was
another huge valley oak, this one on the ground, dead and down for who
knows how long - 30 years, maybe 50. It proved to be a better climbing
feature than those found at our city parks, and with Teri nearby to
remind them to be careful, they spent a quarter hour or more climbing
up and down and around.
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This nearby fallen giant was their favorite tree
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Triumphant, after a challenging climb up the big
limb
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The grandparents and great grandparents
envied the boys' sure-footed sense of balance
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Just kicking back
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We
went past the tree a half mile or so, to a place where the Upshaw's
and Dottie could get down to the river. This proved to be Dottie's
favorite part of the hike, as she returned to the trail with mud up to
her elbows (or whatever those first joints are).
Near
the bridge the bank of the trail was lined with river rock, and the
combination of kids, rocks and water always means that some of the
rocks will end up in the river.
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Dottie Dog has a swimming pool at home,
but it lacks the delightful mud of the river
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Jack with a rock to drop off the bridge
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We
saw a few flowers, mainly bush lupines and a flowering tree whose name
was unknown to us.
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Unknown white flowering bush by the trail
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Bush lupines were at their best
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Mostly
we just enjoyed the company of family and watching the kids (of all
ages) having fun. On the way back one of the boys said, "We had a
lot more fun that we thought we would." Most of their outings are
like that.
--Dick
Estel, March 2022
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Spring Drive & Hike
Spring
is a state of mind...and a period of time on the calendar...and a
natural event when new grass and leaves and flowers appear. It's no
surprise that these three "spring's" are not simultaneous.
And in central California the spring of nature has always arrived
earlier than the calendar says it should. Driven by climate change, in
recent years it
has been starting even earlier, so that while our friends in the east
are braving single digit (or lower) temperatures and battling
dangerous snowy conditions on the road, we are hiking in short sleeves
through fields of wildflowers.
On
Mach 22, being well into the "state of mind" phase of
spring, I set off on what I call a "Drive & Hike." This
is when you drive a while, stop and hike a while, then repeat. You may
say, "well, all your hikes start with driving," and this is
true. But in a Drive & Hike the driving is a major part of the
adventure, with the route chosen to provide a scenic outdoor
experience during the driving portion.
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Bush lupine in full bloom
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Pines above the bank of Pine Flat Lake
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When
I hiked with the Ramblers five
days earlier, we noticed that extensive maintenance work had been
done on the Edison Point loop trail. This route goes out on a ridge,
with the first part being a service road for the power transmission
line. At road's end the the trail goes down steeply with some long switchbacks to
the edge of the lake, then back toward the road and up through a shady
drainage to the trailhead. The last time I was here this section of
the trail was blocked by eight or ten fallen pine trees, making it
virtually impassible.
I
assumed the recent maintenance would have included removing the trees,
and decided to walk in a short distance on this lower section of the
trail, to a place where there had been massive fields of purple
brodiaea on my first visit. The trail is clearly marked, and in
very good condition. It is not 100% level on a side to side basis, so
care must be taken in some places. The beginning of the trail was good
enough to tempt a family I talked with to bring a
stroller, but after a half mile they were about ready to turn back.
Later I saw them come out, carrying the child. Interestingly this was
not the worst trail where I have seen people bring a stroller. In that
other case they soon abandoned the stroller and also carried the kid.
Emphasizing
how hard it is to keep this trail maintained, there was already a tree
down across the newly graded section.
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The first tree down on the newly maintained trail
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Two years ago this trail was overgrown and
virtually impassible
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There
were flowers of various kinds all along the trail, and when I reached
the place where the brodiaea were so thick, I saw that the fallen logs
were all gone, and the "garden" was everything I had hoped.
Other
flowers included the yellow harvest brodiaea, several varieties of
lupine, and the foothill standards, fiddlenecks and filaree. Along the
road I saw a few farewell-to-spring, a bit early on the third day of
the season.
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A small part of the purple brodiaea fields
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Close up of brodiaea blossoms
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This brodiaea is called pretty face or harvest
brodiaea
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White lupine
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While
the flowers were not as thick as on my first
visit in 2015, It was still a very satisfactory outing, especially
being able to hike without the effort of getting around the fallen
trees that had made previous hikes a challenge. The entire loop is
about 2.5 miles but seems longer due to the steep sections. However, it
took only four tenths of a mile of hiking to reach the good flower
fields. I became the trailhead host, answering questions and providing
SOLICITED advice to the stroller family and a couple who were camped
nearby and were looking for places to hike the next morning.
If
you decide you'd like to try the loop, do it soon before the weather
gets too warm, and while the flowers are still good. Start by going out the upper
section of the trail to avoid a steep climb near the end of your hike.
Take plenty of water. Start early in the day. Say a thank-you to the
maintenance crew that you will not have to try to identify the trail
in places like
this.
When
I finished my hike and my hosting duties, I started the
"Drive" portion of the day. My plan was to continue on
Trimmer Springs Road to where Big Creek runs in, then go up the dirt
road along the creek. I would stop wherever and whenever something
caught my eye. And I would continue to test my new camera, which I had
just bought after I decided that my cell phone was not working out for
me.
Even
before arriving at the Edison Point trailhead, I had stopped shortly
before the road begins to rise into the foothills, to photograph
lupines near Winton Park and along the road higher up.
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Lupines and hills above the river at Winton Park
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Someone scattered thousands of lupine seeds down
this hillside
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A
few years ago I had observed some white shooting
stars about
a half mile beyond Edison Point . They are normally pink, and I suspect this is a
rare mutant. They appear in this same location every year, and along
the power line service road up the hill. This was my first stop after
the hike.
Something that has not been
highly visible this year is redbud. I did find one bush where I could
get a close-up photo. They are in bloom along the road, but they are
also almost fully leafed out, so you don't get the usual sight of an
all-pink bush, like this
one from a few years ago.
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Rare white shooting star
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Redbud blossoms
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Driving
up the dirt road I had nice view of Big Creek, and spectacular poppy
and lupine displays, as well as other foothill wildflowers. I pulled
off at a shady spot and enjoyed my lunch with a view of the creek as
well as patch of baby blue eyes.
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A cascade on Big Creek
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Poppies above the dirt road along the creek
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Hillside between the road and creek
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Baby blue eyes
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Driving on Trimmer, I saw two
solo wild turkeys in two separate locations. Usually a flock will
stroll across the road as if they owned the place. but these two both ran,
perhaps not feeling confident without any backup. On
the dirt road I spotted a small mammal, possibly a fox or raccoon. It
disappeared before I could get a good look, and I was tempted to claim
a sighting of a marten or fisher, but they both prefer higher
elevations. I think it was most likely a fox.
It
was a nice day, not too hot, and a great time to be out in the
foothills. I accomplished all my goals - seeing the brodiaea fields,
and enjoying the blue and gold along Big Creek.
--Dick
Estel, March 2022
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