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| Hiking | 26.00 Miles |
6,000 AEG |
| | Hiking | 26.00 Miles | 42 Hrs | | 0.87 mph |
| 6,000 ft AEG | 12 Hrs Break | | | |
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| no partners | | The mission was to check out a couple of springs near the Mazatzal Divide, and then see the area around Club Cabin.
This trip was rather uneventful, but that is how things sometimes go. I had not fully recovered from my last hike and it showed, taking lots of breaks and generally dragging tail the whole trip. Even so, the rest breaks allowed for time to hear the birds and take in the moment, seeing things that I might not have otherwise.
I took the Y-Bar Basin Trail up to the Mazatzal Divide Trail, taking it south to Bear Spring. Bear Spring is a popular spot to camp and has reliable water. My interest was in the springs below it, namely Fisher Spring, to see if the deer and elk were in the area. It turns out they were, though Fisher Spring was nearly dry despite the summer rains.
The upper reaches of the mountains are a sea of green, the secondary growth species now mature and established among the charred remnants of the pines that once dominated the area. Blackberries are abundant, growing across the hillsides and ravines. The blackberries are no longer in season, but there is ample evidence that the bears spent a good deal of time eating them, along with the usual Manzanita berries.
The upper South Fork is dry for the most part, aside from a couple of seeps that seem to run through the hot summer months. Most of the trees had been burned out, as per usual. I took the creek for a mile and then went up a side wash that appeared to have running water and trees, but upon further inspection, it turned out not so interesting. Sometimes the satellite images can give false signals on a place, though most of the time they are quite helpful. The 2000' hump up the hill burned the last of my mojo, from which time rubber legs and knocky knees would have to carry me the next 13 miles.
The next day I went to Red Rock Spring and Club Cabin. Red Rock Spring has a good flow rate and supports a riparian area for about 1/4 mile. There are lots of wild grapes, blackberries, and ferns in there, along with a resident bear or two. Above the spring are some big oak trees and grassy meadows, home to a small herd of deer. The deer numbers are low, but the ones that I did see appeared to be robust and healthy. Mountain lions have wiped out many of the deer in there, as the average lion will kill one deer each week. Their numbers are higher in areas where the lions are hunted, closer to the roads, with numbers declining further back in the wilderness.
Club Cabin has been burned down, but it was nice to finally see the place that my friends in the Mazatzal horse riding club have talked so much about. The old wood burning stoves are really cool, along with the fig trees and flower garden. This is the kind of place I would like to have someday, a little piece of land with flowing water and some livestock.
The Davenport Trail is very overgrown and in disrepair. It is a good idea to wear pants and long sleeves, as it gets pretty rough in places. Also, bring a map and GPS. I ended up wasting an hour after I took a wrong turn. It was not a big deal, but since it was already 8 PM, that extra hour could have been better spent. In the end, I took the Barnhardt Trail back, arriving at the truck at midnight under a headlamp. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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Bear Spring - Fisher |
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| | | A good source for water and popular camp area. |
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Fisher Spring |
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Quart per minute |
| | | The spring flows at a better rate about 30 yards up the wash. |
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Red Rock Spring |
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Gallon + per minute |
| | | This spring is very reliable and never drys out, regardless of the season. | | _____________________
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