October 14, 2007: Sierra Buttes Trail

Whenever Jeremy and I off-road together, we're going to plan an extra hour for detours. After the Baltic Ridge Trail, I thought the worst of our navigational challenges were behind us - not to mention I'd been here before! Apparently, you have to look at the WHOLE map to know where you're going. Imagine that!

Jeremy introduced his daughter Taylor and son Josh to the trials and tribulations of 4X4 life in his Jeep Wrangler. Adam and his son Raith joined the boys and I in the LR3. Yes, you've counted correctly - three dads and five kids. We were so outnumbered...

We've typically taken I-80 to Highway 49, but this time we took Highway 20 to Marysville Road which eventually connects to Highway 49. This route ended up saving us about a half-hour off the usual 2.5 hour drive! Marysville Road crosses the Bullards Bar Dam and the massive concrete structure is incredible to see up close. As my co-pilot, Adam was in charge of snacks for the kids and soon perfected the art of unwrapping and handing (or throwing - the back seat is a stretch!) granola bars, fruit rollups, cheetos and Spiderman snacks to the unruly mob behind us. We finally arrived in Sierra City a little before noon and after making a brief stop to let the the kids burn off some energy, we were on our way!

The Sierra Buttes Trail is rated DR: 3 but I noticed that the roadbed was somewhat more rocky and uneven than when we drove it in August - within the next few years, this trail will probably be rated DR: 4. The road climbs through the forest and along some easy sections of shelf road until you reach the intersection with the Columbo Mine Road. This was where we had our only real navigational snafu - we headed straight instead of climbing up to the right and after about 20 minutes, arrived at the Columbo Mine.

I had never seen this site before,
so we snapped a few pictures and decided to head back to the junction. Judging by the incredible number of spent bullet-casings on the ground, it was probably a good idea! Soon, we were back at the intersection, and began the narrow and winding climb to Blue Point and the spur for Sierra Buttes Lookout Tower.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the turnoff for Blue Point and made our way over the small rise and down to a sheltered loop that makes a great place for taking a break. The kids hiked around, threw rocks and explored while we set out chairs and made lunch. One word of caution - keep an eye on any children if you visit this spot. There are some very loose and steep dropoffs so it's good to keep younger children close and do the exploring with them. Older children will undoubtedly be drawn to the rocky ledges and boulders surrounding Blue Point - the rocks are fractured from heavy weathering and can be a bit unstable.



After a liesurely lunch, it was time to load up and hit the spur trail to Sierra Butte Lookout Tower. The spur is rated DR: 5, but to be honest, it seemed easier to negotiate than it was in August. The sunken roadbed had widened slightly making it easier to skirt the enormous ruts left by our 2WD brethren. The road is steep, but it had rained a few days prior and the roadbed was firm without the loose surface we experienced last time. At about 7,500 feet, we began to see small patches of snow and by the time we hit 8,000 feet, much of the mountain was covered with 6" to 12" of fresh powder.


We parked in the "Parking Lot" and the kids immediately bolted for the nearest patch of snow. Jeremy, Taylor and Josh set out for the lookout tower while Adam and I attempted to herd Danny, Jayden and Raith up the steep, icy trail. We made good progress until the trail disappeared completely and we ended up trekking cross-country, crashing through snow-capped manzanita and over fallen logs until we stumbled upon a trail marker and began the slow ascent. The air was frigid and with the high altitude, it felt impossible to catch our breath - it didn't help that Jayden and Raith insisted on being carried the whole way! Danny wanted to walk through the snow - even through the small drifts that bordered the trail's edge and dropped off into oblivion! Yikes!

Soon, the tower was in sight and we could see Jeremy and his kids waving to us from the top. Adam and I set out, each carrying one child while herding Danny in front of us. We eventualy reached the rocky peak, but we were totally spent. Jeremy, Taylor and Josh were already coming back down and it was 4PM, so we decided to return to the trucks and make our way back to civilization.

