Last Camp: Getting There

Mendocino National Forest

DAY 1  |  WORK DAYS 2-3  |  DAY 4  |  WORK DAYS 5-6  |  DAY 7

Red line for day 1. Click for interactive map

A few years ago when looking at the access for Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness from Covelo, I found the major roads hadn't even been opened. Many are only kept up to standards for high clearance vehicles. When I saw the Bigfoot Trail Alliance trip out of Green Springs Trailhead, I wanted to go, but the last desperate email to find a ride only got a usable offer some 2 days prior, after food had been purchased. I sent out one more email to Petr (the leader of this trip) to see if there would be vegetarian fare with the surprising response that there would be plenty. At the very last minute, it all worked out! I could go!

While packing, I popped my camera on a bin lid, then decided to go looking through said bin. Something balancing on the lid made a great crash, and when I looked, my wonderful-as-the-breed-can-be superzoom camera was looking decidedly wrong. The screen had popped out from its mount point and while it turned on, everything else (like turning back off) was challenging it. The battery charger for the dSLR found missing while chasing the annular eclipse is still unaccounted for, but I've obtained a battery for it that charges directly from a USB-C cable. It was time again for the dSLR to shine!

The weather hardening for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 was getting questionable, but wasn't actually broken before this.

As is the BFTA way with these longer trips, we camped out at the trailhead (which is officially a free campground with vault toilet, tables, fire rings, but spring water piped into the bathtub is at your own risk) before hiking in the next day. It turns out the roads this year are in pretty top notch shape. There were still a couple spots that would have really taxed a Scion driver. One gully even got a look over by the Subaru driver giving me a ride prior to crossing it. However, there was a Prius at the trailhead when we got there. I have some 0.4 inches of clearance on that car, so I guess, depending on driver skill, the Scion could have gotten there after all.

Signed trailhead at Green Springs Campground.

I spent some time at the trailhead trying to remember what all the buttons with rubbed off labeling do, or at least the ones I care about. I pointed randomly and depressed the shutter button and listened to the autofocus motor grind against the dirt that thousands of miles of unprotected hiking have packed into the lens. Shine might be a strong word, but it does still take pictures superior to my cell phone. With some gear relegated to mules for the carry in, we took off past the register (with some informational inserts) and sign to find the trail as it becomes visible a few yards behind that sign.

Past last year's bird's nest.

The view over some of the Green Springs and the bathtub they fill (on the left) toward Anthony Peak.

We were scraped by thorny brush, ceanothus and gooseberries, as we navigated the very obvious trail upward. We were absolutely surrounded by August Complex burn with some areas showing they'd already been burned when that came around. All the loppers were on the mules, so we didn't get to fight back at the encroaching vegetation.

The severe burn that was just visible behind the green trees around the campground and its springs.

Trail got fainter when there was less vegetation around to define it.

A familiar peak comes into view: South Yolla Bolly.

The clouds play games over the trail.

Upward still.

A canyon with a bit more green.

There were a few flowers among the rocks around this view point.

One ball of white flowers are threetooth Horkelia.

And the other ball of white flowers is ballhead sandwort.

Across another peak, there's South Yolla Bolly (Mount Linn), forest and wilderness high point.

Some nicely spaced trees down one gully.

The mules come up behind to drop off camp ahead.

Hammerhorn Mountain, once the site of a fire lookout, up ahead.

Some big patches of green trees far below.

Mount Shasta wasn't a constant companion, but we got some peeks.

Lewis flax waving in the wind.

Mount Shasta nearly hiding in the distance.

The local lupine has a rather interesting shape.

Hammerhorn Ridge extending westward with trail connecting to Hammerhorn Lake Road.

For the ridge top connection to the Hammerhorn Ridge Trail, we found a fallen sign, but little sign of trail. For the Hammerhorn Mountain Lookout, there's likewise no immediately obvious trail, but the lookout has been gone for a bunch of decades. It was decided we shouldn't go visit the ghost on the way in, but it still seems like the more sensible time.

The sign only suggests destinations along our trail and not along the vanishing trail.

Scytheleaf onions in opposition.

Looking down on French Cove, which was once a lush, enticing place, or so we hear.

South Yolla Bolly (Mount Linn) again, now getting toward a more equal footing with it.

When one looks, there's lot of meadows.

Rock outcrops on the way to Soldier Ridge.

The next junction was much better defined than the last with two signs (admittedly, saying exactly the same thing) still attached to a tree and a trail splitting off near it. This would be the trail up Solomon Peak and down the other side to connect with roads around Indian Dick Guard Station.

Two signs at a junction. The older sign on top was placed by one on our crew.

As we rounded Solomon Peak, we had climbed as far as we would and it was time to drop down to the base camp for the rest of the week.

Meadows on down toward Thomes Pocket.

Interesting rocks on the way to Hammerhorn Mountain, the peak almost lost in the trees.

Crossing one last ridge before dropping to camp.

The green meadows include Jessica's stickseed.

We came down into a wide open valley with lots of wet spots and water running. Still lots of fire killed, even destroyed, trees.

One patch of corn lilies was abundantly watered by a few flows.

Last Camp is tucked into the near meadow under Solomon Peak, the peak to the left.

Camp was set up just past and below the pond here.

The view the other direction across the pond. Camp would be off to the left.

A northern alligator lizard waits while I fumble with the camera.

The advertised 3 miles into camp were more like 5, but we'd taken it at a very leisurely pace. There was plenty of afternoon to sort out sites and set up the main camp and generally take it in. I picked out a rather windy spot, which felt foolish as it was a rather windy day. The wind was enough to feel a bit colder than comfortable. Rocks landed on the stakes pretty quickly as the dirt didn't seem to desire to hold much. Then we had a meal that couldn't be beat, burned off some of the excess fuel load, and crashed out in our tents.


*photo album*




©2026 Valerie Norton
Published 27 Jun 2026