Sky High Lakes – July 27-30, 2010

This was a return three day trip from last year’s LTBackpacker’s trip – almost to the  day. It was also only a few miles north of our last trip to the spectacular Cliff Lake also in the Marble Wilderness near Fort Jones, California and not far from the Oregon border.

Trail map starting at top following dark red line 6 miles

Trail profile from left gaining 1500'

Everyone gathered at Terry and Chiyemi’s house, leaving Chiyemi behind with her hip pointer.  This is, parenthetically, the only backpacking trip her hubby has taken without her.  Five people in two cars on the 1.5 hour trip through Yreka, to Fort Jones and along the Scott River Road to the Forest Service road leading off to the south from Indian Scotty Campground, where we stayed overnight last year.

Again this  year we had 5 people, last minute Alan with one L, Tysen, the maximum and awesome group leader, Terry the blog-meister and two newcomers, Maria and Steve.

Start of Sky High Lakes July 2010 - Tysen, Maria, Alan, Steve & Terry kneeling

Then 15 miles or so on the  nicely surfaced road to a parking lot alarmingly filled with 20 or so cars, horse trailers and the like. Overall, we did see quite a few people on the trail and camping but we never felt cramped or crowded.

Marble staircase

The first day we hiked in breaking all records and in a mere 4 hours hiked the 6.5 miles into Lower Sky High Lake.  This included the trip up the Marble Staircase which seemed longer last year.  We all started out with 20-35 pound packs, Maria winning the prize for lightest.  Steve claimed to be packing 30 pounds which included the 1.5 lb. iPad! No network connection but the iPad’s maps coupled with Tysen and Alan’s GPS’s, made navigation a snap.

Terry on marble step

The weather was bright, warm-but-not-hot, with clouds. Since we started off at 11 am or so and made the lake mid-afternoon.  As we passed the midpoint, clouds gathered and a small thunderstorm rolled past to the east with the meagerest of sprinkles.

The lightning did start a small fire behind us on the side of the hill (see pix). The Forest Service sent in a helicopter to dump water on the fire, now several miles behind us, and by the next morning no smoke remained.

The first 4 or 5 miles of the trek is through woods, high above the stream. Occasionally there were streams crossing the trail, so you could fill up the canteen at various points. The last mile or so was through a path closed in by 5′ hellibore and flowers of various sorts. One could easily imagine meeting a bear pretty closely under these circumstances  but we did not.

There are 3 lakes: Upper Sky High Lake that we visited, Frying Pan Lake where Tysen swims occasionally and Lower Sky High Lake (all of 10 feet lower, I expect). The camping is primarily at the latter though one campsite was at Frying Pan, which is Spanish for “Don’t Drink The Water”, I believe. Shallow and warmish with frogs.

Panorama of all 3 lakes in Sky High basin

We camped in exactly the same spot as last year after looking the lake over and hung our food contra-bearwise on just about the same tree. There was horse leavings but a largish, almost flat campsite for our 4 tents and possibly a couple more depending on how close you want to be to someone snoring.

Frying Pan Lake at sunset looking toward "handle"

Wednesday morning all awoke after a nice long snooze and all but Alan, nursing his own joint problem, stayed behind to read while Tysen, Steve, Maria and Terry hiked up to Shadow Lake, resting 800 feet or so above Sky High Lake. This was a 5 to 6 mile day hike and quite pleasant with a section of the trip on the Pacific Crest Trail.  There was momentary confusion as to where the trail to Shadow Lake might take off but we opted correctly for one running steeply up the ridge just off the PCT.

The scramble/trail down to Shadow Lake

Turns out that it is a loop trail up to  Shadow Lake, back through an  old burn area near the summit and back down to the PCT. Nice trip with commanding views of the Sky High Lakes basin: Upper and Lower Sky High Lakes plus Frying Pan Lake and a huge meadow. This with Marble Mountain and Black  Marble Mountain made for a really gorgeous viewpoint.

The second night was calm with the  pitter-patter of little feet, deer perhaps, outside heard by many. No bears this trip only monster pile of bear scat along the day hike. We awoke, packed up after breakfast and headed out. The hike out took between 2.5 and 3.5 hours so the nickname One Mile Per Hour Club was increasingly inaccurate.

Hiking out - Alan, Tysen, Maria, Steve and Terry

Tiger Swallowtail

We polished off the trip in fine fashion at the Etna Brewery, just like the last trip and the one year ago trip as well. Knowledgeable packers stocked up on the absolutely incredible Etna Brewery Root Beer: nothing like it, the best.

