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Fall 2014 Hikes |
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San Joaquin River
Trail West
San Joaquin River Trail East
Red Rock Canyon
Nevada San
Joaquin Trail West Again |
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San
Joaquin River Trail West
With
time going faster and faster, it seems I am trying to get as many
hikes done in as short a time as possible. How else to explain three
hikes in eight days?
The Sentinel
Dome hike was perfect in terms of weather, beauty and level of
difficulty. The next
one, with my grandson and great grandson, was so short and easy
I felt guilty claiming a half hour of exercise for a 90 minute
stroll/playtime. But it was enormously fun.
It was the
third hike that was the real challenge - a short drive, not a great
distance hiked, but mostly steep uphill all the way to the
turning back point. The location was the San Joaquin River Trail,
which I also refer to as the Finegold Trail, for the location of the
western trail head. I've been here a number of times and reported on
each trip, starting in the fall
of 2012.
On October
20 I drove the 22.5 miles from my house the the South Finegold Day
Use Area, just past Sky Harbor on Millerton
Lake. Since the weather
had cooled off I wore jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, but brought
along shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt just in case. After I parked
I tested the air temperature and decided to change, even though it was fairly cool.
Walking the 100 yards or so down a paved road to the trail head I
wondered if I would be too cool, but after the first 50 yards up the trail I was glad
I had changed. Better to be too cool for a short distance than too
hot for a couple of miles.
This trail
goes uphill for quite a ways, somewhere between a half mile to a
mile with almost no leveling off and no downhill. This causes me one
big problem - by the time I get to the top of the ridge, I don't
feel like going any farther, because the trail goes down on the
other side, which would mean more uphill coming back.
Hiking up
this trail in the past I had noticed a rough, steep trail that
forked off to the right, toward the west. I thought at first that it
was probably just a cow trail or an old section of the main trail,
but I soon realized that it went off at an angle and up the hill
above the official trail. So on this trip, I decided to find out
where this trail goes.
Well, like
all the rest of the trail, it goes uphill. It was steeper than any
part of the main trail, a fact emphasized by two ladies I met a
short distance from the fork. They told me it was very steep, but at
the top there was a 360 degree view. First I would reach a lower
summit, and from there the trail went down to a saddle, then up to
the highest
point, which I later learned is Pincushion Peak.
By the time
I got to this lower summit, I had used up any energy and desire to go higher, but I also saw a way to reach the top with slightly
less effort. From the point where I stopped, I was right above the
saddle where the main trail crosses over the ridge, and where I have
always stopped in the past. There is a short, steep path down to the
saddle from there. Because the main trail is less steep than the
fork I took, I think I could hike up to the saddle, then take the
shorter but very steep route to the rocky hill top that eluded me
this time. We shall see.
The
trailhead starts at about 600 feet above sea level, the ridge is
1,200, and the place I stopped is about 1,450. The upper hill top
that I did not reach appears to be about 1,600 feet, based on the
Millerton Lake topographical map. From where I was, I had a view of
Shuteye Peak and Eagle Beaks above the San Joaquin River, Deadwood
Mountain above Oakhurst, and the Table Mountains to the west near
Highways 41 and 45.
I rested on
the lower summit, eating a granola bar and an orange, then took the
short, steep path down to the saddle, and back down the main trail.
When I first traveled this route, I found the downhill route a bit
challenging, but I now have hiking poles, which make the descent
easier and safer. I don't walk a lot faster going down, but I can
take longer steps than going up.
The hills
are very
dry, but there was enough rain last year to keep the grass
growing through the season, so there is a lot of fairly tall dead
grass. There was one plant blooming, a straggly looking specimen
with tiny purple flowers. I noticed that some of the manzanita
bushes look stressed from the drought, and there are a lot of dead
sections on bull pines. On one live oak, about 90% of the leaves
were brown, meaning this tree will probably not survive The blue
oaks are losing their leaves early, which is their natural response
to drought conditions. If we don't get some extensive rain this
year, I fear there will be thousands of dead trees in the foothills.
The lake
had a bit more water than I had expected, with water up into
Finegold Creek.
Despite the
dry conditions, the steep, rugged hills have their own kind of
beauty, whether it's the green of spring or the golden brown of late
summer and fall, and I was glad I took this three hour hike. I saw a
number of quail in addition to miscellaneous unidentified birds.
