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...

September 22, 2007: Poker Flat OHV Trail, Day One

This trip was cursed from the beginning and pretty much stayed that way the entire time. First was the Moonlight Fire, which ended up being contained about a week before our departure. Then the Scales Road closure (more on that later!) and finally the rain. And rain. And MORE rain!

Marshan and Lola introduced Sally to trail life in his Toyota Tacoma, Mike's Toyota Tundra earned it's stripes for the first time with Doug riding shotgun and we gave the Land Rover LR3 another workout.

We left early Saturday morning and made it up about an hour later than our planned start time, but it didn't matter since the thick clouds and light rain made it impossible to determine the time of day. As we approached Downieville, we tried to find CR-509 (the trailhead for the Poker Flat OHV Trail) on the western edge of town but couldn't see any signs or turnoffs. We decided to gas up, then head back in the direction we'd come, knowing by now that sometimes the trails are poorly marked. Sure enough, there is only one sign (that even the locals didn't know about!) and it faces North. We pulled onto the trail and began the easy climb out of Downieville.

The trail is rated DR: 5, but the first half is primarily DR: 2 consisting of a relatively smooth dirt road with few rocks or ruts. The road was so smooth, in fact, I had a hard time keeping the LR3 at 'off-road' height as it attempts to lower itself to 'normal' height if you exceed 25MPH. This leg of the trail is also well marked with signs (that actually point in the right direction!) for the Fir Cap and Chimney Rock OHV Trails.

The visibility was so poor we decided to bypass these spurs and instead made the short climb to the Saddleback Mountain Fire Lookout. This spur is rated DR: 3 and is a somewhat narrow and rocky shelf road. Once at the top the view was.... nothing. We were up inside the clouds and couldn't see more than a few dozen feet in any direction! The boys were going nuts from being cooped up in the car for so long so we decided to let them stretch their legs and walk up to the lookout. Here's a tip - if you travel on this spur, park in the turnout on the right about 100 feet downhill from the tower so you won't have to back down the hill.

The lookout tower was manned and we were allowed to bring the boys up - the view would be incredible when it's clear! It was interesting to see how the lookouts live while on duty and after a little while, we climbed back down and loaded into the trucks to continue our journey.

We drove on through the mist, keeping our speed down because of the reduced visibility, until about 1PM and decided to stop in a large, exposed clearing at the top of a ridgeline for lunch. We assembled the EZ-Up and backed the three trucks up to it to keep the rain off as the adults snacked and talked, Lola ate whatever hit the ground and the boys chucked rocks at some scraggly little trees. Everyone wanted to reach camp before it got any darker, so we took down the EZ-Up and began the long descent into the canyon.



The trail becomes a DR: 3 due to steeper angles and sections of loose roadbed, but these were easily negotiated. The final stretch into Poker Flat is the most challenging on this side of the canyon - a steep, loose grade of rain-slicked 6"+ rocks that make for a lumpy and time-consuming ride. Although not technically very difficult, it would be easy to break someting important if you're not paying attention. We arrived at a fork in the road with a handmade sign pointing to the left with the word "CROSSING" scrawled on it - of course, we decided to go right. Hey, how do you think Columbus eventually found North America? At the bottom of the final steep, rocky slope are the remains of a pretty ugly campsite with various bullet-riddled appliances and more than a few broken bottles.

We could see Canyon Creek and the camp- ground on the other side of the river, but no real crossing, so Mike and Doug went back up to the sign and went down the left side. Marshan and I spoke with some people who had just come down the other direction and found out from them that the crossing was just a few dozen yards further downstream. Mike and Doug found the crossing first (which was only about 6" deep) and soon, all three trucks pulled into the Poker Flat OHV Campground.

The campground is laid out with picnic tables and fire pits along the bank of Canyon Creek (it even has a partially-obscured pit toilet....if you dare!) and is just a couple hundred yards from the ghost town of Poker Flat. Scattered among the trees are foundations and partially-collapsed stone exterior walls of the homes that once made up this town, in addition to decaying mining equipment and even an old car! Wandering in the woods here really is like taking a step back in time.

It was beginning to get dark and since the rain had let up a little, we decided to make the short hike to the ghost town and look around. As we were wandering around, I suddenly heard Sarenna screaming for me and ran around to the other side of the abandoned Scott Home where Danny was frantically crying. I could see Sarenna swatting at his clothes, and Danny was completely hysterical - probably because he was covered with bees! Apparently, he found a beehive in a spindly tree nearby and decided shake the branch it was attached to. The bees (predictably) didn't care for this much and went after him with a vengeance. When I arrived, there were about three dozen bees covering him and Sarenna (who is allergic to bee stings and still holding Jayden) was trying to brush them off as best she could. The bees were everywhere and I knew that standing there and swatting them would be an exercise in futility, so I continued knocking them off of Danny as we ran through the field and away from the hive. About halfway back to camp, just as I thought we'd made a clean escape, I suddenly notice my back, neck and shoulder are all burning from where I'd been stung but hadn't even noticed! Danny, Jayden and Sarenna all escaped without a single sting, but we were all pretty shaken up.

