Beginning point: Natural Bridge End point: River Bridge Total Miles: 8.1
Hikers: Steve and Maria, Mary E., Suzanne, Dianne, Chiyemi and Terry, Jack and Lynn, Connie, Mary K., Dogs Bailey and Chiloquin
This trip was originally going to be a three day backpack. This was shortened to a day hike because the campgrounds where we were going to camp (Natural Bridge and River Bridge) closed early and people also expressed concern over the long hours of fall darkness.
We gathered at Mary K.’s house in Ashland at 8:30 AM and carpooled up to River Bridge on Highway 62 north of Prospect, where we again carpooled to Natural Bridge to facilitate a shuttle. Thanks to all who shared their vehicles to make the shuttle happen. After a short trip across the Rogue River to look at Natural Bridge, we re-crossed the river and hiked south on the Upper Rogue River Trail, which closely follows the east bank of the river. Fall colors were at their height—red and yellow splashes of color lined the river.

The trail passed through canopies of bright yellow trees that seemed to light up the trail. Takelma Gorge was spectacular. Jack and Lynn looked for mushrooms and found one chanterelle. It was a little early for the mushroom harvest—which maybe better after the next storm. Our starting elevation was just over 3200 feet . Cumulative elevation loss for the trip was 400 feet over 8.1 miles—although the distance seemed shorter. The grade of the trail was nearly level with a few steep uphill pitches and rocky sections. We started hiking down the trail at about 10:45 AM and finished by approximately 3:45 PM. We had a short lunch break at the Woodruff Bridge picnic area which was about 3.5 miles from the start of our hike. The weather was unsettled and cool—it was lightly raining as we drove through Medford on our way to the trailhead in the morning, but stopped before we got to River Bridge. The weather remained unsettled but the sun came out sporadically in the afternoon, which heightened landscape photography interest.
—-submitted by Mary Kwart

Click to view slideshow.

Emerald and Sapphire Lakes from Sawtooth Ridge

Steve Weyer, Maria Geigel, Denise Fry and Tysen Mueller, traveled down to the southeastern end of the Trinity Alps, about 13 miles north of Weaverville the first week in August. Our goal was to make a 4 night, 5 day backpacking trip into the Emerald-Sapphire Lakes area of the Trinity Alps.
Before the start of our backpack trip, we spent the night at the Minersville Campground on the northwest end of Trinity Lake.

The next morning, we started our backpack trip at the Stuart Fork of the Salmon River trailhead. That day, we climbed a distance of about nine miles with a net elevation gain of 1600 ft. However, with all the ups and down, it was actually an elevation gain of 2700 ft and a loss of 1100 ft, making this a moderately strenuous trek.

We found a campsite at the south end of Morris Meadow with a beautiful view north to the Sawtooth Ridge behind which hid Caribou Lake. Our campsite was also located near a delightful confluence of a meadow stream and the South Fork river.

The next day, we continued our upward ascend, reaching Emerald Lake in about 4 miles with an elevation gain of 1200 ft. Due to the high temperatures (mid-80′s), we selected a campsite at the east end, and below Emerald Lake in a stand of trees.

The next morning, we set out for a day hike to Mirror Lake. Hence, we had to hike along the northern shore of Emerald Lake and climb up to the ledge that held Sapphire Lake. From here, we had to follow a barely visible trail along the north shore of Sapphire Lake that involved a lot of rock scrambling and bush whacking.

When, we reached the west end of Sapphire Lake, Tysen decided to stay there and wait for the others to return. Steve, Maria and Denise continued, climbing up toward the ledge that contained Mirror Lake.
As the going got rougher, Denise decided to stop at a waterfall and let Steve and Maria continue on. Finally, Steve and Maria encountered a near vertical wall that involved a 3rd-class ascent of a steep gully to reach Mirror Lake, which Maria was able to complete with Steve’s assistance.

They were rewarded with a great view of beautiful Mirror Lake as well as a vista of Sapphire Lake below. Finally, 3.5 hours later, everybody reconnected again at the west end of Sapphire Lake and continued on down to our Emerald Lake Campsite, very exhausted.

