Wooley Creek: return

Klamath National Forest

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3


Orange line for day 3. Click for map.


I gave things a sweep (it was dirtier than it looked) and otherwise occupied myself, determined to wait for the sun. It popped up around 10AM, which made my start about as late as my initial start adjusted for the time change. Which, oh right, means the sun was to go down shortly after 5PM. Not that I was worried about getting back to the car by then. I'm still against randomly adjusting the time.

The smoke doesn't look any worse, but it was worse.

I focused on the waterfalls as I went once more, capturing a few more than on my way out.

Sometimes the waterfalls are hidden.

But with a little work, the waterfall can be much more visible.

The lower (below the bridge) waterfall at Haypress Creek.

The more easily seen waterfall above the bridge at Haypress Creek, now with sunlight.

A scruffy little cascade.

I was watching smoke waft its way up the canyon. There hadn't been much smoke, but it was certainly building. A good time to skedaddle.

Fire has been here, too, in recent years.

The thick smoke below certainly accents the distances.

The paper comb of a wasp next looks as though it has been there a while, but I didn't noticed in on the way up.

I stopped every three miles, so that left me hanging out in the yellow light under the leaves at Deer Lick Creek. I watched one of the few birds shuffling through the water for a chilly bath.

Beneath the leaves at Deer Lick Creek.

A dipper getting ready for another dip.

A picturesque spot of Wooley Creek even without a deer down on the rocks.

The yellow seems to be a regular dotting of this little stream.

Of course I had plenty of time to come down before dark. I cut a half hour off my time going up.

The curve of the road up Portuguese Peak (but not very far) above the curve of Wooley Creek.

The smoke down the canyon away from the fire looks like weather coming in.

Yellows reflected in the Salmon River below, which looks like it might be a little low.

I got back to find a note on my car asking if I'd lost a cat. He's 21 years old, I could lose him anytime, but not in the sense of running around the trailhead right at that moment. Otherwise, everything was as I'd left it until I took off and it was emptier.

©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 22 Nov 2020