Grizzly Lake Part II

One trip to Grizzly Lake this year just wasn't
enough. Bishop Hook and his son, Cory, from
Florida came and made a threesome. It was great!
We packed the goats and tried to keep our packs
lighter.

We hiked from the China Creek trailhead near Cecilville. You head west off of I-5 through Gazelle to Callahan, and bear west over the bridge in the middle of town. The trailhead embarks at about 4500' elevation, and takes a mile to climb 1500 feet. Then you descent 1500 feet in another mile.

The trail joins the Hobo Gulch route and gradually ascends 4 miles or so back up to 6000' at Grizzly Meadow. We had a great campsite and the Hooks were very patient with my recipes in the dutch oven - which, for the most part turned out tolerably well.

Temperatures were unseasonably warm for September. The foliage bore traces of early fall changes and the water levels were significantly below July levels. Some creeks were dry, and others were now ponds. Nightime was 60 F and warm. Breakfast was a combo of breakfast potatoes, smokie sausage, egg and cheese in the dutch oven. Then we set off to see Grizzly Lake and attack the scramble leading to it. The picture above is taken from the scramble and shows the amazing rugged nature of the white alps.

Corey (below right) is standing on the edge of an 200' cliff and another 500' of rock. The outlet of the waterfall and the "jump" you have to make is beneath him on the right.

Corey and I and Pedro and Charlie (caprine companions) then headed for the summit of Thompson Peak.



We headed up the forested area just west of the ravine south of the lake. Then skirted across the scramble beneath the cliff and up to the saddle. The way to the peak from there is vague. You seem to drop down the other side about 100 yards and proceed east. Many spurious paths lead up to the crest of the ridge, but not to the peak. You finally reach about a 20' pile of rock which requires true rock climbing to get to the peak. Corey made it, but the goats didn't, so we took some pictures of the drainages nearby and headed back to the saddle.

To the right is Canyon Creek drainage and a shot of Wedding Cake. To the upper right is Stuart Fork drainage and Caribou Mountain. On the right is a shot along the ridge to the point of Thompson Peak, noting the glacier with crevasses below it.
Time from the lake to peak and back to meadow

was 6 hours.

After a big day, we rested well. Dinner was a casserole of cream corn, brocolli and chicken! Goatpacking does let you eat a bit better than the usual dehydrated fare.

The next morning, we packed up and out. Down the hill, up the hill and back down the hill! The goats were doing 30lbs and panted their way up but never gave it up. Hooray for alpine goats. Our prior Nubian buddy was wont to lay in the trail, and never could have gotten close to this one.

The lake and circ were brilliant with early fall colors; fishing appeared lively and the water was, as usual, ice cold and incredibly clear.

I think Papoose Lake looks good for 2010!

Deadfall Lakes and Mt Eddy

Deadfall Lakes (upper and lower) are very beautiful areas with abundant campsites with less than attractive names. This is a great younger scout activity. The PCT follows the contours of the land and rises only 400 feet or so in the 3+ mile hike. You can also begin in the bottom of the canyon and hike up that way. It is very beautiful.

To get to this area, you exit west off of I-5 after Weed but before Gazelle. I forget the name of the road, but you can look it up! It takes you up the mountain to the west of Weed and past many residential areas up there. It becomes a scenic highway that eventually connects with SR 3 somewhere over near Trinity Lake. It is a beautiful drive. There is a snowdrift every spring at the top of this road, just near the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. If you come too soon, you won't be able to make it up there. If you want to do this hike anytime prior to June 15, you may want to inquire as to road conditions.

There are very nice campsites at lower Deadfall. upper Deadfall is a big lake with lots of space. You can continue up the trail, sometimes steeply to another lake (no fish) and on up to the Mt Eddy trail. This is a beautiful hike with great views from the top of Eddy. We saw ambitious folks making this entire route to the peak and back to the parking lot a day hike. Vigorous.

I am sure there are lots of fish in this lake. But most of us never really saw them. One of our party had particularly good luck, catching 6 and the rest of us = 0. Hmmmmmm.

This was late June or early July and you can see the upper lake still has ice on it.

Mt Eddy in the background (above). Then, (r) the hike out. A great weekend with great scouts!

Black Butte cindercone - little sister to Mt Shasta

Black Butte has had many names through the years. This one seems to have stuck for now. If have ever driven through the Siskyou valley past Mt. Shasta City you almost drove right into Black Butte. It is a symetrical cindercone just east of the freeway near Mt Shasta proper.

