In this article I’ll explain what the GPX and KML files are that I  provide with many articles and how you can use them.

With most trail, road trip, and destination articles I provide two down-loadable files; a KML file, and a GPX file.  Both files contain information about tracks, waypoints or both.  A track is what you see on the map that accompanies the article showing the path I took.  Waypoints are markers that show up on the map at specific locations.   While each of these files contains similar information, each has a particular use.

KML files are in a format that is compatible with Google Earth and Google Maps, as well as an increasing number of other applications.  If you download the KML file from an article then you can open it using the Google Earth application and get a 3D view of it with satellite imagery.  If you have not tried Google Earth, I highly recommend it.  You can get a copy for free from Google!

The GPX files that I provide are actually compressed (zipped) versions of the GPX files.  GPX stands for GPS Exchange.  Once un-zipped, these files can be imported into many GPS units, particularly Garmin products.  If you import the GPX file to your GPS unit then you should be able to see the track and waypoints that I captured as well as some additional information that I may have added later.

I should point out here that you can actually open GPX files with google earth as well.  I include both types of files because sometimes I modify the KML file specifically for display within Earth.

The GPS unit that I use most often is the Garmin 60CSx for several reasons.  It uses AA batteries making it easy to use over extended periods of time when a charger may not be available.  It’s memory can be expanded with a Micro-SD card allowing expanded map and track capture capabilities.  For example, I have topo maps of  most of the western US loaded on mine in addition to street maps.  It also has a very sensitive receiver that seems to lock onto the GPS satellites faster than many other GPS units.  One thing that I consider a feature, that some may not, is that it uses buttons rather than a touch screen for navigation, etc.  This is a feature to me for two reasons… First, I’m often using the unit in dirty, dusty, gritty conditions and would be concerned that a touch screen would get scratched up quickly.  Second, to protect the unit from bumps and dings, I keep the unit in a protective sheath which still allows the buttons to be pressed but would probably prevent a touch screen from working.  This unit is also water resistant and includes both a barometric altimeter and a magnetic compass.

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This hike takes us from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) trailhead at Ebbetts Pass to Noble Lake.  During the mid summer weeks, this trail, like many above 8000 feet elevation, yields a spectacular display of sub-alpine wildflowers.  Unlike the lower elevations where summer heat has already turned the foothills golden, at these elevations spring has just begun.

PCT Trailhead Sign on Hwy 4

We’re going to start our hike from the paved PCT trailhead parking area.  The turnoff from California State Route 4 is about four tenths of a mile North East of Ebbetts Pass.  The trailhead parking area has room for quite a few vehicles but if you find it overcrowded there are several alternative parking opportunities up at the pass.  The trailhead parking are also has a couple of vault toilets.

The actual trailhead is at the Southern end of the parking lot.  At the trailhead you will find an information board about the Carson Iceberg Wilderness Area and a wilderness permit station.  If you plan to spend the night on the trail, you’ll need to fill out one of the wilderness permits available there.

Wildflowers Everywhere

The first part of our journey is on a mostly South bound spur trail that we take for about two tenths of a mile where it meets up with the PCT.  We’re going up hill but at a gradual pace, only gaining a bit over 80 feet by the time we get to the trail junction.  This first stretch of trail is mostly under tree cover but there are some areas where the wildflowers were beautiful.

You also get your first glimpse of the ancient volcanic nature of this area as you approach the PCT.

At the trail junction we’re going to turn left, toward the East.  This is actually the Southbound direction of the PCT and if we were to follow it for a few months we would find ourselves at the Mexican border, East of San Diego, California.  Were we to take the North bound PCT, in about the same amount of time we would find ourselves at the Canadian border.  From end to end, the PCT is 2.650 miles long!  Today however we’re only going to be hiking a small fraction of that.

Volcanic Peaks

After having taken the PCT toward the East (South bound), we continue our gradual climb for less than a quarter mile at which point we turn toward the South, and  then Southwest while heading down hill for about a third of a mile.

On this stretch of trail, off to our right we see what will become a very familiar sight.  Most of the rest of the trail will be in ancient, and highly eroded volcanic landscapes.  You can see the boulders and gravel that at one time were picked up and frozen in the lava that flowed here.  I’ve heard it said that there are some sections of the PCT between the Sonora Pass and Ebbetts pass where a compass is virtually useless because  Magnetite deposits overwhelm the earth’s magnetic field and cause compasses to point in the wrong direction.

First Stream

At the bottom of the gentle slope we’ve been going down, at about seven tenths of a mile from the trail head, we came to the first of several small stream crossings.  Most of these streams appeared to be from melting of nearby snow fields that were quickly shrinking.  I’m sure that a few weeks earlier and these snowfields would have crossed our path and a few weeks later, they’ll be gone.  The fact that the snow is still there and still melting is why, even on July 31st, it looked everywhere as though spring had just arrived.

From the stream crossing we climb, very gently, another 114 feet over a little less than half a mile, headed East.  Reaching a peak in the trail, at about 1.2 miles from the trailhead, we turn toward the North and start heading down hill.

Down Western Side of Noble Canyon

Two tenths of a mile after we start going down hill, we come to a sharp turn to the right which ends up heading us in a Southerly direction, going down the Western wall of Noble Canyon.

This side of the canyon has interspersed sections of open space, tree cover, and several small stream crossings.  The volcanic landscape is interesting enough to take your attention away from the gravel strewn path leading to more that one slip-n-slide moment.

From the turn to the South that we made, we continue another 0.46 miles to a second stream crossing.  In just a about a tenth of a mile we come to our third crossing, and in another two tenths of a mile we come to our fourth.  When we hiked the trail this time, each of these crossings was either an easy step across, or there were easily navigable stepping stones.  I would imagine that depending on how much snow, how fast it’s melting, or if there’s rain, they might be a bit more challenging but for us they were easy to cross and a welcome thirst quencher for Brandi and Chewy, our dogs,

Continuing on, about another third of a mile from the last stream crossing, and now about 2.57 miles from the trailhead, we come to a fifth perennial stream crossing and about a little over a tenths of a mile further we cross Noble Creek.  Noble Creek is still shallow, but wider than this the rest of the streams we cross.  If you’re going to get your feet wet by accident, this is probably where you’ll do it.  Still, though we had to use stepping stones to cross, it was easy to do so and neither of use got wet.

Eastern Side of Noble Canyon

From the crossing of Noble Creek, we start making our way up the Eastern side of Noble Canyon.  This side of the canyon is much more exposed, hot and dry.  Still, the scenery is awesome and there were wildflowers everywhere.

About two tenths of a mile from the Noble Creek crossing, and about 2.9 miles from the trailhead, we come to a junction with the Noble Canyon Trail which takes off to the left, down the canyon.  This trail follows Noble Creek all the way down to near the Silver Creek Campground on Highway 4.

We’ll stay to the right, on the PCT and continue working our way up the canyon wall.

From the junction with the Noble Canyon Trail, we head South, then East for a little over a third of a mile where we come to our seventh, and last, stream crossing on our way to Noble Lake.  Here we start a series of long switchbacks which take us up, somewhat rapidly, almost 400 feet in a little over 3/4 of a mile.

Brandi at Noble Lake

We climb to 8852 feet and then drop down a little to our destination Noble Lake.  The area surrounding the lake has very little to offer in terms of cover so, for me, this would not be a first choice for a camping spot.  I would not want to be here overnight in windy conditions and particularly if there was a threat of lightening.  However, it’s a great day hike and a nice place to come for a getaway picnic or as a rest stop for a destination further down the trail.

So we’ve come about 4.1 miles.  We started at 8595 feet and climbed to 8816 feet in about 0.4 miles.  Then we dropped to 8662 feet in about 0.3 miles and climbed back to 8796 feet in about 0.48 miles.  The next 1.52 miles took us down to 8291 feet followed by a 1.3 mile stretch that took us back to 8853 feet and just a short distance from the lake.  Now it’s time to do it backwards…

This was another great trail easily accessible from California State Route 4.  I hope you get the chance to enjoy it as much as we did.  Remember, depending on snow conditions from the prior winter, the best time to try it might be from late July to early August.

