Saturday, June 25, 2005

NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIVER COUNTRY: An Intrepid Exploration of New York Canyon: A Vast Speck of Paradise Deep in the Tahoe National Forest

It's on all the maps. You'll find references to it on web sites. The rangers know about it. It's nearly in the Bay Area's back yard. But few dare to venture the near trackless and ridiculously rugged terrain you'll encounter.
Those who do manage to stage an adventure hike to this secret and remote location are rewarded with stunning views of a magnificent five-hundred-foot-plus waterfall that tumbles from an isolated high gorge formed by the West Fork New York Canyon Creek to indeterminable depths defying calculation other than HOLY COW!
How has this been missing from my life?
Certainly, this place would be a national park if it were but halfway accessible. But it's not even a State Park, or even a "park" on anyone's radar screen. It really amazes me that such a place exists so near to the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, and yet it's nearly untraversable, virtually inaccessible.
Until one day it isn't!
Until one day when masters of the domain Russell Towle or Ron Gould get you in and out safely. 
It's only a two hours' drive away. Here all these years I'd been zipping by the low foothill country beyond Auburn, where Gold Rush fever began, never so much as glancing out the window at the pretty but humdrum landscape south of Interstate 80 – of course, always on my way to bigger, better places in the Sierra Nevada high country.
What I'd been missing just can't be seen. You need to be told about it, guided there. You look out there and see some nice ridges, but nothing jaw-dropping, nothing to rally your inspirational senses to want to explore it.
Not when the John Muir calls, or the Desolation or the Eastern Sierra is waiting.
Such a pity.
Now that I know this area somewhat, I say, give me the glaciated lower reaches of this Sierra landscape any day!
Give me the raggedy two-thousand-foot-plus cliffs, the sweet turquoise waters of the river on hot August days, this land of pleasure and paradise, of magic and mystery, and fascinating history.
Any day, all day.
Because what we're talking about is some mighty topographical relief for lower elevations: soaring crags and towering ridges and one deep, steep motherhumper of a canyon that is beyond hidden from the world.
What we're talking about is a canyon half as deep as the Grand Canyon!
A canyon a third as deep as the Grand Canyon would rank as mighty impressive!
And so it is on June 14, a hot and sunny day, that Russell and I undertake an epic circumambulation of this wild territory, probably named by some wayward Empire State miner back in the forties. The 1840s, that is.
I'm convinced that the route Russell and I traverse on the tail end – from the falls up the steep, rugged ridge to the road – has never been done by a human in modern times, for this is the off-limits, solitary realm of the Mountain Lion, the recondite kingdom of the Bear, the unfettered domain of highflying Harriers and soaring Vultures.
Humans are fragile and puny out here; one slip, one mishap, and you could die in your shoes right there and only the circling Buzzards would be the wiser.
We begin high above the snow line, on Canada Hill (where we'll later emerge from our ridge scramble), at around 6,600 feet. From there we trudge the road to Sailor Flat – a rutted-out old jeep trail – to Oak Flat.
Here, we catch the trail down, down, down to the river. The falls is just over the ridge from there, as the Crow flies, probably not even a mile. And yet it's so tucked away in those rugged gullies, you'd never suspect anything out of the ordinary, least of all a cascade to rival one of Yosemite's famous plungers.
Just before Oak Flat, we duck into the forest at a calculated point and chart our cross-country course to the falls. We have to keep a straight line or else . . . we'll end up lost and unable to scale the gigantic cliffs forming the eastern base and walls of the gorge.
At precisely the same spot as last year, when I first visited the falls, Russell led us down a couple hundred feet below the sight line – to my chagrin and his mystified disappointment.
Finally, though, after much up and down and huffing and puffing, a few curses back and forth, he finds the line, which turns out to be a fine little trail that provides sweeping and majestic views of 8,000-foot Snow Mountain.
Its entire western spur extends nearly two miles to the carved-out gouge that is Big Granite Creek and that canyon confluence where Gambolin' Gal and I have camped every birthday since 1999 when we first discovered it quite by chance in a swimming hole guidebook whose author she once worked with in a Saint Louis bistro.
Snow Mountain blows me away. Rising damn near one sheer mile from the riverbed, it's a massive chunk of earth, a sprawling mountain at the lower end of the famed Royal Gorge. It's doubtful anyone's climbed it from this angle. Russell attests to approaching it from the north and reaching its topmost summit.
From where I stand, you don't mess with Snow Mountain, only gawk at its incomprehensible bulk dominating the horizon. We make excellent progress along the sight line, with Russell heading the way, loppers in action the entire time to clear brush and create more favorable trail conditions.
Russell is a tireless trail advocate, nature activist, defender of all things wild. He grew up in the South Bay, I think, and has been living in North Fork country, in Dutch Flat, for over thirty years. He knows North Fork country better than all the rangers in the TNF and BLM combined.