We decided not to push our luck by going back until the bees had calmed down, and returned to the trucks to finish setting up camp. Marshan and Sally made some fantastic chicken soft tacos and the boys (who hadn't napped all day) ate and spent the evening alternating between giggling hysterically and sobbing over not being able to watch Barney. Finally, with the rain coming down harder than ever and the prospect of a long drive ahead in the morning, we decided to call it a night.

Not so fast! Danny and Jayden became convinced there were animals lurking in the bushes so after spending the evening setting up our new family-sized tent, I then had to empty the back of the LR3, lay two rows of seats flat and create a makeshift bed for the four of us! We crawled in, the rain beating down on the roof of the truck as Sarenna and I tried to coax the boys to sleep. Then we threatened them, yelled, cried and finally gave up entirely. At 3:30AM I moved three of the sleeping bags BACK to the tent and spent the rest of night with a flashlight shining on my face so the boys could see that I was still there as they eventually fell asleep...

Entering Tahoe National Forest via the Poker Flat OHV Trail...

Climbing toward the Saddleback Mountain Fire Lookout...

The trail changes from DR: 2 to DR: 3 after Saddleback Mountain...

A rocky descent into Poker Flat...

The Canyon Creek crossing on the way into the campground...

This car DIDN'T make it out of Poker Flat!

Some abandoned mining equipment amongst the trees...

Crumbling foundations from the original homes are scattered throughout the forest...

The plaque outside the 1886 Scott Home in Poker Flat...

A view inside the 1886 Scott Home...

The Restoration Project to save this historic home...

September 9, 2007: Baltic Ridge Trail

We had expected this road to be a little brushy.
I think there's still some paint behind the license plates!

The Baltic Ridge Trail had a number of surprises up it's sleeve today - Jeremy, Catherine and their daughter Caitlyn took on this deceptive trail with us. It's labelled a DR: 3/4 (depending on which direction you take it), but the majority of the trail is pretty easy logging road that hardly requires 4WD. The most difficult part is staying on the main trail and not inadvertently turning down one of the many unmarked side roads that intersect it.

Of course, to start things off right, I had to get us lost. Yes, the guy with fully-marked topos and off-road GPS capabilities couldn't manage to find the trailhead AGAIN. We found the turnoff for 9N20 from Mormon Emigrant Trail and started down the right fork - the one that looked like an actual off-road trail. About a mile down, right in the middle of the road, we discover someone has pitched camp! Sarenna gets out to see if the trail continues past the campsite and is told that this isn't 9N20, it's an unmarked spur. 9N20 is apparently blocked by fallen trees and we'd be better off going back to Meiss Road and intersecting the trail further down. Great. So we turn around, intending to take Mormon Emigrant Trail back to Meiss Road and start the trail from there. As we approach the end of the spur, we notice the LEFT fork (which looks entirely too tame) and decide to see where it leads. What do you know? This is 9N20! Even says so on the GPS I hadn't looked at. Grrr...

The trail begins as a wide, smooth dirt road (I've seen paved roads that were in worse shape) that is very dusty, but presented little in the way of obstacles. This is essentially a logging road and you can see some areas which have recently been cleared and a view of the valley on the southern side of the trail.

Then came the first surprise - we rounded a corner and jutting out halfway across the road is a fallen tree, the end of which is pointed like a spear and sticking about three feet off the ground!

Around we go, climbing the side of the trail to get around the log. Just as the log is lined up with the passenger-side window (and aimed at my head!) I feel the ground give and the front wheels slip a few inches down the hill!

The kids are fighting about Barney in the back seat and I'm having very unpleasant visions of them watching their father get decapitated by a tree! I edge the LR3 around the log, trying not to slip the wheels any further.

Finally, we're around it and after Jeremy makes it through, we're back to cruising down the trail at a good pace. So far, we hadn't seen any of the 'lightly brushy' areas that the various trail reviews had mentioned. The trail winds through some partially-logged forest and then opens up to sporadic patches of Manzanita, but never seems overgrown.