If you’re interested in current conditions, you can try posting an inquiry to our forum or the one on bigtreestech.com.

joe

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On a whim, we drove over to 395 and discovered an interesting abandoned Gold mine in the Eastern Sierras just a bit south of the junction of US 395 and Highway 89 near Coleville.

Golden Gate Mill

I had been looking over some maps, looking for possible access points to the Eastern Sierras when I noticed one that looked promising.

Just a couple miles south of Coleville, there’s a dirt road that takes off in a Westerly direction from US 395.  The road is called Mill Canyon Road.  It, as well as the rest of the roadways I describe in this article, were well graded dirt roads with only a couple sections of washboard and a couple places where shallow water was washing over the roadway.  I can’t guarantee what it will be like when you visit, but I would have been comfortable taking a normal 2 wheel drive vehicle everywhere we went.

Junction with Golden Gate Road

From the junction with 395, we take Mill Canyon Road about a third of a mile east to a well signed junction with Golden Gate Road.  Here, we are going to the right on Golden Gate Road and leave Mill Canyon Road for another day of exploration.

After another 2.7 miles, we were surprised to find the old abandoned stamp mill for the Golden Gate mine.  Until we reached it, there had been no indication that we were on our way to this historically significant location.

Golden Gate Mine Historical Marker

According to the historical marker located across the road from the stamp mill, the Golden Gate Mine was opened in 1903 and operated until 1939.

There is a short trail up to the stamp mill where you can get a close look.  There is also a display next to the mill showing what it looked like when it was new.  It also explains how the mill, and several nearby buildings have been damaged or destroyed by periodic avalanches.  The mill is located near the canyon floor at nearly 6500 feet so it’s easy to understand how avalanches could be a problem.

Golden Gate Mine Mill

The mill was run by water though it is difficult now to see the source.  I did not see evidence of a water wheel but suspect that it was one of the many features destroyed by the elements and time,  To the left of the mill there did appear to be what perhaps was once a ditch that may have been part of a flume and ditch system used to bring water from further up the canyon to run the mill.  The stamp mill consisted of ten steel stamps, running off a cam system, each about six to eight inches in diameter.  These stamps would have been lifted up and then let fall on the ore below to crush it into fine powder.  This had to make a horrible racket when it was running!

Bunk House (maybe)

A little before we reached the mill we passed a couple of buildings, one completely destroyed and one barely standing.  These were apparently the bunk house and chow hall for the worker at the mine,  According to the information at the mill, these buildings have been severely damaged by avalanches as mentioned earlier.

I believe the one standing may have been the bunk house but I don’t know for sure.

Golden Gate Mine

About 4o feet further up the road, you can see the old mine itself up the hill to the left (South).  According to topo maps there is a trail that can take you there but we didn’t go looking for it as thunder storms were on their way.

While it is likely that the mine workers took horses, wagons, and perhaps even trucks up to the mine, the ore itself was carried down to the mill via a tram system.  Nearby the mill there appears to be what perhaps once was one end of this tram system.  Also, further up the road I noticed fencing that appeared to be using old steel cable rather than barbed wire.  I suspect that this cable may have been scavenged from the mine after it was abandoned but I don’t have proof of this.

View Down To Little Antelope Valley

Once we pass the mine Golden Gate Road turns North East and for a while we travel along, but not too near, a steep slope which yields spectacular views across Little Antelope Valley about 2000 feet below.  On the day we were out here, there were thunder storms blowing through which made the scene all the more dramatic.

After a while, Golden Gate Road swings to the left as we pass a couple dirt tracks off to the right that look interesting (for another day).

Rodriguez Flat

About 2.8 miles from the stamp mill, or 6.2 miles from 395, we come to Rodriguez Flat.  Here we have to choose whether to go left to the Corral Valley Trail Head or right to the Snodgrass Trailhead and the Pack Station.  This time, our choice was to go right.

Several trails that take off from the Corral Valley trailhead are described in the latest edition of the book Sierra North: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada (which you can purchase here!).  Take a look at page 256.

Since we decided to go right at the Rodriguez Flat junction we’re headed for the Snodgrass Creek trailhead and the Pack Station.  In about a third of a mile, 6.6 miles from 395, we reach the trailhead.  There are wilderness permits at an information kiosk there.  The trail follows Snodgrass Creek into the Carson Iceberg Wilderness Area and then intersets the Silver Creek trail that goes up and down stream along Silver King Creek.

Little Antelope Pack Station

After visiting the Snodgrass Creek trailhead, we get back on Golden Gate Road and head South to where the road ends a few hundred feet further on at the Little Antelope Pack Station.  This was the second surprise of the day!

The pack station apparently provides all kinds of pack and guide services like hunting trips, fishing trips, backpacking supply dropoff or backpacker dropoff and pickup, etc.  Pretty cool!  You can learn more about them on their website.

That was it for our little road trip.  Just after we turned around at the pack station, the thunderstorm hit and we started getting intermittent bursts of hail and buckets of rain.  The road stayed good all the way out which we were glad for.

You could take this road on a mountain bike if you don’t mind the elevation gain.  However, I wouldn’t recommend it.  While the road is well graded, it can be very dusty and it seems to be fairly well used.  So, on a mountain bike you may find yourself dodging vehicles and eating more than your share of dust.

This was a fun drive with good road conditions, beautiful views, some history, and some interesting possibilities for future hikes, backpacks and fishing trips.   I hope you get the chance to experience it for yourself!

joe

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There are too many backpacking tents on the market to even count.  In this article I’m going to tell you about some of the tent selections I have made over the years and what I’m using today.  Similar to my experience with backpacking stoves, in some ways I’ve come nearly full circle…

When I first started backpacking in the late 60’s, we packed cheap and light.  We almost always just slept on a tarp under the stars and packed a tube tent just in case.  The tube tent is basically just a tube of plastic that you set up using a line tied between two trees or hiking poles.  This system works in a pinch but the material is more fragile than I was comfortable with.  It is also pretty difficult to keep the rain out if wind is blowing, etc.  So, this system did not last long.

My first step up, shelter wise, was to a small, single wall, pup tent.  They no longer make the style that I used, but the Wenzel tent, shown on the left, is very similar.  I have used this small lightweight tent in the past and found it adequate.  It is quite small though, and for me it was just to cramped to be comfortable with.  Also, in real weather you need to close up all the doors and windows and it can get a bit stuffy and damp inside.

Now is probably as good a time as any to talk about some of the things you need to consider before you go out and buy a tent.  First, you need to decide if you are backpacking to camp or are you camping to backpack.  By that I mean, where do you want to be more comfortable?  In camp or on the trail?  If you are going on relatively short backpacks and spending a lot of time in camp then you probably want to sacrifice some trail comfort and get a tent that is a little larger and probably a little heavier.  If you’re spending most of your time on the trail and only camping because you get tired and it gets dark, then you probably want to sacrifice some camp comfort and get a tent that is as light as you can get.

The somewhat heavier, camp comfort oriented tents, like the one shown on the right, tend to be free standing with bathtub floors, roomy, with double walls (mesh inside waterproof fly outside).  This style of tent can be set up almost anywhere, most are very weather tolerant, and they are easy to set up.  The down side, like I said, is that they tend to be heavier than other alternatives.  We’ll give some examples shortly.

Lighter, trail oriented tents, like the one shown on the left, tend to be smaller, and not free standing.  A tent that is not free standing needs to be staked out which, unlike the free standing type, means that it is very difficult or impossible to set them up if the ground is too rocky.

If you are really focused on putting in the miles and willing to make more significant sacrifices in camp comfort, then single wall, floorless tents, like the Appy Trails Mark III, shown on the right, are the way to go!  This style tent is generally significantly lighter than the other varieties.  Of course, this weight savings comes with a price.  Being not free standing, and floorless, one has to be much more careful about planning where to camp.  Most ultralight backpackers try to plan their camps for lower elevations in areas with some weather protections, and, of course, where the ground isn’t wet.  Another consideration is bugs… Many of the ultralight tents do not have bug screens so you may have to bring your own or rely on repellent.