We headed back down the spur trail, taking our time cruising through the slushy mess. The second half of the trail is far easier than the first and we made good time, cruising at about 20MPH and blasting through large puddles that formed from the melting snow. In no time at all, we were back at FR-93, the final leg of our journey. It was getting late and I decided to lower the LR3 to "Normal Height" and tore down the mountain at over 30MPH with Jeremy right behind me, sending gravel and dirt flying as he drifted through the corners.

As we rounded one corner, I suddenly saw the road was full of cattle! I stood on the brakes and came to an abrupt stop a few yards from the cows (and one very ticked-off cowboy!). We waited until he and the herding dogs had moved the cattle off the road then crept by slowly so as not to spook them. Once clear of the herd, it was back to business!

We sailed downhill and reached Highway 49 at about 6:00PM. After a brief pit-stop in Downieville, five tired kids and three very frazzled Dads made the long trip home.

Directions:

I-80E to Hwy. 49N
Hwy. 49N to Sierra City
Turn left on Butte St. and left again on Sierra Buttes Rd.
The trailhead is on the right by the entrance to the transfer station.
At the intersection with Columbo Mine Rd. and Sierra Buttes Rd., turn right up the hill onto Butcher Ranch Rd.
Return trip is a left turn onto FR-93 which intersects Hwy. 49.

Jeremy's Wrangler poses for a glamour shot...

Some views from Sierra Buttes...

The Howland Flat Cemetery

Many people have been curious about the cemetery at Howland Flat and I decided to post this seperate entry to describe it as best I can. The most common questions are whether it's haunted, the ages of the oldest and youngest people interred there and what are the oldest and most recent gravesites in the cemetery.

Well, we didn't see any paranormal activity but there are about forty years of reported sightings - some as recent as early 2007. Most tend to be 'faces' and orbs of light that are seen in pictures taken at the cemetery. There are also some sightings of translucent 'figures' engaged in various activities from their previous lives. The pictures on this page are all the ones I took of the Howland Flat Cemetery, so if you see something interesting and would like a larger, high-resolution copy to look at, feel free to contact me.

The youngest person buried in Howland Flat is Louisa Meikle who passed away on January 26, 1883 after living only 11 days. Mary Chittenden was barely two months old when she died on August 23, 1874 and her sister, Eunice A. Chittenden, died at ten months on December 31, 1877. Nellie Goard had just turned eight when she passed away on June 19, 1907. Barely two weeks later, on July 4, her one-year-old sister Alice also succumbed. Edna Hayes passed away on February 13, 1907, just four months prior to the Goard sisters at the age of four. The only other death recorded in that year was of Joseph Wehrle who died at the age of 73 on June 9, 1907. I would presume some illness befell the area, claiming all four lives in less than five months. Tragedy once again struck the Goard family on August 14, 1913 when Walter Goard passed away at the age of four.


The oldest person buried there is Mary Walls who passed away in 1939 at the age of 82. Patrick O'Kean was 81 when he died, having served his country in both World War I and World War II. The earliest known grave belongs to Mark Brown who died at the age of five on May 12, 1866 and is buried near Miner's Pond. The most recent grave belongs to Fr. Erland R. Twede who was buried at Howland Flat in 1980.

There are actually three cemeteries in the immediate area. The one we visited is the largest and is a Catholic cemetery. The Protestant and military cemeteries are a short walk away near Miner's Pond and are heavily overgrown. Many of the headstones near Miner's Pond have deteriorated completely or have been stolen, leaving a large number of unmarked graves. There are approximately sixty people buried in Howland Flat, about half of which are in the Catholic cemetery.

The graves here are in very good condition. Trees have fallen and damaged some of the head- stones and wooden fences, but most of them look practically brand-new. It was also interesting to see that many of the graves looked as though they were regularly tended. Some had pinecones or stones arranged decoratatively around them and the pieces from one crushed headstone had been retrieved and placed neatly on its original granite base. I don't know if these sites are tended by family, volunteers or travellers as they pass through.

Wherever possible, I have included the names, birth and death dates for each of the people buried in Howland Flat and they are arranged chronologically. There are a number of people whose graves we either could not find, were unmarked or destroyed. On our next trip to the area, I will attempt to locate and document these other sites. Another feature I have never seen before were 'footstones' which sat opposite the headstone. I photographed a number of these and will post them later as well.

