South Fork: Smoky Creek

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

(orange+yellow lines for day 2, click for map)

DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5

I packed up my gear, wrapping my quilt around the mat and stuffing the whole in its sack. That should stop the curious little creature from taking a bite of it. Again. I tucked what wasn't needed for the day by a tree and then rounded my way over to the trail to start climbing. The August Complex 2020 burn scar was apparent as I climbed from the wet creeks.

A trail with choices. The lower one is animal trail. They cross this hillside frequently.

The view up the main stem of Smoky Creek. There are clouds in the sky!

I chucked a lot of little fire killed trees off the trail as I went. Got rid of some stick piles that were pushing users to the outside. Even broke up the branch piles of a few fallen trees I couldn't really do much about. At least it would be easier to go over them without leaving the trail. It's all in the name of preserving the tread. Oh, and having an easier time on the way down.

Nice trail as it flattens out.

Hot and dry and prairie like on the local high before meeting the creek again.

The view back down to South Fork shows big patches of burned trees among the green survivors.

Flowering rubber rabbitbush is among the shrubland plants.

I can't do anything about the log, but there's no reason to have to step around the clutter too.

The trail approaches the North Fork Smoky Creek once more. As I got a look at it, I saw a narrow canyon choked with large boulders. That would justify the up and over trail.

A steep sided rocky canyon below.

The trail drops down to the water again. It's a smaller creek and the crossing seems choked with goldenrod and I wasn't finding much sign of a reasonable trail on the far side. I turned around to see a "trail" sign pointing the way to the descenders. None for me. It looked like the crossing only had openings through pools and I spotted a tree crossing it a little upstream. It is too high up, but I went for it anyway, searched around for the trail on the far side, and followed it down to the top of some little switchbacks down to a perfectly reasonable crossing right where I thought it was.

A mildly uncomfortable tree crossing with a distrinct upward slope to the higher bank on the far side.

Pooling water on its way to a thicket of western goldenrod.

Trail follows a tributary that had intermittent water. I found a tree down and starting to obscure tread that I couldn't do anything about. The branches are all too big.

Trail beside a line of green passing through a charred forest.

Bolander's sunflowers, part of a small patch with loads of flowers.

The panicled willowherb is going to seed.

A dry section of the creek.

A very late waxy checkerbloom.

I paused briefly at one wet crossing to take a picture, then paused longer and longer, worried about crushing the life. Everywhere I looked, there was another banana slug I hadn't seen at first glace. In all this heat! They seemed to be converging on the crossing.

One banana slug getting very close indeed.

Western columbines getting lost in the grass.

One downed tree was thicker than my hiking stick is tall, but to walk around the root end is short and flat. It's the biggest downed tree I encountered on the trip.

One of many crossings in the upper section of the creek.

Some colors for the new season.

Turkey lost a feather.

Over the top of a small saddle, I almost lost the trail. It sort of divided and I took the one that faded to nothing instead of the erosion channel that eventually turns away from the slope and becomes trail. At the bottom, I found a massive mud puddle that looks like it might have been dug out with a bulldozer into a tank once and 'dozer track to follow for trail the rest of the way.

A touch of a view behind from the saddle.

Ahead, hints of a ridge behind the trees.

The 'dozer track actually started before the dug out tank, but this is where it becomes unmissable.

The trees change and the view gets better with the climb.

The map says you'll pass just below a spring fed stream and indeed I did. (Well, I didn't investigate how far up the water went.) It wasn't much water, but it was surrounded by birdsong.

Golden-crowned sparrows were the most obvious of the birds abounding.

The California sister were about frequently.

A lovely western fence lizard.

Nearing the top, the amount of tree mortality was pretty grim, but I still found enough shade to make the heat bearable.

An island of nice shade from healthy trees among the fire ruined forest. A nice spot for some lunch ⅓ mile from the top.

It had one last run of steep and then there was the shelf of the road and a sign above. I had made it to the top. There's not a lot of room to park up there if one were to start there. I had heard some shots as I climbed and felt safer to see the area empty.

The Smoky Creek Trail trailhead on Bramlet Road (Forest Arterial 29, a good gravel primary road). The main sign is ahead in the unused parking area almost end-on.

The top sign proclaims this is "Smoky Creek Trail 12W35 Shasta-Trinity National Forests", old enough to actually acknowledge that this is two forests with one administration. The bottom says "South Fork River 4", old enough to use some very long miles. Or maybe it really is 5 miles up and 4 miles down. (It is definitely a little over 5 miles.) A bear has got at them a bit, but they look untouched by fire.

Signs with a view.

Looking over the northern half of South Fork Mountain.

And, well, having a look around was all I had on my agenda for when I got to the top. A look had, I headed down again. It was much nicer on the way down, but I still found a few more things to clear.

The birds were still chased off from my passage upward when I arrived at the spring fed stream, so here is the water and the extreme nuisance of a small log across the crossing.

In spite of having just followed the trail upward, I got a bit lost in a flat spot when nearly to the muddy depression where I had noticed the trail turn to something wide. The combination of downed tree and growth obscured the trail for the downward direction and I had to find my way back to it.

A blazed reassurance marker (right tree) feels very reassuring.

Coming back, I noticed that the 'dozer track actually went up and over the little saddle that had tried to misdirect me. It lasted a little way down the other side and then was thoroughly lost to the narrow track criss-crossing the creek area.

A few more trees.

Back to occasional access to water. Some pools are clearer than others.

A beautiful section of recent(ish) treadwork.

And then it appeared, like some sort of gift. There was a Pulaski right in the middle of the trail! How had I missed that on the way up? It was very tempting, but, well, no. I left it. Then I came to that tangle of tree that was starting to obscure tread just 200 feet later. Again, it was tempting to at least go back and have some whacks at the tree. I've never had much luck on getting thick limbs off with a Pulaski, though.

Pulaski probably belonging to a CCC crew. Really, how did I not see that on the way up? If that's your paint, you know where it is now. I decided against carrying it out 11 miles.

I stayed on trail for the ford this time. It was a much more comfortable crossing.

The ford through the goldenrod and the sign marking "trail" on a tree in the distance.

Once again high over North Fork Smoky Creek.

With only day hiking gear to weigh me down, I cut down to camp via a short and steep animal trail and regretted it. Three liters hadn't quite been enough water for the hike, so I grabbed another liter to suck down while I hiked the last mile. I packed up everything and followed that dirt line that seems so suspiciously like old trail tread. Just before getting to the trail, I spotted a pair of blazes marking the trail I was on. There's nothing on the other side of these trees, but it's quite curious.

A pair of blazes just before getting to the current trail. They are not visible from that trail at all.

A skull beside the trail, probably bobcat?

I had decided to stay at a camp site I had seen just on the other side of Smoky Creek on my way up. People have camped at the old guard station's flat, but that seemed comparatively dreary in a too clustered forest.

The crossing at Smoky Creek. The line of rocks at the right is complete and sufficient for dry foot crossing in this season.

Some more of that creek from the crossing.

Back on the National Recreation Trail, or so the crests claim.

A well trod trail broke off upstream as the real trail turned downstream and that line of dirt brought me to the expected camp. An old fire ring is in the flood plain and there's a little more room above in the trees. I actually stayed in the trees. It's more certain to stay dry through the night. I was carrying a tarp, but fully expected to leave it unused.

Fire ring and gravel by the creek.

Actual sleep area chosen up here under the trees.

I settled down for sleep to the hooting of a not-so-distant owl. (Merlin says barred owl.)



Same trip, next day ⇒

*photo album*




©2024 Valerie Norton
Written 19 Oct 2024