Another thing to consider is what type of weather conditions do you anticipate?  If you are going to be snowshoe backpacking, or you want to camp near the top of high mountain passes or peaks, then you may need to make the weight sacrifice and get a four season tent.

If you are backpacking in the summer, and are willing to plan your campsites for lower elevation, more protected environments, then you can probably make due with some of the lighter alternatives.

So, those are some things to think about… If you’re like me, then eventually you will have one tent for snowshoe backpacking, one for short, camping oriented backpacks, and one for fast and light backpacks… and maybe a few more collected along the way.

As young parents, involved in Boy Scouts, we were often adult leaders on the Scout backpacks.  For the most part, these backpacks were short and very camp oriented.  We seldom went much more than 5 miles, so carrying a little (to me more accurate… a lot) more weight was worth the comfort in camp.  The Timberline tent by Eureka, shown on the right, was our first double walled, free standing, backpacking tent.  At over 6 lbs, this is definitely a “camp oriented” tent.  While the timberline was a great tent, there were a couple things that made me look for alternatives after a few years.  First, this particular model is a strict A-Frame style tent meaning that the walls get very narrow in a hurry.  This makes it pretty much impossible for two people to sit up or kneel in the tent at the same time.  The other issue, is that for all its weight, this tent is still not a 4 season tent.  So, when we started going snowshoe backpacking we needed to shop for an alternative.

The first four season tent we got was very similar (except the color) to the Eureka Alpenlite 2XT tent shown on the left.  It is similar to the Timberline except that it has an additional hoop in the middle, some additional tie-outs, and a built in vestibule (which mine did not have).  The hoop in the middle helped spread the walls of the tent, making it a lot more roomy inside.  It was large enough for myself and another scout leader to get in and change out of our snow gear.

The extra room and sturdiness of the Alpenlite come at the cost of added weight.  This tent weighs in at a hefty 8+ lbs.  That’s heavy, but not out of line with other 4 season tents.  One of the really great features of this tent, in my opinion, is that setting up the frame does not require stringing poles through sleeves.  Instead, the frame sets up without the tent at all, and then the inside part of the tent clips to the frame.  I personally found this to be a lot easier to do when cold and with gloves on.

We still have the version of this tent that we bought probably 2o year ago and use it from time to time for car camps.

After a couple years of lugging the Alpinelite on snowshoe backpacks, I decided to give an alternative a try.  The Black Diamond Megamid is a large, single wall, floorless tent that is shaped something like a circus tent, similar to the Mega Light shown to the right.  It has a single pole in the middle.  My wife and I have taken this tent on snowshoe backpacks in the past and it has survived some pretty significant weather.  Once, it was snowing so hard that I had to get up and dig us out because the snow was stacked over a foot on the sides, blocking our fresh air.  On another occasion, I made the unfortunate decision to not bother packing the snow down completely level.  Later that night, as the wind howled around the tent, I kept slipping out from under the bottom of the tent because my groundcloth was slick and it was sliding down hill even though the slope was barely noticeable.  For me it was extremely frustrating but my wife almost split a gut laughing so hard.

At just over 3 lbs, this tent became my 1st choice for snowshoe backpacking.  When properly staked out, (and snow leveled), it has withstood some pretty severe weather for us.  The Mega Light, shown here is a bit lighter at about 2 lbs.  This tent is HUGE inside with room to sleep 4 or 2 along with all their gear and room to spare.  For summer camping the downside is that it does not come with a floor or bug screen.  You can buy one separately but that adds more weight and expense.

The next step in my journey was to get a 3 season, free standing, double wall tent with more room to move about.  I wanted the room, and bug protection that the Alpenlite afforded, but without so much weight.  While the tent I actually ended up with is no longer made, the Marmot Aura 2, shown to the left, has many similar characteristics and is highly rated by users.  This two person, double walled tent has lots of room inside, and is about 3 lbs lighter than the Alpenlite!  The Marmot Aura 2 tent shown here has some really awesome features that mine did not.  One of the coolest features is that with an optional “footprint”, the fly, poles, and footprint can be set up stand-alone with no tent body for a really light weight option!  If you’re looking for a backpacking tent for two people, in the “camp comfort” style, this tent or one of the many modern tents like it would be awesome!  With everything the Aura weighs about 5 lbs.  The tent I have weighs about a pound and a half more.

As time went on, I found myself more an more frequently going solo.  Either I was actually backpacking by myself, or I was with a group but not sharing a tent.  When sharing a tent, we usually split the weight also.  However, when going it alone, I had to carry the whole tent and all its pieces even though I did not need all that room.  So, at some point I decided it was time to lighten up a bit more.  I wanted enough room to sit up, change my clothes, and keep my gear protected, but a full size 2 person tent was way more than I needed,  What I decided to go with was a tent very similar to the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight shown to the right.  This tent is smaller than the Aura or the Apenlite, but there’s enough room for two cramped, or one comfortably with gear.  It has a good sized vestibule area outside the door to keep your boots and cooking gear dry and is designed to make it easy to sit up but minimizing unneeded “head” room at the foot of the tent.

Not only was this tent lighter by over 2 pounds (about 4 pounds total), but it is much more compact and easy to carry if you’re going it alone.

Several years ago, I got interested in ultralight backpacking.  Ultralight backpacking is not just about cutting the handle off your toothbrush to make it lighter, it’s about making gear and hiking style choices that work together to substantially reduce the weight of your pack.  One of those decisions is to go bare bones on the shelter.  Back when I decided to go this route, there were very few ultralight tent (other than in name only) commercial choices.  So, I decided to learn how to sew and make my own.  The tent you see on the left was made according to instructions found at the thru-hiker.com website.  They also sell kits.  I made a few modifications of my own but learned the basics from this site.

Later, I designed and built a fancier version with some surface tension optimization thrown into the design.  The picture on the right shows the results.  I call this my Taut Tarp Tent.  Both of the tents I made are floorless but they have bug netting that goes to the ground.  I’ve taken the blue one out in the Hoh Rain Forest for a several day backpack where it rained every day and it worked great!.

Since the time when I made my tarp tents, a lot of commercial options have become available.  For example, take a look at the Appy Trails Mark III shown at the beginning of this article.  Another one that really looks interesting to me is the MSR Twin Sisters shown to the left here.  With most ultralight shelters it’s best to plan on camping at lower elevations in areas that are as protected from harsh weather as possible.  From their description, it sounds like the Twin Sisters was designed for more harsh conditions.

If you’ve ever tried the Twin Sisters, make sure an comment on this article!

These days, there are three tents that I would choose from for backpacking, depending on the circumstances.

1. For short, 3 season camping oriented backpacks where I am going to be sharing a tent, I would take my equivalent of the Aura 2 and split the weight between me and my tent mate.
2. For snowshoe backpacking (or cross country ski), I would take my equivalent to the Mega Light, or the Twin Sisters if I owned one.
3. For any trip where I was hiking or camping solo (never in the snow!), I would take my homemade tarp tent.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the article!  Please tell us about your own choices and experiences or ask questions either through comments to this article or in our forum!

Thanks,

joe

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I’ve been backpacking from time to time over the last 40 years.  Over that time I’ve used a wide variety of backpack stoves, cooking equipment and techniques.  In this article I’ll introduce you to most of the backpack stoves I’ve used and explain why I’ve made the decisions I have made, and what I use now.  What’s kind of interesting is that I’ve come just about full circle from where I started all those years ago.

If you’re looking for a backpacking stove make sure and check the Resources at the end of the article!

2.6 Oz Net Wt. Sterno Can

When I first started backpacking, way back in the late 60’s, I was young, my budget was small, and my needs simple.  As it turns out, this is a great combination for setting up your backpacking equipment.  My first backpacking “stove” was pretty much just one or two small cans of sterno.  Each can weighs about 4 oz and is good for boiling several pints of water if you’re quick about putting them out and getting the lid back on.  One or two cans was all we needed for several days of backpacking.  Of course, this was true in part because, like I said, our needs were simple.  Our cooked food menu consisted almost entirely of simple pasta or noodle dishes, and maybe the occasional oatmeal breakfast.

