Fresno County
View East From Kaiser Peak
Wait a minute! I thought
Fresno County was known for its agriculture; its fruit and nuts. Well, the
western half of the county is known for agriculture. Fresno County is the sixth
largest county in California and the forty third largest county in the U.S. with
an area of nearly 6,000 square miles. The
Eastern third of Fresno County is wilderness and high Sierras. Those who backpack here from around the world
are aware of this more than most of the half million folks who reside in the
city of Fresno.
I have had the privilege
of being a civilian on the Fresno County Sheriffs Search and Rescue (SAR)
Team for nearly a decade. It has allowed me to travel in and appreciate most of
the Fresno County wilderness areas. These areas include the John Muir
Wilderness, the Sierra National Forest, Kaiser Wilderness and much of Kings
Canyon National Park. There are small herds of Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep in
Fresno County. They are endangered but making a comeback with human help. I
briefly spotted two sheep in Sixty lakes Basin this summer. The John Muir Trail (JMT) begins in Yosemite
Park to the north and runs through the Sierra National Forest and Kings Canyon
National Park, both of which are in Fresno County. The third highest mountain
in California is in Fresno County. North Palisade is 13,249’ and a favorite of
mountaineers.
As someone who has been
fortunate enough to section hike the John Muir Trail, be flown into other
wilderness areas by Eagle One the SAR helicopter, backpack remote areas of
Fresno County like the Sixty Lakes Basin and Humphreys’ Basin, there is no
other area I have visited with any more beauty than Eastern Fresno County.
So, yes the answer is
that Fresno County is known for
agriculture and for wilderness activities. It has more lakes than any other
California County. I have always been an outdoorsman and was a member of the
forestry club in my high school back in Michigan. I once said to a trail
running friend, “I wish I had been born here in California.” He responded, “You
don’t have to be born here but it’s important to get here as soon as possible.”
I agree.
Mountain Passes
Mountain peaks and passes have one major thing in common. They provide
a unique perspective; a singular view. Peak bagging has a singular mission to
reach the top. I have done some peak bagging but the peaks are what can be
termed “walk ups”. There are no
mountaineering skills required. Being an average person, Peaks like Kaiser,
Half dome, Cloud’s Rest, Mitchell, Alta, Givens and even Mt. Whitney have been
conquered as day hikes.
Glen Pass Looking North
Mountain passes are different than peaks because they are traversed as
a means to get to another place. It also means that the pass can be approached
from more than one direction. For example, most of the passes on the JMT can be
crossed from south to north or north to south. In fact, mountain passes can
actually be higher than many mountain peaks. Glen Pass (11,978’) is higher
than Kaiser Peak (10,320’). Passes are high altitude ‘assurance markers’. Often
there is a sign denoting the pass name and altitude. Passes are also used as
boundaries between Counties or Parks. Kearsarge Pass (11,760’) is an east- west
boundary between Inyo and Fresno Counties. Forester Pass (13,200’) is a
boundary between Kings Canyon to the north and Sequoia National Park to the
south.
This is about mountain passes but it is also about a portion of Fresno
County that even residents are generally unaware of. I am an adopted son of
Fresno County having lived here only my last twenty two years. Those years have
been filled with personal growth and a spiritual joy that is enhanced by being
in the mountains. Is it any wonder that the Israelites received God’s words
from the mountains in the wilderness?
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