SLIDESHOW

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Terry’s feet at end of hike

Trail map starting at top following dark red line 6 miles

Trail profile from left gaining 1500′

Marble Mtn. left, Black Marble Mtn. right

Blue lupine

Painbrush

Looking back toward trailhead

Spruce roots

Lilies

Tiny Blue

Butterfly on trail

Lower Sky High Lake – first sight

Lightening strike fire – nearer end of valley

Dramatic sunset over Sky High Lake

Meador full of flowers next to campsite

Around the campfire minus the fire

Steve and his topo-filled iPad

Maria at start of day hike

Panorama of all 3 lakes in Sky High basin

Panorama looking west from PCT

Steve, Maria and Tysen

Odd yellow flower similar to paintbrush

Marble Mtn. left, Black Marble Mtn. right

The scramble/trail down to Shadow Lake

Shadow Lake – Sky High Lake off to left and down 600′

Steve and Maria lunch at Shadow Lake – Tysen in the background

Wasp with long ovipositor

Found artwork of mystical import at Shadow Lake

Tysen taking photo at Shadow Lake

Odd brownish flower

Long horned beetle on flower

All three Sky High Lake basin lakes

Frying Pan Lake at sunset looking toward “handle”

Sunset at lake

Maria and Alan with Sky High Lake behind near campsite

Hiking out – Alan, Tysen, Maria, Steve and Terry

One of several creeks crossing the trail

Start of Sky High Lakes July 2010 – Tysen, Maria, Alan, Steve & Terry kneeling

Terry taking a drink..

Marble staircase..

Cliff Lake in the Marble Wilderness – July 2010

The "Essential" Cliff Lake Shot - morning

July 7, 2010 - Leaving from the assembly point (our house in Ashland) at crack of 9:30am, two cars head south: Tysen leading in the Honda Civic and Terry just behind in the lovely plum colored Scion Xb. Five seasoned hikers: Tysen, Mary, Alan (whose name I almost always misspell), Chiyemi and Terry.

Allan, Mary, Tysen, Chiyemi Standing, Terry Kneeling

South on I5 to Yreka and then west on California 3 through Greenville to the euphonious Mugginsville and onto Quartz Valley Road and then 6 miles of very dusty, somewhat bumpy and narrow dirt.  We arrive only 70 miles or so from the starting point about 1.5 hours from our start.  The day is clear, beautiful and warm promising to be much warmer during the hike in.

Shackleford Trail Head Info

The five seasoned hikers are ready to hit the trail at 11:30am a long 5 miles from our destination and 1500 feet below it: Cliff Lake on the Shackleford trail.  Shackleford Creek is on our left for most of the first couple hours, quite a busy little river at lower elevations and as we cross stream after stream on the trail slanting in from the sides of the steep Marble Mountains.  Some of these side streams are a challenge to cross – no bridges but logs, rocks to hop across or get your feet wet. We see very few hikers going in or out even though the parking lot was nearly full. We worry about what kind of campsite we might find and who our neighbors will be.

Red line marks trail starting on the right

Five miles in four hours and we beat our One Mile Per Hour Club name and this on a trail that is very flat to start pitching upward abruptly at 2.25 miles in and again after a one mile respite at 4 miles in: the slope I come to think of as “the killer”.  It really is completely unnecessary to punish us after a hard hike with another half mile of up and up and up.  We pass Campbell Lake and continue on to Cliff Lake, a granite cirque with the northeastern bowl still covered in sloping snowfields, looking like glaciers in the bright July sun. Mary and Tysen go off to pick a campsite, a task the other three are happy to have done for them.

Trail profile starting on the left - mileage on the bottom

We just have time to set up our tents, catch our breathes when the skies cloud up and rain, a sprinkle or two at first and then a steady patter drives the 5 hikers into their tents for an hour’s welcome nap. Thunder and lighting roll across the lake but in the distant clouds above.

One hour later, exactly, we re-emerge from our cocoons into a gray but warm evening. Eventually the Jetboil’s get going and dinner, tasting oh-so-good is on.  We read or talk or just sit and look at the gorgeous lake as the sun sets and the cliff rim reddens: to bed by 9:45. Life is good.