40 Year Old Primus Stove

After several extended backpacks, and an increase in my discretionary spending budget, I found myself in one of the fancy outdoor equipment stores in Berkley, California and could not resist buying this fancy, white gas, adjustable flame, Primus backpacking stoves.

This stove, by comparison to the simple Sterno method, was absolutely awesome.  Now, we could fry trout we caught, boil water in just about no time, and lots of it, and you could even turn the flame down to almost nothing to simmer a dish if you wanted to.  Now, our menus could get a lot fancier!

In my youth, what I did not pay attention to, or even notice for that matter, was that between the stove, fuel bottle, and fuel, I had increased the weight of my pack by 2 1/2 pounds.  On top of that, with the added cooking flexibility, I had increased my cook set from one simple aluminum pot, to include multiple pots and a frying pan for a total increase in weight of probably more that 5 pounds.  But, like I said, I was young, strong, and probably just a bit stupid.

The Primus was, and still is, a great little stove.  It served me well for at least 20 years of periodic backpacks.  Then came my involvement as a Boy Scout leader and with it, renewed interest in looking at equipment alternatives.

Obsolete Gaz Stove

One of the problems with the Primus stove is that it needs to be primed.  Priming, in this case, entails pouring a small amount of white gas into a little cup shaped indentation at the top of the stove’s gas tank, and lighting it on fire.  This heats up the tank enough to create enough pressure to start the stove operating.

This priming operation works well, and as long as its done carefully, is not a problem.  However, for a minute or so, you do have an open flame and white gas that can be spilled if you (or a scout running by) happens to spill the stove at the wrong moment.  So I decided to have a look at bottled gas canister stoves available at the time.  The Gaz stove you see here is what I settled on.  (NOTE:  This Stove / Fuel is no longer available.)

On the positive side the Gaz stove is extremely convenient.  You just connect the burner element to the gas canister light it up, and you’re ready to go.  It also has the adjustable flame of the Primus and plenty of heat for most any cooking method.

One down side is that seldom do you end up at the end of a trip with all the canisters you brought, completely empty.  So, you often end up starting the trip with multiple canisters, some new, some partly used.  About half the weight of the gas canister is the canister itself so you’re carrying around about half a pound of dead weight if you’ve got an empty canister.  Another minor problem is that if you start with a partial canister, you may end up running out of fuel before you’re done cooking.  Then you have to wait until the burner cools down before you can change canisters.  Also, while these units are lighter than the combination of Primus and its fuel bottle, the weight savings for fuel and bottle is only about a pound and you still have the temptation to bring multiple pots and pans.

What finally pushed me into making my next stove decision was how the Gaz stove reacts to cold.  We had gone on a Snowshoe backpack with the scouts.  I had taken the Gaz stove and when I went to make dinner the first evening, at about 30 deg F, I could not get the stove to work.  I finally figured out that I needed to warm the fuel bottle to get it lit.  Even after I got it lit it was hard to keep going and did not have nearly the heat output needed to melt snow for drinking water.  So, it was decision time!

MSR Whisperlite International

After doing quite a bit of research and hanging around the outdoor gear store for way too long I decided on the MSR Whisperlite International that you see here.  This is really a cool stove!  You can burn white gas, automobile gasoline, Kerosene, and even Jet Fuel!  It requires some simple field maintenance to burn some of these fuels, but big deal!  Truth be told though, I never burned anything other than white gas in my unit.

Rather than relying on a heated tank to build up pressure, this stove has a pump that fits your fuel bottle.  You still need to prime this stove, but the process is simpler and does not involve as much exposed gas as the Primus.

The Whisperlite has plenty of heat output for melting snow, boiling lots of water, or frying, but can also be adjusted way down for simmering, etc.  It’s also more compact than the Primus and rather than having one fuel tank on the stove, and another for your spare fuel, there’s just the spare fuel tank that doubles as the stove tank when in use.

On the negative side, this stove, with a full fuel bottle, weighs in at about 2 pounds so it’s only about a half pound lighter than the Primus.  Here once again, because of the great heat output, and flame control, I always found myself packing along multiple pots and pans and planning complicated meals, further increasing my pack weight.  That said, the Whisperlite is my number one choice for use in the snow or very cold conditions.  It’s ease of use and superior heat output make it great for melting snow or heating large quantities of water.

Once I bought the Whisperlite stove, I used it almost exclusively for years afterward.

Soda Can Alcohol Stove

A few years ago, after I’d pretty much wrapped up my participation in Scout backpacks, and was going out more on my own or with small groups, I started getting interested in lightening my load.  In the process of doing some research on ultralight backpacking, I found this Make Your Own Gear website that provided a lot of plans and instructions for making your own alcohol stoves.  One of the first alcohol stoves I built was this one that you see to the left.  It burns denatured alcohol that you can buy  in the paint department at just about any hardware store.  The stove itself is made out of two aluminum soda cans, cut up and pieces put back together.

This stove is extremely light!!!  That’s exactly what I was after.  Another positive about this stove, at least if you’re trying to lighten up, is that it’s not much good for anything other than boiling a couple cups of water.  So, as a result, there’s really no point to bringing more than one pot.  In my case, I went one step further and spent the extra money for a nice titanium pot.  The only problem with this stove is that it is not very efficient compared to some others.

Esbit Stove

While experimenting with different lightweight options, I also tried out the Esbit stove.  This unit burns small fuel tablets.  The “stove” shown here is made of steel and is one of the heavier options.  If you want to spend a bit more money, there are some very small, lightweight, titanium Esbit stoves available.  I tried these a couple times and, though I don’t recall exactly why, I didn’t really like it as much as the alcohol stove.  Others however swear by them.

One really positive thing about this system is that there is no way to spill your fuel!  On the down side they are a bit smelly and are difficult to put out once lit.

I would definitely recommend Esbit as a “survival kit” stove option!

Snow Peak Giga Power Stove

Another lightweight alternative that I’ve tried and liked is the Snow Peak Giga Power Stove.  This is like a miniature light weight version of the Gaz stove.  The version I have has a Piezoelectric lighter which makes it extremely easy to light!  With its adjustable flame, light weight, small size, and electric start convenience, this is my current choice for backpacks where I’m not trying to go to far or to fast.

The combination of fuel and stove weighs about a half pound.  You can get a titanium version that is even lighter.

The fuel canisters are difficult / impossible to find on-line but are available at larger sporting good stores that cater to backpackers.

Another similar, and very popular option is the MSR Pocket Rocket stove that you can see in the Resources below.

Turbo V8 Stove with Titanium Pot Stand

My other current favorite, and the one I use if I want to go fast and light, is another home made alcohol stove that goes by the name “Turbo V8”.  It got the name because it started life as two small aluminum V8 cans.  There are instructions for its construction here on the Make Your Own Gear website.

I made the crown-like pot stand you see pictured out of a piece of Titanium welding wire (rare unless you live near a naval shipyard and air station).  I tried using an aluminum weld wire but this little alcohol stove put out enough heat to melt it!!!

This is a very efficient stove!  With just one ounce of fuel I can boil a pint of water in less than 10 minutes.  I use a home made pot cozy to keep the contents hot for extended cooking.  Like the soda can alcohol stove, this one is also pretty much only good for one thing… boiling water.  It’s also only good for boiling relatively small amounts of water so if you’re cooking for more than one person, this might not be the best choice.

If you’re interested in more information comparing various stove options, take a look at SGT Rock’s Hiking H.Q. Stove Comparison.  He’s done a great job gathering lots of useful data for a wide variety of stove and fuel types.

Resources:

Please give us you comments and recommendations!  What else would you like to see or hear about?

If you haven’t done so already, why not register and subscribe?  Once you’re a member you can post to our forum and comment on articles.

