Grouse Gap Revisited

Happy New Year Everyone! With 2010 now upon us and the holiday season over with, it's time to get out there and enjoy. Yesterday seemed the perfect opportunity to head back to Mt. Ashland and do some X-C skiing.

As you know, my first trip to the mountain this season was cut short due to a couple of broken toes which seem reluctant to heal. A second trip on New Years Day was also cut short (we arrived only to turn around and come home) due to some gear issues... seems not all 3-pin X-C set ups are compatible as Heather found out after purchasing a pair of used boots to go with her free skis that wouldn't quite fit in the bindings.

Well, third time's a charm... yesterday was perfect! After leaving a foggy and rather cold Ashland in the morning, we arrived to find the weather at the mountain frighteningly warm and sunny for the first week of January and the 16 inches of snow which fell late on New Years Day has been groomed (up until the turn off to the shelter) and was in great shape. Despite being the last day of Christmas break the crowds (at least on the backside of the mountain) were manageable and everyone seemed to be in great spirits. The view from the shelter, as it always is on sunny days, was spectacular. Mt. Shasta was plainly visible and seemingly floating in a sea of fog which hung in the valleys. Best of all, my toes are feeling much better. After returning to the car, Heather and I walked to the Mt. Ashland lodge where I enjoyed a cold beer, and Heather a hot chai, as we watched the action on the slopes from the deck. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Until the next adventure...

Happy Holidays everyone! As many of you know, Mt. Ashland opened last week which is great news for snow lovers. I escaped the holiday happenings here in town last wednesday (the day before the mountain opened) and headed to the backside of Mt. A for some snowshoeing and a little cross country skiing. Conditions were great and I was the first one up there so I had the (mis)fortune of cutting trail...quite a workout. My intention was to make it out to Grouse Gap Shelter but unfortunately my broken toe(s) are slowing me down a bit right now so it was a pretty short outing. The good news is that they seem to be healing and it shouldn't be long before my boots are comfy enough to get out for a longer trek.

More good news for winter sports enthusiasts, the forcast is calling for more of the white stuff so get out there and enjoy.

Until the next adventure...

Valley of the Rogue State Park... more Steelie Fishing

I was pretty sure last night before I turned in that I was going to wake up and try my hand at some fishing today... supposedly the steelhead fishing on the Rogue is still pretty good, though my last trip out yielded no fish. I hadn't really decided where to go but I had a dream last night...no joke. In that dream I was landing fish after fish at Valley of the Rogue State Park, just north of Gold Hill, so I awoke with the urge to get there as soon as I could this morning.

From Ashland it's about a 25 minute drive and right off I-5. There's a really nice rest area as well as an RV park, yurts you can rent, boat ramp, and camping. I spent a fair amount of time there this fall while doing the Salmon Watch Program and had scouted out (and have since fished) a few nice riffles there at the park. One is behind the restrooms and the other is downstream from there a few hundred yards. There's not a lot of great water back there to hold fish but I figured in what little there is, I could bring my dream to fruition and be landing fish all morning... unfortunately, that wasn't the case. However, it was a beautifully eerie morning with the heavy fog and very relaxing. After 3 hours without a bite, I decided I'd call it a morning and find some coffee somewhere... wading the Rogue this time of year is a pretty chilly endeavor!

It's getting to be that time of year where I think more and more about switching gears and going to play in the snow... one nice thing about living here is that you never really have to decide between one or the other... with winter steelhead continuing to run and rumors of Mt. Ashland opening soon (snow permitting...we only need another foot or so) it's all a matter of what you want to do.

Until the next adventure...

Steelhead fishing the Rogue

With temperatures on friday in the 30's and occational rain, sleet, and snow showers, some might argue the merits of spending a day floating the Rogue River in search of steelhead right now. The fish numbers haven't been that remarkable this year (5417 fish as of 10/31) and local fishing reports are not overly enthusiastic either. Still, my good friend Neil Selbicky and I thought it the opportune time to get on the river.

We put on a few miles upstream from TouVelle State Park and fished that section pretty extensively, both from the boat and wading at times. We tried some plugs, but mainly drifted flies. Things were pretty slow until later in the afternoon when I changed my fly over to a large black Muddy Buddy... honestly I thought it was going to be a bit over the top. With water temperatures already a few degrees below 50, as a general rule, single egg patters and more traditional flies (golden stones, hares ears, copper johns, etc) are a better bet than a giant leech pattern. However, over the next hour I hooked three fish, one of which we managed to land... a nice hatchery male measuring about 22''. I guess it goes to show it never hurts to tie on something different once in a while.

If you're interested in getting out on the Rogue to chase some steelhead and need a capable and friendly guide Neil Selbicky's services are for hire and I'd highly recommend him. He's a hell of a fisherman and can usually provide a picture for every fish story he tells. We're planning another trip for this week, and I'm greatly looking forward to it.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Kings Creek Falls

Another short hike from the road (3 miles round trip), is Kings Creek Falls. It's another one of those places well worth stopping if you don't have much time in the park. The hike itself was pretty mellow, by the time the trail gets steep, you're distracted by the beauty of the falls and don't really notice it.

Like most of the places we were in the park, we pretty much had it to ourselves. We did see a couple of folks taking photos and it was easy to see why... photographers in particular will enjoy this location and the fall season seemed an excellent time to take it all in.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Summit Lake Loop Hike

Sunday was our one full day to spend in the park and it seemed to us like a longer hike was in order. Beginning from our campsite at Summit Lake South, we made the 11 mile lake loop hike.

The trail started off with quite a steep elevation gain, eventually leveling off and providing great views of Lassen peak, before dropping down to Echo Lake, the whole while passing through amazing forests of pine and fir. Next were two of the larger lakes, Upper & Lower Twin Lakes. It was amazing to see the differences of the lake shores and lakes themselves. Some Were surrounded by vegetation, others by volcanic beaches of sand and basalt. Some of the lakes were shallow and crystal clear, while others were murky.

After a sandwich at Silver Lake, roughly the half way mark, we saw our only wildlife of particular note. A mink ran across a downed log right off the trail and bobbed his head out a few times before darting off. Naturally I did not have time to get a good picture of him. There were a lot of birds and squirrels to see but the mink was definitely the sighting of the day.

Following this, we passed Big and Little Bear Lakes and the trail headed upwards for a good distance, eventually leveling off again, and providing great views of Lassen Peak. We were back in camp by early afternoon, and after going on a brief mission to find fire wood for the evening, were back in camp with time to relax before dinner.

If you're looking for a more lengthy hike, and enjoy being in forests and looking at lakes you'll probably enjoy your time spent on this hike.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Bumpass Hell

This is by far one of the "must see" attractions of the park. A short (3 miles round trip) hike with amazing scenery delivers you to Bumpass Hell, the parks most concentrated area of hydrothermal activity. The cooler weather made it all the steamier as the fumeroles and mud pots hissed and bubbled. It's much like what you'd expect to see in Yellowstone, minus Old Faithful of course.

One of my favorite features is toward the end of the walkway. It's a large bubbling pond of mud with iron pyrite swirling on top... it reminded me of the backdrop of an Allman Brothers show.

If you only have a short amount of time in the park make sure you check out Bumpass Hell, it's worth the $10 park admission by itself.

Until the next adventure...