July 8, 2010.  Couple rockfalls in the night but no bears as far as anyone can tell. In the warm sunlight spider webs drift across the deep blue-green lake, pollen from the pine trees coats the  water on the windward shore: another beautiful day in the neighborhood.  The bear canister, bear sack and hung food bags are intact and we will be able to eat – at least today.

After breakfast at 7:30am, coffee and some stretching out tired muscles we head for Summit Lake at around 10:30, which means descending almost to Campbell Lake and taking the uphill western trail over a small saddle. In the snow fields of the shaded Summit Lake the mosquitoes, annoying yesterday become ridiculous.  More spray, lotion and swatting ensue.

At Summit Lake, we break into two parties: the relaxed three (Tysen, Alan and Chiyemi) go back the same 2 miles to Cliff for reading or relaxing.  Mary and I go off in search of Log Lake and the long way round to get back to Cliff, estimated at 3pm. We find a nice large, photogenic frog, redwood orchids!, and the aptly named Log Lake.  Mary and I return to camp around 3pm and the weather is still fine.

Summit Lake south end

Another thunderstorm threatens in the late afternoon but does no more than grumble a bit.  We fire up the Jetboil’s again after pumping more water from the lake.  Dinner is as yummy as yesterday, everyone having hiked 4 to 6miles that day.

Tysen has brought his deck of cards and we play faux-poker using the top of the bear canister for a table. We let him win in spite of the mosquitoes and a second trudge up “the killer”.

Chiyemi and I sit at lake’s edge and sip cognac before bedtime around 9:30pm. Life is still good.

July 9, 2010. Everyone sleeps well and wakes at 7am for breakfast, coffee and packing up to leave.  We decide to walk to the far end of the lake to see where the smudgy fire came from the first evening as well as see what the other campsites look like in case (or when) we return.  Nice 20-30 minute walk brings us close to the cirque and all of the snow.  We could hear the rush of water even half a mile away in our campsites.  I had visions of a grand waterfall but it is just a nice stream crashing into the lake, next to the final campsite.  We decide that Mary and Tysen have done a fine job picking our campsite even though, as usual, I miss the turnoff to retrieve our packs when going back to pick up our packs.

We completely break all records for walking nearly 6 miles in 2.5 hours.  Downhill all the way with a reduced load?  Piece of cake!  Drive back to Greenview and on to Etna for the Etna Brewery’s fine grub and a bit of brew.  I get my usual veggie burger, Chiyemi has the Asian salad and we pick up a couple six packs of the excellent, old-fashioned brewery’s own root beer.  Packs a walloping, good taste!

Back on the road and home to Ashland in under a couple hours, ready for the  next trip but (for me) somewhat sore. Life is still very, very good.

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Alan, Mary, Tysen, Chiyemi Standing, Terry Kneeling

Tysen crossing stream on way in

Waterfall on stream crossing our trail

Mary crossing a stream

Lunch on way in

Flowers with butterfly

Purple/pink flowers

Wide, flat trail in 2.25 miles

Mary and Chiyemi crossing creek

Campbell Lake – only a mile to go!

White trilium

Helebore leaf

Alan inflates his Thermorest pad

Beautiful, plentiful and unknown pink/white flowers

Cliff Lake after thunderstorm passes – still cool

Five frame cylindrical panorama – Cliff Lake am

Coffee is vital in the am

Mary preps a cuppa java

Alan at lakeside

The cooking area at our campsite

Yellow unknown flowers

Indian paint

Disgraceful view! ;-) Looking down valley of Shackleford Creek

Woodgrain on broken tree

Lily pad lakelet

Snow (and mosquitoes) on trail to Summit Lake

Summit Lake south end

Boulders In Rockslide toward Log Lake

Mountain Frog 3.5″

Orange butterflies on trail “mud-puddling”

Lily pad lakelet

Fungus on log

The “Essential” Cliff Lake Shot – morning

Chiyemi lights fire while Alan preps his din-din

Enjoying campfire Cliff Lake – 2nd night

Our slightly askew Rainbow Tarptent

Morning cuppa in Sierra cup

Cliff Lake panorama 2 or 3 frames

Cliff Lake from west end

Freshet at SE end of Cliff Lake

Tree Leaning over Cliff Lake

Waterfall on way out

1.5″ wingspread on new mud-puddling butterfly

Etna Brewery – lunch on 3rd day after 3 day backpack – yummy!

