In this episode of Tuolumne County Trailhead, we get the inside scoop on hiking trails in the Stanislaus National Forest! Listen to Rebecca and Wendy's conversation with Wilderness Supervisor Joel Silverman about his favorite "secret" trails in our three local wildernesses -- the Emigrant, the Mokelumne, and the Carson-Iceberg. Joel and Rebecca also give a glimpse into the upcoming Stanislaus Wilderness Volunteers (SWV) annual meeting on Saturday, 4/27. Rebecca is President of the SWV this year and has committed to a mercifully fast and efficient meeting from 10am to noon at 10 S. Forest Rd. in Sonora. The group will then travel to Tuolumne to take a Leave No Trace Awareness hike at 1pm on the West Side Trail. You don't need to be an SWV member to take the hike. The mission of the SWV is to "preserve the wilderness character of designated public lands through education, example and coordinated effort in direct support of US Forest Service work in the Emigrant, Carson-Iceberg, and Mokolumne Wilderness areas of the Stanislaus National Forest." The organization provides free training in Leave No Trace education and wilderness preservation and restoration techniques. There's a membership dues of $50/year (which mainly covers insurance) which may be reduced for seniors/students/low-income. Here's a link to the SWV website:
http://www.swv1.org/
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| Sutter Buttes Geology |
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| Dean Place, Sutter Buttes |
Episode 17 also features a report of a "Remote Possibility" hiking weekend Wendy took with Trail Heads Corinne Grandstaff and Shelly Davis-King. The threesome took two hikes in the Sutter Buttes: a "Wildflower Exploration" at Dean Place (near Yuba City) and a "Ranch Exploration" at Shaeffer Ranch (near Live Oak). The Sutter Buttes are billed as "The World's Smallest Mountain Range" and are largely in private ownership. Four families allow limited hiking through agreements with Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes
http://www.middlemountainhikes.org/. Middle Mountain is what all the local tribes called the formation which was sacred to them all.
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| Gary & Wendy at Brushy Peak |
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| Morgan Territory |
Our April 6 road trip to Livermore to hike at Brushy Peak and Morgan Territory was lovely but sparsely attended with only Wendy and Gary Stockel making the journey. Despite predictions of extreme weather conditions, it turned out to be a perfect day, and we explored another area that was sacred to native people.
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| Peoria Mountain Trail |
Finally, for our next hike, May 4, we'll have Ranger Hilary Maxworthy along to guide us on a wildflower exploration of our own at New Melones Lake's Peoria area northwest of Jamestown. Ranger Hilary has arranged to open the old New Melones Dam Overlook for parking for the hike and picnicking after. We're planning on hiking a 6-mile loop that includes Peoria Mountain. Mercifully, approaching the mountain from this starting point provides for a slightly less demanding haul uphill. Thanks, Ranger Hilary!
Listen to the episode here (be patient while the Google Drive file downloads):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g8HNRaQ5m8Yd0vS8R3uaekDfAsdoRAf8/view?usp=sharing
