solstice celebration: Wyeth to Herman Creek
Posted: December 22nd, 2019, 8:10 pm
Woke at 4am. Chance of rain now 70% (was 60% when I went to bed, revised up from 50%). Forget it, I'm staying home. But then I remembered: Solstice! Can't celebrate solstice in the city, right? Picked a close easy hike, suitable for rain.
Arrived at the new Wyeth TH a little before dawn. Followed the utility road down. Felt weird...Wyeth is so low, but the road goes down and then up to the power lines. Unlike Trail 400, which is fairly flat and follows contour lines, the utility road is pretty straight, so it undulates, sometimes steeply. When I finally reached the road's high point between Wyeth and Herman, I discovered it was foggy to the west, and I plunged into it. Poked around on spurs, explored a little, somehow stumbled right into Herman Campground. Desolate.
Back to the powerlines, continued west, past the Herman Creek Trail crossing, looked for remnants of the old wooden water pipe that used to carry domestic water from a dam on Herman Creek (I think it was originally for industry, but later repurposed). As expected, the wood fell victim to Eagle Creek fire. Only steel hardware remained. Was going to follow the pipe route higher than I did last time, in search of the dam. Kinda rough going though, so I popped up to the trail to cheat a little. Never dropped down to the pipe route again, distracted by the lovely ridge parallel to Herman Creek Trail.
Followed the ridge up until I came to a saddle where a road used to cross over the ridge. I had previously dropped left down to the powerline road; today I dropped the other way to Herman Creek. The road faded, I bushwhacked to the creek, to the bridge, back up on the trail.
Continued offtrail on the same ridge I had been on earlier, now above the road-crossing saddle, until it flattened and got brushy. I knew if I persisted, I'd hit Trail 400 east of Herman Creek Trail. I did, and followed it to the Gorton Creek bridge. Along the way, I encountered more people than I have on all previous trips combined. This used to be a desolate trail, even in summer. My suspicion is that people have been lured out of curiosity to see the new TH.
At Gorton Creek, eastbound progress was halted by a fence. You know, fire and all that. Followed the creek down toward the campground, and back to powerlines on a safe legal route. Looked for Wyeth Trail where it crosses the powerline road. Couldn't spot it. It crosses Harphan Creek, so I followed the creek up, figuring I might spot the bridgeless crossing. Did. Nature is quickly reclaiming this trail. Without maintenance and signs, I suspect it will soon cease to exist except on maps. Speaking of maps, Google's rendition of the Wyeth area is horrible. Bring another source, or prepare for some fun confusion.
It was warm and dry all day, except some sprinkles as I approached Wyeth. Opposite of last weekend, when NOAA said it might possibly be a little damp, and it rained all day. Turns out I could have done my Plan A hike today. That's okay, I'll just leave it there in my to-do bucket.
Arrived at the new Wyeth TH a little before dawn. Followed the utility road down. Felt weird...Wyeth is so low, but the road goes down and then up to the power lines. Unlike Trail 400, which is fairly flat and follows contour lines, the utility road is pretty straight, so it undulates, sometimes steeply. When I finally reached the road's high point between Wyeth and Herman, I discovered it was foggy to the west, and I plunged into it. Poked around on spurs, explored a little, somehow stumbled right into Herman Campground. Desolate.
Back to the powerlines, continued west, past the Herman Creek Trail crossing, looked for remnants of the old wooden water pipe that used to carry domestic water from a dam on Herman Creek (I think it was originally for industry, but later repurposed). As expected, the wood fell victim to Eagle Creek fire. Only steel hardware remained. Was going to follow the pipe route higher than I did last time, in search of the dam. Kinda rough going though, so I popped up to the trail to cheat a little. Never dropped down to the pipe route again, distracted by the lovely ridge parallel to Herman Creek Trail.
Followed the ridge up until I came to a saddle where a road used to cross over the ridge. I had previously dropped left down to the powerline road; today I dropped the other way to Herman Creek. The road faded, I bushwhacked to the creek, to the bridge, back up on the trail.
Continued offtrail on the same ridge I had been on earlier, now above the road-crossing saddle, until it flattened and got brushy. I knew if I persisted, I'd hit Trail 400 east of Herman Creek Trail. I did, and followed it to the Gorton Creek bridge. Along the way, I encountered more people than I have on all previous trips combined. This used to be a desolate trail, even in summer. My suspicion is that people have been lured out of curiosity to see the new TH.
At Gorton Creek, eastbound progress was halted by a fence. You know, fire and all that. Followed the creek down toward the campground, and back to powerlines on a safe legal route. Looked for Wyeth Trail where it crosses the powerline road. Couldn't spot it. It crosses Harphan Creek, so I followed the creek up, figuring I might spot the bridgeless crossing. Did. Nature is quickly reclaiming this trail. Without maintenance and signs, I suspect it will soon cease to exist except on maps. Speaking of maps, Google's rendition of the Wyeth area is horrible. Bring another source, or prepare for some fun confusion.
It was warm and dry all day, except some sprinkles as I approached Wyeth. Opposite of last weekend, when NOAA said it might possibly be a little damp, and it rained all day. Turns out I could have done my Plan A hike today. That's okay, I'll just leave it there in my to-do bucket.