Forks of Blue: climbing out again

Six Rivers National Forest

Klamath National Forest


DAY 1  |  DAY 2

 
Lighter blue for day 2. Click for map.


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.

creek below the camp site
Some of the most beautiful bits of fall color on the creek were just below the camp site, especially in the morning light.

big trees
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.

log across the trail
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?

big log cut through
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.

over tree tops to more trees
Snatching a little bit of view while climbing the ridge.

madrone with bear scratches
Everyone has their own way of making trail signs. The bears are enthusiastic on this madrone.

the space opens up
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.

trees an rocks and manzanita
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.

Peak 8 or Doctor Rock
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.

wintergreen in bloom, Chimaphila umbellata
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.

Siskiyou Mountains, Marble further
Rock Creek Butte is the bit of particularly badly burned trees the road passes through just before getting to the trailhead.

top of the rocky little peak
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.

seed pods of Pryola picta or Pryola crypta
Other wintergreens are far past flowering. (This is actually from a different big group of things that get called wintergreen.)

western peaks
Still failing to find that view of the western peaks.

northwest again
Northwest again.

seed pods of Chimaphila umbellata
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.

fall colors
Conifers (mostly) and madrones and a lot of oaks may be evergreen, but the low stuff participates in the fall colors.

back of the wilderness sign
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.




©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 9 Nov 2020


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