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2024 Rambler Hikes
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2024 Page 1
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San
Joaquin Gorge SJR Trail
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San Joaquin Gorge - San
Joaquin River Trail
(Photos by Wes, Dave & Dick)
For
our first Ramblers hike in April, we went to a familiar place, the San
Joaquin River Gorge Management Area. From the parking area you can
hike down to the San
Joaquin River (the Bridge Trail), or west on
the San
Joaquin River Trail, which parallels the river but is high
above it. It goes 14 miles to the Finegold Picnic Area at the end of
Sky Harbor Road by Lake Millerton. We don't walk that far. Instead
we make this an out and back hike, and go as far as we want, then
turn back. In this case, we went a little over a mile each way, a
pretty good workout for an older group of hikers on a warm day. Our
group consisted of Wes, Don B, Ardyss, Susan S, Laurie, Dick, Dave
and his daughter Megan.
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The
Ramblers at the start of the trail |
This
spot does not look that steep, but loose rocky dirt makes is a bit
tricky |
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As
we prepared to hike, we were met by a ranger with the
Bureau of Land Management, who proceeded to give us some helpful
information (much of which most of us already knew). He
explained the fee policy, $5 per car but no cost to those who had a
Federal recreation pass; $10 for camping or $15 at sites with two
picnic tables. He also advised us to stay on the trail - "you
can see snakes on the trail, but not in the tall grass." Two
members of our party were new to the area, I have been there well
over a hundred times, and the rest have made a good number of hikes
there. I did not mention that in all my time there, including
backpacking and camping, I have seen only two snakes, one of them
dead and one alive but not
a rattler. |
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Hiking
west with wind-blown clouds above |
It was
still bright green everywhere |
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The
grass is still fully green and the flowers beautiful, but not truly spectacular.
Most of the usual species are represented, but in small numbers,
with no big splotches of color. There are a number of places on the
road in to the area where many bush lupines grow, bur with the
exception of one small "forest" of brilliant blue blooms,
most had already gone to seed. This was also true of many of the
low-growing wildflowers along the trail. Nevertheless, we enjoyed
every blossom, and have no complaints. There
were quite a few good size patches of mustang clover. They were too
far off the trail for me to photograph, but Wes managed to get a
good shot. The yellow harvest brodiaea was out in good numbers,
and of course, we saw that old favorite, "unidentified."
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Mustang
clover |
Harvest
or golden brodiaea |
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The
temperature was warm but not too hot, and we finished our hike
before it hit its peak. We did take a few short jaunts off the
trail, mainly where the grass was short. Snakes may have seen us,
but we did not see them.
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Formerly
Squaw Leap, this mountain is now San
Joaquin Butte |
Megan on
the trail |
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As
we usually do when hiking at the Gorge, we finished our day with a
delicious lunch at Velasco's Mexican Restaurant in Prather. I don't
know about the others, but when I got home, I made up for missing my
nap, realizing I had to rest up for the next Ramblers hike, only
four days away.
--Dick
Estel, April 2024
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