San
Joaquin Trail West Photos
--Dick
Estel, October 2014
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San
Joaquin River Trail East (San Joaquin Gorge)
First,
our hiking group finally has a better name, thanks to our colleague and friend
Regina Wheeler. She's not able to join us on the trail, but is there
in spirit, and has dubbed us The Ramblers.
In the
continuing adventures of the group, we set out from
the hazy San Joaquin Valley about 9:15 on the morning of November
24, headed for the San
Joaquin River Gorge Management Area, and a hike on
the San
Joaquin River Trail.
We
arrived at the parking area, and after getting our hiking boots on
and loading up with water, cameras, extra jackets, etc,. got on the
trail about 10:30. All but Julie have hiked this trail at least
once; Wes and I several times. Although it goes all the way to the
Lower Finegold Picnic Area, about 12 miles down the river, only Wes
has or ever will make that hike. Our plan was to hike for about an
hour, then turn back.
With
lots of ups and downs, but no really steep sections, this is a
fairly easy trail, and we made good time, arriving at the blue oak
with the giant burl that was the farthest Carolyn and I walked
last April. After photos, we continued on a good ways past this
point, enjoying the perfect hiking weather, the trees and bushes,
the surrounding
hills, and the welcome but unexpected carpet of
green everywhere.
When
we planned this hike at least a month earlier, we assumed we
would be walking through brown fields and hills. However, we have
had a series of small storms, enough to get the new grass going, so
it is green everywhere. Hopefully this weather pattern will continue
and give us wild flowers for our spring hikes.
We
also expected much cooler weather, since the forecast was for a high
of about 63, and we would be finished well before the warmest part
of the day. Instead of the mid 50s we expected, it was well up in
the 60s, and warm enough at times that we were glad to reach a shady
spot.
When
we had decided we had gone far enough, we went up on a hill off the
trail to get a higher view. We also hoped to find logs or rocks to
sit on so we could rest and have a snack, but there were none, so we
started back down.
Below the trail there is a large water tank, at
least 50 feet in diameter, that probably serves the power house down
below it on the river. Dick declared that we must circumnavigate the
tank, an exercise that some thought pointless. However, part way
around we heard what sounded like water running, a very unexpected
sound in this dry country. Wes made his way down the adjacent
drainage, and discovered a small creek with a little waterfall. We
suspected that the water may come from the tank.
Meanwhile,
the rest of us went up on a little hill just behind the tank, and
found we could see the river a half mile or so below. We could also
see (and hear) the power plant. Instead of going back to the trail,
we walked out the dirt road that led
from the tank back to the paved road that continues past our parking
spot to the power house, and returned via this route. It
was the same type of scenery we would have had on the trail, but it was
much more level, although the hard surface was not the most
comfortable for walking. This was not a busy road - one car went by
during our walk. And one
tarantula.
When
we got back to the car, two and a half hours had gone by since we
started. Of course, there were many stops to take pictures, enjoy
the scenery and rest, but we agreed that we had experienced a very
enjoyable hike and got in our exercise for the day.
We
started back toward Fresno, but stopped in the village of Prather,
where we had a very good Mexican lunch at
Velasco's
Restaurant. On
the way home we discussed our next hike, but did not reach any
decision. We arrived back in town around 3 p.m., very much looking
forward to the next time.
San
Joaquin Trail East Photos
--Dick
Estel, November 2014 |
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Red
Rock Canyon Nevada
My
daughter Teri and I did not drive 400 miles to Nevada just to do a
morning hike. We went there for a hockey tournament that her son
Mikie and
his team were playing in. However, as soon as we knew about the
trip, we started discussing the possibility of doing something to
fill the time between games.
I knew Red Rock Canyon
existed, but didn't know much about it, including the fact that it is
a Bureau of Land Management property, and that it includes a nice
scenic drive with many marked stopping places and lots of hiking
trails. I did know that it was only about 20 miles west of the Las
Vegas Strip.
The only possible day for
this adventure was November 28, the day after Thanksgiving. The team
had only one game that day, at 1:15 p.m. Since the players have to
be at the rink 90 minutes before game time, we arranged for Mikie to
ride with a teammate, and Teri and I left the hotel around 8:30. We
were staying on the west side of the city, so it was less than 15
miles to the entrance of what we learned is officially called the Red
Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
We stopped at the visitor
center to get maps and information on the best way to utilize the
short amount of time we had, then continued up to the road to the
first vista point. At this location and many others you are looking
at the result of the ancient Keystone
thrust earthquake fault, which has left cliffs
and rocks of red, tan and white sandstone in many areas.
