Monday May 26, 2003: Otter Falls
I went for a bit of a walk today.
After my trip to Little Si last weekend (trip report forthcoming, eventually), I decided that this weekend, I wanted to go for some distance without a lot of elevation. So I decided to go to Otter Falls.
A couple of notes on that guide: yes, the trailhead is 12 miles from the main road; she doesn't note that 9 of those 12 miles is gravel and dirt road in varying widths and states of repair. She also doesn't note that the road gets renamed Forest Road 56, which is helpful for navigation, and that the closest toilets to the trailhead are at the Middle Fork Trailhead, about a mile from where the trail dead-ends at a gate where the Taylor River trail starts.
Also, the junction of the Quartz Creek Trail and the Taylor River Trail is currently unmarked. I accidentally took the Quartz Creek Trail for about 3/4 of a mile before I figured out that I'd made a wrong turn. (I'll have to go back to the Quartz Creek Trail, though; it was pretty, if more strenuous than I was looking for today.)
Anyway, I was out of bed at 6:30 this morning and on the road by 7:40; I made it to the trailhead by 8:50 and shouldered my backpack and took off. For a while, I had the trail to myself; after my wrong turn, I came back and started the real trail. The elevation gain is very gradual and I only really felt it in a couple of spots. But this is an old logging road, which means that the trail is gravel and large rocks, and footing in places is uncertain at best. I had to do a lot of watching where I put my feet, lest I injure my weaker left ankle.
I can see where a couple of the streams that cross the trail could be a problem in high melt seasons; they were mostly well-behaved and friendly today, however.
The three miles to Marten Creek are lovely; the trail winds up and away from the Taylor River. currently, the salmonberries are in bloom, especially in the areas that get more sun than most of the trail, which is largely shaded. The day started out overcast but cleared up as the sun climbed in the sky, and I (finally!) made it to Marten Creek.
in the article about this trail, it says that the bridge over Marten Creek is deteriorating, which it is; however, there have been new planks nailed to the old bridge, and it's perfectly solid for a single-file crossing. (Check out the timbers that support the bridge--they must be twelve feet in diameter.) Marten Creek itself was lovely, and had lots of mossy boulders and downed trees to sit and drink some water on.
I had decided, earlier on, to see how I felt when I got to the bridge and make the call whether to go to the falls or not, if the bridge was passable. I could tell that the falls and back would be a stretch but I could do it, so off I set up the trail.
The trail does narrow but then opens out a bit just before you get to the cairn that marks the Otter Falls trail. It's nearly impossible to miss the turn, really. Getting up to the bluff that separates the Taylor river trail from the falls was more interesting; there really isn't one specific trail, just a scramble through soft loam and over blowdowns. At the top of the bluff is a campsite (where someone had left a bunch of Cheezits and something in the firepit that was attracting flies) and an overlook. I headed down the other side of the overlook on a steep little trail that proved to be the most...interesting part of the trip; there are a number of places where getting down is a matter of imagination and a little bit of faith that the place you're jumping down to is less slippery than it looks.
And the reward...was spectacular. Otter Falls is the place where otters go if they're very, very, very good--it's basically a huge otter slide. The water sheets over sheer granite and into a deep pool at the bottom. I sat, looked at the falls, and drank my water; and then it was time to go back.
A few more notes about the trail between Marten Creek and the cairn: yes, there are stream crossings that could be problematic if the streams are any higher than they were today. In fact, my footing shifted under me at the biggest one on the way back, leaving me with one soaked boot. It actually felt nice, before the rubbing set in. Ow. There is one rockslide to cross, but that was more of an excuse to climb around some than an issue.
I set a good pace on the way back, but the last mile or so saw me at about the end of my energy. If I hadn't taken that unplanned detour earlier in the day, I probably would have been all right, though.
And there's nothing like knowing that nothing but your feet are going to get your butt back to the car as motivation. After a while, my legs went into autopilot, tired as they were, and I cruised along, looking around me.
I saw hardly anyone but backpackers obviously emerging from overnight trips on the way up, but on the way back there were a bunch of people (most of whom had dogs), and the trailhead parking was full when I reached the car. On the way up, i had the trail to myself, and it was healing to my soul to be alone in the woods. I listened to the forest, and I'm a lot more settled in myself than i was last week, now.
Stats for today: about 11 miles round trip, 600 feet elevation, four hours on the dot.
