Rambler Hikes 2025 Page 3

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Balsam Forebay          FINS Trail

Balsam Forebay

Jeff Scroggins, an extraordinary bluegrass banjo player, made a CD called "Ramblin' Feels Good." On October 20, six young-at-heart senior citizens set out on a Sierra Nevada trail to test the validity of that claim - and at the end of our adventure, we agreed that we all felt good.

This was the 137th Ramblers hike, and after more than ten years hiking we were delighted to welcome a new Rambler, Patrice White, who most of us worked with at the Department of Social Services. Also along on this outing were Sue Wirt, Don McClellan, Charlotte & Pat Tilkes, and me, Dick Estel.

Our destination was Balsam Forebay, a part of the Southern California Edison hydroelectric project, about half way between Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake. It had snowed over a foot at Huntington about five days earlier, and there was still snow along (but not on) the entire trail. However, the weather was warm enough that a t-shirt and light sweatshirt were almost too much.

The trail is a loop with only a few very moderate uphill sections, and the return half is a dirt road that provides access to the lake, but is closed to public traffic. The snow, the evergreens, and the granite rock formations along the way made this a very scenic and pleasant hike.

We spent probably a half hour at the lake, sitting on some moderately comfortable rocks and discussing various important topics, none of which have stayed in my mind long enough to be part of this report.

Sue has some mobility issues and chose to wait at the trailhead, sitting in her chair and reading, and moving between sun and shade and enjoying amazingly nice temperatures at this 6,600 foot elevation.

Although our hike was just a little over a mile, the effort and the fresh air gave us a good appetite. When we're in this part of the mountains, we usually eat at a restaurant in Prather, about 35 miles from our starting point in Clovis. This time we chose the Pizza Factory, a chain with outlets in many small towns throughout California, featuring not only excellent pizza, but delicious sub sandwiches.

We felt fortunate to be able to hike at a fairly high elevation in October, and hope our luck continues for our November outing, which will also take us over 6,000 feet (of course, we have a Plan B if needed).

--Dick Estel, October 2025

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Challenging anticipated rainstorms, the Ramblers enjoyed an easy, delightful hike on November 12. For some time the forecast for that date had called for afternoon rain. Since we are as always, undaunted, we believed we would be fine. By the time the date arrived the weather people had decided the rain would not start till late that night, or maybe the next morning, or....sometime.

As it turned out, we had intermittent clouds and sunshine, walked comfortably in lightweight shirts, and did not see rain until mid-morning 24 hours later. Our hiking location was one we had visited in 2017, the FINS Trail (for Friant Interactive Nature Site). This trail starts near the fish hatchery in "downtown" Friant, and runs parallel to the San Joaquin River. The "interactive" part is the Small Fry Trail, a loop off the main paved route lined with things to interest and educate kids - several animal and fish models, a beaver dam, a slide, other play areas, two bridges, a raft, a canoe, and a bed of pea gravel, simulating a place where small trout hide, with shovels for people who like to dig in the dirt.

We were eleven strong for this outing: The Sohms, Keith and Beth; the Tilkes, Pat and Charlotte, Susan Silveira, Laurie Fitzgerald, Wes Thiessen, Patrice White, both Don's, McClellan and Bandoni, and your faithful reporter, Dick Estel.

Since this is the era of global warming, there were quite a few flowers out, including some that should have stayed hidden until at least February. The only ones I could identify with certainty was a handful of California poppies. In time for Christmas, there was a bunch of mistletoe on a low-hanging branch, within easy reach. We left it there.

The trail officially ends at Lost Lake Park, where an old gravel pit has created a sort of small lake on the San Joaquin River. The river is visible at several locations along the FINS trail, and is a constant companion as you continue your walk through the park. There were lots of people camping and enjoying the warm fall weather. I hope they made it out before the big rains of Thursday and Friday.

We finished our hike around 11:30, and set off for the nearby Table Mountain Casino and the Blue Oak Grill, where we have eaten a couple of times in the past. The prices are fairly reasonable, the food good, and there was only a short wait to be seated. During lunch we discussed previous and future hikes. We also solved many of the world's problems, if only those who cause them would listen to us.

With cooler weather coming, we will continue to seek low elevation sites for our next two or three hikes and hope we continue to have a good turnout.

--Dick Estel, November 2025

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