TCT #48 -- Happy Trails to You

 

Wendy at Calaveras Big Trees,
South Grove (photo: Rebecca Andrade)

How do I say this?  After four years of tough, trippy, and tremendous adventures, and some enchanting "Trail Magic," the Tuolumne County Trailhead radio show has come to an end.  But first ... we need to finish our interview with Fia Lundgren, a Sonora local who through-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail last summer.  That's 2,650 miles in just over four months!  Give a listen to some stories!  If you're inspired but don't have the time to dedicate to a through-hike, remember the PCT crosses through our county, so it's pretty accessible to do a day-hike.  We recommended a few options last episode/blog.  You, too, can become a "PCT Hiker!"

The final episode also gives a whirlwind review of the previous four years, explains why the project is winding up, and highlights a few of my favorite memories of hiking with you Trail Heads.

Many, many people made the project possible, and I do my best to recognize and thank them all.  Here's an attempt at a thorough list:

• Park and public entity employees and volunteers including rangers, interpretive folk, archaeologists, and Search and Rescue volunteers:  Peter Wisniewski, Patrick Congdon, Mike McGraw, Hilary Maxworthy and her husband Jim, Lisa DeHart, Rebecca Andrade, Diana Fredlund, Curtis Kvamme, Molly Day, Joel Silverman, Pat Sanders and her husband Harold, Barbara Balen, Tyler Summersett, Kelly Leage, Stephen Johnson, and Leigh Spokas and Joe Manlove.
• Teachers and subject-matter experts:  Lisa Murphy, Erin Naegle, Glen White, Tom Hofstra, Jeff Tolhurst, Anke Husher, Ross Carkeet, Ron Good, Carlos Geisdorff, Shelly Davis-King, and Sean Osborn.
• Advocates and enthusiasts:  Seth Connolly, Jenna Levy, Caitlin Rich, John Buckley, Brian Kermeen, Ellie Routt, Anthony Castanos, Wesley Trimble, Jason Torlano, and Fia Lundgren.
• Artists and writers:  Diana Beasley, Buzz and Karen Eggleston, Cate Culver, Dave and Ilyssa Kyu, and Robin Eschner, who gave us permission to use her late husband Bill Horvitz's composition "Switchback" as our theme music.
• Other hiking-enablers:  John DeGrazio, Guy McCarthy, Karie Lew, Leslie Smith, Kathi Joye, Steve Weldon, and Lisa Mayo.
• A couple of personal heroes:  Kevin Gong and John Muir Laws.
• Old and new friends who shared their talents: Shelly Davis-King, Phyllis Ashmead, Sheri Betz, Corinne Grandstaff, Deborah Campbell, Patricia Harrelson, Barbara Balen, Rebecca Andrade, Gary Stockel, Brian Burns, Robert Swift, Vonna Breeze-Martin, Linda Emerson, Gay Hunt, Robert Stockel, Ann Thompson, and Amy McKinney.
• Family who provided moral support, suggestions, and more:  my son, Seth Zaharias; my daughter-in-law, Sabra Purdy; and her mother (and general manager of KAAD-LP 103.5 FM, Sonora's Community Radio Station), the very persuasive, creative, and energetic, Ellen Stewart.
• My husband, Dean Zaharias, for behind-the-scenes suppport, counsel, and so much more!

It's tough to say goodbye, Trail Heads, but thanks for all the great times out with the best people in the loveliest environment!  I expect to post to the blog from time-to-time.  I hope you will keep hiking!  Maybe I'll ... see you at the trailhead!

Here is a link to the final Tuolumne County Trailhead radio show:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYRjen9kER6R0di8YndvU7XcRJvlMmIc/view?usp=sharing

TCT #47 -- Fia Lundgren, Part 1

Fia Lundgren at the northern terminus of 
the Pacific Crest Trail -- 2,650 miles DONE!!

This adventure is simply TOO BIG to be smooshed into 30 minutes!  TCT #47 -- Fia Lundgren is our first two-parter.  Fia, a Sonora resident, accomplished a 2,650-mile, 4+ month through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail this year from late spring until mid-summer.  I got together with Fia to hear her stories of preparation (minimal),  perseverance (maximal!), fun (epic), growth (transformational), friends made (many), gear (wonky), animals (lions, bears), and more.