And that's a fact.
His extensive geologic, botanic and historical knowledge of the area, coupled with his boyish enthusiasm for high-adrenaline adventure hiking, has lent him a certain cachet among the canyon-crazed cognoscenti.
In other words, if you get lost in North Fork country, you'd better hope you're with Russell Towle. I met Russell on the internet where he (once maintained) a fine web site and I presumptively invited myself along on one of his expeditions.
He was more than game!
It always struck me as odd that Russell carried in loppers. Once, during a loquacious spurt along a particularly overgrown stretch, he admonished:
"More lop, less lip, Tom!"
That became our mantra. I’d see him snip down a small pine tree, or butcher a manzanita, and I’d cringe. But his reasoning, as usual, was unimpeachable. I just didn’t want to wield them, being along for the ride, so to speak. After much up and down we came to a great open rocky area, which was really the top of the cliff forming the east wall of the gorge through which the Fall plunges so spectacularly.
It was a relief to emerge into the open, bright sunlight, see this primitive world in shining glory, Snow Mountain looming larger than ever now. Even though Russell mourned our late arrival, insisting it was ten times as spectacular a month ago, the Falls proved worthy of all the “trouble”.
But a month ago, the only way in was by ski. As it was, or turned out to be, I did not feel cheated. Given the huge snow pack and recent melt, the Falls was better than I remembered it from last year.
This rocky top was chock-full of wildflowers in lush bloom, growing out of every nook, cranny and crevice – brilliant pink penstemon, bouquets of blue dicks and scattered poppies, bunches of lupine, paintbrush and monkeyflower, dazzling varieties of moss, ferns and lichen. Butterflies and bees, hummingbirds and swallows, the roar of water all around – it was the East Fork New York Canyon Creek. There, near its swiftly flowing course, we took a break.
I got in, nearly froze my balls off. Nothing like a bracing baptism in ice-cold virginal waters to rejuvenate and inspire! The next amazing thing along the way was the Chert Dome, a massive plug of rock rising up from below to a height of maybe a thousand feet. It stood there defiantly, off-limits to all but a few, cutting the divide between the two forks of New York Canyon’s creeks, the East and West Forks.
We descended 600 or 700 feet to its west fork base (the east fork base jutted down another several hundred feet to the gushing water headed to the North Fork American River). As we climbed the scalable walls of this improbable knoll, the grand views of the gorge and Falls started appearing. One breathtaking scene after another.
On a dizzying precipice, poised to capture rainbow spray, Russell looked down and detected bear scat – aah, what better place to unload than from this precarious perch, surely the Mother of all Thrones? The bears, in fact, were with us and all around us, but hidden and unseen, generally averse to any encounter with stinky humans.
They were probably watching us, yawning. Russell, ever on the lookout for signs of intelligent life in the wild, pointed out scratches on fallen logs, broken branches, and the inimitable prints of their weighty paws pressing down in the same spots, over and over in soft mossy areas, to leave behind the trace of their eternal comings and goings.
On the climb out, up and over Chert Dome Ridge, we traversed a long stretch of bear trail – christened Ursine Trail after the creatures who made it. The views from atop Chert Dome were stunning in all directions.
Looking north beyond Snow Mountain’s big western spur and Big Granite Creek’s canyon, beyond Cherry Point in the distance, lay the high Loch Leven Lakes, twelve or more very tough foot miles away, and right below that, Highway 80 roaring into Truckee and Reno with its river of mechanized traffic.
As the crow flies, no more than three or four miles away. But it might as well be light-years. The day was passing, and we knew it was time to bid adieu to the sacred Falls and Chert Dome and big New York Canyon’s creeks.
Russell suggested we continue the loop by climbing the spur ridge back up to Foresthill Road at Canada Hill, maybe a 2000+ foot hike up and out. It’s one thing to that on a trail; another thing entirely to find your own way in uncharted territory. (As I said to Russell, “We may be ascending, but we’re not yet masters.”)
From the Chert Dome, which forms the base of the ridge, we began climbing, easy going at first, and triumphant at each crest. After an hour of slogging up and over apartment-size boulder outcrops, and through leg-wrecking manzanita brush, we crested about five times, and I was starting to flag. I never once doubted Russell’s route-finding abilities, however, and trusted his every directional sense.
Sure enough, 2.14 miles later, the final three-fifths of a mile over refreshing snowpack, we emerged on the road – a most welcome sight! – right near the car. It was an exhilarating day of hiking, bushwhacking and exploring deep in the heart of a wilderness area not many get to appreciate.
I truly feel privileged to be witness to such a place and thank Russell for putting up with all my whining, moaning, and complaining about "being lost" and "dead tired".
Long live this incredible beautiful magnificent wonderful amazing wilderness in the heart of Russell's favorite place on Earth:
North Fork American River Canyon Country.
Honoring Russell Towle:

