Will the real Grays Creek please stand up?

[Chip Down]

Went to Wyeth in search of a casual fun safe easy summer hike, but my adventure obsession took over. Pretty good day, so I'm glad I scrapped my original plans.

A few weeks ago I planned to follow Grays Creek in order to learn a little about the complicated challenging terrain east of Indian Point. I got distracted though, and never even got started on it. So yesterday I went back.

I was surprised and disappointed to find Grays Creek dry at the 400 trail crossing, but I went up anyway, and was soon rewarded with running water. Soon, the creek entered a canyon. At 1130' it was maybe just 30' across, with nearly vertical walls. It made me a little nervous that I was trapped with no escape route (except, obviously, down), but I was also excited to see the topography getting more rugged. When I checked my elevation, I was surprised. I was making pretty good time.

Although the canyon floor was verdant and brushy, it wasn't too hard to follow the creek up.

There was a little (tall but narrow) fall to the west, and a little fork in the stream, but the volume of water in the creek seemed greater that the little waterfall. Sure enough, soon I saw the real source of the west fork, the first impressive waterfall of the day. Because the west fork was intermittently dry/underground, I stuck with the east fork. I now realize that west fork was Grays Creek, and my east fork a tributary,

So up the tributary I went. I tried to stay as close to the creek as possible, which meant getting wet occasionally. Was glad I was wearing my mountaineering boots. My trail boots would have been a squishy mess, and wouldn't have offered the sturdy support I needed.

There were a few minor forks, but it was always clear which was the main creek. But I eventually came to a neat fork where I had an insurmountable cascade to the west which came from an overhanging cliff, and a long jumbled interesting fork to the east. The sensible solution was to follow the ridge between them. This took me to a drippy moist bowl at the top of the west fork, with the east fork disappearing in a steep canyon below. The last time I looked up that canyon, I'd seen brush and cliffs. It looked slightly interesting, but the work/reward ratio wasn't quite compelling.


I continued up the ridge with intentions of cutting right/west to see if there was a creek feeding the moist drippy bowl, but there was none. However, I found myself rather abruptly on gentle open slopes, and surmised I had attained that huge gentle bowl east of Indian Point, where any direction leads easily to trail. I was relieved, because I had long ago started dreading the possibility of a long retreat the way I had ascended, if things didn't work out.

But before I went schwacking to Gorton Creek Trail, I had to check out the canyon to the west, with sounds of water. I went west, dropped in, and just by chance hit the creekbed at the point where it turned wet. Went a little lower to investigate what looked like a wet fork to descender's left. Sure enough. I intended to follow it up, but it soon ran dry, so I popped over the first fork, which I followed upstream (is it appropriate to say "upstream" when it's dry?) for a considerable distance until I reached an abandoned trail where the creek was wet again. Just above that I encountered Gorton Creek Trail, and realized the first trail was just an old alignment. I suspect they realigned it because the lower creek crossing seems to be subject to getting wet and sloppy, whereas the newer/higher crossing is rockier.

I didn't know where I was. Arbitrarily took the trail eastbound, and soon hit campsites. Hmm. I didn't recall seeing campsites along Gorton Creek Trail. For the first time on this hike, I resorted to modern technology to help, and discovered the final dry-creekbed bushwhack was Grays creek! I was on Gorton Creek Trail, just east of Deadwood trail junction. The reason I didn't recognize the campsites is because previous trips were in the rain/snow, and I had been in head-down mode.

Headed back west, stopping at a desolate Indian Point. Then down the horrible trail from Indian Point to Wyeth. If I ever hike that trail again, it will be too soon.

Saw two people all day, at Indian Point.

Disclaimer: Pictures are ugly, intended only as documentation.

[Bosterson]

You popped a Rusty Nail during a hike?! Jesus, I think if I tried to drink an entire one of those, I might be rendered unconscious (or, like, hike off a cliff). Mine is safely in my beer cellar.

[Peder]

Great exploration! That looks fun.


I thought of you the other day

[Chip Down]

I think if I tried to drink an entire one of those, I might be rendered unconscious (or, like, hike off a cliff).

I finally found something I can do better than Bosterson! But seriously, no, I didn't drink it all at Indian Point. That might have resulted in an unintented shortcut down the shooting gallery.

That looks fun.

It was, more than expected. It was nice to go on a summer hike with good water availability, and the routefinding and mystery of what lies ahead was neat. A little less brush and a little less crumbly dirty steep slopes would have improved it, but I honestly didn't have high hopes of getting all the way to the trail with so little effort, so it was really a pleasant surprise.

I thought of you the other day

Was it the "no naked light" sign?