Cabin Creek Ridge + Wonder/Warren Ridge [return 1/1/2019]
Posted: June 16th, 2016, 8:16 pm
(between Starvation & Defiance)
Pablo wrote "[Cabin Creek Ridge is] one of the nicest ridge line hikes I've ever done", and I share his opinion.
Cabin Creek Ridge is easy to get to, clearly defined, not brushy, lacks blowdown, undulates just a bit, and offers a few challenges. It's damn near an ideal ridge hike, and I highly recommend it. I almost feel guilty, considering how pristine it is. But hey, it's right there in plain sight. It's not as if I'm calling attention to some secret hidden hike.
Started at 4:20, hit the Starvation cutoff, then west across Cabin Creek and up to Cabin Creek Ridge. At the high point where the trail crosses the ridge, I jettisoned any unnecessary stuff and headed up the ridge, probably right around sunrise. I was puzzled that there was no trail. Could have sworn there was a trail. Later in the day, realized it's Wonder/Warren Ridge that has a clear trail departing Starvation Trail. Like Starvation Ridge, Cabin features a grassy oak zone before the coniferous forest begins. Views to the west were nice, over towards W/W Ridge. But like Starvation, the ridge fades out before it gets to a trail, and I didn't want to make a loop of it, so when it faded out I spent a bit of time wandering around to see if a trail would show up (I mean a social trail, not a USFS trail) but soon decided to bail and descend. Looking at the map, it must have been about 2800'. Right about where the fictional Warren Lake Trail pretends to cross what's left of the ridge. On the way down, I was elated to spot "tree # 3", a mysterious tree marked "3" which I had read about here. Figured it was a needle in a haystack, so was pleased to find it.
A few challenges on CC Ridge:
#1: Briefly, the ridgecrest becomes a steep fin. Staying on ridgecrest here would be reckless. To the east, mossy and steep, then brush below. To the west, bare and steep, then grassy terraces and a game trail below. That was an easy choice. I stuck with the game trail farther than necessary before regaining the crest, so vowed to stay as high as possible when I came back. On the descent, I was surprised to find that it is possible to traverse the steep mossy east side just below the crest.
#2: There's a spot where the ridge ends, but meets a new ridge which extends past your ridge a bit, so as you look up your route you see what appears to be a big hill slightly to the west, guarded by thick brush at the base. Okay, I know that sounds confusing, but look at the map (below) around 1600' and you'll see what I mean. Turned out to be no big deal. Brush wasn't that bad, and any route up "the big hill" takes you back up to the ridgecrest, where it all makes sense again. Fantastic viewpoint here, as you regain the crest.
#3: A little rocky outcropping has to be scaled. I went east, as I think most have before me. To put it in perspective, if you plunked this down on Ruckel, it would be one of the top-three challenges on the ridge. When I saw it, I muttered an obscenity, but was confident I'd find a way up.
#4: This was nearly the show stopper for me, and must be the one that Pablo said he paused to consider before ascending. Not much can be said to describe it, just a steep rocky stretch, followed by a steep grassy/rocky section. You'll know it when you see it, but if there's any doubt, there's a tree right in the middle. I wouldn't say it was scary, but I was a little worried about the descent (but not enough to make me reconsider my plans to not make this a loop). I think Pablo said it's easy to get around this if you want, but it looked to me like considerable bushwhacking would be involved.
#4.5: Just above the crux, as the going gets easier, there's a huge breach in the ridge, and it looks like there will be no way across, but up close I could see it wasn't really a problem (the gap doesn't extend all the way through the ridge).
Perhaps fifteen minutes after the crux, the ridgecrest starts to broaden a bit, gets a bit brushy. Still fun to continue a bit, but in a few minutes I felt like I was just hiking up a steep hill. Still pretty open though, and in all the exploring I did I never hit heavy brush. I bet it would be easy to continue to a trail (Starvation to the east, or Mitchel Point to the south). Starvation is extremely close at this point, and I wish I had gone in search of it. Even though I didn't want to use it, it's always fun to bushwhack to a trail, wondering where you'll meet it. Well, I think it's fun. YMMV.
