Where’s Chihuahua? This is the name of a bowl and a drainage with a seasonal creek that ends up near the pack station in Mineral King. It is up the Timber Gap/Sawtooth trail, on the way to Cobalt and Crystal Lakes. We were joined by The Farmer, Hiking Buddy, The Heir and his wife (I’ll […]
Trail Guy Goes to Farewell Gap. Again.
I am currently working on things that don’t belong on this blog. These things are often not in Mineral King, and since Mineral King is the most popular topic on the blog, I am showing you photos of recent hikes by my husband of almost 33 years, Trail Guy. Eventually I will be working on […]
Trail Guy Goes to White Chief. Again.
Hey Central California Artist who hikes, what are you doing these days? Not working, not hiking. Then what? I dunno. Knitting, reading, helping people, yardening, editing, planning for drawing lessons in September, thinking about painting ideas, messing with the calendar design. Some of that IS work! Yeah, but I like it all. Why aren’t you […]
Mineral King Wildflowers, Penstemon
Penstemon is a family of wildflowers that have tubes, which hummingbirds like. How’s that for a non-scientific explanation? There are many types of penstemon, and I know the names of some of them. Others are confusing, so if you are really into this, maybe you can discover the names. And remember, I only deal in […]
Hiking to the Flowers, Part 3
The junction of the Franklin Lakes and Farewell Gap trail is notorious for abundant wildflowers. I left the area reluctantly, as Trail Guy became Off-Trail Guy while I headed back to the cabin.
Hiking to the Flowers, Part 2
Trail Guy and I parted ways at the junction. He wanted to go off-trail, and Prudence told me to stick to the trail. (I do best when I listen to her.) These are his photos from across the East Fork of the Kaweah, on the north-facing slopes of Farewell Canyon. Tomorrow I’ll show you photos […]
Hiking to the Flowers, Part 1
Trail Guy and I wanted to continue enjoying wildflowers at their peak, so we headed to the Franklin/Farewell Gap junction, 4 miles from the Mineral King Valley floor.
Secret Walk in Mineral King
I mentioned a friend in a recent post, someone I have mostly known through email correspondence. Last week she showed me a trail I have never heard of, and it seems to me that it might be very localized secret. So, out of respect for people’s privacy, I will simply show you photos but keep […]
A Long Walk in Mineral King, Part 4
Maybe today we will conclude our Mineral King hike among the wildflowers. I will cease referring to Trail Guy as Off-Trail Guy now, because we rejoined a trail. I wonder why this hike felt farther and more difficult than in my memory. The flowers were the best I’ve ever seen, so it was worth the […]
A Long Walk in Mineral King, Part 3
Are you all rested after the lunch break and ready to make like a cow-pie and hit the trail again? (Never mind. We weren’t on a trail yet.) After our lunch break among the yellow unknowns, we crossed a little spring or drainage, a wet place that I named Everything Spring. Every possible wildflower was […]