This is how Mineral King looked on Thanksgiving Day.
Not much water, not much snow, not much color
Not much snow, not much sun, not much color.
Ditto to the above comments. This is looking down from the junction of the Timber Gap/Monarch Lake trail.
Sawtooth, minus much snow, as seen from the Timber Gap trail.
Crystal Creek, not much water, no snow, not much color.
Heading back from Crystal Creek, not much happening visually.
Hey! Sunshine!
Please, God, send some rain and snow.
It is Friday, so here is a little piece of Mineral King for you to dream about:
Vandever in Autumn, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $95
That is a bizarre title; please be impressed with the way I incorporated Mineral King into a Friday post. (Tahoe is postponed until next week.)
Would you like to see some of the things I will have at tomorrow’s bazaar?
Great, glad you asked.
The lavender purse is spoken for – please forgive me for taunting you with it. See the bright stripes at the very bottom of the photo? Those are socks, which are too big for me, dang it. I think a women’s size 7-11 foot would work in them. See those red felted slippers? They are too small for me, dang it. I think a women’s size 5 would work in those.
But what is this box? Yes, I hear you wondering about it.
Trail Guy and I are not above scrounging in places where people have disposed of items. I INSISTED that we rescue this box. He said it was junky. I agreed but asked him to shore it up anyway, because storage boxes are functional and cool and it would be great to paint on. He complied with my request. and then added wheels too. The lid doesn’t quite shut, it isn’t completely smooth or totally square but it is clean, has wheels, and will hold lots of knitting or whatever floats your boat.
And this is the final selection of calendar photos. We did it!! Thanks to you, Tulare County photo calendars are now available!
There is beauty in the shoulder seasons in Mineral King. There is beauty in all seasons in Mineral King. In spite of that, it is a summer place to me. I feel sad when we close the cabin, when I am no longer there half of every week and not hiking, knitting and reading guilt free, and not turning on the computer but cooking on a wood stove.
On the other hand, it is hard to live in two places. (Now that’s an embarrassing statement – sounds like “It is so difficult to manage a household staff” or “Stupid Rolls got another flat tire” or “My latest hair extensions weren’t quite the right color”.)
We usually spend the final weekend at the cabin chasing the sun. This year was no exception. I’ll let the pictures speak for the rest of this post.
On Labor Day, there was a car fire on the Mineral King Road. I didn’t write about it then because there were hikes that were more interesting.
We were on our way down the hill when a car coming up stopped us to say there was a fire down the road. The driver said 3-4 miles, but it was 7-8 miles down. When we saw the smoke ahead, we stopped in the shade of an oak tree about a quarter mile above the excitement.
There was a very long line of cars, some with people sitting inside, but most were empty.
We walked down to see what was around the corner. Something about a helicopter is so fascinating. Add a bucket of water and a fire, and you’ve got a happening event!
This was only part of the crowd. We knew lots of people and had all sorts of mini reunions as we watched the action.
When the water was released, we got a bit of spray and a few drops. It was hot out, but not unbearable and the water felt good.
It was caused by something electrical. Bummer.
Isn’t that cool? After the car was no longer in flames, most of the water drops went onto the surrounding area, soaking it in case of errant sparks or embers.
Here is what I found truly remarkable and wonderful:
1. No one got surly about waiting.
2. Everyone was friendly.
3. The help came in time to prevent a horrible wildfire, in spite of no cell phone service.
What an organized place we are privileged to live in! All those skilled and trained and competent professionals and volunteers with fabulous equipment that works, sitting ready for such an unfortunate event. I felt proud to be an American, thankful to live in a place that can handle potential emergencies without incident.
Hmmm, this is all so weird. I will refrain from sharing my opinion about the government shut down, because people come to this blog to be entertained and inspired. Discussing a difficult and divisive subject could possibly be entertaining, but I doubt if it would be inspiring.
Have a look at a painting of a familiar, comforting scene in Mineral King. Feel inspired. Feel entertained. Don’t worry, be happy!