The next day, we headed back down the mountain. Our goal was a riverside campsite that we had seen on the way up shortly after passing a turnoff to Alpine Lake. We were able to find this site unoccupied, placing us within a three hour hike from the trailhead.

The last day, we successfully reached the trailhead and headed to Etna for a late lunch. Since the Etna Brewing Company, our favorite haunt was closed that day, we enjoyed a great lunch at the Etna Deli.

Stuart Fork Trailhead to Emerald – Sapphire Lakes Area

Tysen, Denise, Steve and Maria at Stuart Fork Trailhead

South Morris Meadow Campsite looking north to Sawtooth Ridge

Hiking north along Morris Meadow

Heading west along trail up to Emerald Lake, surrounded by flowers

East end of Emerald Lake with Dam on left

Northeast end of Emerald Lake

Outflow from Emerald Lake and great swimming hole!

Stand of trees below Emerald Lake where we camped

Emerald Lake campsite, with Maria and Steve

Morning View of Emerald Lake with Cairns

Maria taking picture of Folk Art consisting of abandoned mining equipment, below Sapphire Lake

Maria and Steve hiking past east end of Sapphire Lake

Day hike along Sapphire Lake on way to Mirror Lake

Rock scrambling and bushwhacking our way to west end of Sapphire Lake

Steve getting cooled off at water fall just below Mirror Lake

Maria, also enjoying the refreshing waterfall

Mirror Lake

Sapphire Lake seen from Mirror Lake

Returning along Sapphire Lake back to our campsite

Trinity Alps Panorama to west from Morris Meadow

Stuart Fork River campsite north of Alpine Lake turnoff

River View below campsite

(trip report to follow; photos added — captions to follow)

Steve, Maria, Trish & Tysen at Long Gulch Trailhead

Four of us, Steve Weyer, Maria Geigel, Trish Ferrante and Tysen Mueller, spent 3 days and 2 nights in the northeastern end of the Trinity Alps. We started out at the Long Gulch trailhead and hiked into Long Gulch Lake, about 3 miles in from the trailhead. Our trip had been set back a day due to predicted thunderstorms in the area. As it turned out, we were threatened with dark clouds for the first couple of afternoons, including cool winds — but no rain.

We found a delightful campsite at the northeast end of Long Gulch Lake. On our second day, we planned a day hike to Fish Lake, to the west. Somehow, on a ridge above Long Gulch Lake, we managed to take the wrong trail and ended up not finding Fish Lake. When we returned to that ridge, we were too tired to take the correct trail all the way down to Fish Lake. Instead, we found a scenic spot on the ridge and had our lunch there before returning back to our campsite.

The third day, while eating our breakfast, we were treated to a cow bell concert as a dozen cows that had been grazing on one of the lower meadows made their way past our campsite to higher meadow.

Rather than continuing up over a steep pass and heading out via Trail Gulch Lake, we opted to return back to our original trailhead. From there, we drove a short distance to the Trail Gulch Lake trailhead. We hiked in the 1.7 mile trail, had lunch at the lake and headed back to the car before heading home.

NOTE: The trails and Forest Service maps show that the western lake is called Long Gulch Lake while the eastern lake is called Trail Gulch Lake. The USGS 1:24K topo map, however, have the names of these two lakes reversed…

Long Gulch & Trail Gulch Loop Topo

The cast:

• Denise Fry (aka Trailfinder)
• Gail Pearlman (aka Timekeeper)
• Alan Pendleton (aka Reader)
• Mary Ehlers (aka Flower Lady)

Alan: “It always rains on Thursday in the Sierras.”

Almost everyone: “Does anyone have some extra toilet paper?”

Flowers: see list below

Day one – Gail, Denise, and Mary drove from Ashland to Pinecrest, on the west side of the Sierras, via I5, a 7 1/2 hour drive if you don’t stop. They camped that night at the Pinecrest Campground, a crowded, dry, and not beautiful spot. If we did it over again, we would stay at the Strawberry Inn, which is where we stayed the last night. Alan was already in Pinecrest at Mi Wuk, where he has stayed many years in the past. He noted that the lodge and other facilities at Mi Wuk had closed down, as well as other places in Pinecrest and wonders if that is due to California’s ailing economy.

