I was in Northern California for a few days and enjoyed this nice hike.
Started my trip on the PCT from Park Creek Summit, which is about a 30 min drive from I-5 near Weed, CA. Good paved road to TH at 6900 ft.
Headed south on the PCT, which travels along a ridge here that is known as the Trinity-Shasta Divide. Easy miles to Middle Deadfall Lake. This area has a beautiful park like setting with big trees and several lakes, great for a family backpack, nice tent sites around.
Was quite surprised to find several populations of Darlingtonia, at 8000 ft. The brown in this meadow is all cobra lily. The old tubes are brown, but new ones are springing up from the bases.
I continued on to the upper Deadfall Lakes, to get a good look at Mt Eddy, the final path is up from the saddle to the right.
It's a great summit at just over 9000 ft, with ridges extending in multiple directions. There are the remains of an old lookout tower, and a few stunted whitebark pines.
I could see Castle Crags to the south.
The views of Shasta to the east and the Trinity Alps to the west are supposed to be fantastic, but they were hiding in the clouds all day. Here you can see the plug of Black Butte below the massive base of Shasta. Those ridges look so inviting! I rambled out on one of them.
After I realized I was heading too far out of my way, I dropped down a sketchy scree slope and traversed below the alpine basins under Mt Eddy to return to the PCT.
Other interesting flowers I met, feel free to elaborate on names:
Fuzzy purple buckwheat:
Two different anemones. I think the white one is Anemone drummondii, dont know what the purple one is.
Hulsea nana, which I recognized from the last time I saw it at 9K on South Sister!
And this fuzzy Polemonium
The hike as an out and back is about 10 miles and 2250 gain. I added a few extra with my sidetracks. Two days later, I looked down on Mt Eddy (center of photo) from the summit of Shasta!
Mt Eddy, CA
- retired jerry
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Re: Mt Eddy, CA
that looks nice, thanks
I was surprised to see Darlingtonia at 6800 feet in Black's Basin in Trinity Alps in that same area
I was surprised to see Darlingtonia at 6800 feet in Black's Basin in Trinity Alps in that same area
- adamschneider
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Re: Mt Eddy, CA
The "fuzzy purple buckwheat" is actually pussy-paws (Calyptridium).
Re: Mt Eddy, CA
I summited there and camped at the lake a couple years ago on my PCT sobo section hike. Cool spot.
- Don Nelsen
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Re: Mt Eddy, CA
Wow, Mt. Eddy and Mt. Shasta! There must be more to tell. Nice job!
dn
dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller
"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller