![]() I never figured out what of the random trails around the lake and camps is supposed to connect to what I came down. The switchbacks were nice while they lasted and I'm sure glad I didn't try to find my way out instead. I expect it crosses, but I couldn't find anything of trail on the far side and ended up following various bear trails down the hill rather steeply. View over Red Cap Creek from where the trail is shown to start dropping.Ī first view of Red Cap Lake when coming down the trail. There's a minor tree hazard down over the trail that continues on to Salmon Summit. I kept hearing about a steep trail out of Red Lake, but this is quite reasonable.Įasy to find trail at the junction. The trail down to the lake was twice as far along as the map told me, but was obvious enough and progressed downward in switchbacks instead of practically falling down the steep slope, so I forgive it for being wrong. I turned north, the direction pointed for Red Cap Lake. I got back on track just before the signed junction with Devils Backbone. Nearing the top in an old, bad burn scar. If I'd stayed on trail, I wouldn't have found the few open flowers on the sparse monument plants. I eventually climbed up high enough to find it again. The actual trail on the old bulldozer track goes above the willows. From there, I was following bear trails which kept wandering into the willows only to end at the creek. After the other occasional clambers, it didn't exactly feel off. Admittedly, there was a clamber through a tree with well spaced branches on the way. I turned left and found a different trail. I probably was supposed to follow the water up through the lilies to find the rest of the trail. White bog orchids as further proof there are wet spots along the way. I suspect these of being Vollmer's lilies, specifically. I suspect the bears like getting closer to the water in the more reliable places.Īnother thick cluster of leopard lilies. The map would have me believe the trail avoids all the water, but I found bits of Eightmile Creek even before wandering incorrectly below the trail. So, what did this sign once say? No junctions are expected here. It has some erosion issues and then some heavy overgrowth, but hikers have simply found a higher route around it all.īright and bulging sneezeweed to challenge to allergy pills. It certainly isn't getting any driving now. It did look like someone might have driven it once or twice. It was a bit overgrown with very clear trail along the old bulldozer track. Some sort of tidytips, perhaps? Plenty were just yellow.īack at Salmon Summit, I turned for the second least used trail expecting it to be the difficult section for the day, but not too bad. One yellow faced bumblebee checking out the sulfur buckwheat. Suggestions are that this daisy is a fleabane. Paying a little more attention to the flowers along the way. Don't dogs make bird watching hard? Maybe I'm misinterpreting the binoculars. The pair up after him were controlling a pair of dogs as I passed. They'd just been glad to be able to, but didn't feel entitled to it. The surveyors on Salmon Mountain wrote that the Forest Service had pushed a bulldozer all over the place, but then dug out the beginning to stop the hunters from driving in anymore. The first fellow who said he used to drive up to Red Cap Lake and such when he was a young hunter, "If you can believe." Ha! I could. And if not me, then who? There actually were some day hikers with binoculars coming up. There were a couple big things I could get, even. Not worried about time, I cleared the trail a bit as I went. Light was just getting to the iffy camp sites on the west side as I headed down the good trail. ![]() Morning view of Salmon Mountain from Rock Lake. It takes a while to get out of shadow at Rock Lake. The morning light flows into the lands below. I had a little breakfast and packed up to hike all the way out via Red Cap Lake. There's a few other trailheads to give access to the area, too. A day down and a day back seemed to just get the hard bits while leaving no time to poke around an area that probably has a lot of trails for a reason. ![]() ![]() I was pretty much decided on not wandering down Devils Backbone Trail when I got there, anyway. (Day 4 of 6 4.) I woke up with a sore throat, not that it had gotten visibly smokier. Klamath National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest Six Rivers National Forest ![]()
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