July 28: Geology or Botany

July 28

After breakfast, Rich takes the Geology hike with Richard Ross at 9:30 and returns at 2 pm. First there was a lecture describing the various rocks in the area (mostly granite) and how they were formed by glaciers and rivers.  Then they went on a several mile hike and Richard showed them samples of the rocks he described.

I went with Jane and Jerry for the botany hike which left at the same time but returned an hour later.  We saw many flowers and discussed the terrain in which they were found.  The five determinants that allow different plants to grow:  the rock type, the amount of plant/compost in the soil, the aspect or steepness, the climate, and the time allowed.  We identified over 35 different plants.

Penstemon

Large glove size funghi on tree

Coulter's Daisy/Great Red Paintbrush

Meadow Lotus

Penstemon azureus

Brewer's Lupine

Dinner that night was a Mexican theme:  guacamole, red bean dip, corn and black bean dip, chicken enchiladas with red sauce, tofu enchiladas with green sauce, rice and beans, salad and followed by pecan bars.

Our after dinner program tonight is by Phil Bartholomew, an 80 year old man that still hikes and loves to talk about his own adventures as a Fish & Game Warden.  Tonight he has slides from his father's adventure of four winter months in the High Sierra's; Gene Rose wrote a book, High Odyssey, from Orlando Bartholomew's diaries.  This was done in 1928 with rather primitive equipment; his sleeping bag alone weighed over 13 pounds!