Greenleaf Creek, falls, slide

[Chip Down]

This wasn't my Plan A, or even B. Forecast called for 40% chance of showers, light breeze, chilly enough for some snow up high. But It was snowing pretty hard, and quite windy, so I decided to poke around Red Buffs, the boomerang-shaped cliffs SE of Greenleaf Peak. With a little snow, I figured they might be Pink Bluffs.

From the NW ridge of Greenleaf Peak, I dropped SW to the road that leads into Greenleaf Basin. Where it skirts Red Bluffs, I discovered the cliffedge is quite brushy. I figured it would be in spots, but this was a little more than I expected. There were no views (clouds) and I know how miserable bushwhacking can be when it's damp, so I continued down the road, planning to follow it until it hit Greenleaf Creek, and then down a steep slope to a junction. That steep part looked (on the map) to be way too steep for a road, so I was curious.

Passed over old semi-buried cables a couple times, presumably evidence of logging operations in Greenleaf Basin. Somewhat abruptly, the road quality deteriorated and became a bit obscured with minor blowdown and brush. I spotted a yellow caution-tape marker and followed a switchback roughly NW-ish into the basin. Although there were signs of old maintenance, the road soon became hard to follow. I knew it wasn't going my intended direction, so I went back to the flag and continued south-ish on what looked like an overgrown road, setting a few pink ribbons along the way. Soon came to a creek, slow moving, braided, marshy, indistinct. I stayed on the east side and followed it, staying close enough to use it as a guide, but far enough away to allow easy travel through open forest.

Soon, my marshy creek was consolidated, free of brushy fringe, and moving faster. This was much more fun. Then it started tumbling down cascades and little falls. I stayed as close to the bank as possible for the best views. This was slightly challenging at times, but never scary. I never even used my rope (although if it was a warm dry day and I felt like lingering, there was one spot where I might have dropped in for a better view).

Eventually I came to the motherlode, as the creek plunged off a good-sized cliff. There was a logjam just upstream of the lip, and I used it to get to a gap in the falls, a dry spot with water plummeting from either side. Sadly, that spot of ground supported a tree or two, and it blocked views a little. I was able to peer off the edge though, and discovered two things: the creek far below looked lovely, definitely worth exploring if I could get down there. Also discovered my patch of dry land seemed to be hanging over the edge of the falls like a pulpit. I didn't like the feeling of that, so retreated.

Options: I had noticed that there was a lot of open ground on the west side of the creek (lowest eastern slopes of Table Mountain), so I could probably return upstream on that side. However, on my trip downstream I hadn't been constantly watching to see if that might be productive, nor was I certain I'd find a good crossing up high that would take me back to my road. So I went with my other option, which was looking for a way to the bottom of the falls.

The descent was steep, but there was a rough intermittent trail that helped a little. I spotted a big talus slope to the left/east, and vowed to investigate on the way back up. By the time I finally reached the creek, I realized it's still pretty steep down here. Looking down over the falls gave the illusion that it was a pretty gentle slope down here. It was fun to follow a little, a long series of wild twisty braided cascades. I had to stop sometime though, and I had realized the mystery road didn't exist. Downstream the map shows a road crossing, but I no longer trusted my map.

I started back up, this time staying closer to the creek, looking for a way to get closer to the bottom of the falls. It's pretty rugged terrain, and complicated. You can't really stand in one spot and evaluate all options. I explored a little, trying this and that, but bypassing some options in favor of what looked more reasonable. Nothing worked out. Soon realized I was out of options, and really too high to sensibly go down and try again. I had seen a narrow slot dropping perpendicular to the creek, with a tree conveniently offering an anchor at the top, and I wish I had tried that, but it wasn't worth going back to.

Next on my agenda was the big boulder field to the east. Getting there was pretty easy. From there, I looked down on the big-ass Greenleaf slide from a few years back. I had wanted to see it, but didn't expect I'd just randomly run into it! Heard running water, which puzzled me. Didn't see anything. Now realize (from a pic posted online, maybe here) that there's a series of little spring-fed falls along the steep slope I was at the top of, tumbling into the slide zone. I travered under the cliffs that I assume are the south end of Red Bluff until I reached the top of the slide. Wasn't terribly interesting, but only took a few minutes.

This was the best part of the day. Cloud were parting and thinning, with glimpses of blue now and then. Even a bit of direct sunlight to bask in. For the first time all day (and the last, it would turn out), I could throw my pack down and sit on a flat dry rock. Views were expansive. Especially impressive was the up-close look at the Table Moutain cliffs, snowy up higher.

The return was uneventful. I stayed much higher, parallel to the creek, on good game trails and open forest. On a better weather day, it would have been fun. I was slightly nervous about finding my road, but it went just fine. On the trudge back up to the powerlines, it started snowing again, but by the time I reached the powerlines it had turned to wind-driven ice pellets. Boo! By this time I was so cold and soggy that I didn't even bother with my second beer, and hustled up to the crest of Greenleaf's NW ridge, the wind at my back, dropping off the other side towards my car. The west wind was more tollerable once I was below the ridgecrest. I had been slightly anxious about snow accumulation where I was parked, but the clouds parted just enough to show that there wasn't any. Long before I reached my car, the snow turned to rain. My clothes are now in a bucket, so filthy I'll rinse them by hand before tossing them in the washer.

I guess I'll put this day in the "fun success" column, but just barely. Better than sitting around at home. I wish it had been 5 or 10 degrees colder. It would have been less soggy, probably overall less uncomfortable. But then, road travel might have been tricky.

[Eric Peterson]

This is a pretty good Table exit down into the basin Chip -

Fun area, hoping to get back in there again.

[Peder]

The "normal" route up/ down to the Greenleaf Basin is on the east side of Greenleaf Creek; you can also go up the west side of the creek, there was a rope (though I never found it).

[Don Nelsen]

This is a pretty good Table exit down into the basin Chip -

exit_table.JPG

Fun area, hoping to get back in there again.

Is that the track from that epic snow trek we did in March of 2013?

[Don Nelsen]

The "normal" route up/ down to the Greenleaf Basin is on the east side of Greenleaf Creek; you can also go up the west side of the creek, there was a rope (though I never found it).

I wonder if that old rope is still there. It's hard to spot since it really blends in:

[Peder]

I wonder if that old rope is still there. It's hard to spot since it really blends in:

I just missed the rope in the rain, I was there shortly after you and Guy (as I recall). It is a fun area... I have not been back on the west side of the creek since.

[Guy]

I wonder if that old rope is still there. It's hard to spot since it really blends in:

I just missed the rope in the rain, I was there shortly after you and Guy (as I recall). It is a fun area... I have not been back on the west side of the creek since.

Yep, this one:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7090&hilit=greenle ... f&start=10



What could go wrong

[Eric Peterson]

Yeah Don, was snowy on the flanks of Table after we finished Two Chiefs.

Peder and I took a strange route through a lot of low lying thickets of bare trees up Table.