My wife and I did a short afternoon loop between Catherine Creek and the upper Labyrinth on a balmy, sun-splashed day: the vultures were soaring, the lizards were basking, and the humans were spilling out of the parking lots like so many ants. The excursion also allowed me to check out new trail alignments/decommissionings in this area. Also, this is actually prime wildflower time at Catherine Creek in terms of more species blooming – even a few camas left in the shady swales and the lupine was just coming on.
Originally, I had the genius notion of parking at the Indian Pits Trailhead, but found out why this space was so empty: the short stretch of trail from here to the Rowland Wall is closed from February 1st to July 15th to prevent disturbance to a pair of peregrine falcons. Thus, we joined the long stretch of vehicles at the Catherine Creek Trailhead but immediately headed up Sunflower Hill and got views of the arch from here (It’s called Sunflower Hill because in the good ol’ days, there was a brilliant display of balsamroot that travelers across the river remarked upon; then the cattle let loose and few balsamroot plants remain).
We picnicked above Atwood Road, moving from our first choice because of an outbreak of angry ants, and then entered the woods above the Rowland Basin. We saw only one couple hiking and no mountain bikers after this. The reason soon became apparent: poison oak, now fully leafed out, was our constant companion when in the trees and was often overhanging the trail. I am not susceptible, but my wife “got bit” a couple of times: we washed her off each time and she survived with just a minor rash.
We passed the old homestead site, where the German irises and lilacs were in full bloom, and reached the new trail sign at the junction with the Upper Labyrinth Trail (formerly Hidden Valley Trail), recently reconstructed by the WTA. I went on just to confirm the decommissioning of the trail that came up Labyrinth Creek (known to bikers as Jeff’s Trail), and then returned to the junction. The Upper Labyrinth Trail makes sweeping curves down the slope and remains controversial with mountain bikers on two counts: it is a less “technical” experience than the former Hidden Valley Trail, and also the curves enter dense copses of oak/poison oak, the latter difficult for bikers to avoid.
After stopping at the wide-ranging viewpoint, we joined the Shoestring Trail and headed east, crossing steep grassy slopes and then dropping into oak woods. Just after the junction with the Loose Lucy Trail, there’s an interesting stone structure now overgrown by the vegetation. Then we emerged into the Indian pits area, passing the stone walls and pits/windbreaks that put this site (called the Rowland Basin Site) on the National Register of Historic Places. The peregrine falcons were indeed out and stooped and wheeled above us, but we did not stray into the no-entry zone. We took the scree trail up Rowland Wall and followed the ponderosa benches down: a number of these pines are either dead or half-dead after attacks by the California five-spined ips
(Ips paraconfusus), a bark beetle that infests weakened trees.
A great date hike, with a few caveats:
1. Time your arrival so you don't actually have to wait in line for a parking space.
2. Avoid stationing yourself under soaring carrion eaters or you will find yourself a target for a copious splattering of uric acid (Fortunately, this happened to me and not my wife).
3. Do not position the picnic mat over a nest of carpenter ants.
4. Personally direct passages through poison oak, chivalrously holding back the branches when necessary.
5. Bring enough water to drink
and wash off any brushes with poison oak.
