My plan was to check out the Change Creek Trail, prior to the planned 8/12 midnight meteor hike with Derek and Camden. But Jan is off next week and we were talking about bringing Brittany and Dean out to the Middle Fork to take a walk on the Oxbow Loop Trail. So I changed plans, and got to Oxbow really early and took a little walk to check it out.
I figured, when all is said and done, that it might be best for us to do Camp Brown instead and make a picnic of it.
After Oxbow I hopped back in the car and drove to the Middle Fork Trail Head. I crossed the road and went up the CCC Trail. My plan was to go to where I thought the unofficial trail to Quartz Mountain started, and then hike up far enough to register on the GPX track and then take it home and compare it side-by-side with one of the mountaineers Quartz tracks.
When I did, it was obvious that I was wrong, and they have gone up at the nearby creek, which is marked by a little bridge. It is very near the intersection of the CCC Trail and a former road market on some maps as 210 – I looked for it but it is essentially completely overgrown. There was nothing to see.
On the way back I headed up to the site of the former Nordrum Lookout, a welcome section of ‘steep’ on an otherwise flat trail. It was interesting to do this trail without the snow and, especially, without all the murderous blowdowns that were so obnoxious a few months ago. Someone, or some group, went through the trail and sawed up all the downed trees. Nice!
About 6 miles, track below. As usual, I enjoy the blend of forest and sun.
Someone shot two arrows into the tree below; not visible in the photo but when I passed underneath the tree I could see them. They looked pretty old. I am trying to imagine why someone would stand around the forest shooting arrows into trees. And with enough force to penetrate the tree deeply enough to stick around for, perhaps, decades.