Enjoy!

joe

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Hi everybody,

This loop trail in Calaveras Big Trees State Park takes us up and around Big Trees Creek and the South Grove.  Unlike the Beaver Creek Loop, this path stays entirely within the park boundaries and stays on fire roads that are behind locked gates and well maintained.  At a little over 11 miles, with a couple moderate climbs, this trail is great for mountain bikes, good for trail running, but perhaps a bit long for hiking.  However, again unlike the Beaver Creek Loop, this path is mostly under the cover of the forest with fewer completely exposed areas.

We start the trail at the locked gate which is at the end of Big Trees Parkway (the road to the South Grove).  From there, we follow the same path that we did for the Beaver Creek Loop up to the point where the Rail Road Grade takes off to the left.  So from the locked gate, we go about 1/2 mile upstream on the West side of Beaver Creek where we cross it on a good bridge. We’re now going to be heading down stream on the east side of Beaver Creek, but our path goes gently up hill rather than following the stream bed. After another half mile or so, we come to where the Bradley Grove trail crosses our path.  The Bradley Grove trail is a footpath only so don’t take your Dog or Bicycle off the road to explore.  Dogs and Bicycles are only allowed in campgrounds, or on paved roads, and fire trails in the Park.  There is a place to lock your bike at the junction in case you want to go have a look.

A little more than a quarter mile further up the road we come to where we turned sharply left for the Beaver Creek Loop.  At this point, about 1.4 miles into our journey, we’ll stay on the main road and go straight this time.  In just a few more yards  we’ll come fork in the road and take it (I love that line!).  This is where the actual loop part of our path begins and ends.  We’ll be going left, counter clockwise around Big Trees Creek and the South Grove.  You could go the other way, but if you’re going on a mountain bike my personal opinion is that the counter clockwise direction is better because you don’t have as many gravely uphill sections to deal with.

There is a sign at this fork indicating that the path to the right is 5N07, and the path to the left is 5N36.  However, recent topo maps, such as those from MyTopo.com, indicate that the path to the left is actually 5N45.  If you’ve taken the Beaver Creek Loop path already, you’ll  no doubt recognize that 5N07, off to the right, is a continuation of the old railroad grade that used to go through the forest.

After taking the left fork (not 5N07), we’ll very shortly run into one of the steeper uphill sections of or path.  A bit further on and the steepness of the slope decreases but we’ll continue generally up hill until we reach the five mile mark in our trek.

Alpine Gold (Hulsea algida)... I think

When we’ve gone almost 1.7 miles from the start, we find ourselves in a section of the forest that appears to have gone through a forest fire in the not too distant past.  It appears that either the fire or the fire fighters, or both have thinned the forest and the understory in this area.  As a result, this area is also a great place to find a wide variety of wildflowers. In the resources section below I’ve shown a great book to help identify many of the wildflowers you’ll come across as well as most of the other plants, trees, mammals, fish, insects, and spiders you’ll come across in the Sierras.

At about 4.3 miles from the start we come to another one of the areas in the park where its volcanic past is evident.  Much like what was described in the Lava Bluffs Trail article, you’ll see patches of lava and ash mixed with native rock.  There’s a great description of the geologic history of the Sierras in the other resource I have listed below.

After having gone about 4.6 miles, we come, finally, to the highest elevation of our journey.  At this point, we are almost directly above the start of Big Trees Creek which flows South West from here.  We’ve been following its path upstream since shortly after taking the fork onto 5N45 (or 5N36???).  Though we’ve been following its path,  the creek is small enough, and we’ve been far enough from it that we’ve yet to see or hear any evidence of it.  So, don’t count on the creek to replenish your water.  Bring what you need for you and your dogs if they’ve come along.

Barbed Wire Gate at Peak

At the peak here our path will take use around  a bend to the right and we’ll start going down hill.  Right at the peak you may notice a barbed wire gate off to the left, near the main path.  Starting here, for the next four miles or so, we’ll be skirting the southern boundary of the State Park.  Keep and eye on your left and you’ll often catch a glimpse of the barbed wire fence intended to keep free range cattle out of the park.  Keep your ears open and you may hear the cow bells.  You may even run into cattle inside the park if someone has negligently left one of the gates open.  If that happens, make sure you go by the Park’s visitor center and let them know where you saw the cattle.

A short distance from the peak we come to the first of several fairly steep, gravel covered sections going down hill.  For me personally, these are the reason why I like taking the trail in this counter clockwise direction, particularly on my mountain bike.  I’d much prefer to deal with gravel going downhill rather than up hill.

Unmarked Trail

At about 6.3 miles from the start, there is an unmarked trail that goes off to the right.  This trail is obvious and appears to have been built and maintained but does not show up on either the park map or topo maps… the only mystery of the day…  However, we’re staying on our fire trail, down hill, to the South West. In another quarter mile we run into another unmarked trail that also looks purposely built and maintained.  Here again the trail does not show up on either the park map or topo maps.

At about 7 miles from the start we come across another fire trail going South, off to our left.  We’re going to go on past it though since it (5N20) just leads outside the park and is no doubt fenced off. In just a little less than another mile, at about 8 miles from the start, we come to another fire trail leading off to the left.  Here again, we’ll keep to our course bending a bit to the right since this road (5N36 I believe) also leads outside the park and is probably fenced off.

Gate on 5N07

In another four tenths of a mile, at 8.5 miles from the start, our course takes a sharp right.  This is the junction of 5N07 and 5N45 that we’ve been following up to now since taking the fork near the beginning.  There’s a chain link fence across 5N07 to the the left, which is also the Park boundary.  So, our course is to the right, now on 5N07.

At a little over 9 miles from the start we come across a junction with another road that goes off to the left.  It also appears that at one time it crossed and went off to the right as well but that direction has not been maintained.  This road does not show up on topo maps so I can’t tell you what it is or where it goes.  Fortunately, our path is pretty obvious and we’re going to stay on it.

Big Trees Creek

Just a bit further down 5N07, at about 9.2 miles from the start, we finally get our first, and only glimpse of Big Trees Creek.  While the Big Trees are impressive, the creek is not.  If flows under our path in an unflattering corrugated steel culvert.

South Grove Trail Signs

Very shortly after leaving Big Trees Creek behind, we come to where the South Grove Trail crosses 5N07.  The trail is clearly marked, but too often, people who are going out to the South Grove become momentarily confused by this junction and may want to follow you rather than pay attention to the trail signs.  If  this happens, please get them turned around and back on the trail.

5N07 on Railroad Grade

Soon after the South Grove trail crossing, at about 9.3 miles from the start, our path, 5N07, starts to follow the old railroad grade that was uses to haul lumber through the forest.  Where we join the grade you can see an unmaintained section of it going off to the right as our path follows it to the left.   Being an old railroad grade, the slope is gentle and you can see evidence of the tremendous effort that was made to keep it that way. We’ll follow the grade for about seven tenths of a mile as it gradually turns us in a North Easterly direction and takes us all the way back to  the fork where we started our loop.

Coming from this direction, if you look across the road we originally came in on, you’ll be able to clearly see how the railroad grade continues on the other side of the road.  For a description of that path read the article “Beaver Creek Loop”.

We’re now back in familiar territory, on the road that we originally came in on, at the form marked with the sign for 5N07 and 5N36.  So, we’ll turn left toward Beaver Creek, and follow the path about 1.4 miles back to the parking area.

I have hiked and mountain biked this path.  Both were enjoyable, but I thought it was a better for mountain biking than for hiking, mostly due to the distance.  If you’re going to hike over eleven miles, there are some much more scenic trails in the area.

Recommended resources:

Enjoy,

joe

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Bear Valley Village is a wonderful place to get away into the mountains and still have everything you need right at hand. The village is located about 25 miles Northeast from Arnold, California, at a little over 7000 feet.  I’m not sure what makes it so special, but everything in Bear Valley always seems to be more more relaxed and friendly than other similar mountain resorts.  The Village, and all its amenities are open year-around.

In the summer and fall, Bear Valley is a great place to come to go fishing, paddling, bicycle riding, hiking, 4-wheeling, motorcycle riding, or just plain sitting around, doing nothing, relaxing!  In the winter and early spring, this is an awesome place to come for cross country skiing, downhill skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, snowmobiling, or just plain sitting around, doing nothing, relaxing!

