Moments in Dirt and Ink

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Click for interactive map We hit the Swift Creek trailhead for a day hike up to the snow survey cabin. Daniil wanted to do a survey of the terrain, but the fact of the cabin suggests it's pretty safe hiking in winter. We only hit snow on the road shortly before the trailhead around 4000 feet, although the trailhead parking was totally covered in white. We started out with the snowshoes on our backs. Snow exists, as we see at the trailhead. Into the wilderness that started a quarter mile back down the road according to the map. Soggy trail with a little running water at the second sign for the Trinity Alps Wilderness. The morning wasn't freezing and the trail ran with water. We passed several very seasonal streams and the ones marked on the map tended to need a well placed rock to keep the feet out of the water. When we hit snow, it was neither hard nor particularly soft. Swift Creek churning below. Closer to Swift Creek. Bei...

Six Rivers National Forest interactive map link I've had suggestions that maybe I should wander around the area east of the Hoopa Reservation, but apparently I had to be dragged to it. The road is long, but only a small section a little scary. Turn at Big Hill and then there's many junctions to guess. Some don't matter and some will get you to the Big Hill fire lookout instead. It gets rougher after the turn to the trailhead. Daniil brought his wife, myself, and another along for maybe a 7 mile loop, or maybe less? He's not sure what the northern trails are like and has been doing shorter loops cross country on the snow. I said that we better tag the mountain since it's easy, just an easy 1/4 mile off trail. And I think the trail across the north end is probably fine, but the joining stuff could be iffy, but that's from satellite and others suggest otherwise. Looking back from the Mill Creek Lake Trailhead to the marine layer coming far inland today. ...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest interactive map link Birthday hike! I thought I signed up for birthday work, but it's birthday hike instead. The crew had breakfast and headed up to the trailhead generally aiming to get to North Yolla Bolly Spring where the Yolla Bolly Guard Station once stood. The CCCs would be off somewhere else, it was just volunteers for the hike. Back at the West Low Gap Trailhead, but there's been a change in the weather. The low clouds are just about this high. Back to our "oasis" with trees and water. Once we passed the familiar, we were off to find Cedar Basin. There were lots of dips with incense cedars in them. Is this the one? How about this? There weren't many patches of whitethorn as encroaching as the one we'd been working on and none nearly as long. The trail is capturing water along one old forest now meadow. Rocking needed!

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Click for interactive map Daniil claimed he could get my snowshoes used rather than just floating around in the eternally not quite unpacked car. To that end, we headed up Canyon Creek, with Jeff, aiming at the snowed areas. Both have been up this trail at various times earlier in the year. It crosses largish Bear Creek almost right at the trailhead and I insisted on seeing what it was like the evening before to be confident about the return crossing the next evening when the day would be even warmer. It wasn't that impressive. It is big, so even at lower morning levels, it is a wide wet foot crossing. I elected to wait until after crossing to actually put on my boots and waterproof socks. My water crossers got stashed under a rock at the far side and we took off on rocky ground. Sun hitting the far side of the canyon and the peaks above. The Bear Creek crossing is made annoying by the logs in it, but it was no more than halfway to the kn...

Six Rivers National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2 Click for interactive map It wasn't all that cold in the dim morning light. I wasn't all that quick at breakfast before we headed out for an expected long day, which could be longer due to uncertain snow conditions. Under the big trees as we start up the Summit Valley Trail (3E07). We passed various trees cut from the trail, smaller than I remembered, as we curved around to an already known obstacle, a fallen tree much bigger than any I remembered. That saw that was used along Forks of Blue just before I traveled there might be big enough. I think those were only up to my chin. This is taller than we are, even lying down, and its well centered across the trail to maximize difficulty in going around on the hillside. And, of course, it didn't come down without collateral damage to the surrounding trees. We headed up and up and eventually around and down again to get to the real trail climb. There is still no sign ...

Arcata Community Forest ( map link ) We woke up Wednesday morning with snow falling. Big wet flakes were plopping against the ground after only half surviving the journey down and not surviving contact with the ground. More waves of snow came throughout the day, only sticking to the most exposed areas in a thin layer. As the light started to dim in the evening, it began to stick properly. It built up until the morning dawned with a blanket of the stuff. There was snow all the way down to the beach ! Things were less thickly covered by the time the sun got to shining a bit on the trees, but still plenty more than seen in a decade. A look along Panorama to a patch of backyard trees. The garden rhododendrons have been blooming a few weeks, but the wild ones won't be for a few months. Down the stub end of Margaret to another patch of private trees holding rare snow. Up the steps and into the community forest itself. Yeah, it's not all that much snow. Snow was on th...

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Ashley National Forest (orange line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 My start was slow because it was a short day anyway. Foolish human. It was a short day because the second half of it was expected to be stormy. Don't waste the bright, sunny bits! And it was bright and sunny, at least to the north. There were two trails across Lower Red Castle Lake. I took the upper one the day before. I decided to backtrack slightly so I could take the lower one back. My deep suspicion that it would be muddier was confirmed. Some of it even has creeks flowing down it. I saw a lot more people. Apparently everyone I'd seen coming up the trail were camped down along this lower route. They were the last people I saw. A smaller two toed ungulate: mule deer . The watery trail to Lower Red Castle Lake. Rather cloudy to the south past Red Castle. Lower Red Castle Lake.

Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (pink line, map link ) DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4 The High Uintas have been on my list of places to visit for a while. I headed off toward Bridger Lake to stick with the "Bridger" theme, but never quite got there. And what hikes could I do there? Well, the typical approach for Kings Peak, high point of Utah, was just around the corner. It's a sign! On my first big outing, I hiked the high points of New Mexico and Arizona . On this outing, I'd already hiked Colorado's high point . Utah would make it a nice, complete, Four Corners set. (Disclaimer: following "signs" is a good way to make bad decisions.) That usual approach is an out and back without much in the way of on trail looping options. I could make a loop from China Meadows, which is around the corner the other way. The loop I picked would be nice in four days. I settled on the direction that would make climbing Kings Peak fall on the sunny...

Death Valley National Park (map link) (Not all of Death Valley National Park requires a fee, but this is within the old monument area where a fee is required.) There is no official trail up Corkscrew Peak, but it is sufficiently striking looking that someone decided it needed a roadside sign. I parked beside the sign where I found one of the many thin trails that converge onto a well worn use trail that climbs to the top. It's almost as good as an official trail. I was being promised morning weather including a chance of snow. I could believe it the day before as I explored Rhyolite under thick clouds, but I did the morning trail finding under an arc of solid blue. A very visible use trail going off to Corkscrew Peak in the distance. A couple puffs of cloud appearing over the top of Telescope Peak, far across the huge valley. The route drops into a wide wash where I could see remnants of trails from previous years. They all go the same place, into a short canyon with ...

Lassen National Forest Lassen National Park (map link) Having had such a dry January and with a dry February predicted, I decided I could travel along highways that should be demanding I carry chains. (I do have chains, but fear that they wouldn't help my rig all that much if they were needed.) I had still passed up making any plans for Lassen National Forest due to its elevation. Then it took more than 5 hours to drive CA-299 because of all the construction and I found myself tired and in the dark in Lassen. A sign said there was a viewpoint in half a mile and I thought that at least I could stop and eat and see if it would let me sleep. Had it been light, or perhaps just with some brighter headlights, I'd have seen the sign pointing where to turn for the viewpoint. Instead, I turned 0.1 mile short onto the unsigned road for West Prospect Peak (which has a lookout). It was dry with humps of snow down the middle, which made me nervous. I saw an area others had pulled ove...