I woke after about 6 hours and took to reading Tortilla Flat at 3AM before getting a few more hours of sleep. That seems to be how too long nights work. I didn't get moving until almost 9AM. Steinbeck helpfully points out that a watch is useless: 7AM is a fine time to be sitting out on the porch in the summer when the sun is already warming it but not in the winter when it isn't even light yet.
Some of the most beautiful bits of fall color on the creek were just below the camp site, especially in the morning light. Some nice, big trees above the camp.
I didn't bother to put on my socks and tried not to think much about the water as I hit the crossing and stepped into it. It didn't feel quite so shockingly cold, but when I stepped out, I could feel the function in my feet was reduced by the chill. Then there were the downed trees to navigate before the last crossing.
When documenting a log across the trail, it is always good to put something like a hiking stick in for scale. Now, who has an 8 foot crosscut saw? This is a far easier way to pass a log. That was a long way to underbuck on this admittedly somewhat smaller log.
I sat down to wring out as much water as I could before pulling on my socks for the rest of the climb, then noticed what I'm assuming is an old sign post has some odd details. There's a groove cut all the way down one side, a bigger groove down the other, and nails hammered into the top. Fence post? The blazed tree next to it offered no help. It doesn't have a blaze for that direction, either, but there is a trail marked on the old 15 minute quads. I got moving upward. Snatching a little bit of view while climbing the ridge. Everyone has their own way of making trail signs. The bears are enthusiastic on this madrone. A gentle flat to provide some rest before coming some more.
I was dreading that I had let the sun get up so far and have so much time to warm the badly burned areas, but it was distinctly cooler as I climbed, even compared to the same time of the day the day before.
Over the knob and about to dip and climb again. This knob has a funky bit of green rock that looks like an obsidian at first, but is quite crumbly. There's a look at Peak 8 and/or Doctor Rock again, but from too low to see the details I was trying to capture.
So when I moved back into the more forested area, it was just a return to a little more difficult trail and not so much welcome shade. The difficult spots aren't long anyway. There's a place where it scrambles down (but not too steeply) and around a heavily overgrown area with a few logs that I'm sure was once the trail. Otherwise there's almost always enough tread to find trail and, for now, ribbons remain to help.
I moved some branches and found a wintergreen still blooming underneath.
There's a second bump a lot closer to the trail that, according to the old USGS maps, could be just as high as the large, flat peak. It's been smoothed out of existence on the FS quad, but I decided to tag it, just to be sure. It's a rocky point that is easy to walk up and offered some specific views.
Rock Creek Butte is the bit of particularly badly burned trees the road passes through just before getting to the trailhead. North-ish across the rocky little peak.
Then I got moving again. There's a big dip of about 700 feet, all along the ridge line, before climbing again to the top that is not much higher than the peaks along the ridge.
Other wintergreens are far past flowering. (This is actually from a different big group of things that get called wintergreen.) Still failing to find that view of the western peaks. Northwest again. Other specimens of the same sort of wintergreen are also far beyond flowering.
I was chugging along slowly on that last climb back to almost 5000 feet, but quite happy for the cooler day. Muscles were feeling it, but not too badly.
Conifers (mostly) and madrones and a lot of oaks may be evergreen, but the low stuff participates in the fall colors. Leaving the wilderness.
I was a little late if I was trying to get back "to camp" at the car by 6PM, but not too late. I should have got a good sunset, but with no clouds to take up any colors, it was a bit of a fizzle.
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...
Caliente Field Office BLM ( map link ) I headed over to one of those maintained roads indicated on the trailhead sign at Sheep Pass Canyon. It is probably called Shingle Pass Road, but there's no sign. Nevada really isn't too worried about signs. You can see there's a two lane gravel road over there as you approach. There aren't any others for miles. You know it's the one you want. Right? I followed it to an old corral, which is generally a good bet for a dispersed campsite, to hike the high point of the Far South Egans Wilderness. I'm afraid I was lacking imagination for a hike in this wilderness and settled for what is rapidly becoming the usual route for bagging its high point. The good road over Shingle Pass. We do get a sign for the South Egan Range Wilderness (established 2006) on the left, but none for the Far South Egans Wilderness (established 2004) on the right. I almost flinched. I almost decided against doing this hike. The descriptions, p...
Uncompahgre National Forest DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 The Colorado backpacking loop I found last year was stunning, so now I am out for another. This year I chose a loop mainly in the Uncompahgre Wilderness following different forks of the Cimarron River up and back down connecting over the ridges to the south. This gives me access to two 14ers with trails most the way up. All this depends on the snow, of course. It is a little early in the season and a late snowfall may mean I cannot get out of the canyon, much less climb a mountain that is 14,300 feet high. I have been casting my eyes toward the San Juan Range for the last few days, and they do look very snowy. It seems unlikely that I will get out of the canyon and I am a little resigned as I collect everything together. The day hikers who went up to the Silver Jack Mine do not offer much hope. The trailhead says "no camping" so I stu...
Central Coast BLM Click for map. It really looks like rain, but the automatic weather report assures me that's still on for tomorrow, not today. Today will just be mostly cloudy and I want to get out to something. Something will be the Griswold Hills high point. The area has a single day use area with bathrooms as the only official parking, although there seem to be a few turnouts too. There are no legal roads, but there is a single trail. I'm not sure where exactly it goes, but it is nice to see that it climbs the steepest bit of the hills along the route I was looking at to get to the high point. At least, there's a series of switchbacks carved into the hill, so I assume that's where it goes. There's no signs by the parking lot for it. There's a gate to exit the parking area and switchbacks on the hill side, so just connect those and I should be on trail. Cows grazing on the flats between Griswold Hills and Panoche Hills and Tumey Hills. Th...
Comments