Yet another adventure off Highway 49, this time near the middle of October. We went passed Bassett's this time, continuing along the river for another twenty minutes or so till we reached Chapman Creek Campground. A clean, sheltered campsite that probably sees a lot more visitors during the warmer summer months. We arrived around ten AM and found the place empty, parking in a vacant site near the trailhead, which is located near the back of the grounds.
Much of the trail is similar in appearance to the above, winding one and a half miles up into the mountains beyond the campsite till it connects with a service road. It was already much colder there then we expected, and gloves would have been appreciated. The trial climbed off and on, a bit more grueling then other's ratings of "easy" had lead us to believe, I'd say it's moderately challenging, at least on the way in, while the way out is mostly downhill and much easier.
The High Sierra's had seen a bit more precipitation then we had in the valley, so mushrooms and fungus were beginning to appear here and there, especially around where the trail crossed the creek bed, which happened several times.
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The creek itself was mostly overgrown, the trail moving above and alongside it, occasionally dipping down to cross over stones or small bridges
Continuing along the path we found two instances of Snow Flowers or Sarcodes, deciding to pop up in Autumn instead of Spring like we're used to. These wonderful members of the heath family attach mycelium to tree roots, gaining nutrients from the tree and in turn protecting the plant from pathogens will supplying minerals and water.
Further up the trail we went, feeling as though we had already gone three miles, the last stretch was the hardest, dipping down a short distance before climbing up and around the side of a hill till we reached the top. But it was worth it, as we found ourselves in a small, grassy clearing, Chapman Creek running cold and clear through it's center. Tired, we settled on a fallen log to watch the creek and it's baby rainbow trout. It was rather magical, settling into this place that few people probably visit. As we watched, several birds settled into the small trees around us, picking at the last seed pods and leaves.
We were tired, but curious how much further we had left, so after a short break we trekked on, finding ourselves only moments away from the end of the trail, where it empties out into a well used looking service road.
Back to the car we went, finding the trip out much easier and faster. No one had appeared in the campsite while we were away, so we used it's facilities and headed back down forty-nine.
Inclement weather has actually happened now, and with more snow in the forecast (Hooray) our trips up north may be limited, but Autumn is in full swing in the lower elevations and with a few more days of rain ahead of us, we'll hopefully be heading out for mushroom trips soon. We gave it a shot yesterday, but found almost nothing for our efforts.
We're also planning a couple trips to the coast soon, a day trip later this month and another couple days in December/January. We'll be visiting our favorite place, Fort Bragg, California, and let me tell you, I am ready.
