Here's episode 2 of Tuolumne County Trailhead. The first Saturday of 2018 was rainy, but it didn't throw a wet blanket on the enthusiasm of 19 Trail Heads who walked the full 6 miles of Tuolumne's West Side Trail. We were treated to glistening, pearl-like water drops adorning red berries, hidden "historic" stencils, lots of rail, misty mountains, and friendly camaraderie. Hike for a cause -- we meet with Leslie Smith the organizer of the upcoming (2/25/18) "Dragoon Gulch Hike and Run" fundraiser for Sonora's iconic trail system. Finally, February takes us to the Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern in Chinese Camp. Patrick Congdon, a volunteer ranger with the Bureau of Land Management, and Glen White, geologist and educator, share what's significant about this special landscape.
Hike day dawned unseasonably warm for early February. The beautiful weather brought out a mob of
50-70 hikers to the trailhead! After a
brief orientation by Bureau of Land Management volunteer ranger Patrick
Congdon, the crowd quickly separated into more intimate clumps of 5-10 hikers
and dispersed along the trail. We were a
little early for the Red Hills’ claim-to-fame, the wildflowers. Instead we appreciated the geologic features (serpentine
rock, ultramafic soils, etc.) and plants which have adapted to this
nutrient-deficient environment (Foothills pine, Buckbrush, etc). While each group mayhave taken a slightly
different route with varying hike lengths, we all started at the North
Serpentine Road trailhead and walked along Horton Creek for a time. Some traversed the hills to South Serpentine
Road and looped back up to the starting point.
Some lingered on the Nature Trail studying the panels. Some saw a fox!
Here's a link to the Bureau of Land Management's information page on the Red Hills ACEC:
