Wooley Creek: Fowler Cabin

Klamath National Forest

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(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.

Continue to the next day ⇒




©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 8 Jul 2020