| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 17.59 Miles |
3,267 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.59 Miles | 6 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.65 mph |
| 3,267 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | This was a hike I have wanted to do for quite awhile. Without having a shuttle I was limited to an out and back, so I didn't get all the way to Woodbury TH. I turned around just short of Whetrock Canyon.
It was a great day. I stared out about 7:15AM from Peralta TH taking the Dutchman's to Miner's needle. After crossing the flats of Barkley Basin to the actual Coffee Flat Trail my first reaction was that the trail was misnamed, it is so covered with quartz that it should have been named the Quartz Trail. As I approached Reeds Water at first I thought I had wandered into Jurassic Park, there were sounds right out of the movie. Turned out to be one of the windmills barely turning and putting up quite a squawk and screech. After Reeds Water I missed my turn into Randolph Canyon and was almost a mile down Coffee Flat canyon before realizing my mistake. But my mistake was really fortuitous as this area is really beautiful. Very green grass, nice trees, flowing stream. But my plan was the Coffee Flat Trail, so I backtracked to Randolph Canyon. Further exploration of the south end of Coffee Flat Canyon will make a good hike for another day.
Trying to keep on the trail in Randolph Canyon is a task. It wanders from one side of the stream to the other and back a dozen times. Luckily worst case you can follow the stream. Fraser Canyon was even worse. But it was well worth it. A beautiful hike. One of these days I need to set up a shuttle to get to the last third of this hike. The Randolph Canyon trails are covered with the footprints (and other very fresh signs of presence) of lots of cattle, didn't actually see any though.
On my way back just after passing Miner's Needle I jumped at the sound of a "roar" coming just from the side of the trail. As I turned I was expecting to see a small wild cat, maybe a bobcat. But within a couple seconds the rattling stared. There was about a 7 to 8 foot rattlesnake about 9 feet off the trail that didn't like my presence. His hiss much of the time sounded like a roar. I didn't know they did that. Very surprising. But an interesting way to end up the hike. By the time I got to him the sun had been gone for over an hour and it was getting very cool. Too cool I would have thought to see any rattlesnake activity.
This hike did not disappoint. Some areas of the trail were totally covered in maple leaves, others were covered in holly leaves. Beautiful scenery. I didn't see another person the whole hike until the last half mile when I was being overtaken by 15 people mounted on horses. I was getting tired and it was a quite a push to keep ahead of this pack.
There were isolated California poppies and lupine along the Dutchman's trail. |
|
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
|
|
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