When we arrived, it was after struggling through seven miles of thick mud and slippery rocks with the constant drone of engines and CB radios filling the cab of our trucks. As we pulled up and everyone unloaded, the first thing I noticed was how intensely quiet the area was. Even our normally-raucous crew was speaking in low tones, as we walked through the light rain and up a slight hill toward the gravesites. Sunlight filtered down through the trees, bathing the entire area in a soft light and I couldn't help but feel like I was intruding upon this serene place. The boys didn't understand the signficance of where we were, but the adults walked amongst the trees and headstones, until with barely a word spoken between us, we mounted up and continued on our way.

Out of respect for the individuals who risked so much to settle this frontier, I felt it was important to document this site as completely as possible, without disturbing the graves or altering the scene's natural decay. Eventually, this part of our history will be lost - reclaimed by the very forest these famillies struggled to tame.

Unknown

Daniel McKeever
1836 - October 30, 1882

Maurice M. Moriarty
1832 - December 6, 1885

William Hughes
1824 - May 19, 1890

Margarate Hughes
1831 - October 28, 1895

Patrick Costello
1834 - January 8, 1892

Mary Costello
1827 - August 1, 1905

William C. Totman
1828 - 1895

Ellen Totman
1842 - 1891

Andrew Hellbach
February, 1845 - May 5, 1901

Andrew J. Hellbach
May 18, 1879 - July 3, 1916

Edna Hayes
June 30, 1902 - Feburary 13, 1907

Willie Hayes
1897 - 1917

Nellie Goard
May 11, 1899 - June 19, 1907

Alice Goard
April 26, 1906 - July 4, 1907

Walter Goard
March 14, 1909 - August 14, 1913

Henry Goard
1870 - 1927

Mary A. Goard
1874 - 1949

C. Henry Goard
1897 - 1956

Michael Sinnott
September 27, 1828 - August 23, 1908

Catherine Sinnott
April 29, 1835 - July 3, 1909

Patrick O'Kean
November 26, 1892 - December 29, 1973

Fr. Erland R. Twede
January 9, 1920 - June 15, 1980

September 23, 2007: Poker Flat OHV Trail, Day Two

So there I lay, listening to the rain (which was supposed to be gone by now) pour down on us with a vengeance, punctuated only by the sound of someone's ungodly snoring. Before long, dawn broke over the canyon and as I sat, watching the boys sleeping peacefully beside me, the silence was shattered by an ear-piercing siren! Sarenna had locked the LR3 when I'd taken the boys to the tent at 3:30AM and when she opened the door, the alarm went off waking every living thing within earshot. This included Danny and Jayden who dove out of their sleeping bags and staggered around, sobbing incoherently. So much for that Norman Rockwell moment...



We eventually got the boys dressed and I began cooking breakfast as Sarenna attempted to herd the kids under the EZ-Up and out of the rain. After breakfast, Mike and I walked up to where the trail leaves Poker Flat to determine which of the two forks we should follow. To our left was an extremely steep and painfully rocky slope which cut six feet into the hillside. In front of us was a well-travelled forest road that was fairly smooth and level. Um, I'll take the second one please! After packing and checking our trucks, we were off - rolling past the ghost town and onto the road Mike and I had scouted earlier, confident that we were on the right path. You can see where this is going, can't you?

The gentle forest road followed Canyon Creek, providing wonderful views of the basin. As we rounded a narrow curve, it became very obvious this road had more in store than a liesurely cruise through the woods. In front of us was a very steep, narrow and muddy slope bordered by fallen logs and large rocks. We climbed hill after hill, each more rugged than the last until we reached the final slope. This one was special because it resembled a river that someone had tilted up at about thirty degrees! Water was rushing down the hillside and the entire roadbed consisted of 6"-9" rocks.