Back down on the Starvation trail where it crosses Cabin Creek Ridge, I headed west to Wonder/Warren Ridge (there seems to be some disagreement on the name). Right down at the bottom of the ridge, around the Starvation trail, the ridge is jumbled and cliffy. I figured it would be fun and challenging. It wasn't that great. Just grassy slopes and oak on the east. I stayed as close to the ridgecrest as possible, for better views and to make it more interesting. Above the cliffy part, the ridgecrest was very well defined and easy to travel. However, constant minor blowdown and heavy litter made it a hassle. It wasn't difficult, but it took a little extra effort. And there was no payback, really. This is a hike for obsessive collectors who feel the need to do every ridge in the gorge. There was a brief rocky stretch that I hoped was a harbinger, but then it was back to the same boring hike. I paused for a quick break, and checked my GPS. Hey, 1500', good. Figured I was maybe 400' from hitting the road that runs west to the defiance trail. But then, abruptly, the ridge just ended. And it got brushy. Damn. Flagged a tree, noted that the descent route was exactly magnetic north, and started wandering up. The gully to my right (west) kept getting shallower, and almost faded. Across the gully, to the west and somewhat south, was a long slope, regular and consistent, rising steeply for a considerable height. All my observations led me to conclude that I could just go west (maybe veering a bit south to be safe) and I'd run into the road. But I didn't try, couldn't bear to. I was on that road recently, at the lower defiance crossing, and spent maybe an hour or a bit more following it up. It was a nightmare (blowdown, slides, overgrown). Would I even be able to spot the road if I crossed it up here?
I headed back down, using the time I saved to enjoy a long liesurely break when I rejoined Starvation trail, and then poked around the Warren/HITW falls area looking for signs of civilization. There's some cool history around there, but I couldn't find anything besides the falls and the dry Warren creekbed. I did find the lower end of the road that goes up to the old defiance log staircase, so it was good to know where that begins. Found the bottom of Wonder creek, where it goes underground just a little below Lancaster Falls (not that interesting; it's a pretty weak flow at that point, presumably having seeped into the ground a little along the way). As I wandered, I wondered what this place looked like before HCRH construction began. I wonder if they're going to reconstruct the Warren/HITW flume. That would be a sight. On the way back to the TH, I stopped off at Cabin Creek falls, and noticed how interesting it looks at the top. Wished I had known. I crossed that creek early in the morning, pre-sunrise. It probably wouldn't have been much of a detour to follow it down and have a look around the top of the falls. Finished my day poking around Starvation Falls. Lots to explore, lots of questions to be answered. Next time. Also, next time I need to make my third visit to find that old road that crosses Defiance at 2200'. This time I'll just have to go up Defiance and start paying close attention when my GPS shows 2000'. And if that fails, well, I guess I'll move on to a healthier and more productive obsession.
An important lesson reinforced on both ridges: don't let map shading lure you into thinking a ridge is well defined. Look at the contour lines. I figured that's how Cabin Creek would end for me, but W/W ridge was a disappointment when it faded prematurely.
Pablo wrote "[Cabin Creek Ridge is] one of the nicest ridge line hikes I've ever done", and I share his opinion.
Cabin Creek Ridge is easy to get to, clearly defined, not brushy, lacks blowdown, undulates just a bit, and offers a few challenges. It's damn near an ideal ridge hike, and I highly recommend it. I almost feel guilty, considering how pristine it is. But hey, it's right there in plain sight. It's not as if I'm calling attention to some secret hidden hike.
Started at 4:20, hit the Starvation cutoff, then west across Cabin Creek and up to Cabin Creek Ridge. At the high point where the trail crosses the ridge, I jettisoned any unnecessary stuff and headed up the ridge, probably right around sunrise. I was puzzled that there was no trail. Could have sworn there was a trail. Later in the day, realized it's Wonder/Warren Ridge that has a clear trail departing Starvation Trail. Like Starvation Ridge, Cabin features a grassy oak zone before the coniferous forest begins. Views to the west were nice, over towards W/W Ridge. But like Starvation, the ridge fades out before it gets to a trail, and I didn't want to make a loop of it, so when it faded out I spent a bit of time wandering around to see if a trail would show up (I mean a social trail, not a USFS trail) but soon decided to bail and descend. Looking at the map, it must have been about 2800'. Right about where the fictional Warren Lake Trail pretends to cross what's left of the ridge. On the way down, I was elated to spot "tree # 3", a mysterious tree marked "3" which I had read about here. Figured it was a needle in a haystack, so was pleased to find it.
A few challenges on CC Ridge:
#1: Briefly, the ridgecrest becomes a steep fin. Staying on ridgecrest here would be reckless. To the east, mossy and steep, then brush below. To the west, bare and steep, then grassy terraces and a game trail below. That was an easy choice. I stuck with the game trail farther than necessary before regaining the crest, so vowed to stay as high as possible when I came back. On the descent, I was surprised to find that it is possible to traverse the steep mossy east side just below the crest.
#2: There's a spot where the ridge ends, but meets a new ridge which extends past your ridge a bit, so as you look up your route you see what appears to be a big hill slightly to the west, guarded by thick brush at the base. Okay, I know that sounds confusing, but look at the map (below) around 1600' and you'll see what I mean. Turned out to be no big deal. Brush wasn't that bad, and any route up "the big hill" takes you back up to the ridgecrest, where it all makes sense again. Fantastic viewpoint here, as you regain the crest.