Well, that didn't last long! We descended into a saddle between two hilltops and found ourselves facing the 'lightly brushy' stuff. Apparently, 'lightly brushy' means the trail is overgrown so that it is narrower than Jeremy's Jeep Wrangler and the 'brush' is a combination of dried-out manzanita (always good for the paint) and some kind of nightmarish thorny shrub! I don't usually get too worked up about a few pinstripes, but I am NOT happy about this.

We head through the brush, Jeremy telling me over the radio he can hear the LR3 getting scratched from his position about 20 feet back! The only pictures we could get were of the milder sections because in the thickest parts, it was impossible to open the doors. We inched along, finally getting clear of the brush and Jeremy took the lead.

As we reached the halfway point, we decided to stop for lunch and found a great turnoff that was nicely shaded. The kids had fun running around, playing with pine cones, throwing grapes and Cheez-Its and terrorizing the local flora. Jeremy and I were starting to wonder if we were on the right trail because we hadn't seen a sign in a long time and the GPS said we were in the middle of nowhere. We decided to continue on, figuring the road had to lead SOMEWHERE and the signs of fairly recent logging activity meant we hadn't completely gone off the deep end. We continued down the 'goat trail' (as Jeremy christened it) and were greeted by some more sections of 'light brush'. The roadbed also began to get somewhat rutted and rocky as we slowly descended the ridgeline.

It's been frequently reported that one of the challenges of this trail (other than being 'lightly brushy') is that it can be 'somewhat difficult' to navigate. Apparently, this means if you DO happen to see a trail marker, it will be either:

A. So old the labels have fallen off and are completely unreadable.

B. Set in the middle of a fork, clearly pointing straight into a tree/boulder/cliff/etc... and not in either of the potential directions of travel.

C. Pointing in TWO directions, both with the same trail designation.


Gotta love those tax dollars at work.

Using a combination of coin-flipping and vague guess-timation, we managed to miraculously stay on the right path, eventually coming to the section that earns this trail it's DR: 3 rating. A relatively steep, loose and rocky (but thankfully not 'lightly brushy') descent that required some spotting to make sure we left with all the parts we'd started with...






After the slow crawl down Baltic Ridge, we were once again at a nice, wide logging road that was marked 9N20. Except that the GPS said we were on 10N46. Jeremy and I got out and using our tried-and-true methods of navigational discernment (basically, saying, "Let's try this way!") we headed down the trail. I think at this point, Catherine and Sarenna were both wondering if this wasn't how the Donner Party had met their untimely fate...

With my GPS lying through it's teeth and insisting we were on 10N46, we forged ahead, making our way down the hillside until we ran into an unmarked 'T' intersection - to the left was more dirt road, to the right... PAVEMENT! Pavement means civilization, so right it is! We traveled up the roughly paved road until it intersected with NF-6, the Consumnes Mine Road.

Now the question was, how do we get back to NF-5, the Mormon Emigrant Trail? Jeremy says right, but to our left is Bonnetti Road - the same road we'd taken the first time I'd gotten us lost trying to find the Baltic Ridge Trail - which I know intersects NF-5...eventually. We head right, but a few miles down, with Jeremy placing his unwavering faith in my previously exceptional navigational skills (and GPS), we turn around and head back toward Bonnetti Road. At the intersection of Bonnetti Road and NF-6, I (finally) decide to do the smart thing and program NF-5 into the GPS. Needless to say, we turned around AGAIN and head back up NF-6 where, sure enough, it crosses NF-5.

This trail is not as scenic as some of the others we've driven, mostly because the views from the ridge are obscured by dense forest. The forest itself is quite beautiful but signs of recent logging are clearly visible. Other than my less-than-stellar navigational performance, everyone had a good time and got home in one piece!

Directions:

Hwy. 50 East to Sly Park Road
Turn right onto Sly Park Road, heading South
Turn left onto Mormon Emigrant Trail (NF-5)
NF-5 intersects 9N20 about 2 miles past Meiss Road on the right.

Trail Notes:

The Baltic Ridge Trail is not particularly challenging - any 2WD high-clearance truck or SUV should be capable of tackling it. The one exception is the final descent toward 10N46 which requires 4WD, preferrably with low-range. Your paint WILL get damaged by the 'lightly brushy' sections of trail. One lesson I learned on this trip - GPS is great, but it is always good to have an actual topo map on hand. Both were wrong at various points along the way and thankfully Jeremy has some great dead-reckoning skills! There is no water along the trail but we did see some motorcycles and ATV's so the area is fairly well travelled. The area is actively logged so it is likely that you will encounter fallen trees which could block the trail.


A 'lightly brushy' section of the Baltic Ridge Trail...















The view from behind isn't so great...

But it sure beats this one!...