Slowly and steadily we began the ascent and at the crest were greeted by a smooth forest road that led back down toward the river. Of course this was too good to be true - the road dead-ended into a mine about 100 yards later! We checked the maps and a sinking realization set in that not only would we have to go back down the nerve-wracking road we'd just left, but the terrible trail we had previously seen was, in fact, the correct route. We turned back and thankfully, the spur was much easier to negotiate in the opposite direction.

Mike was ahead of Marshan and I when we arrived at the fork, so with a long wheelbase and limited- slip diffs, clawed his way up the slope. Marshan's Tacoma went next, making steady progress until about halfway when his left-front tire began slipping on a large, wet rock. His shorter wheelbase gave him nothing to push against from behind and soon, his momentum was gone. Mike and Doug scrambled down the slope and I climbed up to where Marshan was valiantly trying to launch the Tacoma over the top, but to no avail. The three of us began jamming rocks and bark into the depressions of the slope, under the tires and anywhere we could think of to give Marshan enough traction to get over the obstacle.

Sarenna and the boys didn't know what was going on, so I hiked back down to fill her in and just as I reached the truck, heard Sally on the radio telling us they'd made it up the hill! It was our turn to roll, and with the Land Rover in low-range and Terrain Response System set to 'Rock Crawl', we eased up the slope at a gentle 5MPH, trying my best to pick our way through the rocks as the truck struggled to maintain traction on the slick rocks. With both differentials fully locked, we finally reached the summit and let out a premature sigh of relief - we soon discovered that the entire trail out was either a tangle of slippery rocks or thick mud! The poor traction, combined with exceptionally steep grades (both up and down) meant that momentum was both our greatest asset and most dangerous liability. It was almost impossible to stay on a good line through the obstacles as the trucks slipped over the rocks and drove practically sideways up the muddy slopes.

We eventually reached Howland Flat, the abandoned town and graveyard that is allegedly haunted, with sightings reported as recently as early 2007. The rain was still falling as we dismounted and walked amongst the headstones and photographed them. The whole place had a somber feel to it and it wasn't long before we quietly loaded back into the trucks and continued down the trail. Deep in the forest, we could see abandoned cabins, headstones and mining equipment - remnants of the Gold Rush that now decay in silence. The entire trail is dotted with ghost towns and we marvelled at the determination it must have taken to settle this area over 150 years ago.



We continued northwest, making our way through rain and mud. We reached Port Wine and had originally planned on stopping, but we were racing the sun, hoping to get off the trail before darkness fell. At about 3:00PM, we decided to stop for a quick lunch - the boys were in desperate need of a chance to stretch their legs so we let them run wild in the clearing where we'd parked, jamming sandwiches, chips and snacks into their mouths whenever possible. The adults gathered around Marshan's tailgate and you could read the exhaustion on our faces. After over 4 hours of continuous driving through terrible conditions, all we wanted was to find pavement. We loaded up again, looking for the bypass route I'd been given to get around the Scales Road closure. We found the turnoff - an insanely steep hill covered with 8" of thick mud! Mike and Doug charged up, the Tundra 'crabbing' up the slope as Mike fought to keep the nose pointed forward. Marshan and Sally were next, his aggressive Mud Terrain tires throwing up huge clots of mud as he powered the Tacoma uphill.

I wasn't so lucky! I blasted around the corner in 4Hi with Barney, Danny and Jayden singing some insane song about Meerkats and realized I was about to be in a world of hurt. The rear-end of the LR3 whipped around, sliding sideways across the trail as I floored the throttle and prayed for traction. The Land Rover dug in and stopped short of the treeline, but I had overcorrected and ended up with the front passenger-side and both rear tires stuffed into a ditch. Sarenna looked at me like "What now, Einstein?" and radioed ahead that we were stuck. Marshan and Mike were trying to figure out the best proceedure for extracting 7000 pounds of truck, passengers and equipment from a ditch and up a steep, muddy hill and I realized we'd have to do this on our own. With the Rover in 4Lo (better late than never!) and Terrain Response System set to 'Mud and Ruts', I floored it and all four corners of the truck erupted into huge gouts of mud as the tires hunted for grip. Slowly, we crawled sideways up the ditch, gaining momentum until the front tire finally emerged. The rears weren't far behind and in a flash we were out of the ditch, plowing our way up the hill.