Grab a beer & settle in for some live (but shaky!) footage deep in the heart of NORTH FORK AMERICAN RIVER canyon country:

posted by Gambolin' Man at Saturday, June 25, 2005 0 comments

Saturday, June 04, 2005

MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK: Eagle Peak's Island in the Sky

So where does a live-hard gamboler go in the Bay Area who is short on time and yet demands a tough adventure with unparalleled scenery?
It hardly seems probable, but right in our back yard, in hill lands straddling the boundary of the Bay and the Central Valley, it is entirely possible to immerse yourself in a rugged mountainous landscape and escape the urban pressures of congestion, pollution, and gridlock. Just go check out The Mountain.
That would be Mount Diablo. Or Tuyshtak, evoking the name given to the famous Bay Area formation by Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone speakers. It means "at the dawn of time".
Rising to a summit of 3,849 feet from its base at about 500 feet elevation, and with no competition in the immediate vicinity to speak of, Tuyshtak truly dominates from miles around in all directions.
Everyone is always shocked and impressed when told that the 360-degree view (on a clear day, of course) is surpassed in sheer distance visibility (up to 200 miles) only by 19,340-footer Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
And that our "little mountain" (as Kit Carson is reputed to have uttered on espying the peak from a prominence near Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada in 1844) has one of the largest "viewsheds" – a whopping 40,000 square miles! – in the Western United States.
It’s no wonder that Ohlone peoples north southeast and west all turned to Tuyshtak for spiritual renewal and sacred cosmological allegory as the birthplace of the universe.
Or that it was later plotted as the fixed meridian for surveying vast portions of California land. And there it sits, the dominant Bay Area landmark . . . known and loved by many but ignored and taken for granted by the vast majority.
Tuyshtak, to be sure, is a playground, a recreational wonderland for two-legged critters, but equally or more important, the 20,000-acre State Park (83,000 acres of open space land) is an ecological treasure-trove, an island in the sky providing habitat for more than a hundred species of animals and 650 different flowering plants.
Mount Diablo State Park harbors twelve species of endangered plants and animals as well, unfortunately, or maybe that’s fortunately.
Why, just the other week, the Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonom truncatum), a plant presumed globally extinct for nearly 70 years, was discovered in remote reaches of the park by U.C. grad student Michael Park.
Tuyshtak is a rugged, scenic, primitive, geologically fascinating mountain, with a long cultural history of occupation and use. I love Tuyshtak, always have. But hiking or biking there kicks ass every time.
The Goddesses of Diablo exact their price for the privilege of sharing her natural wonders, splendors and secrets.
The mountain’s broad contours encompass so much diverse land that you could choose a different hike each week and still not have hiked all its terrain in six months. My choice for this hike is Eagle Peak, at a seemingly modest 2,369 feet.
I had never hiked it before and figured now was as good a time as any before it got too hot. But the route up was dry as a bone in the desert . . . and it’s only early June!
