Berryessa-Snow Mountain NM
|
Zim Zim Falls Overlook Berryessa-Snow Mountain NM |
February 27, 2016
Something a bit different is happening today. Despite having been a
member of the Sierra Club for 50+ years, I never actually have gone on
a hike with the group. Go figure.
That is about to change, however. After securing a ride with a nice couple from Davis, we speed over to the north end of Lake Berryessa, which actually is a big reservoir.
At the last available rest stop
Near Milepost-24 is a green gate, which is our trailhead. Having been apprised of the prospect of numerous creek crossings, I am wearing an older pair of boots and neoprene socks. If I must have wet feet all day long, so be it; at least, they won't be overly cold.
Our group is comprised of five men and a dozen women
A sign on the gate references the Knoxville State Wildlife Area; but as of last year, this land now is part of the expanded Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. Although the local townships are in favor of the change, some cynical dissenters are concerned that the Feds might decide to swoop in and take control of everything. I trust that my companions are just happy that the area now has some increased protection.
An Osage Orange has fallen from its bush
The first ford
If all the crossing are this 'difficult', I'm going to feel pretty silly in this footwear before long.
Zim Zim Creek
Several of the group are quite knowledgeable about flowers; these particular specimens are familiar to us all:
Shooting Stars
Indian Warriors
One of the guys is watching for newts. Aha! There's one now.
After three miles of walking and multiple stream crossings during which my feet never came even close to getting wet, is it time to count heads and decide whether to proceed over to the base of the falls or climb the hill to an overlook and have something to eat. The stomachs prevail; we will continue up the road.
Everyone is here
The place name Zim Zim apparently derived from a misspelling of Zem Zem,
the name of a sulfur spring and hotel located near here in the 1860s.
As the story goes, an Islamic visitor drank the water, then exclaimed that it
tasted like the waters from the sacred well of Zem Zem, an important stopover
point for pilgrims traveling to Mecca. The name stuck —
until it didn't.
And there it is — the main attraction, looking better than the photos I have seen. My own photo isn't so hot either, though. I must apologize to the group for not having toted a better camera today.
Zim Zim Falls are more than a hundred feet high
The planned stopping point already is occupied by a young couple. Their reverie having been interrupted, they soon depart.
The standing couple in blue probably didn't want so much
company
On the way back, there remains the option of detouring over to the base of the falls. No one seems willing to volunteer to hold up the group for the better part of an hour, and this newcomer to the group is not about to be the only one to raise his hand. There is time, however, to revisit the wildflower garden:
More Indian Warriors
The return walk is faster, or seems to be
One woman asks how many stream crossings there were; I suggest seven. Someone else questions that total, so perhaps my brain has failed me. I must investigate further.
End of the line
§: Well, that was a very pleasant outing. Excepting the
falls themselves, the scenery was relatively unexciting; but that condition
was more than offset by the great company and intelligent conversation.
Everyone in the Sierra Club is a nice person. Why else would they be
there?
Eventually I learned that at least two others besides myself did want to venture over to the base of the falls. I definitely will do that next time.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Flowers | |
| Solitude |  |
So how many stream crossings were there, actually?
One blogger's suggestion of eight is impossible unless a different creek is
being added to the total. We started out on the left-hand side
of the stream and lunched on the right-hand side, making it a certainty
that there were an odd number of crossings.
Another writer stated that there are nine fords; in any case, it was
time to get to the bottom of the matter. A review of the route on
Google Earth has revealed that Zim Zim Creek was indeed crossed nine
times today — in each direction.