Her story continues next month as a fitting finale to our project.  Yes, TCT is ending after four years.

We're still making hiking recommendations to the very end.  This month's all revolve around the Pacific Crest Trail so you might get a taste of what Fia experienced.  Our easy and medium hikes set out from the PCT trailhead at Ebbett's Pass on Highway 4 about 43 miles east of Arnold.  The easy 4.1-mile round trip, takes you north to Upper Kinney Lake along a trail of undulating hills with views of rugged rocky outcroppings.  Here's a link to the All Trails hike description: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/upper-kinney-lake-via-pct.  The medium hike takes you south to Noble Lake, a 9-mile round trip.  Prepare for significant ups and downs!  Here's a link to the All Trails hike description: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/noble-lake-via-pct

Our challenging hike sets out from the PCT trailhead at Sonora Pass on Highway 108 about 35 miles east of Strawberry.  Go north on the PCT for an 8-mile round trip to Wolf Creek Lake (at 10,200').  This will require some wind -- you'll be hiking at high elevation and on the way to the lake, you have a steady uphill climb with an elevation gain of over 800'.  Here's a link to a GaiaGPS track someone posted: https://www.gaiagps.com/hike/305053/wolf-creek-lake-via-pacific-crest-trail/  This track is for trailhead location and basic route.  The person who posted it claims it's "easy."  Don't believe it!

Here is a link to TCT #47 -- Fia Lundgren,

Part 1:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SdWU0ypMJHzQdLENrEyO-GMbs9OlINk3/view?usp=sharing

Here is a link to Fia's fabulous video of her amazing PCT adventure:  https://youtu.be/4KG9Z5WnWaM

And, here are more photos that Fia shared from her four months of trail life on the Pacific Crest Trail!

Fia with ultrarunner Tim Olson
who set a FKT (fastest known time)
record on the PCT this summer.  He
completed the trail in
52 days, 8 hours, and 25 minutes!

Fia and "the guys"

Pre-dawn ascent of Mt. Whitney

TCT #46 -- John Muir Laws

John Muir (Jack) Laws &
friend (Tule Elk skull)

When the National Forest closes, do what Jack Laws (formally John Muir Laws) does -- go on a mission of discovery in your own backyard!  Your most useful tool will be your nature journal.  Give a listen to this month's Tuolumne County Trailhead radio show, and Jack's enthusiasm and optimism are sure to give you a lift:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hL8_YIyvWfF73NVVoMuG0KXarDx3m51C/view?usp=sharing

Jack is a science educator, a research associate of the California Academy of Sciences, a regular contributor to "Bay Nature" magazine, and author/illustrator of several books and guides.  Among Trail Heads, he's best known for his 'Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada," an indispensable resource on the trail for identifying anything from fish to flowers to feces (ahem, "animal evidence").  Here's my well-worn copy!

If you don't have a copy of your own, they're available for purchase at the Summit Ranger Station in Pinecrest, the Mountain Bookshop, and Sierra Nevada Adventure Company.  You may order from Jack's website, https://johnmuirlaws.com/, where you'll also find a ton of nature journaling resources; information about the annual Wild Wonder nature journaling conference; and free drawing lessons presented by in step-by-step diagrams and video.

As mentioned above, over Labor Day and until September 18, 2021, all of the national forests in California closed "to minimize the likelihood that visitors could become trapped...during emergency circumstances, decrease the potential for new fire starts at a time of extremely limited firefighting resources, and enhance firefighter and community safety by limiting exposure that occurs in public evacuation situations, especially as COVID-19 continues to impact human health and strain hospital resources."  After seeing the havoc that the Washington Fire wreaked near downtown Sonora, we can suck it up, right Trail Heads?!?  This year's overriding lesson has been that "we're all in this together."  We're fighting the pandemic with our best weapon -- the vaccine, and we're fighting wildfires by preventing them in the first place.  After all, most wildfires are human-caused.  No more needless, preventable deaths on the fire OR the pandemic scene!

So, keep it close, VERY close, to home for a bit -- follow Jack Law's lead and do some exploring in your own backyard.  If your wandering bone just won't settle down, you can fashion an easy, medium, or challenging out of the Dragoon Gulch Trail, the West Side Trail, the ditch trails, the trails at New Melones Reservoir, or the trails at Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  We have hiked at all of these locations, and if you page through this blog, you'll find trip reports, photos, and links to the TCT radio shows where we talked about the trails.