Day two – we began the trip with great enthusiasm, climbing immediately 600’ from the start of the trail. The book said this would be the most difficult part of the whole trip, but I think we felt it was not that difficult and that other parts of the trail were more challenging. We were soon into the landscape that captured our imaginations and senses for the rest of the trip: granite rock forms rising up around us and also lying on the ground in great slabs, often with boulders of granite perched on top; wildflowers in abundance; spacious and flower-filled meadows; open pine forests; and blue skies with white clouds.

We had lunch at Powell Lake, where we saw what would be typical of all the lakes – blue water filling basins carved from the granite, small islets in the lake covered with grasses, flowers, and bonsai’d trees, alpine firs, pines, and hemlock surrounding the lake. We continued to Chewing Gum Lake, at 4.7 miles (including .4 miles in and out of Powell Lake), where we camped the night. A breeze that would follow us throughout the week kept the mosquitos at bay. That evening we played some rummy, but for some reason no one requested the game again all week – could it be that one of us never won even one hand?

Day three – we had planned to stay at Whiteside Meadow this night, but hikers we met on their way out convinced us that Toe Jam Lake was the place to be. Whiteside Meadow, surrounded by rock formations, was huge and the first of many large fields of lupine and other wildflowers that we would see. In some places the expansive flower fields were literally solid blue with lupine. Denise soon showed her skills as trailfinder, guiding us over large granite slabs, where the trail was easily lost. We appreciated and depended on her all week. Gail, on the other hand, was able to predict how long each section would take us, often to the exact minute – this gal’s got a real head for numbers.

Toe Jam Lake, 5.9 miles from Chewing Gum, was surrounded by fields of wildflowers, and since we got to the lake by 1:30, there was plenty of time to identify flowers and to scramble on the rock formations. There were two llamas contentedly sitting in a small meadow amongst the rock, resting up for further packing. (We’ll be exploring the idea of having pack animals take our packs to a lake in the future, backpack from there, and then have the animals return to take our packs out.) Gail and Denise enjoyed washing clothes and hair, while Alan and Mary collected more dirt from day to day. At about 8:30 pm, we heard cowbells. Gail was the only one quick enough to stick her head out of her tent and see a small herd of black cows walk on the trail just below our campsite. Others hikers we had talked to that day said a one-mile cross country hike to Leopold Lake was worth doing, but we decided to save that for another time.

Day 4 – Everyone feeling strong, we continued on to Wire Lake, a hike of 5.3 miles, where we spent two nights. The hike through open pine forests with sunlight filtering through was beautiful and refreshing in the morning. Temperatures were in the 70’s to low 80’s, as it had been all week. Lupines and asters lined the trail. After setting up camp and having lunch, Alan, Denise, and Mary hiked down the drainage to the lower Wire Lakes, both of which were very low on water, due to the lack of snow this last Winter. Alan took pictures of stunted and contorted trees, to prove to his OLLI Japanese gardening class that these shapes actually exist in nature. In the evening, Gail and Denise told us some very entertaining and scary bear experiences.

Day 5 – We dayhiked to Upper Buck Lake, which proved to be an eventful day. Tysen had recommended this lake to us as one of the most beautiful, and we all agreed with him. The lake is dotted with islets and is surrounded by a tall and beautiful granite cirque, much higher than at the other lakes we visited. We all felt that someday we’d like to camp at this lake for a couple of nights and then be able to dayhike to Emigrant Lake.

After having lunch, Alan, Denise, and Mary decided to walk further around the lake. Large granite outcroppings interrupted the trail here and there, typical for all our hikes so far, forcing one to scout periodically for where the trail continued. On our return, we took the wrong trail, and instead of rounding the end of the lake to where Gail was waiting, we found ourselves going south on the trail to the lower Buck Lakes. It took us quite a while to figure that out that we weren’t even at Upper Buck, and simple as it seems now, quite a while to figure out how to get back. We felt like we were turned around and lost. We finally made it back to Gail, who with good humor told us all her possible plans if we hadn’t made it back. Under her good humor, she had been worried, and so were we! Alan and I had left our daypacks, both filled with survival gear, with Gail. Alan and Denise had compasses, and Denise had a map, but both my map and compass were with my other survival gear. Even what seems like a simple side trip can turn into a dangerous situation, so we learned our lesson about taking all our gear with us. Because of this, I am going to submit to this blog a reminder about The Ten Essentials.

