Squeezing Through The Narrows: A Grand Finale of a Grand Trip at Henry W. Coe State Park

Date: May 27, 2019
Place: Henry W. Coe State Park, Morgan Hill, California
Coordinates: 37.178681, -121.475425
Length: 7 miles
Level: strenuous

Day 3

On the morning of the third and final day of our two-family backpacking trip we woke up to an almost clear sky. The ground was still wet from yesterday's rain but not soaked through, indicating that all the rain spells we've experienced were really light.   

We took our time eating breakfast and breaking camp. Other backpackers walked up the trail on their way westward. As I mentioned in the Day 1 blogpost, our tents were quite close to the trail, so the other backpackers were walking right by our tens as we pulled them down. One of them made a snide comment as I quickly removed a tent pole from the trail before she would step over (or on) it. I merely shrugged, we were about to leave anyway. 

Leaving Shafer Corral

We were heading out today, back to the Coe Ranch Headquarters. This time however, we would go through The Narrows and climb up the hill from China Hole. With that in mind, we cleared Shafer Corral and instead of going uphill to the Blue Ridge Road where we came from on our first day we continued west along the east fork of Coyote Creek.
As soon as we cleared the campground area we had to cross the creek. Although we knew that we would have to walk in the water through The Narrows we were in no hurry to soak our shoes just yet so we crossed carefully balancing on strategically placed rocks.

Coyote Creek, East Fork

We begun our hike at a slow pace which suited me well because I would linger by the wildflowers that bloomed along the trail.

Western Larkspur, Delphinium hesperium

The trail itself was narrow and damaged in some places. There were evidence of recent by very light use. According to the docent we spoke with yesterday, this train was not maintained much by the park personnel.

Coyote Creek, East Fork

An interesting looking bush catches my attention. Superficially I get the impression that it is ambrosia, a common allergen known as ragweed. On a closer look I saw that it wasn't. It was durango root, a pretty and somewhat strange-looking shrub, with all of its floral parts hanging out.

Durango Root, Datisca glomerata

The mariposa lilies that bloomed along the trail I had no trouble identifying.

Yellow Mariposa Lily, Calochortus luteus

East of The Narrows there is a backcountry campground called Los Cruzeros. It was one of the sites I had tried to reserve when I realized that Poverty Flat was already booked. Los Cruzeros turned out to be booked as well, but when we got there we saw no signs of anyone being there for a while. Perhaps those who reserved the place didn't end up sleeping there. Or perhaps they were very good at leaving no trace. Either one, when we were there we had the whole place to ourselves.
Come to think of it, there was a funny-looking cairn under the tree, indicating that someone human has been there before us.

The creek near Los Cruzeros Campground

We took a short break at Los Cruzeros before getting on with our hike. I took a moment to enjoy the wildflower, although I wouldn't stoop or crouch while carrying the big backpack.

Monkeyflower, Erythranthe sp. 

And then the moment had come when we had to get in the water. The trail disappeared into the stream and there was no good way to bypass the water. Not that some of us didn't try - Pappa Quail and the mom of the there family did scramble through the brush on the north bank, but the kids were very happy to wade in the water and the other dad went obediently after them. Understanding that sooner or later I'd have to wet my shoes as well, I entered the stream rihjt away myself.

Coyote Creek, East Fork 

Little birds flew in and out of the creekside vegetation. They were after the bugs. And the bugs - they were after us. Although Henry W. Coe State Park is notorious for ticks we were fortunate not to see many ticks on our trip, only a few, and none of us was bitten by ticks. The mosquitoes however, did get us but thankfully, not too bad.

Brewer's Blackbird

Walking in the water was fun but also very slow and tedious. At first the water was fairly shallow but every now and then we would come upon a deeper waterhole and had to feel our way around it. So whenever we saw a trail along the creek bank we would get back onto dry land and quicken our pace.

California Poppy, Eschscholzia Californica 

There were certainly more wildflowers blooming along the creek in The Narrows than we've seen the day before when we hiked eastward. I was happy for the slow pace we walked at for it gave me the time to give each due attention. 

Meadow Deathcamas, Toxicoscordion venenosum

Although I also had to be very careful not to slip and fall into the water. I didn't worry about getting wet myself but I didn't wish my camera to be damaged. Pappa Quail too had to be careful, though he didn't use his camera as much as I used mine. There were fewer birds and only a few of those agreed to be photographed.