Our hearts go out to those who lost homes and critters in the Washington Fire.  To help, check out the various GoFundMe's that have arisen: search "Washington Fire" at https://www.gofundme.com/en-us.  Watch for fundraiser events or make monetary donations through the Sonora Area Foundation: https://sonora-area.org/.  For a broader reach, make monetary donations to the American Red Cross which assists victims of wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief.html.  The California Wildfire Relief Fund promises every dollar donated goes to relief and rehabilitation of evacuated families and rescued wildlife: https://www.californiawildfirerelief.org/

TCT #45 -- Leigh Spokas and Joe Manlove

Leigh and Joe rescue a dog that
fell down a 35' mineshaft
on the Columbia College Campus.
Leigh received grateful
poochie kisses when she reached
the forlorn doggo. 

We've all seen the funny motto, "Support Search and Rescue -- Get Lost."  This month's TCT is all about how NOT to need to call SAR; when you SHOULD call SAR; what happens while you wait for SAR; and the various ways SAR might extricate you.  I spoke with the effervescent Leigh Spokas and her husband Joe Manlove, both Tuolumne County Search and Rescue volunteers, for the low-down on SAR.  Leigh's enthusiasm audibly dampens when recounting Joe's recent accident and rescue (by Leigh and his fellow SAR teammates) on Table Mountain.

Give a listen:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1THO5HQHGGjBiXkO1GP2vTg1-7AfAtAQ1/view?usp=sharing

Here is a link to Leigh's business, California Climbing Company: https://www.californiaclimbingcompany.com/

Here is a link to the website of Tuolumne County Search and Rescue:  https://www.tcsar.us/

This month's hike recommendations all share the same trailhead off of Leavitt Lake Road.  To get here, you'll have to head over Sonora Pass.  Leavitt Lake Road is about 3.5 miles east of the top of the pass.  It's a hard right into a dirt parking area.  From here it's about three miles to Leavitt Lake.  Technically, it's possible to drive to the lake ... BUT ... after one mile and a sometimes wet creek crossing, the road becomes deeply rutted requiring high clearance 4WD, plenty of experience driving such roads, AND nerves of steel!  I prefer to walk the road and watch the high-jinks of drivers braver than me.  I mentioned the first mile is drivable -- and parkable in places.  You can reduce your hike distance by driving in a bit.  But DON'T make the hard left to cross the creek -- the road condition deteriorates here!

Anyway -- once you get out of your vehicle, head on up Leavitt Lake Road.  For the moderately easy walk, stop at Leavitt Lake, rest and explore a bit, then head back.  For the moderate hike, go to Leavitt Lake then head east up to Ski Lake (or west to Koenig Lake).  For the challenging hike, go to Leavitt Lake then visit BOTH Ski and Koenig Lakes OR make it epic and hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, go north and summit Leavitt Peak (11,500', the highest point in the Emigrant Wilderness).

Below, I've posted a link to the AllTrails page with descriptions of the hikes up Leavitt Lake Road to Leavitt Lake and Ski Lake.  This is the best resource/most accessible map and description I could find for the area.   It's NOT EXACT!  Some notes on these routes:

The "Leavitt Lake Trail," 7.8 miles, includes an extension past the lake almost to the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.  It also makes a partial loop if you're looking for some variety on your way back on the jeep road.  Our moderately easy hike is this trail up to the lake only -- a round trip of slightly under 6 miles.  The mileage includes walking from the parking area at the intersection of Highway 108 and Leavitt Lake Rd.

The "Ski Lake and Leavitt Lake" trail, 9.2 miles, makes a figure-8 loop first out to Ski Lake via a high trail then taking a low trail to almost circumscribe  Leavitt Lake before returning to the jeep road.  Our moderate hike doesn't include the loops and is a 7.5 mile round trip.  The mileage includes walking from the parking area at the intersection of Highway 108 and Leavitt Lake Rd.