As you turn left into the village off of Highway 4, almost immediately on you’re left, you’ll see the Bear Valley Cross Country Ski and Adventure Company.  In addition to the gas station you can see outside, the store offers a nice selection of snacks and beverages as well as seasonally appropriate gear and clothing.  In the summer you can rent or buy bicycles (road and mountain) and kayaks.  They also offer a variety of gear and clothing for hiking, paddling, and cycling.

In the winter, the shop pulls a bit of a cameleon act and transforms itself into a cross country ski rental and equipment shop.  They also build and maintain one of the finest groomed cross country trail systems in the Sierras right on the other side of Higway 4.  You can rent all the gear you need and buy your trail pass for the cross country ski trails in the shop.  You can also get a pass, and equipment  here for their awesome sledding hills, or snowshoe trails.

Make sure and visit their website and stop by when you come up the mountain!

Just a bit further down the road, on the left, you’ll see the Bear Valley Snowmobile shop.  They sell and rent snowmobiles.  I’ve not done it yet myself but have heard from others that it’s a blast!

Next, we will be coming into Bear Valley Village, and the Bear Valley Lodge will be on your right.  Conveniently, particularly in winter months, under the same roof you’ll also discover a variety of places to shop and eat.  The lodge itself is a beautiful, old fashioned mountain lodge.  It has a large common area with lots of cozy places to curl up and read a book with an immense fireplace.  There are also 53 guest rooms at the lodge.  Check out their website to learn more or make reservations.

If you’d prefer, you can also rent cabins or condominiums in the area through Bear Valley Vacation Rentals.

You can enter the enclosed area with all of the other shops, restaurants, etc, either through the Lodge’s lobby, or by going around the back of the building. There are a number of signs around showing where various businesses are located.

The general store carries a nice selection of groceries, beer, and wine as well as some dry goods.  In the summer there may be some local competition from the Lake Alpine general store, but in the winter the nearest alternate is  18 miles down the mountain in Camp Connell.

The Bear Valley ski area is a couple more miles north east on highway 4.  It’s very popular in the winter, but closed after the ski season.  However, there’s still plenty to do in the area.  Right across the street (not across the highway) from the Bear Valley Cross Country and Adventure company, there is a Disc Golf course that’s open to the public.  Just 3 miles further up Highway 4, there’s Lake Alpine, and there are many hiking and mountain biking trails in the area.

I hope that you decide to come up and enjoy the peaceful beauty that the Bear Valley has to offer as a destination!  Remember to check out their website.

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I’m calling this a track rather than a trail because it really is a linked set of forest roads rather than a designated trail.  Some of the road sections are inside Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and some are outside the park on Sierra Pacific Industries land.  Some sections are maintained, and some are not.  On the sections that are not maintained, you are bound to come across downed trees, brush, etc, that you’ll have to deal with one way or another.

The track goes up the east side of Beaver Creek for about 5 miles, then crosses over and comes back down the west side.  Much of the first half of the trail is on a Railroad grade that was built (as far as I can tell) shortly after World War II by the Pickering Lumber Company who were logging giant Sugar Pine and other timber in the area.  This grade, and our track, passes right next to the smallest National Forest, Calaveras Big Tree National Forest, which was set aside in 1945 to protect a stand of these old growth Sugar Pines.  The national park is easy to miss as there are no signs, roads, trails, or improvements of any sort, and it is only 379 acres.

End of South Grove Road

The track starts at the end of the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, South Grove road.  There is a dirt fire road behind the locked gate at the end of the paved road.  This fire trail follows the West side of Beaver creek upstream for about 0.6 miles until it crosses over to the east side on a solid vehicle bridge.

Bridge Across Beaver Creek

This location, where there is easy access to the creek and some places where the flow slows some, is a favorite for trout fishermen.

Once across the bridge, we go back downstream, now on the East side of Beaver Creek for a ways.  Though we are going down stream, the trail still gradually picks up elevation as we begin to rise above the creek bed.

At a little less than a mile and a quarter from the start, and about six tenths of a mile from the bridge, we come across a trail crossing.  Here, the Bradley Grove Trail crosses our path.  In fact, though I did not confirm it on my exploratory hike, I believe that the Bradley Grove trail later meets up with the Rail Road Grade where we will soon find ourselves.

Bradley Grove Trail Crossing

Remember that while in the State Park, dogs and bicycles are not allowed on single track foot paths, like the Bradley Grove Trail.  So, if you’re on a bicycle and want to check out the trail, they’ve provided a locking station right at the junction.  If you’ve brought your dog, keep on the road.

A little over a quarter mile from the Bradley Grove trail crossing, and a little less that a mile and a half from the start, you’ll see a very sharp left hand turn, almost a U turn.  Take this to the left and it will put you on the old Railroad grade.

Covered Water Tank

Just before you get to the Railroad Grade turn, you may see a water tank with a metal roof off to the right.  If you see it, it means you’re getting really close.

If you happen to miss the sharp left turn onto the railroad grade, then in a few more yards you may notice a set of railroad ties set into the roadbed.  If you come across these, you’ve gone a bit too far… turn around.

The railroad grade is marked as forest road 5N05X on some topo maps.

Start Of Railroad Grade Path

Here’s what the start of the railroad grade looks like (to the left) after you’ve taken the sharp left.  It’s very inviting.  You can tell right away that this is a road that does not see as much traffic as the one we’ve been on.  Also, being a railroad grade, designed for hauling tons of timber out of the forest, it has  a very gentle slope to it.

Some Smaller Down Trees

Once we make the turn and start on the Railroad grade, you’ll likely find that this section is not maintained.  This results in a very lush, overgrown understory to the forest encroaching on the road and sometimes dominating it.  It also means that it’s pretty likely that you’ll run into several fallen trees along the way.  On my exploratory trek, some of these fallen trees were fairly small and easy to get over….

Some Larger Down Trees

Some, not so easy…

Railroad Ties Along Path

Along the way, keep your eyes out along the sides of the path for old Railroad ties.

Sometimes there are just one or two buried in forest litter.  In a few places there are large piles of the ties as you can see here.  My guess is that at some point when they were done logging in the area, they pulled up the track to use elsewhere and moved the ties out of the way so they could use the road bed.

Railroad Grade Cut

A little over four tents of a mile from the start of the Railroad grade, and about 1.9 miles from the start, you’ll come across one of several examples of where they made a cut through the hillside in order to maintain the gentle slope for the railroad.  That’s a lot of dirt to have moved!

Overgrown Stretch

In another three tenths of a mile, just a little over 2 miles from the start, we come to a section of the track that is pretty densely overgrown.  It’s quite beautiful anytime but even more so when the dogwoods are blooming in the spring or changing color in the fall.  As beautiful as it is, remember that it is not maintained and there are lots of poked eye and tripped foot opportunities.

In this general vicinity keep your eyes open for redwoods.  We’re near the Bradley Grove here and you should see quite a few young Redwoods in the area.

Locked Gate At Park Boundary

In another seven tenths of a mile, at about 2.9 miles from the start, we come to what I suppose is the edge of the park, and a locked gate.  There’s no barbed wire, and no signs suggesting otherwise, so it’s easy to walk around the side of the gate.

Barbwire Cattle Guard / Gate

About a quarter mile down the road we run into a cattle gate which includes a ramshackle barbwire gate across a steel cattle guard.  If you walk around to the right side of the gate you’ll see that it is held in place by a wire loop at the top.  Lift the wire loop off the top and you can get through.  Just make sure you put it back so cattle don’t get into the park!!!

Now, you are in a different environment!  The path we’re taking is now accessible by us as well as range cattle, Jeeps, Motorcycles, and… Logging Trucks!  Keep your eyes and ears open and stay out of the middle of the road.

Clearcut Area

About 0.3 miles from the barbwire cattle gate you’ll come around a bend to the left and clear evidence that you’re outside of the park.  This is one of several clear cut areas that we’ll pass over the next few miles.  If you take a look at the map above with the satellite option, you’ll be able to see the patchwork of clear cut sections all over Sierra Pacific Industries land.

