OregonAndrew
man without plan
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2023
- Messages
- 12
I had a permit for Yellowstone (posted in separate thread seeing if anyone wanted to go since everyone else pulled out), but rain was in the forecast, and I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to make the water crossings or get upstream in the backcountry to find a semi-secret waterfall (it's upstream from scout/ouzel pool near Union falls -- anyone been?). Since I couldn't get Bechler backcountry office on the phone, I played it safe and drove 1 hour each way to Eagle Cap instead of 7. My first real backpacking trip since moving to the area. I tried to pick a backcountry spot that was less traveled, and I found it. Water wasn't available in any serious way for up to 8 miles at a time, give or take, but I only carried 2L and got away with it. During the day I tried to avoid protein so I could limit my water use. The only places water was really available in August was near camp 1, near camp 2, uphill from camp 2 a bit but not very far, and a good ways down Squaw Creek from the China Ridge. So I'd say you need to carry at least 2 liters (obviously with the ability to filter more) to be safe to do this hike in Aug.
Although some rain was forecast here too, the first two days were beautiful and at least one storm just barely missed me. Things got sketchy yesterday (Monday, day 3) when I got lost trying to make it back up to Meadow Mountain from the North Fork Catherine Creek basin. It sprinkled through the night, but just as it cleared up and I started hiking, the rain came back, and as I climbed, the wind blew harder and colder. All the trails are little more than game trails, but that trail is extra sketchy. There are almost no signs and the trails are completely unmarked. It's fun if you like routefinding, but if you're just trying to go for a hike it might be too much and you could honestly get lost and put yourself in danger pretty easily -- for some reason I thought things would be better marked. I wasn't tracking GPS and only checked my map (Green Trails)+compass once when I got lost and was able to figure it out, although I had a phone with GPS -- only used the GPS once, to confirm I'd reached the Squaw Creek cutoff trail back to Buck Creek Trailhead along the gravel road (there are a set of dirt tire tracks heading east from the road north of the trailhead along the gravel road, and there's a trail south of the tire tracks, which I took, and I assume the tire tracks go the same place(?), so it's hard to miss really if you have a map and know how far you need to walk before you get there. There are some decent stream crossings on that Squaw Creek cutoff that I just had to walk through because there was no other obvious way. Also, there's a cool campsite at the intersection with Squaw Creek just off the gravel road when you start making your way up the squaw creek cutoff back to buck creek trailhead if you want an easy, remote place to check for camping right off the road -- left that off the map because it seems like it might be popular anyway.)
Of course, I might have been more likely to pull my phone out for the GPS when I was using my compass as well, but the rain made me want to try to get by without it. I was keeping myself warm on the way up Meadow Mountain, but once I started going downhill and the rain soaked through my rain jacket, I started getting cold, especially with the wind whipping. I'm not sure what the temp was but it was borderline dangerous for quick hypothermia. I was trying to just hurry and get off the ridgeline, but when the tips of my fingers started getting numb, I decided it was time to switch out my soaked through hat for a wool hat and put on a thermal top, which warmed me up pretty nicely and then I was able to run off the ridgeline and hide from the wind, Then later the sun came out
I think it was about 19 miles, maybe 6200 feet gain/loss, over 3 days. Haven't been on a decent hike in a while so I definitely had some pains. By the end I was trudging to the car, but it felt like about the right challenge. And the views were insane. Even seeing Meadow Mountain in the rain with clouds blowing by and the trail back after a fresh rain was rad. The trails are pretty poor but that means they're not very well traveled, which means they're good for people like me who like to escape the crowds. There is some sketchy exposure on the China Ridge trail, so beware.
If you only have one night, hiking into Camp 1 is pretty nice, although it is about a 2000 foot climb. I was there on a Saturday in early August and there was nobody around. Beautiful views, that's where I took the sunset pics, and there's a nice campsite with plenty of camp spots and a big meadow just west of it. If you time it right and come around July or August you can pick huckleberries near the trailhead. The nearby camp between the 2 cool springs is cool too and the best closest spot I could draw water from with my filter while at camp 1 was near there.
Here's a rough map: I should have used my spot satellite messenger more -- just got it for this trip. I was trying to get GPS using a phone app and that didn't work out, but the spot GPS coords seem right: camp 1 is 45.153180, -117.518260 and camp 2 is 45.223130, -117.571660
Overall, lots of awesome views, tons of wildflowers, tons of huckleberries early on the trail near buck creek trailhead, and tons of open country to explore and random summits to try. Would recommend this trip to anyone as long as you're prepared for the challenge. It gets cold up there so even in early August you have to be ready to get soaked and have near freezing winds biting you. It's basically winter camping already in August up there. Only thing I wished I'd see more of is larger game -- I might have seen some wolf scat (? see pics) and/or goat scat, maybe deer scat and maybe some moose or elk scat or something down near buck creek trailhead, but for the most part I mostly just saw chipmunks and birds. At the same time, it's convenient not having bears constantly trying to raid your ursack. And to be fair, although it was fairly high altitude and getting cold at night up there, and so maybe most animals are avoiding the ridgelines, since I was solo, I was yelling at imaginary bears on and off while I was hiking so I wouldn't surprise any coming around a corner, so I probably scared everything away for the most part just yelling "hey bear" or whatever nonsense. I thought I might see something in the meadow behind my tent when I woke up at camp 2, but I didn't see anything.