To get to the junction with the PCT, go about 1.65 miles south through the camping area on east side of Leavitt Lake heading uphill on the warren of roads and trails.  To get to Leavitt Peak, go north on the PCT another 3-ish miles to the Leavitt Peak spur trail on your left.  If you want to summit, its a scree-ful scramble of another 2/3 of a mile to the top.  All told, to summit Leavitt Peak from this approach, the hike is 8.32 miles ONE WAY.  The mileage includes walking from the parking area at the intersection of Highway 108 and Leavitt Lake Rd.  (A shorter, more direct approach to Leavitt Peak is to start at Sonora Pass and hike south on the PCT -- about 6 miles ONE WAY.)

https://www.alltrails.com/explore/us/california/coleville?b_tl_lat=38.31228250124087&b_tl_lng=-119.60332831141446&b_br_lat=38.29843067517322&b_br_lng=-119.59035252203161

Here are some photos from the Leavitt Lake area to stimulate your hiking bone...

Approaching the PCT junction at Leavitt Lake

View of Koenig Lake from
trail to Leavitt Lake, 9/28/20

View of Leavitt Lake from PCT heading
to Leavitt Peak, Sept. 2015

View toward Leavitt Lake Rd. from
trail to Ski Lake, Aug. 2017

Ski Lake, August 2017

TCT #44 -- Lisa Mayo

Lisa Mayo

I had to do a double-take when I learned of ANOTHER "Trail Heads" program in Tuolumne County.  I learned it was a project of Visit Tuolumne County, our tourism bureau, intended to encourage visitors and residents alike to get out on our trails.  Of course, I had to learn more!  Lisa Mayo, the President and CEO of Visit Tuolumne County, was happy to oblige.  She's the subject of this month's interview.  We discuss the program, the initial dozen trails, the incentives and bonuses (badges and frames for your social network), hiking responsibly, sharing the trail, leave no trace, plans to add more trails according to seasons or attractions, and more!  Lisa is a livelong Tuolumne County resident and loves our trails and natural beauty.  She and I had a BLAST talking about hiking, as you can tell.  So give a listen then go to Visit Tuolumne County's website and explore their recommended hikes, record the hikes you've taken, and claim (and display!) your badges!

Not to show off,
but I got one of these!

Here is a link to the July 2021 Tuolumne County Trailhead radio show, TCT #44 -- Lisa Mayo:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SMpWRXQPf4iS0cDTnvcrzom2Fqflk2rM/view?usp=sharing

Here is a link to Visit Tuolumne County's "Trailheads" hiking challenge: https://www.visittuolumne.com/hiking-biking-trails

And here is a link to the flyer of the first dozen of Visit Tuolumne County's recommended hikes:  https://www.visittuolumne.com/vtc_trail_heads-map.pdf

Ya know, with every 1,000' of elevation gain on a clear day, you may subtract about 5 degrees in temperature.  Our hike recommendations this month are all at a minimum of 7,000', so while the lowlanders in Sonora (at about 2,000') are baking, you can be chilling in the mid 70's!  All three hikes are along Herring Creek Road (also known as Forest Road 4N12), about 2.5 miles east of Strawberrry.

Trail of the Gargoyles in the snow;
see what I mean about the precipitous rim?!?

Easy:  Trail of the Gargoyles -- take this interpretive trail, and you can check off one of the Visit
Tuolumne Trailheads hikes.  There are two trails -- the easier Trail of the Gargoyles, https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/trail-of-the-gargoyles-hike and the slightly more difficult Trail of the Gargoyles North Rim, https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/trail-of-the-gargoyles-north-rim  Features include such kid-pleasing names as "Wall of Noses," "Death Slide," and "Gargoyle Ridge."  Be careful along the precipitous rim of the formation. On your way, stop off at the Summit Ranger Station at Pinecrest on your way to pick up an interpretive guide.

Pretty Herring Creek

Moderate:  Just a short way from the Gargoyles is the lovely Herring Creek Trail.  This is a fairly easy hike but moderate due to the length -- a total of 7 miles.  But those miles are green and shady with a stop by the reservoir then a walk along the creek.  Go 3.5 miles then turn around at the prominent "Main Trail" sign, and retrace your steps back to the trailhead.  The trailhead is in the Herring Creek Reservoir Campground.  The campground is currently closed; you may park outside then walk in.  The trailhead begins at the end of the campground road.  This hike isn't in AllTrails, so here's a link to the campground's webpage with directions:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=15035&actid=29

Challenging:  Pinecrest Peak, 8,445', will cool you down -- AFTER it wipes you out, haha! 