The hike in and out of Buck Luck from Wire Lake totaled 8 miles and was very rigorous due to the steep drop to the lake. Between that and getting lost, Alan, Denise, and Mary hiked about 13 miles total, and we were all pretty done in.

Day 6 – Thursday! (Remember what Alan said?) We got up to a tiny flurry of snow crystals, which quit almost as soon as it started. We had breakfast and packed up, just before the rain started falling. We hiked the 5.2 miles to Paiute Lake in the rain, and just as we were ready to set up our tents, the rain stopped. So except for ground cloths on wet ground, our tents never got wet. How lucky we were. There were not nearly as many wildflowers on this section of the hike, but tall and commanding ridges stood on our right most of the way. We did lots of resting in camp this afternoon, not being nearly as adventuresome as the previous day. Alan read to us after dinner from his Kindle, a selection from Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, that was interesting and educational, and we all enjoyed it a great deal. In fact, I’d like to propose that whoever wishes might bring something to read to the group on future hikes – it was a very entertaining way to spend some of the time between dinner and bed.

Day 7 – we hiked out 8 miles to Crabtree, the end of the trail. There were more downs than ups, but the ups were very challenging, the first two being granite staircases and granite slabs and the third a steep set of switchbacks that didn’t want to quit. Before the last ascent, Allen and I crossed a creek (only our third creek crossing in the whole trip), where we met two fellows on horseback, plus a pack horse. The younger man, son of the other, looked very unhappy. Turned out his cinch had broken earlier and he had fallen onto the rocks. I guess he was pretty banged up, so they were trying to get out to take him to the doctor. They had bows and arrows on the pack horse, along with a bulky pack hanging over the sides of the horse, covered by a tarp. I had to wonder if they’d been hunting.

The last two miles were easy but boring, and we met numerous parties coming up, dayhiking or planning to camp for a night with kids. We all were like horses to water, smelling the showers and clean clothes that awaited us, Alan back to Mi Wuk and the women to Strawberry Inn. We met for dinner at the Steam Donkey in Pine Crest, where the food was excellent.

Day 8 – Alan remained in the Pinecrest area to visit friends, while Mary, Gail, and Denise drove over the Sonora Pass, which none of us had seen. At over 9000 feet at the top, the pass is rugged and beautiful. Then onto 395, 44, 89, and I5 home, passing both Lassen and Mt Shasta. With stops for lunch, snacks, and stretch breaks, a long day in the car. Tired but happy, we spent some of our time talking about what our next hike in the Sierras might be.

Thank you to Alan and Tysen for suggesting this particular Sierra hike and helping to plan the route. Thanks to Alan for suggesting the time, knowing from his previous experience the best time for good weather and good flowers. Thanks to everyone in the group for being congenial, helpful, and good-humored at all times – it seems we made a pretty good team!

Limited Flower List (Some extremely numerous, others not. Not all in all locations.)

Lupine (at least 3 of the 5 varieties in the Sierras, maybe 4)
Wild carrot or celery (I think)
Cow parsnip
Grimelli (yellow daisy looks like arrow-leaved balsam root)
Penstemon (at least 3 varieties)
Paintbrush
Oregon sunshine
Potentilla
Rosy spirea
Pussypaws
Buckwheat (at least 2 varieties)
Stonecrop
Phlox (past its prime)
Western bistort
Asters (a tall and a groundcover variety)
Yellow mimulus
Little elephant’s head
An Echinacea-type daisy
Columbine
Delphinium
Shooting star
Bear grass
Queen Anne’s lace
Pennyroyal
Mountain heather (past its prime)
Mountain frittilary (Alan, that was the orange lily – yes, named “mountain”)
Yarrow

More photos will be added here later. Gail’s PicasaWeb gallery

Mary E. was originally going to lead a hike into the Trinity Alps, but there was still too much snow on June 19th, so she put her head together with Bill and they decided on hiking a a section of the 79 mile North Umpqua River Trail northeast of Crater Lake National Park in the Umpqua National Forest.