Alan’s “milkshake” porter at Etna Brewery

Red line marks trail starting on the right

Trail profile starting on the left – mileage on the bottom

RR to Graves Creek Gallery

Ruth

Chiyemi

Mary

Bill

Terry

Rogue River – Graves Creek to Whiskey Creek

Ruth

Chiyemi

Mary

Bill

Terry

Three days and two night followed an easy 3.4 mile walk from the trail head at Graves Creek, 15 miles down the Rogue River from the small town of Merlin, the five senior backpackers made our way along the  trail bordering the river.  Bad weather had postponed the group two weeks before but we were finally on the trail knocking off the winter’s rustiness.

Steep Walled Rogue River

Two new backpackers, Ruth and Bill joined Chiyemi, Mary and Terry – all Ashlanders.  This was a shakeout hike for Bill with his new knee and Ruth who hadn’t been packing in a while.  At the trailhead we weighed our packs, ranging from 22 to 35+ pounds for the two nights and three days.  We were prepared for more rain and cool weather, the conditions that had caused the first trip cancellation.

What we found were blue skies, 70 degrees and a delightful beginning.  We stared off at 10:30 more or less and two hours later after and easy stroll up and down the sometimes narrow trail cut into the granite along the river but usually 50 to 100 feet above the river – a good place to watch several rafters on the class 3 to 5 rapids in the first few miles of a trail that runs over 30 miles toward Gold Beach.

The hike is on the north side of the river with no way to cross although another trail followed much of the other side.  Osprey, vultures, Canada geese, a merganser duck or two and many songbirds kept us company. We reached the Whiskey Creek campsite in time for lunch and took a hike to the well preserved and maintained cabin just above the bar where we camped.

We set up our four tents wide spread locations on the two or three acre campsite which included a bathroom (no running water except the lively Whiskey Creek).  Chiyemi and I picked a cul de sac location along the creek.  Ruth chose a place near the mouth of the creek.  Bill and Mary set up their tents on a small bluff overlooking the Rogue.

That evening with a wee dram of the Turkey we told stories until dark – no fire Monday night.  Early to bed and I can report that Chiyemi and I  slept well to the rush of water 20′ from our tent.

Next morning after a nice snooze. was gray and cloudy but enlivened by two otter on the far bank, rollicking and playing on their way downstream. The birds paid close attention to them in case there was spare fish bits to eat.  We say plenty of large fish jumping and roiling the surface.

Young rafters offered us a nice veggie and steak dinner that they couldn’t finish and the next morning pancakes.  We might have followed them just for their food, real food, but there was no room in the rafts.

We hiked downstream to the next campsite, perhaps half a mile below Whiskey Creek. Chiyemi, Bill and Mary went back to camp while Ruth and I stayed to watch the river from a new perspective, photographing a nice lizard posing on a rock for us.

Tuesday night Chiyemi gathered cones and sticks for the fire and the storytellers from the night before  were resumed or started anew. The winds blew and after the fire died down all went to bed.  Rain started lightly after 10:30pm but all kept dry in their tents.

Tuesday Night Campfire

Wednesday morning we packed and hiked back in around two hours.  Lunch (decidedly mediocher but tasty after dried food) at Galice was followed by a hour plus drive back to Ashland.  All agreed that it was a great trip.

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Tuesday Night Campfire

Steep Walled Rogue River

2010 Trip Matrix (May)

Oregon Coast Trail Hike, April 2010

A number of the Backpacking Interest Group camped at Harris Beach State Park, north of Brookings, OR, 17-19 April. We (Elizabeth, Chiyemi, Diane, Terry & Tysen) then went on a 4 mile day hike on the Oregon Coast Trail through Boardman State Park.

Sky Lakes Wilderness Backpack Trip, Sept 2009

Tysen and Alan completed a 32 mile backpacking trip through the Sky Lakes Wilderness, OR, 15-20 Sept 2009. We started west of Ft. Klamath at Sevenmile trailhead and headed south, exiting at the Fourmile Lake trailhead.

Russian Wilderness Backpack Trip, 7-9 Aug 09

Chiyemi, Rhoda, Tysen, Alan, Mary, Terry

Chiyemi, Rhoda, Tysen, Alan, Mary, Terry

We went on a weekend backpack trip into the Russian Wilderness. From the Deacon Trailhead we hiked 4.2 miles to Russian Lake and spent 2 nights there.

Sky High Valley, Marble Wilderness, Backpack Trip, 10-12 Jul 09