Journey Return

Tuesday, July 15
Start: Stuart Fork Trailhead (2709′)
Stop: Emerald Lake (5568′)
Trinity Alps Wilderness
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Unceded land of the Wintu, Hupa, Yurok, Karuk and Chimariko peoples
14.03 miles
3570′ ascent
825′ descent

I hit the road at 6 am to start the 2 hour drive to Weaverville. There’s quite a bit of construction and slow trucks so it’s more like 8:15 am when I arrive at the Weaverville Ranger Station. I have the outside air flowing into my truck and it’s already warm. I force myself not to turn on the air conditioning. Luckily I can pick up the free permit outside the ranger office since they don’t open until 8:30 am. I fill out the card and drop the little stub with all my details in the wooden box. I head north on hwy 3 before turning left onto Trinity Alps Road. It’s a paved road and I pass guys on bicycles and moms pushing strollers who must be guests at the Trinity Alps Resort. The road goes right through the resort so I drive extra slow since there are families riding bicycles and kids playing in the road. Not far past the general store, there’s a sign that reads Stuart Fork Trailhead 2 miles. The road turns to dirt and I pull into the trailhead about 9 am.

I make my final trail preparations and start hiking by 9:20 am. It’s a good thing that I stopped at the ranger station because there are no permits at the trailhead. I heft my pack which feels too heavy with the extra 2.5 pounds of bear canister.

Stuart Fork rushes loudly to my left as I start to climb gradually. There’s a few hover flies in my face but they are easy enough to clear. The trail is shaded and I easily cross over small tributaries to Stuart Fork. An older hippy woman wearing a t-shirt with a lot of words on it and her dog approach me at a bend in the trail. I’m quite surprised to see her wearing big headphones which are now around her neck. I think she is the first person I’ve ever seen that’s older than me wearing headphones. Ever. Not to mention out in nature on a trail. As her dog passes me, it starts to growl and she laughs. I kind of mutter under my breath that it’s not funny.

There’s a bridge over the aptly named Deep Creek. It has carved itself deep into the rock. It’s not quite as dramatic but it reminds a little of Mt. Rainier’s Box Canyon. The forest opens up and there is suddenly black oak, big leaf maple and red columbine in a small cluster. Douglas squirrel pops out and has a few things to say to me. I push myself to hike for two hours and I hit the five mile mark just as I take a break. I’ve been sweating so much that I add electrolyte to a liter of water.

Deer Creek has a big bridge over it and the most tempting swimming hole. In an alternate universe where I am content just to sit all day, I would stop and spend the day chilling in this perfect water. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the dark area is just a few steps off the trail and is the perfect pool fed by a gushing waterfall.

Sugar pine, ponderosa pine, incense cedar are warming with the day and their sweet smells fill the forest all around me. Candle companies try to make candles that smell like this but of course they can’t get it right. Not long after 1 pm the map shows a nearby spring and I can hear it flowing. I stop and suck down the rest of my electrolyte water before kneeling to collect ice cold water. I take a break on a rock as a Fritillary lands on my backpack. It’s proboscis probes my fritos chip bag, probably finding delectable bits of salt. I sit and watch it for a long time. I’m in some kind of butterfly vortex as Fritillary, California sister, Swallowtail and a red underwing all circle around. I refill my other water bottle with more cool spring water before hoisting my pack again. My Fritillary friend rides with me for a tenth of a mile before flitting on its way.

Only 15 minutes later I reach the junction with the Deer Creek Trail. The forest canopy is sparse enough that the hot sun beats down on my shoulders. It’s another half mile to Morris Meadows as I pass a squirrel’s lunch stump.

The trail leads into the open Morris Meadows with granite peaks lining its edge. Stuart Fork is on the far side of the meadow which makes things a lot quieter.

The path winds back into the trees. My attention is not on the trail when a short rattle causes my head to snap back forward. I stop in my tracks as the rattlesnake sits quietly on the trail. It’s tail is like black and white stripes that morph into classic green rattlesnake print. I take several steps backwards and it starts to move off the trail. I take a couple steps forward and it coils its head into an offensive position. I take a few steps back again and watch it slither off. Once I feel it’s safe, I pass by quickly on the trail. My mind can’t help but imagine the snake rushing at me. Dearest people, this is why you don’t wear headphones while you hike!!

Upper Morris Meadows turns into a wet and slightly boggy wild flower paradise and insect nirvana.
Columbine, Sedum and Buckwheat.

Fireweed and columbine, Sneezeweed, Monkshood.

Leopard Lily

Wild carrot, Dogbane.

