Max Water at Folsom Lake, Driftwood Teepees and Birds

Deciding this might be the last cool day of spring, I decided to take a Folsom Lake hike to check out the great water conditions before the heatwave.

The takes me 20 minutes of driving in light traffic heading due east on Douglas Blvd to reach the ranger pay station entrance, $12 USDfor day use.
Here, we’re looking north from the high point above the parking area, before turning right and heading south towards the dam.

Folsom Lake is near max capacity now, with stream and snow runoff about equalling lake outflow. The difference between the usual drought years’ lake height and this high water world is striking.

The trail area south is more open than the northwestern shore, heading north away from the dam, especially the half mile hilltop trails starting at the parking lot. The clouds and mild temperatures made for a pleasant walk.
The start. As the crow flies the total distance I hiked is only 2.2 miles (3.5 km), but of course it’s much further following the curving, up and down trails. All the pink exposed granite you see in this old Maps screenshot is now inundated deeply.

I packed the usual requisites for a peep of my age and delicacy: half frozen drinking water in a kombucha glass bottle- verboten at the lake but I’m a rebel- and an empty plastic filter canteen in case I run out and need to drink from the lake.

Which is pure water mostly, and where Roseville gets its water, then treats it. You could drink right from all this snowmelt, but why take a chance? Technology.

Here I’ve turned south toward the dam. Heavier tree growth ahead from here on for a short while.
At max zoom you can see the lake’s water level can’t get much higher.

I made my gorp in case I got famished, consisting of Sun Maid California raisins, pecans, cashews, California almonds and California pitted deglet noor dates (3, large). Yum.

Of course TP and paper towels for hygiene; a travel book, Down the Nile, by Rosemary Mahoney (highly recommended); and small Gerber pocket knife in case I’m attacked.

The high water means the shoreline is now a series of delightful little coves below the hill promontories.

The rest of my necessities are: Nikon underwater shockproof travel camera, and old small Galaxy A8 cell phone for 911 emergencies and camera backup. It’s my tuneserver for Bluetooth speakers and headphones too. But I don’t play music outdoors, to maintain situational awareness for reasons of personal security.

Most of the little new bays close to the parking lots had sun bathers, swimmers, boaters and floaters enjoying what is probably the last temperate weather lake day until September.

I’m wearing excellent lightweight, water resistant hightop hikers but my poor feet, the right one especially, are arthritic, neuropathic and hammer toed, so my goal in hiking is always to be able to get back unassisted to the car without using the Galaxy A8. This goal determines my route, speed and (hopeful) destination.

Driftwood collects in the downwind coves.
A quarter mile or so beyond the parking lots the crowds in the many coves thin out to almost pristine bareness of peeps, except for those with kayaks or powerboats who go where they like with ease.
Looking NNE.

The theme of this lake hike was driftwood teepees.

Originally built far from the distant water for welcome shade, the teepees now have boat wake waves lapping at them from the near record high water levels.

The trees underwater everywhere show how long drought conditions obtained here, some are hundreds of yards (meters) offshore now, yet somehow are still surviving so far.

The trees are so confused.
For many years this was parched, bare granite and granodiorite, with the lake a good little hike away.
This one is Longhouse or Puptent style, for full reclining. Using it now, you might get wet.
Canada geese are omnipresent, feeding constantly on something on or near the surface invisible to me.
Bold as brass and not shy.
Floating, paddling, eating, grooming and crapping, it’s a goose’s life. Nice spot for it.
The only patch of lupin I saw: I’m either too early or more likely too late. My botany is nonexistent.

About a mile (1.6km) on I stopped for a rest, ice water and gorp, and this selfie.

Looking confused and sweaty in too-small specs I don’t mind losing from 5 years ago.

I’ve paddled my inflatable kayak around flooded trees like this here before, and I know what this snowy or cattle egret is hunting. The many fish that school around the tree clumps, feeding on the bounty of flooded land. Though I’m sure she’d skewer and devour any stray frog, lizard or snake in the foliage as well.

Yellow thistle? I’m pretty stupid about some of the things all around me my whole life.

Nearing the end because of elderly fatigue and faulty feet, this wide open and sunblasted area has many hideously large, many million semoleon McMansions, some crowding down almost to the trail. The horsey set.

Here’s the Lat/Lon for my turning around point, a tree grove just beyond the locked gate leading to the dam causeway. This Goog Maps image must have been taken at the last drought’s max extent judging by the acreage of exposed pinkish/yellow granodiorite and white DG sand.
I don’t what it is but it’s pretty.

The hike back was faster because I stopped for no gorp nor pics. I did stop several times on steeper hill upgrades to catch my breath, and mop my face and buzzcut with my boonie hat- a Desert Storm era cap and not my own Vietnam War period hat, but a good one.

Here is the entire hike route with lat/lon information. Straight line crow-flight distance 1.1 miles (1.77 km) one way: distance hiked up and down the curving trails was lots longer.
Distance measured in a straight line. The northward hike on the west shore, north of Doron’s Point, is a bit more scenic, and more shaded. I’ll take it for the next hike, hopefully before October.
I sought out these shady spots and didn’t rush the walk back to the car.

Unless noted, all text and images by todgermanica.com.

3 thoughts on “Max Water at Folsom Lake, Driftwood Teepees and Birds”

  1. Nice narrative about your hike. For future reference, I think you can google What is this plant? and it will tell you. Probably apps for that as well. Were there homeless camps by the lake? I harvested a yellow squash day before yesterday, my first pick of the season. I will wait until I get another squash before I saute it with onions, garlic and Trader Joe’s all Italian virgin olive oil.

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    Reply

    • I’ve heard of those plant ID apps, I need one for birbs too. Saw a tiny titmouse at home, pretty rare here. Like to know the variety.

      If I sit still in my backyard gravity chair, the robins and mourning doves and LGBs (little gray birds) drop down in pairs to feed. Poking, pecking, and clawing up bugs and seeds like tiny chickens 10 feet from me. They must be like T Rex, I’m invisible unless I move.

      The dove’s soft iridescent feathers are brilliant. They staccato squawk on launch but don’t honk constantly enroute like Canada geese and ducks do. I love their owl-like cooing at twilight. So melancholy.

      I saw no homeless volk at the State Park, I’d expect the rangers would detect them since it’s day use only. Not to say they are not around wilder parts of the park, it is big. But not so close to Granite Beach, and the Ritchie Rich houses towards the dam.

      Sounds like a tasty recipe for organic homegrown squash. I like it when someone else cooks it but I’ve generally failed trying it. Thanks for the comment.

      Reply

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