(Day 1 of 7 4.) Looking at the map of Marble Mountains Wilderness, Portuguese Peak seemed like the obvious choice to start for a loop hike as there are two trails leaving from there. On closer inspection, there's actually about a mile of road to trudge along to join them, but that's not really so bad. I made a plan for a grand extravaganza around the wilderness. It was eight days at first, but I adjusted to seven. (A KML file of the plan can be found here. Import to Caltopo for best viewing?) I would head up Wooley Creek, then swing up Bridge Creek, tag Medicine Mountain, then up around Cuddihy Lakes. Plunge east to Marble Mountain where the Pacific Crest Trail runs and swing through Sky High Valley before actually taking the PCT south. Past Summit Lake and Cliff Lake, I would turn west again up Bug Gulch, then along more ridges to English Peak, past more lakes to Portuguese Peak and the long way down to the end. I checked what the forest said about the various trails, which wasn't much, and got myself to the trailhead. It has a bathroom and coral and picnic table and river access across the road and information beside the start of the trail. Besides the normal things, it also mentioned there's been a mountain lion spotted in the area. Do they think there's not mountain lions in the areas one hasn't been spotted? I got started on the well used trail under the shade of madrones.
Information at the start of Wooley Trail. It only actually says the name down on the road for the turn. The trail under the madrones.
It gets out far enough and turns to climb high, grabbing views of the Salmon River canyon, then out over Wooley Creek. I saw one review of the trail complaining that it travels high up above the creek rather than down next to it. I thought that was weird to say because I can read a map and I knew it did that before I got on it, but also this "creek" is sufficiently large to be part of the designated "Klamath Wild and Scenic River" (never mind the dam down there somewhere) and not something to cross every time a low trail hits a cliff. I'm fine with it winding along, high and dry.
Salmon River and a little taste of the slopes that exist above a large body of water snaking along. Sign for the Marble Mountain Wilderness in Klamath National Forest just short of the actual boundary at the ridge line up ahead. Salmon River churns as Wooley Creek empties into it. Portuguese Peak Trailhead is a short way up the road after the bridge. Up the canyon and to the mountains, that's the plan.
It may be up on the cliffs, but there is still some water available at small and large stream crossings.
A tiny water crossing, but you can hear it in the play of water, feel it in the cool air, smell it in the mud, see it in the flicker of light. Spheres of little flowers on a big bush of spikenard.
The area around Deer Lick Creek is clearly quite popular for camping. There's a large site and a smaller site just off the trail along with fully three different spots where people have cut steps into the dirt to help get down to Wooley Creek. The incoming Deer Lick Creek is plenty substantial for a water source and requires a few rock steps to cross with dry feet.
Getting a glimpse of the huge Wooley Creek. There is a swimming hole just above the rocky section. A bit more water in Deer Lick Creek than the unnamed seasonal stream before.
Across the creek, I found evidence that it has been a popular site for a while now as I noticed the dark shape of a tall chimney still standing among the trees where there was once a house. Well, perhaps a lodge by the size of the thing.
I went over for a better look at the fireplace that sits high above Wooley Creek near Deer Lick Creek.
There was a warning about entering a burned area among the information at the trailhead. The burn was quite evident as I continued to climb high above Wooley Creek once again.
If you look closely, there's a bit of Wooley Creek visible down there among the green. There's some tough looking ferns among the granite. Almost all the firecracker flowers are dried tubes for the season leaving just this one. The wintergreen keeps making me think I've found more coralroot orchids even when they have leaves, so this leafless wintergreen really confuses me.
The hiking upward wasn't so hard. It was certainly a nice way to start after being far too lazy in the previous weeks.
There's that mountain again, but getting closer. I met a new lily as big as the Humboldt lilies down south: a Washington lily. The blackberries aren't quite ripe. I tried two. Tiny tiny brookfoam flowers.
There is an inholding along the way and the cabin is just visible below the trail when passing the ditch that is a water source. Past the cabin, it's another stretch of trail with a lot of burn visible. It also comes with a couple small, deep canyons bridged just below waterfalls.