June 19th: We gathered at Bill’s place early and since we were such a small group, took off in one car. It was a beautiful day to drive in the forest. The section of the North Umpqua Trail that Mary chose to hike was called the “Dread and Terror” section–a dramatic name given by forest workers on nearby Dread and Terror Ridge where they were plagued by thick stands of whitethorn ceanothus brush with vicious thorns. Thankfully, this was the polar opposite of our experience on this trip. We checked in at the Diamond Lake Ranger Station for updates and more info, then were on our way up the dirt road toward Umpqua Hotsprings Trailhead, where we parked. Finding the beginning of the river trail going east was difficult–no signs. A careful reading of the guidebook got us started in the right direction. We almost immediately encountered a beautiful cascading waterfall, the first of several along the river. Wildflowers were abundant due to the wet spring.

After hiking about 3 miles, we decided to find a base camp for the day hike tomorrow. At the ranger station they had said there was a camp about 3 miles up the trail. We saw a potential campsite, but it was on gravel, so we continued to a site next to the river that took a little bushwhacking to get to. There was a gravel and sand bar that provided just enough room for two tents. We gratefully shed our packs and made camp. It was peaceful sleeping right next to the river, and the breeze helped to minimize bugs. We also had a campfire–there was plenty of downed wood.

June 20th: After a leisurely breakfast, we took off east, ambling along the fairly level trail next to the river. The trail is canopied with large old Douglas firs and other conifers. We stopped to admire wildflowers and swore to bring a flower identification book next time to solve identification issues. We passed a trail junction that would lead to the Dread and Terror Ridge proper, but we decided to stay along the river. We stopped for lunch a few miles down the trail. Bill looked across the river and saw the small bush like nest of a water ouzel/dipper perched on a log overhanging the water. The bird was close by, hunting in the shallow water making its characteristic bobbing motion. It was a great sighting. We were entertained for quite a while. Mary E., Bill and Bailey headed back to the base camp to relax. Mary K. continued on for several miles. There was another waterfall farther along the trail and many new kinds of wildflowers that she took pictures of to identify later. We spent the evening at the campfire.

June 21: We broke camp and hiked out about 9 AM to get a head start on the drive back and have time to enjoy the hotsprings. Even though there were quite a few cars at the hotsprings parking lot, the springs themselves were not that crowded. We took a short trail to the hotsprings after we changed clothes at the car. There are about 5-6 pools dug into the hillside with a dramatic view of the North Umqua River. The hottest pools are at the top of the slope. One pool has a roof built over it. Mary E. and Mary K. checked out two of the pools. It was almost too hot of a day to stay in the hotsprings very long, although it was relaxing.

On the way home we stopped to eat at Beckie’s Restaurant at Union Creek and indulged in beer and the famous burgers there.

We only sampled a small section of the North Umpqua Trail this time–it would be a good to hike more along this trail and see what other sections have to offer.

Next year: stay at the forest service created campground that is just .2 mile in from the trailhead. It is big and level and right next to a beautiful waterfall. Because of this short distrance to the trailhead, one could take in the hotsprings in the morning, which would be much more refreshing than in the middle of a hot day, like we did. Also, there would be more time to explore the waterfalls that are mainly at the beginning of the trail. On either the first and/or the second day, one could dayhike as far as one likes upriver or even explore the Dread and Terror Ridge (although the book said it wasn’t very wonderful). It would make a beautiful, fun, and easy hike.

This trip was originally scheduled as a thru hike from Cook&Green TH, PCT to Kangaroo Springs, Boundary Trail to Lonesome Lake or Cedar Basin, then to Azalea Lake, ending at Fir Glade TH. However, given the group size and the logistics of arranging a car shuttle or key exchange, we decided to go from Fir Glade TH to Azalea Lake and back out, with possible day trips to Lonesome Lake and/or Butte Fork. Thanks to our trip leader Gail for researching all of these alternatives.