In another 0.3 miles further down the road, and 3.74 miles from the parking area, we come across a forest road that branches off to the left, and appears to be headed down toward Beaver Creek.  We’ll stay keep going on 5N05X, the railroad grade.  We come to another junction in a bit less than a quarter mile, this time with a road leading off to the right.  Here again, we continue on the railroad grade, which itself bends to the right at this point, though more gently… like a railroad grade would do.  This junction is also not shown on some topo maps.

Old Track

In a little less than a quarter mile from the last junction and about 4.2 miles from the parking area, we come to where there must have been a small trestle crossing Grizzly creek.  If you make your way over toward Beaver Creek at this point you may catch a glimpse of an piece of the old track sticking out of the bank on the other side of the creek.  I could see no other remnants of the train crossing.

Grizzly Creek Crossing

Our track takes us off the railroad grade for a short distance to a walk-across crossing of Grizzly creek.  After crossing the creek, we double back and find ourselves near the other side of the old railroad crossing where we rejoin the grade.  Here again, if you make your way down near the bank of Beaver Creek, you may be able to get a closer look at the piece of old railroad track sticking out of the bank.

Railroad Grade Cut

It’s pretty obvious when we rejoin the the old railroad grade.  One of the clues is how the road was cut through small rises in the terrain in order to maintain the shallow grade.  Whenever we leave the grade the track tends to follow the terrain more closely.

A little less than a half mile from the Grizzly Creek crossing, and about 4.7 miles from the parking area we pass through an old, abandoned cattle guard.  The fence is down and the grate is completely filled with dirt so it’s not going to stop many cows… or us.

A little less than four tenths of a mile from the abandoned cattle guard, the slope of the road becomes noticeably steeper.  I didn’t notice where the grade took off from 5N05X, but from here on, we’re no longer on the old railroad grade.

Sign Pointing Where We've Come From

About a 6 tenths of a mile from the old cattle guard, we come across a junction with an unmarked road off to the right.  We’ll keep going on 5N05X for just another tenth of a mile, where we’ve come to a junction with forest route 5N03.  There is a sign at this junction indicating that we’ve been on 5N05X.

O. K. Corral

We’re going to continue in a Northeasterly direction on 5N03, and go past, of all things, what is indicated to be the O. K. Corral.  It’s an unexpected site out here in the middle of nowhere!

We’re now about 5.4 miles from the parking area.

Just a bit further down the road, we come across a sign indicating that we’re now on forest route 5N03.

About 0.28 miles from the O.K. Corral, where we joined 5N03, we come to a signed junction with 5N02.  5N02 is a major forest road that goes all the way from Boards Crossing Road in Dorrington, over to Beardsley Lake near Highway 108.  We’ll cover this rather long, bumpy, dusty road trip in another article soon.  5N02 is also known as Hell’s Half Acre Road.

Bridge Across Beaver Creek Outside Park

We’re going to go left on 5N02.  In about a tenth of a mile, at a little over 5.8 miles from the parking area, we’re going to cross a good, solid bridge to the west side of Beaver Creek.  There is relatively easy access to the creek on the west side of the bridge both up and down stream.  It looks like a great fishing spot to me.

Beaver Creeek Near Bridge

Once we cross the bridge, we’re going to bear left, leaving 5N02 almost immediately after the bridge , until we’re headed generally Southwest, following the course of Beaver Creek.  On the East side of the creek we had been fairly close to the level of the creek bed.  On the West side we find ourselves rising above it as it cuts lower as it goes downstream and we gain a bit of altitude.

About a half mile from the Bridge, and 6.34 miles from the parking area, we come to a left hand turn which we’ll take onto Forest Route 5N78.  This forest road descends gradually, at about the same rate as Beaver Creek in a generally Southwest direction.  We descend steadily for a little over a mile where we come to a junction with a road that goes off to the left.  At this point we’ll continue on, now starting to go up hill.  We’ve now gone a little over 7.4 miles from the parking area.

We continue going up hill for another 3/4 mile where we’ll come to a more level stretch and a fork in the road.  We’re going to bear left, following the stream bed although we are now quite a ways above it.  The next four tenths of a mile is fairly level.  After the fairly level section we’re going to be headed down hill all the way back to the parking area.  On the way down, you may notice a couple roads that take off from our track that have had ridges bulldozed into them to discourage vehicle traffic.  Don’t take any of these, stay on the main course.

More Down Trees

About 3.2 miles from the bridge over Beaver Creek, and  9 miles from the beginning of our trek, you should come to a locked gate marking the boundary back into Calaveras Big Trees State Park.  On the positive side… no more vehicles, no more cows.  On the negative side… no more maintenance!  When I took the path, I came across a section here with lots of down trees.

Slightly less than a mile from the gate back into the park, we come to a fork in the road where we’ll bear right.  At this point, either fork will take is back to the trail near where we started, but going right here is just a little quicker.  In about a quarter mile we’ll rejoin the trail we started on within sight of the parking area.

I have taken this path now by foot and mountain bike.  I have to say that it is much more fun on the mountain bike.  Other than dealing with down trees, gates, and a few overgrown areas, the path is clear, well graded fire trails and the assents are not too steep.  For a walking trail it’s a bit long, a bit exposed and dusty, and not as scenic as many other hiking trails in the vicinity.

As I said at the beginning, this is not a marked or maintained trail.  You should have a map and/or GPS and have figured out where the track goes if you want to try it.  Use at your own risk!

Enjoy the outdoors!

joe

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The Lava Bluffs Trail in Calaveras Big Trees State Park gives you a taste of the ancient and recent history of the area.  Its course take you around a loop on the south east facing slope above the Stanislaus River and below the namesake Lava Bluffs.

Trailhead

Along the South Grove road in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, about 4.7 miles from the entrance gate, you’ll see a small sign on the right hand side of the road pointing to the Lava Bluffs trail head.  The trail head parking lot is right off the road.  On the west side of the parking lot you’ll see a large information sign, and the trail starts right behind the sign.

There is a trail guide available at the trail head and I’d highly recommend that you pick one up.  They’re only 50 cents, but well worth the dollar I spent for lack of change.

Before you start this trail, you should be aware of a few things…

1. The trail stays entirely on a Southeast facing slope and there are sections of the trail that are completely exposed.  So, be prepared for the heat and bring extra water.
2. There are sections of the trail that are steep and covered with loose gravel so footing can be sketchy.  This is not a trail for flip-flops!
3. The exposed trail can be a very attractive sunning location for our cold blooded neighbors like rattle snakes.  So, keep your eyes and ears open.
4. There are a couple sections of the trail where Poison Oak seems very happy to live.
5. There are several places where Mosquitoes can be pretty annoying.

That said, it’s a nice trail, not too long, and there’s some great history along the way.

Trail Sign at Beginning of Loop

The trail starts with a bit of a climb but the footing is good at the start.  A little less than 0.2 miles in you come to your first of several of the somewhat steeper climbs.  After climbing from 3900 feet at the trail head to a little over 4100 feet in just a little over a quarter mile, you drop back down to the beginning of the  Lava Bluffs Loop Trail.

At the beginning of the loop there is a small trail sign with an arrow pointing to the right.  However, I don’t see what harm it would do if you wanted to go straight here and do the loop backwards.  It would be really surprising if there were enough people on the trail to cause a traffic jam but I suppose stranger things have happened.

A Steep Section

Soon after starting on the loop you’ll start climbing again for a little less than a quarter mile to an elevation of about 4200 feet.  This section of the trail has some coverage and is quite pretty.

Along the way keep your eyes out for wildflowers. Along this section of trail, when I hiked it, there were quite a few Hartweg’s Iris in bloom.

Hartweg's Iris

First Stream Crossing

After you reach the peak of this climb at 4200 feet, you come back down to a small annual stream crossing at a little over 4100 feet and about 0.7 miles from the trail head.

When I got here, in mid June, the crossing was an easy walk across.  You can’t see it in the picture here, but on the other side of the logs shown crossing the steam bed there were some rocks that were easy to walk across.

