I was headed up the Sandy River from the Ramona TH, probably off-trail on the south side (across the river from the Ramona trail), up to the TLT/PCT crossing, and then maybe to Muddy Fork, or maybe towards Paradise via the trail or cross-country via Rushing Water Creek, or maybe just continue up Sandy as high as I can. Whatever. Years ago, maybe in July, I went high up Sandy, above the upper crossing, to the point where it passes through narrow canyons next to Yokum Ridge, but I was turned back by crumbly snowbridges. I wondered if I could get higher today, but I knew the short day and slow off-trail approach would make it difficult, so I was keeping my options open.
Started at 7:00, following the marked-but-overlooked trail at the north edge of the parking lot (not the normal trail to Ramona). I didn't know where it would go, but I knew it was taking me up Sandy, so took a chance on it. Almost immediately it dumped me on the main trail, at a junction I recognized from previous trips. Later, looking at map, realized that trail I took actually was the main trail, and the trail people generally take from the trailhead is just a little spur trail. Can't fathom why the USFS did it that way. Continuing up, I realized what a charming trail it is. It's been dark the last couple times, and so I didn't get to see the mossy boulders, the tremendous amount of moss mats on the ground, and the Sandy views.
At the Ramona crossing, I noticed the convenient little logjam is gone. Over the summer, there was a easy crossing on a log that had a small tree parallel, a couple feet higher, making a nice handrail. It's not there now. I went up and down a bit, just to be sure. Hard to imagine where it went. Maybe a falling tree landed there and broke up that mini logjam (there has been a lot of blowdown lately). That's fine, I kinda wanted to stick to the much-more challenging trail-free south side.
At 8:00 I was surprised to find a faint social trail through the forest parallel to Sandy. I followed it, but lost it more and more, until finally it was more trouble than it was worth, so I found my own way. The slope to my right gradually steepened, and there were more tributary creeks to contend with, so finally at 10:00 I ended up breaking out of the forest onto the incredibly-wide Sandy outwash plain. Up to this point, the far side (north) was steep and high, but now it was flipped: the north side bank was scarcely higher than the river, but the south bank was steep and high. Also, the creekbed was now flat and easy, without even so much as downed trees to contend with.
The abrupt change in topography meant I was trapped down here on the streambed as I followed Sandy. That's not a problem, especially considering that I was finally making good time out in the open with no bushwhacking, but I was worried that if Sandy drifted over and hugged the cliff, even for just a few feet, I'd have to turn back. Also, if I was forced to follow Sandy right up against the cliff, I'd be under dozens of boulders just barely clinging to the dirt faces, ready to drop at any moment. Up ahead, I could see a forested draw that promised escape from this channel, if I wanted that option, so I hoped to be able to get that far. No luck; perhaps 50 yards from the draw, Sandy flowed right along the vertical bank briefly. Actually, at that point there was a low-angle debris pile that might have allowed a traverse past that section of Sandy, but it was frosty on the surface, and a slip would mean a plunge into Sandy. Even if injury didn't result, hypothermia would be a concern. It was no steeper than dunes you see kids plunging down, with no worries of tumbling, but here I lacked the security of a soft landing zone.
At 10:57 I paused to tighten up my gaiters (inside joke), and at 11:00 I turned back, staying as far north as possible on the way back down, partly for variety and partly in hopes of finding a way across Sandy so that I could continue upstream on the other side. Now that I was going downhill, and moving slowly, the wind picked up. That was a nasty trio, and I was uncomfortably cold for a while. I kept wishing for the sun to break out, but it was usually in the clouds or behind the canyon wall. A light snow fell, as it had been intermittently much of the morning, but not enough to accumulate, just enough to add a little sparkle. I realized that even if I simply worked my way back to my car with no detours, I had to budget more time than on the ascent. There was no way to exactly replicate the route, even if I wanted to. So moving back downstream might take more time or less time. To be safe, I really had to allow an extra hour for the downstream trip. I never found a good opportunity to cross Sandy. It braided a bit, but not quite enough. There were plenty of downed trees, but I wasn't too keen on walking on a frosty log across a raging icy stream. There were ample opportunities to wade, but I'm not going to put myself through that ordeal twice, especially not knowing if my wandering would lead to anything worthwhile. I casually explored, enjoying the scenery, in no particular hurry. The silty mud offered easy travel when it was solidly frozen, but sometimes I'd punch through the crust and plunge into ankle-deep mud, so mostly I stayed on rocks, and probed ahead with treking poles when crossing sandy stretches. Even back in the trail zone, I stayed at the edge of the river, just because.
Returned to my car as light was fading, about 4:30. I was right; it took longer coming back down. Maybe it's a good thing I got turned back where I did, as it allowed for a leisurely stroll back down. I pretty much managed to fill all the daylight I had, and never used my headlamp. That kind of timing is extremely unusual. I approached my car with a bit of trepidation, wondering if my windows were added to the scattered glass where I parked. Would anybody bother to go prowling on a Friday in late November? Nope, not today.
As a goal-driven excursion, this was a dismal failure. But as a fun interesting memorable day on the mountain, it was a success. Saw a bunch of neat stuff from an unusual perspective that most Ramona visitors don't get to see from the trail overlooking Sandy, and set myself up for some interesting follow-up trips. Probably my main complaint was the cold.