After my trip to Little Si last weekend (trip report forthcoming, eventually), I decided that this weekend, I wanted to go for some distance without a lot of elevation. So I decided to go to Otter Falls.
A couple of notes on that guide: yes, the trailhead is 12 miles from the main road; she doesn't note that 9 of those 12 miles is gravel and dirt road in varying widths and states of repair. She also doesn't note that the road gets renamed Forest Road 56, which is helpful for navigation, and that the closest toilets to the trailhead are at the Middle Fork Trailhead, about a mile from where the trail dead-ends at a gate where the Taylor River trail starts.
Also, the junction of the Quartz Creek Trail and the Taylor River Trail is currently unmarked. I accidentally took the Quartz Creek Trail for about 3/4 of a mile before I figured out that I'd made a wrong turn. (I'll have to go back to the Quartz Creek Trail, though; it was pretty, if more strenuous than I was looking for today.)
Anyway, I was out of bed at 6:30 this morning and on the road by 7:40; I made it to the trailhead by 8:50 and shouldered my backpack and took off. For a while, I had the trail to myself; after my wrong turn, I came back and started the real trail. The elevation gain is very gradual and I only really felt it in a couple of spots. But this is an old logging road, which means that the trail is gravel and large rocks, and footing in places is uncertain at best. I had to do a lot of watching where I put my feet, lest I injure my weaker left ankle.
I can see where a couple of the streams that cross the trail could be a problem in high melt seasons; they were mostly well-behaved and friendly today, however.
The three miles to Marten Creek are lovely; the trail winds up and away from the Taylor River. currently, the salmonberries are in bloom, especially in the areas that get more sun than most of the trail, which is largely shaded. The day started out overcast but cleared up as the sun climbed in the sky, and I (finally!) made it to Marten Creek.
in the article about this trail, it says that the bridge over Marten Creek is deteriorating, which it is; however, there have been new planks nailed to the old bridge, and it's perfectly solid for a single-file crossing. (Check out the timbers that support the bridge--they must be twelve feet in diameter.) Marten Creek itself was lovely, and had lots of mossy boulders and downed trees to sit and drink some water on.
I had decided, earlier on, to see how I felt when I got to the bridge and make the call whether to go to the falls or not, if the bridge was passable. I could tell that the falls and back would be a stretch but I could do it, so off I set up the trail.
The trail does narrow but then opens out a bit just before you get to the cairn that marks the Otter Falls trail. It's nearly impossible to miss the turn, really. Getting up to the bluff that separates the Taylor river trail from the falls was more interesting; there really isn't one specific trail, just a scramble through soft loam and over blowdowns. At the top of the bluff is a campsite (where someone had left a bunch of Cheezits and something in the firepit that was attracting flies) and an overlook. I headed down the other side of the overlook on a steep little trail that proved to be the most...interesting part of the trip; there are a number of places where getting down is a matter of imagination and a little bit of faith that the place you're jumping down to is less slippery than it looks.
And the reward...was spectacular. Otter Falls is the place where otters go if they're very, very, very good--it's basically a huge otter slide. The water sheets over sheer granite and into a deep pool at the bottom. I sat, looked at the falls, and drank my water; and then it was time to go back.
A few more notes about the trail between Marten Creek and the cairn: yes, there are stream crossings that could be problematic if the streams are any higher than they were today. In fact, my footing shifted under me at the biggest one on the way back, leaving me with one soaked boot. It actually felt nice, before the rubbing set in. Ow. There is one rockslide to cross, but that was more of an excuse to climb around some than an issue.
I set a good pace on the way back, but the last mile or so saw me at about the end of my energy. If I hadn't taken that unplanned detour earlier in the day, I probably would have been all right, though.
And there's nothing like knowing that nothing but your feet are going to get your butt back to the car as motivation. After a while, my legs went into autopilot, tired as they were, and I cruised along, looking around me.
I saw hardly anyone but backpackers obviously emerging from overnight trips on the way up, but on the way back there were a bunch of people (most of whom had dogs), and the trailhead parking was full when I reached the car. On the way up, i had the trail to myself, and it was healing to my soul to be alone in the woods. I listened to the forest, and I'm a lot more settled in myself than i was last week, now.
Stats for today: about 11 miles round trip, 600 feet elevation, four hours on the dot.
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