Canoe Creek: Humboldt Redwoods State Park

I did a little exploring around Canoe Creek yesterday in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I was glad to make it over there before the major rains come, raise the water level in the Eel, and make the grove off limits until next summer. It's a peaceful little spot, and there are some nice trees growing on the flat. I also pushed up the creek a little ways off trail. I went about as far as I could stomach, which wasn't really all that far. Better to have a partner if one is to really explore up the creek. Yesterday I realized that as soon as I think I've come to know the park, I still have barely begun to know the place. The area I saw was the home of the mountain lions and bears. I was content to leave it that way for now...

The Rainy Season Has Arrived!

The first rains of the fall/winter arrived on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Hopefully this will be a good sign of more rain to come this fall. The redwoods take on a completely different character in the rain. Thursday, the forest was filled with the popping sounds of raindrops falling through the canopy onto ferns and sorrel. Frogs could be heard chirping in the evening. The days are getting noticeably shorter and pretty soon my post work evening hikes will become a summertime memory. The rainy season is a great time for photography as the colors really come out. The forest seems clearer to the eye as well it seems.

This Week in Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Just like that, it looks and feels like fall in certain spots in Humboldt Redwoods State Park...

This Week in Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Temperatures felt noticeably cooler in the mornings a couple times this week. The groves were also rather smokey yesterday afternoon as smoke from nearby fires blew into the area. Many of the parking areas are covered with newly fallen, orange redwood needle segments, which is common this time of year. Below is a video taken by a man showing low water flow on the Eel River. The video was taken near Fortuna. The Eel is low but flowing through HRSP. Below is also a photo I took of Bull Creek last month. It has stopped flowing near the spot where it enters the Eel. I also took a hike along Bull Creek flats yesterday morning and did not need to use a bridge where I crossed the creek, as the water was low enough to rock hop across. Lets hope for a wet rainy season this year...

I took this photo the first week in August, 2014. Bull Creek has stopped flowing just before reaching the Eel River. This is just an observation. I don't know if this is a regular summertime occurrence.

I Love the Trail!

Glacier National Park along the CDT (2013)

"I am ruined."

It's a comment I have heard often among thru hikers, a comment that resonates deeply within my being these days! I too feel ruined, but ruined in a good way. I can't wait to get back on the trail. It's nine months post Continental Divide. There has not been a day that has passed in the last nine months that I have not felt "ruined." It's the "elephant in the room" if you will. Within all of my daily interactions with people and place lies the fact that I would honestly still rather be on the trail. No matter how hard I try to be present, that realization remains. I can be present as long as I need to be throughout the day, but as soon as that time passes, I am dreaming of another thru hike. I hope that time comes sooner rather than later. For now I am doing my best to be patient, but everything feels like a cheap replacement, which is absolutely absurd considering where I am right now.

I love being on the move. I love being in the best possible shape. I love the feeling of clean socks or a warm shower after several days without one. I love the feeling of freedom, of eating whatever I want. I love waking up under the trees, or sleeping under the stars. I love looking at maps and planning, meeting new possible trail friends. Swimming in lakes and rivers, climbing mountains, sunsets, hitchhiking, being paralyzed by fear, experiencing the awe and dread of the power of Mother Nature. I love looking at wildflowers and clouds, that strange yearning feeling when looking out over a vast expanse and the 1000 mile stare. I love the trail!

Lost Man Creek

 I drove up to Lost Man Creek again yesterday to embark on what I was hoping would be a relatively easy bushwhack but by the end of the day had turned into one of the most strenuous of my life. Before leaving, I left detailed instructions where I was going with my housemate and made sure I did not detour from those directions. I brought my maps, GPS, phone, lunch, and a rain jacket.

I did not feel unsafe at all during the hike, it was just extremely difficult, the terrain was tough as it always is up here, including several misguided routes through thorns, reeds and grasses that grew over my head, stinging nettles, mud, and the occasional collapsing decayed redwood. Of course there is always the chance that some unexpected accident could happen, and I am very much aware of that. It would be much, much safer to hike with a partner in these places.

 There were some wonderful trees to visit as always. Fall seems to be in the air now, as some leaves are changing colors and the redwoods continue to shed some of their needles. Pretty soon, the rainy season will arrive hopefully. Can't wait to see the mushrooms again.

 Overall, I probably hiked no more than three miles all day. One mile bushwhacking through the forest, another mile up a road, and another mile of miscellaneous walking, but boy was I beat at the end of the day. Again, I am reminded how different these northern redwood parks are in comparison to the more southerly ones. The vegetation is just so much more dense.

As always, another great day in the woods...

Thank You CHP

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding cops in the news lately. Some of it justified, some if not perhaps. I will admit, I have my own issues and suspicions in regards to the police. However, I want to give a "shout out" if you will, to a CHP officer I encountered yesterday near Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

For the past 8 months, I have slowly been inspecting as many groves as possible in search for undiscovered redwood albinos. The search has taken me through some of the most majestic groves the park has to offer, as well as some of the most lonely and desolate. There was one spot small spot that I wanted to check out yesterday that as far as I could tell, there was no access to. I parked my car well off the highway and entered the grove. A couple minutes later, I heard and noticed a CHP officer parked behind my vehicle.

I understood that I probably looked really sketchy, especially as I walked out of the woods. The officer sternly explained to me that I was parked illegally and questioned what I was doing. I was expecting to get a fat ticket of some sort. After explaining to the officer that I was inspecting groves for redwood albinos, I apologized and told him that I would be on my way. The officer then suggested that I stay and finish looking, before heading home. I did not find any albinos in this particular spot, but I want to give a big "Thank You!" to the CHP officer for his understanding...