Near the Pinecrest Peak summit

To get to the trailhead, take Herring Creek Road for about 2.8 miles then turn right on Forest Road 4N27 (watch for the "Message Board" sign); drive to the end of the road.  The trail starts on the other side of the bride over Herring Creek.  There aren't many signs on the way up, but they're there when you need 'em!  Here's the AllTrails skinny on the trail:  https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/pinecrest-peak and also our own trip report of our 9/1/18 hike up Pinecrest Peak: https://tctrailhead.blogspot.com/2018/09/trip-report-pinecrest-peak-9118.html

TCT #43 -- Jason Torlano

Jason Torlano

In a "Christmas in July" vein, we offer a winter in the heat of summer retrospective with this month's TCT interview.  Our subject: Jason Torlano who, with Zach Milligan, did the first complete ski descent of Half Dome on 2/21/21.  Jason grew up in Yosemite and learned to ski at Badger Pass.  As an adventurous youngster in the park, he acquired some legendary rock climbing and ski-mountaineering mentors and honed his winter adventuring skills.  Jason is credited with over 20 first ski descents in Yosemite National Park including many from the points off of Glacier Point Road.  Jason also discusses his experiences in the Army, as a contractor in the Middle East, and setting ropes for high access work on wind turbines.  We also learn about what's closest to his heart: his family (wife and four kids) and his work in Syria and Myanmar with the humanitarian organization, Free Burma Rangers.

Here's a link to the radio program with the Jason Torlano interview:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yEbMpY_Lx29vsvWHlcy83YpfujxO7STR/view?usp=sharing

Here's a link to the Free Burma Rangers webpage: https://www.freeburmarangers.org/

Interpretive panel at Glacier Point -
Nevada Falls in center

To offer a sense of the scale and scope of Jason's first descents in Yosemite, this month's hike suggestions are all along Glacier Point Road.  For the easy hike, about a half a mile, drive out to the end of Glacier Point Road and walk the loop at the Glacier Point Overlook.  There you'll take in the grand vista of Half Dome, Clouds Rest, parts of Yosemite Valley, up the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, and out to the rugged peaks in the east.  See this link for details and directions:  https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/glacier-point-trail

Taft Point guard rail -- Yosemite Falls to mid-left

For a medium route, first you should drive to Glacier Point and walk that loop then hop in your car and
double back to the Sentinel Dome Trailhead for a 5.3 mile loop that takes you out to Sentinel Dome for great views to the north including stunning Yosemite Falls, then down the Pohono Trail to Taft Point for even more views then a forested walk back to the trailhead.  See this link for details and directions:  https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/sentinel-dome-and-taft-point-loop

View from Dewey Point - 
Bridalveil Falls in center

The challenging hike is a full-day adventure with a lot of driving.  Get some friends and take two cars into the park.  Leave one car at Tunnel View, cram into the other car, and drive to Glacier Point.  Here you'll embark on the Pohono Trail for 14.5 miles back to Tunnel View where you'll cram into the car there and drive back to Glacier Point to pick up the other car.  The point-to-point hike will take about 10 hours including must-do spur jaunts out to Sentinel dome, Taft Point, Dewey Point, and Crocker Point, hiking, resting, photographing, and snacking.  Also for negotiating some downed trees requiring scrambling and some minor re-routing.  It's about a forty-five minute drive between Tunnel View and Glacier Point, so there will be a fair amount of time spent driving, too.  See this link for details and directions:  https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/california/pohono-trail-glacier-point-to-inspiration-point

Also to consider -- in 2022, Glacier Point Road will close for the entire year for road improvements and rehabilitation.  So, this is the year to get your Glacier on!

And remember -- you need a reservation to enter Yosemite National Park this summer.  Here is a link to the park's website with info:  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm

The links to the trail descriptions for this month's hikes are all from AllTrails, a hiking trails app with worldwide crowd-sourced trail reviews, photos, and resources.  AllTrails has both free and premium versions.  I use the free version for reference, ideas, and current trail conditions.  I understand the premium version offers tracking.  There are other similar services; for instance, I pay an annual fee for Gaia GPS and track my hikes there, which is a lot of fun!

