Moments in Dirt and Ink

Mendocino National Forest DAY 1  |  WORK DAYS 2-3  |  DAY 4  |  WORK DAYS 5-6  |  DAY 7 Yellow line for day 7. Click for interactive map The last day and we were heading back to Green Springs, then drive on out. It was hot. We figured we'd be wishing for that cold that we had on Monday. I don't think we were quite there, though. We were relishing shade once the day got into afternoon. Leaving Last Camp. Some gear left (far left) is for the mules to pick up and some for the next group to use. Over the ridge to the next valley south, Hammerhorn Mountain at the right. Further around to see Solomon Peak from the other side, or at least the ridge to it. Hammerhorn Mountain up ahead. There's a dip between it and the nearby ridge. I looked at the north side of Hammerhorn Mountain and wasn't sure where there might be a trail although we were told there had been one. It just looked like one would get to wandering in some rough st...

Mendocino National Forest DAY 1  |  WORK DAYS 2-3  |  DAY 4  |  WORK DAYS 5-6  |  DAY 7 Orange line for day 4. Click for interactive map Wednesday is a free day, and while one chose to simply rest, there evolved two excursions among the small group. The more relaxed characters who still wanted to do something planned to head over to a small swimming hole tucked away above camp just out of sight of our trail in, then off to Solomon Peak for the views and memories. Unfortunately the swimming hole was dry this year, but the peak hadn't lost its views. I dreamed up the "Double Peak Extravaganza". First we would continue along the Summit Trail to where the Bigfoot Trail joins it coming out of Ides Cove. I mean, here we were on a BFTA trip and we weren't even expecting to touch the Bigfoot Trail? So we would tag it. Then we would continue a short way further on Summit Trail to where someone has marked (on OpenStreetMap) the "Sugarloaf Tra...

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...

Klamath National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Red and orange lines for day 2. Click for interactive map I had a selection of possible day hikes for our middle day. We could go south to tag Box Camp Mountain that I have become fixated on (probably because its smack in the middle of everything) and maybe tag Black Marble Mountain once more. We could try hiking a loop with the old trail that passed on the west side of Kings Castle and down to Bear Lake, probably tagging the peak on the way. It's an easy up from that trail. Morning comes to the bumps near Kings Castle. Remembering the terrain to the south and seeing how covered with snow that sort of terrain was, anything going that way wasn't very attractive. There's similar terrain to the north, but then it opens up to a ridge, or so the map says. North to Big Ridge (or even Buckhorn Mountain, which sounds more like a "real name" but is a lower point) looked like the most pleasant use of the day....

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 Warm color lines for day 2. Click for interactive map We got up a little bit early. The peak of Mount Eddy isn't so far from the upper Deadfall Lake, but we had a lot more planned. There's a loop of trails south of the mountain we were going to explore and, if there was time, might go out to see Toad Lake. The ice grew in the night. But it was retreating again before the sun got there. We left the snowshoes in camp with the overnight gear. The microspikes still came along. We headed out before the sun had arrived, but it was up. The outflow is still flowing. There's lots of wet spots in the meadow below the mountain. Maybe not too bad a way up the lesser sloped scree, too. There was one spot with snow halfway to our knees that presented a little extra effort to walk through. Mostly it was thin and solid enough to supply a good grip for our boots.

Klamath National Forest Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Yellow lines for day 2. Click for interactive map Neither of us had quite got our boots open wide enough the night before and the frozen shapes were hard to put on in the morning in spite of preparing for it. I had elected not to bring along my waterproof socks and I was sorry for it as soon as my boots thawed out. The cold also left my camera battery devoid of sufficient energy to take sunrise pictures. The extra battery, which admittedly only registered 2 of 3 bars when I grabbed it, was also dead. I decided to leave the camera and be stuck with substandard photography equipment for the day. I was also sorry for being lazy about battery maintenance. Leaving Kangaroo Springs, just one pool visible from here. Shasta almost hides in the low clouds in the nearby valleys. Upper and Middle Devils Peaks where the Pacific Crest Trail goes. Our goal for the day was ...