Hey beyondnature1980 community! I’m still buzzing from our recent drive down from the Huntington Lake Road Junction, through the Kaiser area, and down to Shaver Lake on Highway 168. This route isn't just a scenic drive; it's a journey through California history. Up at Huntington Lake, it’s humbling to remember that the deep basin was first used by the Western Mono people, and later by early European ranchers and loggers in the late 19th century. The sheer scale of the vision held by those early settlers, particularly figures like Henry E. Huntington and engineer John S. Eastwood, is mind-blowing. They realized the potential of Big Creek, harnessing the 4,500-foot elevation drop to create the massive Big Creek Hydroelectric Project starting in 1909. These pioneers and engineers moved mountains, literally, building the network of dams and tunnels that created Huntington and Shaver Lakes—earning it the name "the hardest working water in the world." The whole drive down, you're literally tracing the path of that history, moving from the high alpine start to the community of Shaver Lake, which itself was built on a foundation of logging before becoming a crucial piece of the hydroelectric puzzle. What an incredible legacy left by those early builders! But the true reward is the stillness I found once I stopped. I pulled off the road, brewed a steaming cup of herbal tea, and just watched the dense, towering forest. It was the perfect moment to reconnect and truly feel that 'beyond nature' calm. Driving through this area, you're constantly reminded of the logging and hydroelectric history, but stopping allows you to appreciate the enduring, quiet beauty that remains.
I found a video that might interest you, focusing on the historical heart of this region: The Wild True Story of Huntington Lake and the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project https://youtu.be/-S9AqzASSAM?si=mQOGQ...
beyondnature1980
Hey beyondnature1980 community! I’m still buzzing from our recent drive down from the Huntington Lake Road Junction, through the Kaiser area, and down to Shaver Lake on Highway 168.
This route isn't just a scenic drive; it's a journey through California history. Up at Huntington Lake, it’s humbling to remember that the deep basin was first used by the Western Mono people, and later by early European ranchers and loggers in the late 19th century. The sheer scale of the vision held by those early settlers, particularly figures like Henry E. Huntington and engineer John S. Eastwood, is mind-blowing. They realized the potential of Big Creek, harnessing the 4,500-foot elevation drop to create the massive Big Creek Hydroelectric Project starting in 1909. These pioneers and engineers moved mountains, literally, building the network of dams and tunnels that created Huntington and Shaver Lakes—earning it the name "the hardest working water in the world."
The whole drive down, you're literally tracing the path of that history, moving from the high alpine start to the community of Shaver Lake, which itself was built on a foundation of logging before becoming a crucial piece of the hydroelectric puzzle. What an incredible legacy left by those early builders!
But the true reward is the stillness I found once I stopped. I pulled off the road, brewed a steaming cup of herbal tea, and just watched the dense, towering forest. It was the perfect moment to reconnect and truly feel that 'beyond nature' calm. Driving through this area, you're constantly reminded of the logging and hydroelectric history, but stopping allows you to appreciate the enduring, quiet beauty that remains.
I found a video that might interest you, focusing on the historical heart of this region:
The Wild True Story of Huntington Lake and the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project
https://youtu.be/-S9AqzASSAM?si=mQOGQ...
#HuntingtonLake
#ShaverLake #Hwy168
#CentralCalifornia #HighSierra
#KaiserPass #FresnoCounty #HistoricCalifornia #BigCreek
#EarlySettlers #MountainAdventure
#CaliforniaRoadTrip
#ForestTherapy #Nature
#OutdoorAdventure #MountainView
5 days ago | [YT] | 26