Day 1: Cars from Grants Pass and Ashland rendezvoused at the Applegate Store, then caravaned along mostly gravel and mostly poorly-marked roads for another 1-1/2 hours. From the Fir Glade TH, we soon hiked across the border from OR into CA — with no agricultural inspection station in sight! We carried water since after ~2 miles and several tiny creeks, Azalea Lake (~6.5 mi.) would be our next source. We waded through shrubs for ~1-2 mi., some in shorts due to the heat. Near Thompson Creek Pass, we sighted our first Knobcone Pines and Weeping Spruces. We navigated more overgrown sections on the way to Azalea Lake Pass (6000′), where we found some remaining patches of snow, and a view of Preston Peak in the Siskiyou Wilderness to the west. Then, it was all downhill (1.3 mi.) to Azalea Lake: azaleas in bloom, bear grass, views of the Red Buttes to the east, and bathing in the warm lake.

Day 2: For our day hike, we headed to Cedar Basin — and a trail fork. Gail opted to explore the Butte Fork trail; the rest of us were intrigued by Lonesome Lake — despite warnings from some hikers of even more bushwhacking (though they must’ve been off route, since we had little trouble routefinding, and waded thru fewer shrubs than the first day). Lonesome Lake was a beautiful lunch stop: smaller than Azalea, with clearer water and even more azaleas. On the way back, Mary and Steve were unsuccessful in locating an old pack trail that would’ve allowed an ascent of Mt. Emily (and presumably great views, if smoke hadn’t been increasing).

Day 3: The trip was originally planned for 4 days (3 nights); however, due to some equipment issues (i.e., sleeping pad punctures from the brush) and smoke from fires, we decided to camp just 2 nights at Azalea Lake before returning. We were on the trail before 9am, back to cars by ~1:30, and stopped at the Applegate Store for cool refreshments.

In addition to photos below from Maria, Gail offers this Picasa gallery

Backpackers on this trip: Sunny A., Linden C., Maria G., Mike L., Gail P., Lois P., Steve W.

This was basically a repeat of last year’s round trip on the Lower Rogue River Trail from Mule Creek TH [R arrow on topo; M25.0] to Brushy Bar CG [L arrow; M31.2]. (TH=Trail Head; CG=Camp Ground; M# = mi. downriver from Graves Creek TH)

On May 28-Jun 1, Steve & Maria — plus daughter Ellie — repeated the trip, but added another night upriver and a drive to the coast.

BLM info: Rogue River Trail map; trail Page; trail Log (mile markers M0.0-41.0 with descriptions)
Driving info: driving orientation (Glendale – Marial); Google; shuttle routes (map p.1).
References: 100 Hikes in So. Oregon by William Sullivan; “Rogue River Trail West” (#85, pp. 197-199 in 2nd ed.)

Since most participants were returning to backpacking after many years, this trip provided good practice and a large campsite, and reduced need for gear:

• the trail is relatively flat, with few people and with spectacular views; creeks every 2-3 miles;
• for those without a Steripen or water filter for the creek, potable (tap) water is available at host cabin ~1/4 mi. from campsite
• for those without a bear canister, there are a bear locker and cables
• there’s even a clean pit toilet on site (thanks, Bev!)
• downsides: long (~3 hr.) drive to/from TH; narrow cliff-side trail in sections; south-facing trail can get hot in canyons

In comparing last and this years’ trips:

• we had better weather this year (warmer; no rain on middle day)
• more poison oak encroaching on trail, esp. near Blossom Bar — another good reason for trekking (or budget ski) poles
• maybe fewer wildflowers (drier?) — see last year’s post for flower photos
• drive to TH was faster: we knew the way and there was no construction or snow
• bears across from Brushy Bar CG: mother&cub last year; none on 1st trip this year; one on 2nd trip

Day 1: We left Ashland ~7:30am, with stop in Grants Pass on our way to Glendale. Cool weather for hiking but sunnier during day; arrived at Brushy Bar by mid-afternoon; Bev was CG host again — temporarily until early June; Mail Tribune article: Want to spend the summer in a cabin in the forest? Volunteer host sought for Brushy Bar Guard Station in Wild Rogue Wilderness. Some skinny dipping in river may have occurred.

