Day Hike to Woodchuck Creek area 26 May 2013

I took this hike to explore a cross-country route from the southern lip of the Woodchuck Creek drainage to Chimney Lake. Descending to the creek was straightforward until reaching the bogs/swamps/meadows near the creek where I had to take care to keep my feet fairly dry. I took off my shoes to ford Woodchuck Creek and found the trail just a few meters north of the ford. My plan was to ascend the trail to Indian Springs but I turned north at a major tributary of Woodchuck Creek and ascended up the south facing slope. It's pretty easy to follow my route if you look at my observations for the day. Walking was easy and deadfalls were easy to avoid. Bogs were all over the place. Oddly, flowers were blooming at the highest elevations. I decided to turn around at one o'clock so I could return to the trailhead before sundown. I reached an elevation of about 9,500 feet. When I posted GPS data for the trip, I realized I was only 0.4 miles from the trail to Chimney Lake. The shortcut looks like a good one. I took my time on the return trip. I took 177 photos, mostly of flowers.

Posted on Μάιος 29, 2013 0309 ΠΜ by sekihiker