Moments in Dirt and Ink

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Klamath National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Tan line for day 3. Click for interactive map With morning it was time to deal with whatever exactly it was we had gotten ourselves into. Since I had splashed through the very last tributary crossing, I left my grungy socks on from the prior day so they could be the ones getting wet, then I found a way across without getting my feet wet and so didn't have to drag all that extra water uphill. I had a good look at the sign still mounted on a tree and couldn't make it mean anything other than the old ditch for the trail up. Animals are short cutting a way to the ditch next to the sign and that remains the only trail-like thing to see. Then there was the challenge of the log. There was suggestion of passing packs underneath, but the ground was soft and smooth and there was enough room to just wiggle along, pack and all. From there, it was clear. Well, there's a tributary to ...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Blue line for day 2. Click for interactive map My muscles felt abused from the day before, or perhaps from the insufficient activity over the week or two before that. Or maybe there's a little age creeping in. I've passed another 100th birthday! This one was base 7. Preemptive naproxin sodium seemed to have helped it not all be so bad and this day would be comparatively relaxing. Depending on trail state. A little bit of sunrise on Cabin Peak. New River (East Fork) over the local trash pile. We packed all of ours out because we know better. We didn't see the closer connection to the Morrison Gulch Trail the day before and while looking closely, we only saw a candidate for where it used to be. We continued on to the obvious further junction instead. Unsigned but distinct quicky became difficult to find as it passes along the bowl of land between the two ridges. Following gently upward gets aro...

Klamath National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Brown and yellow lines for day 1. Click for interactive map I kept getting worried about this loop plan. Starting off at the eastern end of the Salmon Summit Trail, the far end of the trail that was a pushing, pulling, turn and press with the pack, swim through oaks until I got tired, and then turn south for some ridge walking and to visit an old fire lookout. From there, down to North Fork Trinity River and Grizzly Creek to visit a selection of old cabins. Once done with that, much climbing and then some ridge walking back. The trouble was we had no idea what shape the trails are in. In the elevation profile, I thought the one along the river looked iffy. Climbing up mysteriously alternates between good and bad. Getting out to the peak was recorded on Peakbagger in 2023, so that seemed safer. I chose counterclockwise because if we had to turn back, I wanted to have the peak ...

Six Rivers National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2 Brown line for day 2. Click for interactive map (Note that a free permit is required for backpacking in Trinity Alps Wilderness. They are available at Lower Trinity Ranger Station in Willow Creek.) We had the coldest night of the winter with the temperature hitting -3°C on Daniil's thermometer. Mine only got down to 27.5°F just after I started breakfast. He also complained that there was moisture in the early night coming down the mountain and settling on his tent. I had my tarp up against the wind (which didn't gust or even blow much more a little after sunset) leaving my gear vulnerable to wet air from above, but noticed none. I was maybe a foot higher in the meadow, but I guess it made all the difference. The tent was dry by morning anyway. Farewell to the meadow camp surrounded by severe burn. Full of lovely water before the presumably dry section of trail to be followed for most th...

Mendocino National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest Six Rivers National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Purple line for day 3. Click for interactive map Being up on the ridge, we did get something like a sunrise. There were no clouds for the coming sunlight to decorate, so it was quite plain for a sunrise. As soon as I was vertical, I headed down the hill to see if the water I expected really was there. At the bottom of the very slanted meadow, it started running. A few more feet and it was easy to gather. It was maybe 100 feet vertical down, certainly not more than 200 feet. It didn't feel like too much at all. A little orange tint to the sky as the sun rises. The view of Shell Mountain from the top of our meadow, now with a lot more light. We packed up and got moving along the ridge. We saw some spots that looked a bit like a length of trail tread, but it was hard to claim there was a trail in the area where Chicago Camp Trail travels tha...

Mendocino National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Brown line for day 2. Click for interactive map It was dark, but easy to get up, from our forest camp. We packed and made sure to have water and started up the trail, soon losing it. I think we got upset that it turned into a very very minor wash and started looking for something else. I wandered up the ridge while the others stayed lower. The ridge presented a little piece of history in the form of a telephone line before giving a really good view of beautiful tread wrapping over from the far side of the wide valley the others were walking up. The trail was right there the whole time! Meanwhile, I pondered where the telephone line was going. Black Rock Lookout and the North Yolla Bolly Guard Station were off to the east and there were once settlements in the little bit of wilderness to the west . There were probably some more guard stations, too. It used to be a lot easie...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 Blue line for day 4. Click for interactive map The lake didn't brighten up so much as the day before as weather was coming in. Bits of clouds passing over Alpine Lake. And just up the hill, there's a valley covered over by clouds to see, too. But this was all a preview of things to come and passed over. Still, it wasn't quite as hot as it had been, which was nice.

Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 Green lines for day 3. Click for interactive map I decided that hiking back what had been given 3 days to hike in and then driving hours back to Eureka would not be wise, so getting to the lakes over the ridge would need to happen as a day hike. The morning sun comes to Alpine Lake. It takes a little time, but sun gets to our side of the lake, too. Daniil was wanting to have evening light and morning light by the lakes for photography, but relented easily to the idea that it would be a long return. It made us a lot lighter and a lot thinner as we trotted back down the trail again, now looking for signs of a sort of trail going up, possibly in a gully. Back past the pond. Happy to be climbing away from that smoke sitting in the valley. I found a fallen cairn in the middle of a slot of rock that clearly runs with water sometimes, although it was dry. How can you tel...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 Orange line for day 2. Click for interactive map Unfortunately, the smoke had moved in overnight. I mean, I've seen worse, but I prefer a little less. We packed up hoping the afternoon would bring similarly clear skies as the last afternoon. What view can be seen from the somewhat clear areas near the ford is looking a bit murky with smoke. With a little difficulty finding where the ford is meant to be, we found something with a bit of trail on the far side. With a "Splish, splash!" we plunged in, boots and all, to cross the river. One spot did go over the knees. The ford across Stuart Fork Trinity River on the Alpine Lake Trail. And then we sogged our way back downstream. I think the ford used to be a little downhill of where it is now, but there's a bit of a climb on the west bank of the river there now. It's not the only spot that has been experiencing erosion. While...