TCT #42 -- Wesley Trimble & the AHS

Wesley Trimble via Zoom

One of the first resources I discovered when I undertook the Tuolumne County Trailhead project was the American Hiking Society.  The AHS has a number of initiatives including National Trails Day, Volunteer Vacations, Hike the Hill, and Alternative Break.  In our first two years, we participated in National Trails Day (the first Saturday in June), hosting two trail service projects -- picking up trash on trails at Fraser Flat and Pinecrest.  When Covid hit, I looked to AHS for guidance on how to safely get outdoors and continue hiking.  For May's radio show, I reached out to AHS for info about how they're handling this year's National Trails Day.  They put me together with their Communications and Creative Director, Wesley Trimble, a Colorado-based lifelong hiker who's passionate about public lands and trails.  Wesley and I talked about National Trails Day, hiking responsibly, and some of Wesley's personal projects -- among them, he's summitted all of Colorado's 14'ers!

Here's a link to the radio show TCT #42 - Wesley Trimble & the AHS:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TTtLAmKthbMoCguT-zhDy0EZKQRLIFBa/view?usp=sharing

And here are a bunch of links to sites Wesley and I discussed:

• American Hiking Society's website:  https://americanhiking.org/
• Wesley's website:  https://www.wesleytrimble.com/
• Recreate Responsibly Coalition's website: https://www.recreateresponsibly.org/

Wesley was featured in an in-depth interview on the Adventure Sports Podcast.  Give a listen:  https://www.adventuresportspodcast.com/2021/03/ep-709-embracing-weakness-in-mountains.html

In lieu of an in-person event for National Trails Day, TCT recommends donating to 3 Forests Interpretive Association (https://www.3forests.com/donate/).  We encourage you to designate your donation for the benefit of improvements to the "Shadow of the Mi-Wok Interpretive Trail" in the Stanislaus NF, Summit Ranger District.  (See our virtual event on the AHS's list of National Trails Day activities: https://americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/find-an-event/#search-virtual-events/view-event-details15/60a5698929d40f0020cf25ff/.)

This month we're observing a couple of seasonal occasions:  The Opening of the Pass and the Blooming of the Dogwoods.  When the pass opens, my husband and I trek over to the East Side to observe the snow level and to reward ourselves with a meal in Walker.  However, this is a "flat-butt"-inducing amount of time to spend in the car.  Break it up by stopping off for easy walks at any of these short nature trails along the way: 

Just as you turn off Highway 108 to go to Pinecrest, on the right is the quarter-mile Shadow of the Mi-Wok Interpretive Trail.  Here's a link to the trail's webpage with info and GPS coordinates:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=15081&actid=50

Archaeologist Shelly Davis-King
at a replica Mi-Wok shelter
November 2018

The Donnell Vista is further up Highway 108, between Eagle Meadow Road and Clark Fork Road.  A left turn off the highway, it offers a sweeping view of the Stanislaus River canyon, the Dardanelle Cones, and Donnell Reservoir.  Here's a link to the vista's webpage and GPS coordinates:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=15073&actid=50

Donnell Vista -
Accessible Nature Trail!

The last of the three short "stretch your legs" options when taking the long drive over the pass is the Columns of the Giants, a mini-Devil's Postpile, is almost to Kennedy Meadows, at Pigeon Flat, to the right off the highway.  Here's a link to the geological site's webpage and GPS coordinates: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/stanislaus/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=15071&actid=50

Columns of the Giants, summer 2020

The dogwoods are in bloom, and you can see them on many of our forest trails.  They put on a real show on the Sugar Pine Railway, Twain Harte Branch.  This rails-to-trails conversion runs five miles between Confidence and Lyons Lake.  For a medium outing, walk about 2.5 miles in (then out -- 5 miles, duh!).  If you want more of a challenge, walk the entire route both ways for a double-digit accomplishment!  Here's a link to the interpretive brochure for the trail with directions to the trailhead and more: https://www.tuolumnecountytransportationcouncil.org/single-post/2016/08/10/Lyons-to-Twain-Harte

Dogwood along the Sugar Pine Railway,
Twain Harte Branch, May 2020
Note the metal walkway on the
flume below!