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| Hiking | 2.50 Miles |
2,341 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.50 Miles | | | |
| 2,341 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I made my annual pilgrimage to Winter Cabin to photograph the maple trees. (Woody Mt. Rd-FR 231-to FR 538 to the trailhead turnoff, which has a nice, big sign. FR 538 was good until the last 2 miles. There has been so much rain, the mud puddles are deep and everywhere, requiring some fancy driving. I suggest high clearance 4WD or walk the last 2 miles!
I used my GPS to comfirm the mileage--the hike description has it wrong. It's only 2.5 miles, not 5.5 miles roundtrip. There weren't any other cars at the trailhead. I like it that way. The trail was wet and very muddy in spots--the kind of mud that sticks to your boots and turns them into platform shoes. For the most part, the trail has become a drainage ditch, but it is still interesting to see the variety of rocks that have eroded: basalt, sandstone, quartz, and more that I can't identify. I made it down to Winter Cabin in 20 minutes despite the mud.
At the cabin, someone had cached a sleeping bag by hanging it from the rafters. In a nearby tree was a red bag cached to a tree limb. I didn't see anyone nearby. Later, I talked to two deer hunters who said they had seen the gear 3 days before. I hope the owner is OK--I haven't heard of anyone lost/missing.
Down to the spring and creek to photograph. I was a week or two too early. A few trees are changing, but the majority have not. The spring is flowing into the spring box, with water running down the creekbed. I took a few pictures, but didn't spend too much time there.
I headed up the trail and noticed the bear prints in the mud. The hunters said they had seen 3 bears in the area, but I didn't spot any. I passed an older man and boy with camping and hunting gear headed down. They said they hadn't seen any bears. Wildlife sightings-zero for the hike. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
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