Big leaves (Indian rhubarb) like to occupy shallow edge waters all along the creeks. The first waterfall on Haypress Creek, seen from the bridge. Back down near Wooley Creek by a swimming hole. The trail never stays low for long. The waterfall on Bridge Creek from the edge of the bridge.
I came upon Fowler Cabin with plenty of light to spare and couldn't help but notice that three other people were already there. Quite the crowd. I get a lot of camps all to myself, so it wasn't so bad to find myself hanging out with folks for once. One (and the stock) were doing the yearly trail clearing. The other two were out to maintain temperature sensors. I was the only one not out working. They had rather poor news for me about the trail up Bridge Creek, but the trip was certainly working out so far. I said, well, I can always turn around. The trouble is, at some point in a loop you can't turn around and they didn't have any news for me about the trail down off Portuguese Peak.
Since I last wrote about digital maps, the S1 Mobile app has been shut down and the Forest Service released a new map app that looks pretty good. It might be time for a new post on maps. (Check the "equipment" tag for older editions.) USFS app in offline mode showing a section of the Pacific Crest Trail north of Marble Mountain Wilderness including intersecting roads, streams, and contours. As before, this will focus on legal, free ways to have maps stored on your handheld computer (AKA "phone") so you can have them anywhere and any time. While these are free, it does help insure that independent developers keep going next year if you send some money toward them. My criteria for a map app: Works offline. If you only have a map when online, you don't have a map. It is as simple as that. This is non-negotiable. Maps should include contours. I'm looking to hike with these maps after all. Shows location. User configurable storage opt...
Redwood National Park Click for interactive map On the prior Thursday, I joined the California Invasive Species Advisory Committee's invasive species tour of Eureka. It was at the last minute because I figured I knew all about these things since I spend a bit of time each week hacking them down as a volunteer. Of course, they were talking about the lesser known things and the tour started out with aphids that affect Sitka spruce terribly as we toured Mouralherwaqh, a patch of land that is Wiyot again. This one is not open to the general public, but we also visited the 'O Rew Redwood Gateway, a piece of land that is Yurok again, and is open to the public as of 1 Aug and where I discovered a new trail. I also noted that although this was most recently an abandoned mill site, there are some nice rounded tree tops poking out of the forest nearby, one of the signs of old growth. I decided I would be back to try that new trail. The sign at the after hours/overflow parking a...
Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link I was charged with deciding on a hike that kids could do, except I have no experience in this or in evaluating what a particular kid can do. Plus, I would be without any parental supervision. Alltrails offered up Cascade Falls as a possible suitable suggestion, except that it would be done on the weekend and is a very popular location. I liked a climb on Garrett's Pass and a drop on the Cascade Falls Trail, which is 4 miles and only 300 feet or so from bottom to top. (It goes from ~20m to ~100m.) That's not so much, right? And I even had the means for up to 2 kids to be self sufficient, able to carry water, snacks, camera, and a light sweater on their own. Self sufficiency for the win, right? The hike would be in the Patapsco Valley State Park, like most my hikes would likely be. This park has a mix of free lots and pay lots. The pay lots have different prices for in state or out of state, weekends/holidays or weekdays. T...
Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve Click for map. Picture Canyon is a little bit of open space developed jointly by the City of Flagstaff and Arizona State Parks. It boasts cultural artifacts and plenty of birding. The Tom Moody Trail makes a loop through the area to take in some of these. It sits at the edge of a couple bits of industry and my nose can't help but tell me that one of those is sewage treatment. Um, I mean "waste water". That won't dominate the whole area, but it is noticed in the wetter spots. A place to start with some parking. Signs include an area map. Ground zero for the stink up ahead, but certainly not the source. That is throughout the city. Trail heads toward the smell past an "outdoor classroom" that is benches and a semicircle of educational signs, then the loop splits. I head left away from the smell and into the trees, but also away from the cultural artifacts. It's an old road through gentle hil...
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