Like most similar areas,
the red indicates the presence of iron. One feature I had not seen
before was an area with red-spotted
rocks. The spots indicate
heavier deposits of iron, and these mostly small, circular areas
weather more slowly than the surrounding rock. Eventually they form
little balls known as Indian
marbles.
We hiked a short way down
a steep trail that goes to the bottom of a wash, offering varied
views of the surrounding rock
formations. Here we noticed the first
of many climbers on the rock
cliffs across the wash, but had no desire to
emulate them.
We made several stops,
each of which offered something slightly different. At one location
there are pictographs and petroglyphs, which are thought to
possibly
be several thousand years old. Another site offers an open, level
area with various common desert plants, including cholla cactus.
Teri had brought
sandwiches, so we stopped at a picnic area, where we did a short
walk before eating. Along this trail we saw a bush that looked ever
so much like the manzanita
that is common in the foothills and mountains near our home. Close
inspection showed that it was indeed this red stemmed bush, with
leaves that were a brighter green and slightly longer than those we
are used to. Appropriately it's called "pointleaf
manzanita."
There are a number of
short trails we had to skip and some longer ones, and I would like
to visit the place again, although Teri swears she will never go to
Las Vegas again. Time will tell. On the way out we stopped at an
area where the rocks from a distance had appeared rather plain, but
up close they had a nice variety of muted
colors.
Throughout the day we had
excellent weather, partly cloudy and cool enough to be comfortable
whether we were walking or resting. After a final stop next to an
area with a lot of cactus
and yucca, we drove out of the park
and back into the busy city, arriving at the hockey rink just in
time for the game.
If you decide to visit
Red Rock, the best web site for planning information is the Red
Rock Interpretive Association.
Red
Rock Canyon Photos
--Dick Estel, December
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San
Joaquin River Trail West Again
Although
it was not cold, the week of December 1, 2014 was rainy off and on,
and cloudy and gloomy much of the time. By Friday I was beginning to
question the wisdom of scheduling a hike on Saturday, December 6,
but it turned out there was no need to worry.
I had
invited Carolyn
Amicone, my friend and frequent hiking companion
with the Ramblers, to join me on what I warned her was a steeper
hike than we usually attempt. However, she has lived in Wyoming and
hiked in many of the recreation areas of that state and Utah, and
was ready for the challenge.
We
arrived at the South Finegold Picnic area in time to get on the
trail at 10 a.m., following the same route I took October
13. Since
my visit in October there have been a number of small rainstorms -
not enough to counter the affects of several very dry years, but
enough to get the grass and new plants started. The countryside was
nice and green in contrast to the golden brown of my earlier trip.
To go with that, the clouds that had hung around most of the week
disappeared and we had a blue sky and clear air with good views of
the higher hills and
mountains.
We planned to hike to the top of
the ridge which has been my
stopping point on most of my hikes on this trail, then decide
whether we wanted to go up the steep hill to the west that I went to
last time, and possibly up to Pincushion Peak, the slightly higher point just beyond.
We had
prepared a light lunch of PBJ sandwiches plus apple and orange
slices, to give us the needed energy for the additional hiking,
should we decide to try it.
Since
it was a Saturday, there were many cars at the parking area, and we
saw quite a few people on the trail, both hikers and bikers. We were
amazed at the strength and stamina of those who were riding bicycles
up this very steep trail, and ready to jump out of the way when they
came hurtling back down.
The
weather turned out to be so nice and sunny that we were glad to be hiking in
the shadow of the hills much of the way up. Once we got into the
sunny area, it was hard to realize it was December. We briefly
observed a moment of sympathy for those living in areas getting hit
by snow, ice and heavy rains.
Once
we got to where the trail crosses the ridge, we took the short trail
to the east, which goes to the
highest point in that direction. From there, an
abandoned but still usable trail drops steeply down to the
lake. A group of hikers went down that route while we were there,
and another adventurous soul came up on a bike. He admitted he had
pushed the bike much of the way.