We continued on until we reached Poverty Hill, the bypass for Scales Road which had been closed for repairs due to a landslide. We turned onto the bypass, a reasonable-looking but somewhat narrow forest trail that had been recently graded and resurfaced with crushed rock. As we continued though, the road continued to narrow until at last, we reached a section (just two miles shy of La Porte Road) blocked by thick manzanita. We stopped and discussed whether we should cut back some of the brush or turn around - I'm not shy about a few scratches but pushing our way through this would have meant some significant damage. More than a few four-letter words were used to describe the bypass and in the end, we decided to turn around and take our chances with Scales Road.



We turned back and followed a very wide and smooth graded dirt trail, until we arrived at a four-way intersection with two of the branches marked Scales Road! According to my topos and GPS, the Scales Road we wanted was to our right and slightly elevated above the rest - so in a leap of faith we turned off the nicely-graded trail and headed back into the forest, hoping this would lead us back to civilization. We were all very tired by now - the full day of rock crawling and slogging through mud had taken it's toll and our progress had been far slower than we'd anticipated. The sun was already getting low on the horizon and none of us relished the thought of driving through an unfamiliar forest after dark.

The GPS, which has lied to us in the past, said we were on the right track though and everything coincided perfectly with both the topographical map and the trail book I'd brought with us. Our doubts were soon wiped away as we reached a old converted railroad bridge that was a clear indication we were going the right way! Before long, I could see La Porte Road on the GPS, and it felt like we'd caught our second wind - each of us taking turns trying to slide through the muddy corners and blasting through deep puddles, sending water cascading over the trucks.

Finally, at about 5:30PM, we reached La Porte Road and turned left onto the first pavement we'd seen in two days. The asphalt felt unnaturally smooth and our trucks, clothes and gear were soaked with rain and mud, but we'd made it! Apart from a few new pinstripes, none of the trucks suffered any trail damage - something that surprised me given the conditions we'd been driving through. Would I do the Poker Flat OHV Trail again? Absolutely! In the rain? Let me think about that...

Directions:

I-80 East to Hwy. 49 North
Hwy. 49 North to Downieville (Gas up and turn around!)
Hwy. 49 South to CR-509
The sign marking the trail is on the right side of Hwy. 49, slightly uphill.

Trail Notes:

The Downieville-side of the Poker Flat OHV Trail is fairly easy and with the exception of the final descent into the canyon, is rated a DR: 2 or 3. The last few miles are steep, loose and rocky and would be appropriately labelled at DR: 5. In the rain, the slopes are pretty slick, but we were able to maintain good traction.

The Poker Flat OHV Campground has about 6 sites with picnic tables and fire pits. The sites on the creek side are very large, the ones closer to the forest are somewhat smaller. There is no plumbed water (if you use Canyon Creek as a water source, boil it well!) and a single, partially-obscured pit toilet. We brought a portable toilet of our own, thank you very much! The campground is about 200 yards from the ghost town of Poker Flat and the area is littered with decaying, partially-collapsed buildings and rusty mining equipment. DO NOT ENTER THE STRUCTURES! They are very unstable and any injury could mean a very long and rugged drive back to civilization.

If you think the drive into Poker Flat is difficult, go back out that way! The drive out on the La Porte side is far more challenging and takes at least an hour longer. The slopes are either very rocky or very sandy - there isn't much in between! When it rains, the hills become extremely slick and the dusty red soil turns into a sticky mess, totally devoid of traction. If you take this trail in the rain, TAKE YOUR TIME.

This trail has a great deal of history to offer and if you take the time to roam through the woods, you'll find abandoned buildings, headstones and mining equipment from the 1800's. Enjoy the experience, but please protect our hertitage and respect the integrity of these sites.

We're not sounding too hopeful on the Mine Trail spur!

The first step on a long journey home...

Marshan's Tacoma stuck on the ascent from Poker Flat...

Looking up through the trees in Howland Flat...

The Goard Family graves in Howland Flat...

The town of Port Wine is another historic settlement...

Some of the many abandoned structures along the trail...