Brookfoam, Elderberry, Skyrocket.
A couple guys pass me and one of them has a shirt wrapped around his head. No doubt his attempt at sanity given the fly situation. I wave my trekking poles back and forth which works but also takes a lot of energy. Plus then I can’t use my poles to actually help me climb. Heaping onto the struggle, the afternoon heat weighs on me. I’m overheated and red in the face as I drag myself up the trail.

I emerge from all the wildflowers and I’m face to face with the Sawtooth Ridge. My spirits are waning and I wonder if I’ll actually make it up there. It’s already 3:40 pm and I haven’t hit the junction yet with the Caribou Scramble Trail.

Nettleleaf, wild rose, Buckwheat.

It’s just after 4 pm when I reach the Caribou Scramble junction whose sign is roped onto the support post. I stand there a moment wondering about the trail and how overgrown it might be. It is my plan to continue on to at least Emerald Lake so I turn and push on. Besides, it’s too hot to challenge this trail right now anyway.

I need to take a break but don’t want to stop because of the flies. I eventually set my pack down and lean it up against a tree. The only relief from the flies is to stand in the sun. And so I stand there sucking down electrolyte water and feeling awfully beat by this afternoon.

I hoist my pack and walk maybe another 10 minutes before I reach a fast flowing water source that pours across the trail. Instinctually, I just know that I’m going to get water here. I drop my pack and put my empty bottle into the water. I can’t hold my hand in the water for very long because the water is freezing cold. I drink and drink and it actually gives me brain freeze. I dig out my small quick dry towel and get it wet in the water. I wipe my face, arms, legs and then wrap the cool cloth around my neck. Not only is this sweet location in the shade but it has a perfect rock bench to sit on. I pull out my sit pad and a snack. I get up repeatedly to re-wet the towel around my neck and to get my hair wet. I fill my two 1-liter smart water bottles and the 11.5 ounce bottle I use for coffee. I know I could wait to get water but I’m not super keen on lake water. I spend at least 30 minutes luxuriating at this spot and feel completely cooled and restored.

I walk another 20 minutes, with the edge of Emerald Lake on the horizon. At 5:30 pm I crest the rocks to arrive at the bank of the crystal clear Emerald Lake. There are two people playing frisbee to my left on the big granite rock face. That seems pretty brave to me because what if it flies into the lake?

I decide to hike on around the lake since I’m still contemplating going to Sapphire Lake. I push through some brush which opens up into a few forested camping spots that sit above the lake. I follow the trail and then hit more brush. I squeeze myself through, all while my legs and arms are exfoliated. I’m sure that the gossamer gear pad I have strapped on the bottom of my pack is getting shredded. There has been some trail work but wow, it’s just not enough.

I emerge into the rocks and follow the trail a short ways before the obvious scramble begins. I look back at Emerald Lake and down the Stuart Fork valley. It’s about 6 pm and I start to do some math. What if I go up to Sapphire and there’s no camping and I have to come back down here? What if I do camp at Sapphire and then have to trudge through all this brush in the morning? I do some math and know that I won’t have enough time tomorrow to complete the necessary miles if I’m slowed by all this brush and rock scramble. I reluctantly turn around, push back through the brush and stop at one of the nice campsites I had seen. I keep thinking about doing the Caribou Scramble in the morning but know that I won’t have enough time for that either. I will have save that for another trip.

By 6:30 pm and I have my gear unloaded and my tent set up. This site has a perfect granite table on which to set all my stuff. And just below my tent is the ultimate granite seat for dinner. I sit down to eat and there’s immediately something very loud crunching around in the brush. I can’t see what it is but it sounds giant. Convinced that it’s a bear, I run and grab my bear canister and stuff my food into it. The crunching moves around my right side towards the lake. I grab my trekking poles and make loud noises. Things go quiet and I start to eat my dinner again. Now, the noise is directly in front of me and I’m sure that a bear will emerge. To my relief, a buck with forked velvet antlers pops out of the brush. I make some noise to scare it off but it is undeterred, and slowly wanders around the edge of my camp looking on with interest. He eventually leaves but returns shortly with his girlfriend who is equally unafraid.

I can feel my knee hinting at the pain I experienced hiking down from Grasshopper Peak. I figure out a stretch that works really well. Maybe it’s my imagination, but my knee feels markedly better. As I look at my photos from the day and make notes for my blog, I periodically get up to check on the changing light across the lake. I do a little map study and work out my best guess for tomorrow’s plan. About 8:30 pm, I pee one last time and crawl into my tent. It feels good to lay down but the sky is still quite bright and it takes a long time to fall asleep.