I woke up with a bit less to do than had originally been in the plan, and even that plan wouldn't have inspired hurry. I let the sun get up a bit before heading out.
The lower swimming hole in the morning.
A green water, both within and in reflection.
The waterfall on Gary Creek gets sunlight early.
Pondering the ford once more. To be done near that tallest of rocks left of center.
While packing up, I decided to actually try the bear can in a vertical orientation instead of horizontal. Rather than being too awkward to use with my water bag, it worked great and I didn't have to wonder what to do with all the room left under it on a short hike. So I managed to achieve something. A little color offered by poison oak. Much of it is still green, but this patch has shed almost all its leaves.
A bit of the trail dug into the rocky hillside.
Still some deep morning shadow on the canyon side behind.
I found that Lewisia I was looking for. No flowers, but the leaf undersides are nice and colorful.
Trail following along Hells Half Acre. This is where to find the Lewisia.
Looking across to a scary looking bit of trail, but that bit is not worrisome when on it.
A look up toward the top of Hells Half Acre Creek.
The cardinal catchfly still blooms.
I stopped at Hells Half Acre Creek to get a little more water since I had only gotten enough to camp the day before. I took the time to look around a bit including hunting for salamanders!
Monster! No, wait, a half eaten pine cone under the water.
Just found another one of those vulnerable foothill yellow-legged frogs instead of a secure salamander.
When ready to face the heat again, I headed out and up along the thin but solid trail.
A rod wirelettuce offers a non-red flower.
It's hard not to focus on the hard rock fin between Hells Half Acre Creek and South Fork Trinity River.
Grey pines source the vicious monster pine cones of the area.
Can't be that hot. There's a thin cooling layer up there.
Just a little bit further.
Then I lost the views but got some shade.
A softer trail as it turns into the trees.
Where a trail crew decided to shortcut a switchback instead of clear the big trees on it.
The white cobblestone road of dry Coon Creek
The bigleaf maple is thinking of turning colors.
One last stretch of trail.
I hadn't walked nearly far enough, so I took the short spur to Surprise Creek.
Surprise Creek flowing nicely. I knew it would be.
Then I was back to the car and ready to leave, done with hiking around Trinity County just in time for the weather to break and stop being 10-20 F° warmer than normal.
Going to drop in some steam gauge notes here. The relevant stream gauge is SF Trinity R BL Hyampom CA which is online here. It is, crucially, below the Hayfork Creek input.
For this time period, the gauge height was 1.9 feet, corresponding to about 75 cubic feet per second. Last year it only got down to 3 ft, about 100 ft^3/s. When I was there before (24 Apr 2020), the height was 3.15 ft (400 ft^3/s) and that year it bottomed out at 1.8 ft (31 ft^3/s). That would have been a great year to go for it!
Median data: It generally goes lower than this year. It tends to bottom out in mid-September at just under 60 ft^3/s.
Ikon on map noted. To quote Chico Marx, "Ohhh, why you want a ford when you got a horse?" I'm betting the bridge has been gone since 1964. John Muir never had to worry about getting electronics wet.
Great mushrooms!
Your condition report is much appreciated. It's good to know that trail tread can be found on the far side of the river. Last year I fixed up a lot of bad tread from the northern trailhead to about halfway from the elbow down in to Hells Half Acre Cr. I think there were still some slidey spots past there.
A horse would be fine, very fine. Built in snorkel, which the Ford would have needed. One of those fords, Muir was stopped by someone on the other side saying it was dangerous and let them go and get the horse. He admits it was much nicer on a horse. Long skinny legs are well crafted for the task. Some days he didn't even have a jacket to worry about wetting.
I have measured my leg and the water was probably 34-36" deepest. I guess it's deep enough to feel like there's little options to recover from a slip (on algae covered, overly large, rounded rocks) without getting everything wet. Still, I've got this fancy Ultra fabric backpack. Seams aren't taped, but it would still take some soaking before much water got in. And then it was almost 60F until after 3AM.
