Gimme the Good Earth III

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 4:35 pm

No I didn't check it out any farther, I saw it within the first mile up the road from the Deer creek and was moving with limited water/time.
Where: about 30 miles from Chico, Ca. follow the blue line to where Red X marks the spot.

Detailed 7.5' topo

Unknown how far the public can drive in, or if restriction only applies during the salmon runs or specific times. There were locked gates at every junction on the private lands, although at my junction there was no visible gate down the road to Chico. But the yahoo was hiking in, not driving. At least the Forest Service, Fish and Game and the timber companies have vehicle access.

The road in the other way from Black Rock and Lassen trail, is Public but a long rough unmaintained jeep road with mad driving skillz needed.

Be warned it may look close, but a ¼ mile in this country could take an hour. That view could only be seen in one brief place from the road, I went backward to get the pic. I likely only saw it cause I was walking. There are many many spires in the whole area.
There were no obvious turnouts or parking on the road within a mile either way
Would not expect to see climbing bolts on this one. I would expect it to be virgin.

It is impressive.

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 4:37 pm

Damn! I forget to bring the pics for next installment ... I remembered the maps but not the main event.

next time eh.

bentech · Post by **bentech** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:10 pm

damn impressive!
surprised ive never seen it before

ah well,
catch em on the flip side

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 3:18 pm

Not that stoic. The thing is I get WTF lost so rare these days it's kinda fun now, yanno orienteering. Yeah there were a few holy-shits and what-the-fucks when the terrain was suppose to bench out, instead a deep canyon appeared.
Had to drop down into the canyon to find out, the map gave me a couple of scenarios of what I did wrong, where I am, after all not many canyons nearby, but which one?

Came across this unmarked trial on this side of the creek, Vibram boot prints, a duck (small rock cairn), all screamed Boy Scouts!

Yup, when I the trail ended at a pond, knew I was in Lassen BSA camp and just a couple of road miles from Butte Meadows.
The manager there, Ren, was jes too cool. All I asked was the way out to main road (since I was trespassing) and he ended up letting me use the phone to check in with my bro (no court date yet, sent off a kindle). Then he got me a doughnut, a hot shower and a hot lunch. Ren explained there are only bars in Butte and maybe one might sell me some dry supplies, maybe; then he just up and gave me 2 pounds of cheese and granola bars to help with my resupplies.
Yeah Ren and the whole crew there made my day!

An hour later and Butte Meadows indeed did have only had 3 bars, also 2 cemeteries. The first bar, an outside tavern advertising dollar drafts beers. So had couple. They did have a few supplies and mean a few. Got potato chips (weren't any bread), a lone mac-and-cheese dinner, graham crackers and the crown jewel: a big bag of fresh broccoli florets the bartender sold me from her personal stash. Not much variety for the next four days but with the broccoli it turned into some dang good eating! Missing fresh food big time now.

Then onto the Bambi Inn, with two silhouetting sniper rifles framing a idyllic Disney picture of the fawn Bambi and the Inn's logo underneath: 'We Don't Dial 911'. Topped off with an enormous American flag flying over the bar.
I went in anyway.

: ButteMeadows 04.JPG (129.03 KiB) Viewed 1472 times

The owner fired up a grill in the back just to cook me a burger; washing it all down with more cold beer, women flirting with me, Yay Baby! I was very comfortable at The Bambi Inn! Good people in Butte.

Learned the Reading (or Carr) fire still is uncontained and spreading, The chief of police's house in Reading city burnt down. Too bad it wasn't the federal courthouse there.
Next day the Hike out was on a paved road with still lots of more smoky air.

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Wed Apr 24, 2019 3:32 pm

Passed through lots of new logging, Not pretty and smoky as hell to boot.

: ButteMeadows 06.JPG (188.59 KiB) Viewed 1472 times

Scars on the land and rocks.

I kept gaining elevation, the road turn to dirt but still well used from the big logging trucks.

: ButteMeadows 08.JPG (383.92 KiB) Viewed 1472 times

Then to an old jeep trial, Not used much anymore.

Eventually the jeep trail climbed steeply up to 7000 feet and to blue skies.

I was just at the edge of the smoke ceiling.

Looking east toward Nevada away from the fire and still full of smoke. Not quite out of it, but there's blue skies above, been a few days since blue. Solar panel is happy too.

The Firs were really going off. Notice the cones point upward on firs and all other conifers they hang down.
Red Fir, Abies Magnifica (thanks Oldjoints).

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Wed May 01, 2019 2:53 pm

On top I connected back with the PCT trail, Like a comforting security blanket, beautiful.

Unfortunately I climbed up to 7000' only to drop back down to 2500' to the Feather River and back into the smoke.

: Belden 04.JPG (178.35 KiB) Viewed 1406 times

Followed Chips Creek down in a beautiful old forest full of clear springs. Jes a real sweet hike.

Hairy balls of the Maple seeds.

Giant Aralia

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Wed May 01, 2019 3:04 pm

Sometimes the light's all shining on me
Other times I can barely see

Down to Beldon town. Highway 70 and The North Fork of the Feather River.

Hung out with pct thru-hikers parting in Beldon, Their halfway point.

Took a day off to resupply, shower, laundry, boot repair and reorganize my pack.
And of coarse lots of cheeseburgers and pizza. An Awesome rest up.
Kindle was waiting for me, it had all my books ready to go, thanks bro! Woo Hoo! Read a whole book that afternoon whilst sucking down cold root-beer floats in 101F temps.
No court date yet …

Lately it occurs to me
What a long, strange trip it's been
♪♫ ♬♪♪

Edit: Fixed glitches in video

bentech · Post by **bentech** » Wed May 01, 2019 11:57 pm

I remember finding a trail that was on the map but had been abandoned
in that section of the sierra they would chop the letter 'i' into the bark of the trees along the route

and for this section all the 'i's had bark grown over their initial carving

Intrinsic · Post by **Intrinsic** » Wed May 08, 2019 4:04 pm

“The quieter you become the more you are able to hear.” ~Rumi

Day 43, first week of August

4000 foot climb out of the Feather River and last of the poison oak.