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Rockhouse Basin
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Spring comes earlier to the southern Sierra, typically long before the higher elevation of the High Sierra further north. This gives us an opportunity to do some dirt backpacking in late May and relatively close to home. Our trip last year to the Domeland Wilderness was a lot of fun so we decided to try it again. A little farther south along the South Fork Kern River from our route last year lies Rockhouse Basin. It's a pretty easy approach from the trailhead along the Long Valley road, only 5+ miles downhill from the car to the river. We invited our son Bobby and his fiance Chandler along for the long weekend. This would be Chandler's first backpacking experience. From what she's said, it won't be her last. We set up camp near the river (which is running good but much lower than last year) for easy access to some safe swimming.
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| Chandler stands by a very large boulder |
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| Plain Mariposa Lily |
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| California Broomrape |
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| Larkspur |
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| Red-rayed Hulsea |
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| White Dome (left of center) |
On our layover day we hiked out and back to a pass near Rockhouse peak overlooking Manter Meadow for a nice lunch spot. The map shows a trail up the gully we hiked, but it is severely overgrown these days.
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| We start our day with a camp visitor. |
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| Our destination for the day is the distant low point in the Domelands ridge, 2000 feet above camp |
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| This old cabin remains in Rockhouse Basin from the pre-wilderness days when you could drive in. |
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| Climbing the gully on the non-existent trail |
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| Rockhouse Peak is on the right |
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| A look down to Manter Meadow from our lunch spot |
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| A giant among nolinas. |
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Heading back to camp at the river below
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| Mountain Kingsnake to end the day |
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All that was left to do on the last day was walk (uphill!) back to the car. Just before we turned away from the river we heard a strange bird song. We couldn't come up with a name from the song, so took a few recordings. Try as we might we couldn't get the little skulker to come out of the willows for a view. At home later Susan put a name on it and we compared the sonogram of the song to published media. Sure enough, a Kentucky Warbler, and the first record for this species ever in Tulare County.
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| Blainville's Horned Lizard |
Thanks so much for posting this montage. My family and I started coming to Rockhouse Basin in the 70's....you're right, we used to drive into the basin from the road to Kennedy Meadows right after you crested the hill from coming up highway 395. I remember there was a farmhouse off to the left and a concrete water hole where you could stop to refresh yourself from a pipe that had running water flowing into the small catch basin. From there, it was, as I remember, about 5-7 miles down to the river....on a very rocky and bumpy road. 4 wheel drive most of the way. Years later, when the area was made a Wilderness Area, the Government fenced off the roadway, way back almost to Kennedy Meadows road. We spent every summer up there hiking and camping by the river, usually just in the springtime and early summer because there was fairly low flows in the river during late summer. One of my friends and I actually hiked down the river all the way to Canebrake (highway 178) once and let me tell you, that was a slog. Lots of brush and bouldering but amazing, amazing scenery and fishing...omg, the trout that we saw and caught downriver...astonishing! Right before we hit highway 178, we met a super nice lady named Joyce Shaw. She lived on a ranch just adjacent to where the Canebrake Ecological Reserve is now. She was an amazing individual who had lived in the valley all her life. In fact, if I remember correctly, her grandparents were one of the first , if not the first, white settlers in that area. As well as having a ranch in Canebrake, Joyce and her son had actually owned and raised cattle on 40 acres of land in what was Rockhouse Basin. After the government designated the land a Wilderness Area, they were only able to keep using the land as long as there were cattle grazing on it every year. Don't know what ever became of Joyce and her son but here's praying she had a wonderful life and will be remembered by someone other than me. She was a genuinely nice person.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great comment!
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