Oh, yeah, had my temperature logger, too. There's plots in the albums, but it seemed excessive to include it each time. A cold air mass must have rolled in because it dropped off 10°F in half an hour in the early morning.
It makes sense that that sluff on the south facing side needs a bit of attention. Actually some on the other side might have been cleared a little since I was there before.
Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link I was charged with deciding on a hike that kids could do, except I have no experience in this or in evaluating what a particular kid can do. Plus, I would be without any parental supervision. Alltrails offered up Cascade Falls as a possible suitable suggestion, except that it would be done on the weekend and is a very popular location. I liked a climb on Garrett's Pass and a drop on the Cascade Falls Trail, which is 4 miles and only 300 feet or so from bottom to top. (It goes from ~20m to ~100m.) That's not so much, right? And I even had the means for up to 2 kids to be self sufficient, able to carry water, snacks, camera, and a light sweater on their own. Self sufficiency for the win, right? The hike would be in the Patapsco Valley State Park, like most my hikes would likely be. This park has a mix of free lots and pay lots. The pay lots have different prices for in state or out of state, weekends/holidays or weekdays. T...
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...
Inyo National Forest Locate the trailhead. DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 Today is a very easy day. The morning is to be looking for monuments around Casa Vieja Meadows and wandering three miles or so down the trail. The afternoon is to be sitting in the hot springs and exploring old cabins from when it was a commercial concern. The morning sun on the meadow is stunning, and after some battling with the camera in need of a new battery, I can capture a slightly lesser moment of the light. Then, with breakfast put away, I turn my attention to climbing the small peak just north of my campsite. Manzanita makes a feeble attempt to block my way sometimes and I am quickly into a cold wind, but soon find myself on Doc Peak, as it is labeled in the OpenStreetMap. It is another labeled with a benchmark on the 1905 Olancha 30' map and on the more recent 1987 Casa...
Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve Click for map. Picture Canyon is a little bit of open space developed jointly by the City of Flagstaff and Arizona State Parks. It boasts cultural artifacts and plenty of birding. The Tom Moody Trail makes a loop through the area to take in some of these. It sits at the edge of a couple bits of industry and my nose can't help but tell me that one of those is sewage treatment. Um, I mean "waste water". That won't dominate the whole area, but it is noticed in the wetter spots. A place to start with some parking. Signs include an area map. Ground zero for the stink up ahead, but certainly not the source. That is throughout the city. Trail heads toward the smell past an "outdoor classroom" that is benches and a semicircle of educational signs, then the loop splits. I head left away from the smell and into the trees, but also away from the cultural artifacts. It's an old road through gentle hil...
Comments
For this time period, the gauge height was 1.9 feet, corresponding to about 75 cubic feet per second. Last year it only got down to 3 ft, about 100 ft^3/s. When I was there before (24 Apr 2020), the height was 3.15 ft (400 ft^3/s) and that year it bottomed out at 1.8 ft (31 ft^3/s). That would have been a great year to go for it!
Median data: It generally goes lower than this year. It tends to bottom out in mid-September at just under 60 ft^3/s.
Not allowed to use superscripts. Weak.
Great mushrooms!
Your condition report is much appreciated. It's good to know that trail tread can be found on the far side of the river. Last year I fixed up a lot of bad tread from the northern trailhead to about halfway from the elbow down in to Hells Half Acre Cr. I think there were still some slidey spots past there.
Will revise all at KlamathMountainTrails.us .
I have measured my leg and the water was probably 34-36" deepest. I guess it's deep enough to feel like there's little options to recover from a slip (on algae covered, overly large, rounded rocks) without getting everything wet. Still, I've got this fancy Ultra fabric backpack. Seams aren't taped, but it would still take some soaking before much water got in. And then it was almost 60F until after 3AM.
Oh, yeah, had my temperature logger, too. There's plots in the albums, but it seemed excessive to include it each time. A cold air mass must have rolled in because it dropped off 10°F in half an hour in the early morning.
It makes sense that that sluff on the south facing side needs a bit of attention. Actually some on the other side might have been cleared a little since I was there before.