#3: A little rocky outcropping has to be scaled. I went east, as I think most have before me. To put it in perspective, if you plunked this down on Ruckel, it would be one of the top-three challenges on the ridge. When I saw it, I muttered an obscenity, but was confident I'd find a way up.
#4: This was nearly the show stopper for me, and must be the one that Pablo said he paused to consider before ascending. Not much can be said to describe it, just a steep rocky stretch, followed by a steep grassy/rocky section. You'll know it when you see it, but if there's any doubt, there's a tree right in the middle. I wouldn't say it was scary, but I was a little worried about the descent (but not enough to make me reconsider my plans to not make this a loop). I think Pablo said it's easy to get around this if you want, but it looked to me like considerable bushwhacking would be involved.
#4.5: Just above the crux, as the going gets easier, there's a huge breach in the ridge, and it looks like there will be no way across, but up close I could see it wasn't really a problem (the gap doesn't extend all the way through the ridge).
Perhaps fifteen minutes after the crux, the ridgecrest starts to broaden a bit, gets a bit brushy. Still fun to continue a bit, but in a few minutes I felt like I was just hiking up a steep hill. Still pretty open though, and in all the exploring I did I never hit heavy brush. I bet it would be easy to continue to a trail (Starvation to the east, or Mitchel Point to the south). Starvation is extremely close at this point, and I wish I had gone in search of it. Even though I didn't want to use it, it's always fun to bushwhack to a trail, wondering where you'll meet it. Well, I think it's fun. YMMV.
Back down on the Starvation trail where it crosses Cabin Creek Ridge, I headed west to Wonder/Warren Ridge (there seems to be some disagreement on the name). Right down at the bottom of the ridge, around the Starvation trail, the ridge is jumbled and cliffy. I figured it would be fun and challenging. It wasn't that great. Just grassy slopes and oak on the east. I stayed as close to the ridgecrest as possible, for better views and to make it more interesting. Above the cliffy part, the ridgecrest was very well defined and easy to travel. However, constant minor blowdown and heavy litter made it a hassle. It wasn't difficult, but it took a little extra effort. And there was no payback, really. This is a hike for obsessive collectors who feel the need to do every ridge in the gorge. There was a brief rocky stretch that I hoped was a harbinger, but then it was back to the same boring hike. I paused for a quick break, and checked my GPS. Hey, 1500', good. Figured I was maybe 400' from hitting the road that runs west to the defiance trail. But then, abruptly, the ridge just ended. And it got brushy. Damn. Flagged a tree, noted that the descent route was exactly magnetic north, and started wandering up. The gully to my right (west) kept getting shallower, and almost faded. Across the gully, to the west and somewhat south, was a long slope, regular and consistent, rising steeply for a considerable height. All my observations led me to conclude that I could just go west (maybe veering a bit south to be safe) and I'd run into the road. But I didn't try, couldn't bear to. I was on that road recently, at the lower defiance crossing, and spent maybe an hour or a bit more following it up. It was a nightmare (blowdown, slides, overgrown). Would I even be able to spot the road if I crossed it up here?
I headed back down, using the time I saved to enjoy a long liesurely break when I rejoined Starvation trail, and then poked around the Warren/HITW falls area looking for signs of civilization. There's some cool history around there, but I couldn't find anything besides the falls and the dry Warren creekbed. I did find the lower end of the road that goes up to the old defiance log staircase, so it was good to know where that begins. Found the bottom of Wonder creek, where it goes underground just a little below Lancaster Falls (not that interesting; it's a pretty weak flow at that point, presumably having seeped into the ground a little along the way). As I wandered, I wondered what this place looked like before HCRH construction began. I wonder if they're going to reconstruct the Warren/HITW flume. That would be a sight. On the way back to the TH, I stopped off at Cabin Creek falls, and noticed how interesting it looks at the top. Wished I had known. I crossed that creek early in the morning, pre-sunrise. It probably wouldn't have been much of a detour to follow it down and have a look around the top of the falls. Finished my day poking around Starvation Falls. Lots to explore, lots of questions to be answered. Next time. Also, next time I need to make my third visit to find that old road that crosses Defiance at 2200'. This time I'll just have to go up Defiance and start paying close attention when my GPS shows 2000'. And if that fails, well, I guess I'll move on to a healthier and more productive obsession.
An important lesson reinforced on both ridges: don't let map shading lure you into thinking a ridge is well defined. Look at the contour lines. I figured that's how Cabin Creek would end for me, but W/W ridge was a disappointment when it faded prematurely.