Geocaching – BOOTS on the TRAIL

Goosenest (Klamath National Forest) 07-Oct-2018

2018-10-072022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Northern CaliforniaTagged California, Day Hiking, Geocaching, Goosenest, Hiking, Klamath National Forest, Mount Shasta, Northern California, Weed California

Goosenest Mount Shasta Northern California

Tricky drive; short hike; spectacular views. Goosenest (8,280 feet) is an extinct (hopefully) shield volcano with a cinder cone on top, resembling a goose’s nest (actually it looks more like an albatross nest, but those aren’t that common in Northern California). It sits just north of Mount Shasta and affords amazing views of the north side of that peak and a 360º view across much of Northern California. The hike to these views is short (3.3 miles total – if you circle the crater) on a well-graded, well-maintained trail plus an obvious use trail. It even has an official trailhead with a sign and an information board. The trick is finding that trailhead, as we would discover as we followed conflicting (and sometimes incorrect) driving directions to (eventually) reach it.

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Lake Genevieve (Desolation Wilderness) 01-Oct-2018

2018-10-012022-01-30Posted in California Wilderness Areas, Hiking, Sierra Nevada (California)Tagged California, Day Hiking, Desolation Wilderness, Geocaching, Hiking, Lake Genevieve California, Lake Tahoe, Meeks Creek Trailhead, Sierra Nevada (CA), Tahoe-Yosemite Trail2 Comments

Lake Genevieve Desolation Wilderness Lake Tahoe California

For our last Fall color hike on this trip, we picked the Meeks Creek drainage near Lake Tahoe, California based on a suggestion in only one guidebook. Well, it didn’t have too much in the way of color but it was a nice hike on a good day to a pretty lake. Plus we logged an unexpected geocache on the way back! We stayed in South Lake Tahoe and were forcefully reminded (again) of what a traffic snarl it can be (particularly if they’re paving the road during rush hour).

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Williams Lake (Wheeler Peak Wilderness, NM) 25-Jun-2018

2018-06-252022-01-30Posted in Hiking, New MexicoTagged Day Hiking, Geocaching, Hiking, New Mexico, Taos New Mexico, Taos Ski Valley, Wheeler Peak New Mexico, Wheeler Peak Wilderness, Williams Lake New Mexico

Williams Lake Wheeler Peak Wilderness New Mexico

After she’d had a day of art appreciation with other family members, I was able to persuade The LovedOne to join me for a short hike to Williams Lake, south of Taos Ski Valley, at the base of the highest peak in New Mexico (Wheeler Peak). Every area we’ve ever visited seems to have at least one short, easily accessible, and not too steep (and hence wildly popular) hike to big scenery. Judging from the size of its trailhead parking lot, the number of cars there on a weekday, and the width of its tread, the trail to Williams Lake, in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness, is that hike in Northern New Mexico. We had last hiked it in 1993 during a fierce thunder and lightning and hail storm that caught us on the way back from an ascent of Wheeler Peak. We were looking forward to not having an experience like that again (we didn’t).

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Jacksonville Forest Park IV (Oregon) 02-Apr-2018

2018-04-022022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Oregon, Southern OregonTagged BLM, Bureau of Land Management, Day Hiking, Geocaching, Hiking, Jacksonville Forest Park, Jacksonville Oregon, Jacksonville Woodlands Association, Jacksonville Woodlands Trails, Norling Mine Oregon, Oregon, Southern Oregon2 Comments

Jacksonville Forest Park Arrowhead Pass Trail Oregon

Well, maybe we went a little out-of-bounds this time but, having done a lot of hiking in Forest Park recently, we were looking for some new trails to explore. Plus there were some geocaches hidden out in the wilds that seemed like they’d be fun to hunt for. Plus The LovedOne’s knee was still saying “no long hikes or I’ll hurt you..” So when we were offered a bluebird – perfect-for-hiking – sunny day, we were off for yet another hike in (and out of) 1,100-acre Forest Park.

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One Day on Upper Table Rock 03-Mar-2018

2018-03-032022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Oregon, Southern OregonTagged Day Hiking, Geocaching, Hiking, Medford Oregon, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Upper Table Rock Oregon, Vernal pools, Wildflowers4 Comments

The weather forecast for today was not extending the hand of hiker friendship. In fact, it was petulant and gloomy. If I’d bought into its warnings and watches, what proved to be an exceptionally nice day on Upper Table Rock would have been forsaken. With The LovedOne entangled in the skeins of the annual Rose City Yarn Crawl, some geocaching seemed like an appropriate way to fill the void. Poking around looking for little slips of paper in small containers has its moments, which are all that much better when the weather surprises you with niceness. Hunting for the caches took me into seldom visited (and ecologically fascinating) areas of the plateau and I didn’t see anyone else until I got back to the main trail. There is a lot of water up there, not just in the vernal pools, but everywhere; which speaks well for an exuberance of wildflowers in April and May.

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