We ate our lunch and
rested at this point, and contemplated the effort that would be involved in going
up the steep knoll to the west. We ultimately decided against this,
but instead continued on down the main trail for another 15 minutes,
a little farther than I have ever gone. This gave us some nice views
of a section of the high Sierra that is covered in snow, and framed
by the foothills and table mountains nearby.
We
reached a point where the trail started down hill, and decided that
it was time to go the other direction. We enjoyed the view from
that spot for a few minutes, then retraced our steps to the ridge
top and back down. On the way we enjoyed brief conversations with
a number of hikers who had started later than we did, and therefore
had to endure
considerably more sunshine then we had.
By the
time we reached the car we had been out about three and a half
hours, probably walking about two and a half - enough exercise
for a week.
San
Joaquin West Photos Again
--Dick
Estel, December 2014
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Photos
(Click to enlarge; pictures open in new window) |
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San
Joaquin Trail West
San Joaquin Trail East
Red Rock Canyon
San Joaquin West Again |
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San Joaquin River Trail West
(Finegold Picnic
Area) |
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Oak and pine woodland of the Sierra
foothills |
Lots of tall dead grass |
Low water in the Finegold
Creek branch
of the lake |
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The water for the lake originates
in
those distant blue mountains |
Ancient blue oak snag |
A little bit of lake in
a huge dry landscape
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Trail sign for barefoot kids
and very
small horses |
Pincushion
Peak looked too
far by
the time I took this picture |
Wake of a boat creates
an artistic view
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Dick at the lower summit |
The main trail crosses the saddle just
left of center |
Red, white and blue ribbons in a blue
oak tree |
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Looking back up from the saddle
to the
high point of my hike |
Buckeye adds another color to the fall
palette |
Where the trial divides |
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Bull pines cut down and cut up |
Live oak that's more
dead than alive |
The bones of a long dead bush |
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Dried seed pods of wild
cucumber |
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Table mountains mark the
line of an ancient lava flow |
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Burned log along the trail |
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San Joaquin Trail
East (San Joaquin Gorge) |
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Julie, Wes and Carolyn |
Dick, Carolyn and Julie |
Dick and Julie make their
way carefully
up the trail |
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Squaw Leap under light clouds |
The Ramblers at the
blue oak with the big burl |
A horizontal bull pine |
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Julie and Carolyn |
Someone we met on the road |
At Velasco's Mexican
Restaurant in Prather |
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Red Rock Canyon |
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Red Rock Canyon offers
endless twisted layers of rock |
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A study in red and green |
Can you spot the climbers here? |
Massive forces created
the disconnected
layers here |
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Fun to watch from a distance! |
Rugged peak in multiple colors |
Teri enjoying a short hike |
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Teri on the trail |
Watching these climbers
added interest
to our visit |
Left center, an elephant head
formation,
common in this type of sandstone
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A bit of red stands ot against
the
beige sandstone in this spot |
View from the highest point along the
road
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Dick and Teri |
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A dramatic cliff |
From a distance this rock looks plain,
but colors jump out when you get up close
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Hand print pictographs across the lower
part
of this rock may be thousands of years old |
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A chunk with once horizontal
layers has
landed sideways |
Unexpected in the desert, a manzanita
bush |
Red spots indicate heavy
iron
concentration
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There's been enough moisture to
get
some green grass started |
Cholla cactus, with yucca as a backdrop
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Teri captured this nice scene |
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Another from Teri's collection |
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Red rock panorama |
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Another panoramic scene |
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San Joaquin River Trail
West Again |
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Carolyn take advantage of
the "official" rest stop |
The area offers many views
of
the table tops lining the river |
Snow on the mountains - a
welcome sight |
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Conquerors of the mountain |
The ridge top where we
dined |
Erosion has revealed rocky
ridges along the hillside |
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A delightful layer of
green,
something lacking last December |
The lake at horseshoe
bend |
Last year's dead grasses
wave above the new green |
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Big Table
Mountain |
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The river lies
on both sides of this green ridge |
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Related Links |
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2012
Finegold Hikes |
2013
Finegold Hike |
2014
Finegold Hike |
Millerton Lake |
San
Joaquin River Trail |
San
Joaquin River |
San
Joaquin River Gorge |
Four
SJ Gorge Hikes in 2012 |
SJ
Gorge Hike in April 2014 |
Red
Rock Canyon National Conservation Area |
Red
Rock Interpretive Association |
Map
of the scenic drive |
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Nature
near Las Vegas |
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