To hike this you should stop in downtown Mt Shasta and visit the tourism information center. It is a little building in the middle of town. They can give you a map to drive to the trailhead on the northeast side of the mountain. You have to head up Everett Memorial Highway past the high school (on the way to Bunny Flat) and turn left in just the right place to find this.

There is NO water on the mountain so bring plenty. It is about a 2500 foot climb in 2.5 miles or so and usually takes 2 hours up if you are a goat-type hiker. It is a fun workout and good training for the quadripeds. Some areas of the cindercone resemble the Land of Mordor strongly, but the views of the valley and Mt Shasta area spectacular! Do this on a morning so as to have as clear a day as possible, and to cut down on the afternoon heat exposure.

Be careful with some regions of the trail as the side of the mountain drops off steeply at times. This could also be a dangerous area for rockslides, so be ultra-careful not to start one on the folks below you. The northside of the mountain stays covered with snow well through May at times, and should be clear before you hike it, unless you are prepared to cross a snowfield.

You may have plenty of company here; lots of folks like to hike it. There is the cement foundation of an old Forest Service fire look-out on the top. You can jump over a small chasm and relax in there if the flies aren't too bad! The iron anchors for the building (in the cement) show signs of lightning strikes. Fun day hike; take lots of water!

The End

Day Hike to Big Bear Lake of the Trinity Alps

The Bear Lakes are situated on the east side of the Trinity Alps, with trailheads headed westward from Highway 3 north of Trinity Center. The trailhead for this hike requires care in following a good guidebook. You turn off of 3 after crossing a bridge, drive through a private area with a home and lawns and then just keep going as directed.

The hike to Big Bear Lake goes up- and up- and up- and up! In 6 miles you ascent 3000 feet. The trail is good, and dusty. Mostly mixed firs and deciduous gives way to huge cedar and ponderosa. Beautiful ferns and meadows after you reach the flat. Not much opportunity to get to the creek for water until you are almost to the lake, so take plenty.

The granite outlet starts to become visible. You hike around the right side of it. This was a good day-hike preparation outing for the goats. We saw a few fellow hikers, not many.

The outlet creek from Big Bear is a welcome sight to human and quadriped. It cascades over the granite into the canyon. Great views of Mt Shasta can be had at this point (below).

Big Bear is a typical alps lake. Set high in a beautiful circ with crystal clear water - and on this day in July - lots of flying friends looking for blood. A few campsites are around the lake. Wee Bear Lake is off to the left over the hill. We didn't have time to do it, but it would be a worthwhile hike.

Pedro enjoying the lake view

Hike up took about 3 hours for us. Hike down was under 2. It was a warm day with hiking temperatures in the 90's at the lower climes.

On the way down

Reportedly, the largest lumber-volume ponderosa ever recorded is on this trail somewhere. We saw lots of big ones, not sure which was champion.

The End.

Grizzly Lake with Eric

Hobo Gulch to Grizzly Lake and back.

Eric was most daring and wanted to go backpacking. I was very grateful, as I'm not sure I'd have gone alone. I knew he wanted to eat well, so we packed up Pedro and Charlie with 5 days of food (good food), a small dutch oven and we were off!
After a long drive past Weaverville, Helena and on to the Hobo Gulch trailhead. We started about 11 am and enjoyed the views of the river immensely. River crossings weren't a problem and the goats only sunk up to the shoulder. They were champs. North Fork of the Trinity River was gorgeous and looked like scenes out of Lord of the Rings - ? In August the water was low; some areas looked like they would be pretty treacherous crossings during high water, with water marks 2-3 feet higher along the shore. A high water trail is available early on the trail on the east shore.

We reached Jorstad's Cabin and found fellow hikers there, so we move on to Peg Leg and made camp there along the crook of the river. This was a beautiful little camp. Not much grass for the goats though, so we walked them back to the meadow for graze. That night we had T-bones medium well, grilled over coals and baked potatoes in the coals. We shared our cornbread (perfectly cooked with IHop jelly on top) with the folks at Jorstad's cabin. They were almost out of food and seemed to enjoy it!

Next morning we were off fairly early and made the climb up to the meadow. As we passed through China Gardens, there was an eery feeling; very lonely. As we read the history of the area, and of the slaughter of the chinese there by "white miners", I thought perhaps that was why. Amazing piles of stones to reroute the water for panning and mining.