After crossing the steam, you start back up hill again.  Now, though, the trail is more exposed and you start getting into the gravel that has washed down from up around the lava bluffs.  Watch your footing.

In this stretch, you often find yourself walking across ancient lava ash covered with a layer of gravel.   This layer of ash was laid down before the Sierra Nevada mountains that we know were pushed up to their current elevation.

Tuff

It looks almost like water swept sand but this formation called tuff, is about 3o million years old and is quite… well, tough.

As you look up the slope next to you to the Northwest, you will begin to see layers of different sorts of rock including this tuff, layers of what appear to be a conglomerate of river rock and lava, and finally a solid lava top layer.

This was created by a series of events including lava flowing down ancient stream beds, mud flows, more lava, etc, etc over millions of years.

Ancient River Bed And Lava

Later, after new steam beds were cut into this deep layered formation, more lava flowed and filled them.  After the ancient volcanoes in the area became inactive, erosion gradually ate away at the landscape.  First at the top layer of lava, and once through that, it gradually washed away layer after layer of the rocks below.

When you reach the next peak, at a little more than 4200 feet, and about 0.9 miles from the trail head, you’ll have a good view of the bluffs above you.  To the South, down the Stanislaus River valley you should be able to also see the McKay Reservoir.

The Lava Bluffs

What make lava bluffs you see today are the remnants of the later lava flows that filled what were then stream and river beds.  Because the lava was deeper there, than in surrounding areas, it has taken longer to erode and expose the softer material below.  You can see the same sort of formations in many nearby locations, like Table Top Mountain.

A little further down the trail there is a spur trail that you can take to get a better view of the Lava Bluffs.

We’ve reached the tallest point of the hike now.  For the next half mile or so we’ll be scrambling down over gravel strewn trail.  Here again, watch you footing.  We’re making our way down to a piece of history that is quite a bit more recent than the Lava Bluffs.

Trail In 1850's Ditch

At a little over 1.4 miles from the trail head we will have worked our way down to a little under 4000 feet.

Here, we’ll take a sharp left turn onto a trail that looks like it’s going down the middle of a ditch.  In fact, that’s exactly what it’s doing!

During the Gold Rush, the area in and around Murphys was a thriving placer gold mining location.  The problem was that there were no reliable, year around water sources to use for washing the tertiary gravels that were being mined for gold.  So, a few enterprising individuals formed the Union Water Company and bought or built a series of ditches and flumes that brought water from the Sourgrass on the Stanislaus  River, all the way to Murphys and Angels Camp.  It’s amazing to realize that they put all this in using picks, shovels, and mules back in the early 185os.

Flume on Murphys Grade Road

By the way, I’ve read that their undertaking was so successful that they managed to inundate Murphys and ended up blasting a gorge almost a mile long in order to drain it.  You can still see parts of the old flume system used today to supply Angels Camp with water along Murphys Grade Road.  This flume system has been burnt in forest fires and replaced several times over the years.  The last time was in 2001.

The Lava Bluffs trail follows one of the ditch sections upstream for about a half mile.  This is the most level section of the trail for obvious reasons.

At about 1.9 miles from the trail head, we’ll leave the ditch and start uphill again.  In three tenths of a mile we’ll reach the next crest at about 4100 feet.  About half way up the hill we’ll come to another small annual stream crossing.  This is actually the same stream we crossed earlier, just a little further downstream.  Here again, when I crossed it was a simple walk-across.

Sierra Dome Spider Web

One of the marvels of the forest that I had never seen before hiking n Calaveras Big Trees State Park is a natural engineering wonder.  This picture does not do it justice.  The Sierra Dome Spider builds its web along with a complex set of tension lines such that it forms an inverted dome.  It really is amazing when you look at it closely.  Keep your eyes open for them.

From the last crest at 4100 feet there’s about six tenths of a mile to go back to the trail head.  There’s some up and down but it’s generally down hill back to about 4000 feet.

Remember the rules of the park… no dogs or bicycles on the hiking trails.  Don’t remove anything from the park.

Hope you get a chance to come out to the park and enjoy the hike!

For more information about the Union Water Company and history of the area you might want to pick up a copy of this book:

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Pinecrest lake is a very popular destination in the western Sierras!  Located just a bit off of Highway 108, at an elevation of 5600 feet, it offers a refreshing change of scenery to many visitors from the Central Valley and Bay Area.  Unlike Lake Alpine on Highway 4, Pinecrest Lake has a relatively highly developed resort sort of feel to it.

There’s a lot offered at Pinecrest Lake including swimming, boating, fishing, camping, picnic areas, restaurants, etc.

The lake has a surface area of about 300 acres.  There are designated, buoyed, swimming areas where no boats and no fishing is allowed.  The swimming area is near the main parking area, right off the day use beach.

One thing to note about Pinecrest Lake… it is NOT dog friendly.  Dogs are not allowed in the Day Use Area between May 15 and September 15.

Another thing to note is the reason given for the restriction on dogs… “because of the very high visitor use”… This is a VERY popular place.  If you’re planning on going up on a weekend or holiday, get there early or you may not find a parking place.

There is a very nice picnic area with a beach and the swimming area near the main parking lot.  There are 50 picnic sites with grills and plenty of extra space if you don’t need to use their tables or grills.  There is also piped water and flush toilets in the day use area.

Just to the north of the Day Use Area you’ll find the Marina, Snack Bar and Boat Ramp.

The Marina offers rentals of Canoes, Kayaks, Paddle Boats, and even small motor boats.

Motor Boats are allowed on the lake, but there is a speed limit of 20 MPH, and 5 MPH in designated areas like near the swimming area, dock, etc.  So don’t plan on doing any water skiing at Pinecrest.

For those of you planning on bringing your own boat, or RV, there is a designated parking area specifically set aside for vehicles with trailers or RVs.  However, when things get busy, some of the parking spots are bound to get filled by other visitors desperate to find parking so plan ahead and come early.

Near both the Day Use Area, and the Marina you’ll find a variety of shops including a General Store, A nice restaurant, a bike shop where you can rent a bike for the day, and the Pinecrest Resort.

The General Store sells everything from Groceries for campers to fishing gear, to floaty toys for the kids.

Speaking of campers, camping is one of the biggest attractions at Pinecrest.  There are 3oo campsites in two separate campgrounds.  The campgrounds have flush toilets and running water.  There are also 3 different group campsites.

One of the campsites, Pinecrest Campground,  has quite a few sites located just across the street from the lake.  Many, if not all the sites in this campground are within easy walking distance of the beach, general store, etc.

The other campground, Meadowview Campground, is located over half a mile further to the west so often times campers at these sites will ferry kids and gear over to the Day Use Area.

The town of Strawberry, just up the road (North) on 108 from the Pinecrest Lake turnoff, has a larger general store as well as another nice restaurant.  They also have cabins for rent in the area.

In case you want to “get away” in the area but don’t want the beach and crowds, there’s plenty of other things to do in the area.  From the turnoff for Pinecrest Lake, if you take the road up toward the Dodge Ridge Ski area, you’ll come across signs directing you to several popular hiking trails in the area.  There’s also a driving tour called the Sierra Grandstand Tour located in the same region.

If you plan on hiking in the area I’d suggest checking with the ranger at the Pinecrest Lake turnoff regarding permits, trail conditions, etc.  If you don’t already have a good topo map of the area, pick one up while you’re there.  And, if you came completely unprepared, I’m sure you can get a compass either at the Pinecrest or Strawberry general stores.

Another activity we stumbled across in the area is provided by the Aspen Meadow Pack Station.  They’ll take you on a horseback ride for anywhere from an hour to a whole day in the beautiful western Sierras.  They provide animals and  services for longer pack trips.

We ran into a group of new riders just getting started and it looked like they were having a blast!

Take a look at the map at the beginning of the article to see where things are located.  The downloadable KML file can be used in Google earth, and the gpx file, once unzipped, can be used in a lot of GPS devices

As always, use at your own risk!  This is an outdoor activity.  You should rely on your own experience, knowledge and judgment when deciding where to go or what to do.

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