Pics (imgur thinks this has adult imagery because of the pics of my feet over the three days -- they're at the end, so if you dont want to see them, when you first start seeing feet just close the tab -- btw this trail is used by horses and is generally dusty and gravelly... although I did it in Chacos I wouldn't recommend sandals unless you want to rip up your feet -- good callus building though lol):
Short vids:
Although some rain was forecast here too, the first two days were beautiful and at least one storm just barely missed me. Things got sketchy yesterday (Monday, day 3) when I got lost trying to make it back up to Meadow Mountain from the North Fork Catherine Creek basin. It sprinkled through the night, but just as it cleared up and I started hiking, the rain came back, and as I climbed, the wind blew harder and colder. All the trails are little more than game trails, but that trail is extra sketchy. There are almost no signs and the trails are completely unmarked. It's fun if you like routefinding, but if you're just trying to go for a hike it might be too much and you could honestly get lost and put yourself in danger pretty easily -- for some reason I thought things would be better marked. I wasn't tracking GPS and only checked my map (Green Trails)+compass once when I got lost and was able to figure it out, although I had a phone with GPS -- only used the GPS once, to confirm I'd reached the Squaw Creek cutoff trail back to Buck Creek Trailhead along the gravel road (there are a set of dirt tire tracks heading east from the road north of the trailhead along the gravel road, and there's a trail south of the tire tracks, which I took, and I assume the tire tracks go the same place(?), so it's hard to miss really if you have a map and know how far you need to walk before you get there. There are some decent stream crossings on that Squaw Creek cutoff that I just had to walk through because there was no other obvious way. Also, there's a cool campsite at the intersection with Squaw Creek just off the gravel road when you start making your way up the squaw creek cutoff back to buck creek trailhead if you want an easy, remote place to check for camping right off the road -- left that off the map because it seems like it might be popular anyway.)
Of course, I might have been more likely to pull my phone out for the GPS when I was using my compass as well, but the rain made me want to try to get by without it. I was keeping myself warm on the way up Meadow Mountain, but once I started going downhill and the rain soaked through my rain jacket, I started getting cold, especially with the wind whipping. I'm not sure what the temp was but it was borderline dangerous for quick hypothermia. I was trying to just hurry and get off the ridgeline, but when the tips of my fingers started getting numb, I decided it was time to switch out my soaked through hat for a wool hat and put on a thermal top, which warmed me up pretty nicely and then I was able to run off the ridgeline and hide from the wind, Then later the sun came out
I think it was about 19 miles, maybe 6200 feet gain/loss, over 3 days. Haven't been on a decent hike in a while so I definitely had some pains. By the end I was trudging to the car, but it felt like about the right challenge. And the views were insane. Even seeing Meadow Mountain in the rain with clouds blowing by and the trail back after a fresh rain was rad. The trails are pretty poor but that means they're not very well traveled, which means they're good for people like me who like to escape the crowds. There is some sketchy exposure on the China Ridge trail, so beware.
If you only have one night, hiking into Camp 1 is pretty nice, although it is about a 2000 foot climb. I was there on a Saturday in early August and there was nobody around. Beautiful views, that's where I took the sunset pics, and there's a nice campsite with plenty of camp spots and a big meadow just west of it. If you time it right and come around July or August you can pick huckleberries near the trailhead. The nearby camp between the 2 cool springs is cool too and the best closest spot I could draw water from with my filter while at camp 1 was near there.
Here's a rough map: I should have used my spot satellite messenger more -- just got it for this trip. I was trying to get GPS using a phone app and that didn't work out, but the spot GPS coords seem right: camp 1 is 45.153180, -117.518260 and camp 2 is 45.223130, -117.571660
Overall, lots of awesome views, tons of wildflowers, tons of huckleberries early on the trail near buck creek trailhead, and tons of open country to explore and random summits to try. Would recommend this trip to anyone as long as you're prepared for the challenge. It gets cold up there so even in early August you have to be ready to get soaked and have near freezing winds biting you. It's basically winter camping already in August up there. Only thing I wished I'd see more of is larger game -- I might have seen some wolf scat (? see pics) and/or goat scat, maybe deer scat and maybe some moose or elk scat or something down near buck creek trailhead, but for the most part I mostly just saw chipmunks and birds. At the same time, it's convenient not having bears constantly trying to raid your ursack. And to be fair, although it was fairly high altitude and getting cold at night up there, and so maybe most animals are avoiding the ridgelines, since I was solo, I was yelling at imaginary bears on and off while I was hiking so I wouldn't surprise any coming around a corner, so I probably scared everything away for the most part just yelling "hey bear" or whatever nonsense. I thought I might see something in the meadow behind my tent when I woke up at camp 2, but I didn't see anything.
Pics (imgur thinks this has adult imagery because of the pics of my feet over the three days -- they're at the end, so if you dont want to see them, when you first start seeing feet just close the tab -- btw this trail is used by horses and is generally dusty and gravelly... although I did it in Chacos I wouldn't recommend sandals unless you want to rip up your feet -- good callus building though lol):
Short vids:
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