From here the trail ascends up the south-facing slope of Grizzly Canyon fairly continuously with a few switchbacks through oak and other deciduous trees. This stretch is a good morning hike as the lower altitude lends to hot afternoons - especially facing south. There is a great little campsite at the junction of the ______ trail with a nice small creek. Bob's Farm trail angles off to the south before you reach the junction of China Creek Trail and the increase in hikers that trail brings.


The trail continues through beautiful forests, with many reminders of the fire of 2002? that raced up the canyon. Waterfalls and ice-cold pools, and finally Thompson Peak is seen. This part of the hike ascends roughly 3000 feet over 7-8 miles.

Grizzly Meadows is an Eden-like beautiful meadow and forest surrounded on three sides by high canyon cliffs. The waterfall graces the eastern end of the canyon and is always heard. There is a nice small campsite at the western entrance of the meadow, with a handy, pretty creek. Not too private however, as the trail goes right throught the middle. We stayed in a horse-camp about 200 yards into Grizzly Meadow, on the south side of the creek. There is another horse-camp about 100 yards south of this camp, nearer the canyon wall - more secluded, but not as well furnished. A great hiker's camp is found on the trail nearer the east end of the meadow, not too far from the boulders.

We dined next on a rice-vegetable combination with Taco seasoning and beef chunks. Ymmmmm. Rice pudding for desert! Eric was impressed.

The next morning was time for exploring. We unfortunately followed some youthful fellows with extraordinarily large packs up the scramble and to the right. Some have termed this route "Dead man's gulch" or some term conveying similar optimism. This route leads to a vertical section of about 5 feet that requires climbing; then a loose scree above this for 30 feet or so. Pedro and Charlie couldn't make it up here, so we moved on to see the lake and then come back for them. Without us however, they were well motivated and somehow made it up the chute and were half way to Ceasar's Peak when we came back. Glad we found them. They were most glad to see their humans again.





On the scramble, to the north of the falls, there is a green "tarmack" that leads you up the side of the canyon (see above photo). Follow the cairns carefully and you will avoid the "right" route, and instead be lead to an ominous looking chute to the left instead. This leftward route is much safer and requires only minimal climbing. A nice switchback trail follows up to the falls and lake. The wind was hefty and one could lose a hat here, so strap it on!

The falls, and the leap over them, has to be the most simple looking but "scary if you think about it" experience of the hike or the Trinities for that matter. 2-3 foot jump, but don't miss! The falls, lake and mountain have to be one of the prettiest and grandest sites I have seen ever. Well worth the 18 miles and scramble. Grizzly Lake is near 200 feet deep and receives constant run-off from the snowpack above. It nests atop the 800 foot canyon/cliff face and is cold, cold, cold.



Thompson Peak is grand - guarding the southeast face of this exalted circ.

We followed the cairns back down the scramble faithfully and they led us to the more westerly chute ("left" on the way "up") and we descended without incident. This all could be a little dicey with snow or ice. Charlie (below) handled it all in style. The caprine friends really enjoy the rock and climbing. One has to be constantly vigilant for dogs however. Good hikers pick up on it and restrain the dogs from chasing down the goats. If you do encounter a dog, try and keep the goats close to you in a pack and the dog usually pulls up and can be deterred with a walking pole, etc.

We cooked Dutch Oven again that night, something good, but can't remember just what? I do know our cinammon rolls exploded out of the cardboard twisty-can. Altitude and yeast and warm days are an amazing thing. But they were good! The goats curled up around the firepit during the night and didn't seem too bothered by the incredibly pesky and most bold deer.

We chose the tent to avoid the mosquito parade during the night.

Next morning we descended the canyon, taking in the beautiful display of flowers and butterflies. Jorstad Cabin was a welcome sight, with its benches, tables, firepit and swimming-hole. The water has warmed quite a bit in the sun during the last 10 miles or so; it is an excellent place to cool off and wash off. I am amazed that Mr and Mrs Jorstad put up with 24/7 river noise! Probably tuned it out over time. The sound of tumbling river rocks when all else is quiet sounds amazingly like a crowd of people conversing. Many times I looked up and expected to see a group of hikers approaching.

The dutch oven came through the last night, with sauerkraut, chopped kielbasa and dried apple slices. Dinner rolls for a side with some I-Hop jelly left.

The hike out in the morning was beautiful.

Gorgeous views of North Fork of Trinity. The trail cuts into the side of the canyon and drops steeply to the river. We packed out, drove out and had fast food in Weaverville. Can't wait to go back!