Day 2: 10am leisurely start for day hiking. All (except Steve) hiked 2 mi. downriver to Clay Hill Lodge [M33.2], with some dips in creeks along the way. Steve explored the Devil’s Backbone Trail over the ridge between Brushy Bar and Half Moon Beach, then upriver to Paradise, with a hike up Deke’s Peak (w/ Adirondack chairs on top). Time at the beach for all. Mike and Lois fly-fished.

Day 3: Returned upriver, lunch at Blossom Bar to watch rafters, drove back to Grants Pass and Ashland.

Day 1: same, except for later start and warmer temps

Day 2: Just after Clay Hill [M33.2], a sliding ~3-car-garage-size boulder had carved gully across the trail. Steve and Ellie continued dayhiking to Flora Dell Falls [M34.8] — very nice; and then Dan’s Creek [M36.2] (not recommended: the additional 1+ mi. involves a lot of uphill and switchbacks away from the river to re-route around a much earlier damaged cliffside trail). On our return, Ellie saw a bear ahead on the trail, which quickly scampered away. We saw a (different) bear that evening across the river from our campsite.

Day 3: After returning to Mule Creek TH, we left trash and dirty clothes at our car, and added clean clothes, food and bear canister to packs, shuttled ~2 mi. to Rogue River Ranch [M33.0], hiked another 3.6 mi. upriver (almost ~10 mi. backpacking that day!) to Quail Creek [M19.4] to camp on beach.

Day 4: We day hiked upriver past Zane Grey’s Cabin [M17.5?]; due to the heat, we then decided to pack up and return to the car, rather than spend a 2nd night at our unshady Quail Creek campsite. Rather than carcamp at Tucker Flat CG [M33.4] or drive back immediately to Ashland, we continued toward the coast on Eden Valley Road, with a stop to fix dinner and camp along the way (Buck Creek CG).

Day 5: We continued driving to Agness, brunched in Gold Beach, hiked at Cape Sebastian, and returned to Ashland via Brookings (rather than Bear Camp Road, since we were tired of curvy single lane roads)

Photos below are mostly from Maria, with a few from Lois and Ellie; Gail’s photos.
Click to view slideshow.

MARIA, STEVE, ALAN & TYSEN AT ETNA SUMMIT TRAILHEAD

ALAN ON PACIFIC CREST TRAIL HEADING SOUTH

ENJOYING VIEW ON PCT

STEVE, MARIA & ALAN ENJOYING REST STOP

SCOTT LAKE LOOKING EAST

TAYLOR LAKE LOOKING WEST

APPROACHING HIGH POINT ON WAY TO PAYNES LAKE

PAYNES LAKE LOOKING EAST

PAYNES LAKE LOOKING WEST

PAYNES LAKE VIEW TO SE FROM CAMPSITE

TYSEN, STEVE, MARIA & ALAN GETTING READY TO PLAY POKER FOR MATCHSTICKS

ALBERT LAKE ABOVE PAYNES LAKE

CROSS-COUNTRY CLIMB TO UPPER ALBERT LAKE

ALBERT LAKE FROM UPPER ALBERT LAKE

ALAN, MARIA & STEVE RELAXING NEXT TO UPPER ALBERT LAKE

VIEW OF UPPER ALBERT LAKE FROM RIDGE THAT STEVE CLIMBED

BLUE LAKE SW ON OTHER SIDE OF RIDGE

RETURNING DOWN TO PAYNES LAKE

OUR CAMPSITE WITH TYSEN’S TENT AND LAKE IN BACK

ALAN READING PHILOSOPHICAL BOOK

MARIA CATCHING UP ON HER MAGAZINE READING

STEVE WITH HIS INSEPARABLE IPAD

REST STOP ON PCT HEADING BACK WITH MT SHASTA IN BACK

TAYLOR LAKE

SCOTT LAKE

HEADING NORTH ON THE PCT WITH MARBLE WILDERNESS IN BACKGROUND