Fridays are about Mineral King on this California artist’s blog. Just reminding you, in case you are wondering where’s the art. . . or perhaps you only tune in on Fridays. Welcome! (and Mineral King is a HUGE source of inspiration to this California artist, so it isn’t really off topic.)
Michael, aka Trail Guy, likes to go off trail, which is the only way to get up Empire. There is a great deal of interesting history up there.
The most visible rock outcropping on Empire isn’t really the highest point on the mountain. Bit of a poser, that outcropping.
The trail to Empire and to Timber Gap (and Sawtooth and Monarch and Crystal) is full of giant, giraffey steps. These aren’t the worst ones!
Just follow this drainage up to the bunkhouse, the road, the mines and the peak(s)
That’s Case Mt. in the distance.
Be careful, Trail Guy! I’ll just wait right here for you.
Waiting is never a problem with me. This weighed next to nothing in my backpack. I believe it enjoyed its adventure.
There are mine remnants all over the side of Empire.
This is a road, built in the 1870s. I am not making this up. There were horses and mules hauling wagons full of ore, right here.It was the 4th of July, and I amused myself by looked for a group of wildflowers that contained red, white and blue. Why do we always say it in that order? There are five other ways we could arrange those colors verbally, but they just don’t ring.
Did we really go up there?? Not me, but Trail Guy did. My inner slob prefers to sit and knit, take photos, and contemplate matters of consequence.
Trail Guy hiking off trail … reminds me of my dad. Did Trail Guy learn ‘hiking off trail’ from dad or dad learned ‘hiking off trail’ from Trail Guy. Several times dad would refer to ‘Foreman trail’ … when someone asked what that term meant, I say respond with ‘you don’t really want to know’ having been on many, many, many ‘Foreman trails’. I should have taken my cross-stitching with me …
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Trail Guy hiking off trail … reminds me of my dad. Did Trail Guy learn ‘hiking off trail’ from dad or dad learned ‘hiking off trail’ from Trail Guy. Several times dad would refer to ‘Foreman trail’ … when someone asked what that term meant, I say respond with ‘you don’t really want to know’ having been on many, many, many ‘Foreman trails’. I should have taken my cross-stitching with me …
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