Mineral King Autumn, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $95, sold
In early September, I had the pleasure of a weekend at the cabin with two dear friends. They requested a hike to a lake. Eagle is steep, Mosquito didn’t call to me, one friend has been to Franklin twice, Crystal is really difficult, and Monarch is far but has a well-graded trail. It was ten miles round trip, and a good time was had by all.
This guy knows he is safe on the west side of Farewell Gap this time of year.
Hmmm, maybe we should have gone to White Chief – look how the sun is shining over there.
It is always reassuring to come to this sign, which is not telling us that Crystal Lake is a DIFFICULT 1.4 miles compared to the 1.2 relatively easy miles to Monarch.
Are these trees considered “monarchs”? Is that how the lake got its moniker? (couldn’t help myself – monarch and moniker obviously go together)
Some folks were swimming. I hate immersing myself in cold water – hate it!
A weird view of Sawtooth – too close to see its true shape.
I love these women dearly.
They look chummy and palsy here, but I think they might be propping one another up!
Mineral King is a happening place in the summer, especially in August, and most especially on weekends.
The Mineral King Preservation Society has two annual events. One was called the “hoe-down”, and was a square dance. It developed into a concert with stories of MK history, and it came with dinner.
Have a look:
Okay, dinner wasn’t a big deal – just sandwiches, fruit and cookies. No one complained, and nothing was left over.
Keith and Esther call themselves “Mankin Creek” and they are FANTASTIC musicians.
Hi Mary – glad you were having such a good time!
Can’t remember these peoples’ names, but they have been camping in MK for years and years.
Hi Jenna! Nice family portrait!
And then the moon rose. It was a wonderful August evening. Maybe you’d like to come next year!
Some people collect rocks. Some people learn about them, join clubs, polish them, and make jewelry. Some people notice shapes, some notice textures, others notice patterns, and I notice colors and sparkles. Here is a collection of photos of many rocks found through the years in Mineral King. They are all Leverites – “leave ‘er right where you found her”.
These were all found on the way to Soda Springs by people who notice shapes.
Galina, the stuff the Mineral King miners got excited about.
Shape, color, patterns all appear in this one rock.
The color is turquoise but the rock is not (and I’m not telling where!)
Anything white, sparkly and sort of crystalish gets called “quartz” by me. I don’t know the difference between quartz and mica.
Multi-colored and sparkly – got my attention! This is part of some mine tailings in White Chief.
This obsidian was found on Empire and must have been traded with other Indians from the east side of the Sierra for the making of arrowheads.
Oh yes, we heart Mineral King. It rocks.
I don’t want to tell the world where this hike is because I want it to stay trail-less. So, I’ll show you photos. If you know where it is and you choose to comment, don’t write the name, okay? Thanks!
I hiked the first 5 miles wearing my old Tevas. Isn’t that amazing? I recently discovered that I probably have Plantar Fasciosis instead of Fasciitis, and wearing Tevas sort of proved it to me. (You can learn about it here.)
That is an Explorer’s Gentian gone mad – usually they have 5 petals.
Time to switch to hiking boots, leave the trail and begin the upness.
Looking back.
Are you tired of your trails going up and up and up? Leave the trail and find out what up and up and up really feels like!
And up some more.
Very uppity place.
Can we stop now? I want to savor this place.
No really, can we just sit here for about an hour?
A BRAND NEW-TO-ME FLOWER!! Anyone know what this is??
No, really, can we stay here?
Nope. Miles to go before we sleep.
Hey! Stonehenge!
Okay, we are finally leaving the Uppalachians and heading home.
More of my favorite late summer wildflower, this time with the proper number of petals.
Wait for me! I have to change back into my Tevas! Thirteen miles total (thank you, Cowboy Bert, for the loan of that very nifty Garmin device which told us that our highest point was 10,800′) and 8 of them hiked in old Tevas that I bought used on eBay in 2007. Incomprehensible, but I think my foot is finally on its way to healing!