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Sunday, June 01, 2003
8:23 AM Stop car for 4 young deer crossing Wolf Lodge Road.
8:30 Stop at entrance to Marie Creek trailhead parking lot to watch 2 rabbits playing in the road.
8:38 Start hike.
9:18 Stop near top of Mud Trail Hill to shed sweat and tee shirts.
9:23 Shot pic of mushroom with warts. Not the famous red color, more a pale tan mushroom color.
9:24 Pleasant green odor. Not sure which plant source.
9:27 Sweet Christmas tree odor. See cut tree near.
9:48 Bottom of valley. Marie Creek.
9:49 New ant hill, maybe a foot high. All soft, small grain damp soil. I wonder why it doesn't
collapse with all the moisture and no fiber, or pine needles.
9:56 Two horse riders stop and talk. The horses are skittish. I have to curtail my natural tendency to
move my hands and arms when I talk, especially the one holding my hiking stick. Man used to
work for the forest service back in the '60s.
The riders went on ahead but I caught up with them again at Burton creek. They couldn't get one
of the horses to ford the stream.
10:30 Skitwish Creek.
10:36 Sweet green smell in midst of a field of large leaf plants, with 7 or 8 splits and serrated tips.
See photo. Mosquitoes are common as usual so I don my net hood.
10:43 Startled a grouse (?) sleeping under a log in the sun. Bird crossed trail within a foot of my
feet, it's tail spread wide, looking up at me and whining. Bird ran around on the ground and
disappeared under the broadleaf foliage.
10:57 Bridge across nothing. Waded stream.
11:16 Skitwish Trail
11:33 Reached the spot I turned around last time up this way. Trial disappears into the stream.
No sign of trail on west side of creek so I start wading the stream looking at the east side
trying to spot an area where there could be space for a trail. Maybe up that bank? I've
both crossed the creek and moved up stream a few yards. There is a large windfall with
some clearing on the bank above it. I break off some branches and duck under the windfall.
A few yards up the bank I find the trail. I see it goes back down the east side a few yards
before disappearing under a battery of large windfalls, so the creek crossing must have
been further down stream at one time, though there is no sign of that crossing now on
either side. Anyway I follow the newly found trail on up stream.
11:45 I soon come to a Y where one branch goes down to the stream and the other goes up the
bank to a bunch of heavy windfalls. Looking down to the stream, there is no sign of the
trail beyond a single large bare windfall on the west side, so I climb the loose soil of the
east bank to the windfalls there and peer beyond. Hmmmm. Not promising. I go down
the bank to that bare windfall on the west side and scan the earth beyond. Nothing.
Back up the east bank. Climb over a windfall, and another, and another, I begin to see
patches of trail, though some places under the windfalls the green foliage has taken
over completely. I keep looking back to keep my bearings, though if I lost my way I
could just go down to the water and follow it. Finally, after maybe 10 windfalls the
trail is clearly apparent again. Also some blue marker paint on some of the trees.
12:00 I come to a skinny windfall with lots of branches. I see more trail beyond. I think from
my old maps there might be a road ahead somewhere. But how far? Could be miles yet.
I'm a little hungry. Forgot to bring food today. A little tired. Must save energy for return.
So few have been here in such a long time. A little spooky. I'd like to push forward, find a
road or other trail to make a loop trip, but I decide to turn around. Save it for next time.
This skinny windfall will be a landmark easy to remember. See photo.
12:28 Back to Marie Creek Trail. Was about 45 minutes up Skitwish trail and 28 minutes back
down.
1:20 PM Meadow with rock cliff.
1:29 Burton Creek
1:36 Marie Creek. My moccasins and socks have been wet all the hike. I've been wading most
streams instead of using bridges or windfalls to cross. I decided this is a good time
to cross the creek here below Cacophony Valley to see what is on the other side.
Following a dry creek branch I come to a trail, follow a few yards, see some fresh bear scat.
I ask out loud in a respectful voice for the bear's permission to explore. No answer. I go a
bit further. The trail looks like it may go on a way. I wonder if it might hook up with an old
trail that goes the length of Marie Creek on the south side and up to Copper Mountain.
More to explore for another time.
As I head back to the Marie Creek Trail a couple of robins start shrieking at me from high
above to my left. I spot a speckled youth (see photo) sitting on a low branch about two yards from my
right hand. I talk to him as I get out my camera. He sits stiff with fear, not moving a feather. The flash makes him blink. I move on.
1:44 Back to Marie Creek Trail and around Cacophony Valley. In an experimental mode, I had
worn moccasins the whole trip instead of the cloth sided army boots I usually wear. The boots
hung from my daypack or around my neck. Mocs have some pluses and some minuses.
The lighter weight makes stepping swifter and the foot cooler, even with the usual three layers
of socks. The lower heel of the moc stretches the calf muscle better than the higher boot
heel. The thinner sole puts one in closer contact with Mother Earth. You get a better feel
for the texture of Earth's surface. The smaller footprint makes it easier to find a foothold
on ground where one must be sought out. On the downside, the moc, and sock, are always wet.
They were wet before I even left the parking lot. On the other hand the wetness helps cool
the foot and this is important. If the foot stays dry in a boot for a six mile or more hike
it can get very hot, maybe damagingly so. Other downside points to the moc are stubbed
toes, and mud easily sucks the moc off the foot. The worst thing was the sole was too thin
under the ball of the foot and toward the end of the hike the wet sock was rubbing like sandpaper
at that point. This might be remedied with a better insole.
2:18 Spotted this orchid which I missed on the way out. See photo
2:40 Arrived back at car.
Here's the whole photo album from this hike.
John 10:18 PM
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