Mary was game to my suggestion. Sounded like a good rollick. What do we need for the six mile round-trip? Well, the usual – go prepared. Bring plenty of water and food, something warm. But did she wear her hiking boots or bring her sun block?
NO! Did I? NO!
And, naturally, both were sorely needed as we climbed nearly 2000 feet on a rocky, unstable, slippery, downright scary trail in places.
Tuyshtak is full of such challenges – you’ve really got to be desirous of tackling these trails, and you must do it with the utmost respect, or Tuyshy will kick your tushy without mercy.
Anecdote: on the way down, this hiker stumbled past us as I was snipping sage and indicated his immediate need for food and water.
He had underestimated Tuyshtak’s power to debilitate; for one, you’re pretty much totally exposed except for brief stretches through lower forests; and for two, it’s always higher, farther, and harder than you think, and of course, you didn’t bring enough food or water, dummy.
Luckily, I still had 16 ounces of water to spare for him, plus an apple and a soy jerky stick that brought him back from the near-dead. We saw him later on picnicking at the Mitchell Canyon staging area, and he profusely thanked us for rescuing him . . . and did he offer us any of HIS food in gratitude? NO! Go figure!
Eagle Peak begins its unrelenting climb at a juncture just off Mitchell Canyon Trail. At first, it’s a lovely little uphill, winding stroll through oak, chaparral and grasslands, gradually turning to pine forests, scrub meadows and bare ridges and escarpments.
We encounter many wildflowers in bloom and lots of sweet fragrant plants – black sage and chamise most notably.
Butterflies and bumblebees abound. Birds fly about and chirp up a storm – Mount Diablo is one of the world’s (yes, the world’s) premier birding spots. Views of the surrounding countryside and civilization are juxtaposed, and then lost as the mountain envelopes us in pure, sweet nature.
At Twin Peaks (1,733 feet), we stop to rest, eat a bit, and admire the jaw-dropping views of the mighty Diablo massif to the south, consisting of Mount Olympia (2,946 feet), North Peak (3,557 feet), and the main impressive West Peak, at 3,849 feet.
Below us, the valleys and ridges provide dizzying, sweeping views. Some swallow-like birds dart in and about small caves on the reddish rock. They circle and swoop, clearly concerned about our presence, probably protective of hatchlings.
We continue onward and upward for the most torturous 600 feet of the trail to Eagle Peak’s non-descript summit. Given that neither of us have proper footwear, I’m surprised that we make it to the top. It’s slick loose stones and dirt.
One slip and you’re on your butt, or quite conceivably, over the steep hillside. Plus, the sun is just brutalizing us by now. We spend a few minutes at the windswept tor, then retreat to lower and more hospitable climes – we find a hollow in the rock to rest and recover, just short of being wasted by sun, heat and fatigue.
Recovery complete, we head back down. As there is no natural waterway on this hike, indeed no hint of water anywhere, we are quite grateful to splash and dip in Mitchell Creek’s modest stream waters at the staging area.
Aaaah, just the cure we need to complete a tough but satisfying day of hiking The Mountain.
Check out more Gambolin' Man posts on the magic, mystery & majesty of Mount Diablo & environs:
Read bird-related posts wandering about the riparian nooks & crannies of Mount Diablo State Park:
Check out a trove of Gambolin' Man videos of Mount Diablo State Park's beauty, charms, wonders, magic & mystery:
BEHOLD THE MIGHTY & POWERFUL TUYSHTAK!

posted by Gambolin' Man at Saturday, June 04, 2005 0 comments