Black Phoebe

An interesting water plant grew in the creek. I didn't get a clear ID of the species but if and when I go down there again I'll take care to document this plant in better detail. Perhaps see it in bloom, even.

Mysterious water plant

There was another reason to pay closer attention to the water: big tadpoles wiggled over and between the creekbed pebbles. The kids were delighted to see them too.

Tadpoles in the creek

The hill slopes on both banks came closer and steeper, and the creek segment we were walking through came closer to its name. At this point everyone in our little two-family group had soaking wet shoes.

Into The Narrows

The water was very clear and the flow was slow and lazy. Tiny fish scattered before my clumsy, heavy feet as I sloshed my way through, zigzagging around rocks, water holes and clumps of rush and sedge.

Little fishies 

Progress became more difficult now.  The creek was more narrow with deeper places, and the bits of trail on dry land involved scrambling over and around rocks.

Into The Narrows

The rocks were very pretty to look at, when seen exposed of vegetation. I don't know the geology of the place (and from the little I read on the ark's website, it would be a pretty complicated thing), but I admired the rugged beauty of these rock formations.  Carved and smoothed by the creek the were nice to look at and good to walk or sit on.

The local birds also used these rocks as and convenient perch.

California Towhee

Light, fluffy white clouds started drifting overhead, like a flock of sheep across the deep blue sky. The forecast I've seen before going out on the trip had no rain predicted for this day.

The Narrows

There were more wildflowers blooming in The Narrows than in the wider part of the creek valley. Perhaps the higher complexity of the habitat allows for more species t thrive there, or maybe it's because of the prolonged spring conditions? I do not know.

Philadelphia Fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus 

The creek becomes deeper and more difficult to wade through as we progress downstream. Eventually we come to a waterhole that can be either passed by swimming or bypassed by climbing the rocks around it. None of us feels inclined to swim with the backpack on so we all scramble onto  the bank and file through the narrow path between the rocks and the thick vegetation, a path carved by people before us who made the same decision.

A Castle and a Moat 

That narrow path produces a new palette of wildflowers. Once again I become the caboose, lingering at each flower in turn.

Rock Lettuce, Dudleya cynosa 

None of these flowers were new to me but I was very please to see them all. The lovely colors and the lively display made me happy.

Wind Poppy, Papaver heterophyllum 

Spring seemed to linger longer inside The Narrows. I knew that once outside the canyon I'd be once again in the realm of summer.

Canyon Larkspur, Delphinium nudicaule 

Indeed we were closer to the end if The Narrows now. The final part there was no way of going on land so back into the water we went. Slowly and carefully we waded along the steep, rocky banks, placing one foot in front of the other along a narrow strip of shallow creek margin, avoiding the deeper water.
The clouds seemed thicker now and the sky no longer blue save for small patches here and there. Accordingly the temperatures took a dive and suddenly I was eager to get on dry land again.

The Narrows

Almost out of The Narrows I found that my camera had been on the macro setting since almost when we entered the water, what caused nearly all my photos to be unusually dark. I had to adjust the levels  before posting here. At the time however, I simply changed the setting again and hoped that the photos turned out ok anyway because I wasn't about to go back that day.

Algae anchored on a rock. 

At the opening of the canyon we got back on shore and quickened our pace. The kids started complaining that they were hungry and all of us were ready for a good break. The Narrows passage isn't long, but walking through it was slow and tiring. Still, it was by far the best trail segment of our entire trip.

Licorice, Glycyrrhiza lepidota 

Finally we were out of The Narrows but still not completely out of the water - the east fork of Coyote Creek meets the west fork at that place, somewhat upstream to China Hole. We still needed to cross the main stream and the only way to do it was through the water.

Coyote Creek

We walked a little downstream along Coyote Creek until we found a suitable place to cross it. On the west side we found the China Hole Trail and continued south toward China Hole in a single file.
I was at the rear. suddenly I heard Pappa Quail calling me urgently from the head of the group - they had found a rattle snake!
Quickly I pushed my way forward and managed to see and photograph the snake before it slithered away. It is amazing how well these creatures blend into their environment in perfect camouflage!

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake 

There were a few other people in China Hole, all of them day hikers. We dropped our packs and for a few long minutes we were just grateful to sit and relax and enjoy the sudden lightning of our load. This bliss didn't last very long - we had to prepare lunch.

China Hole

At the beginning of our trip I noticed the heavy loads of our friends. Having their first backpacking trip they're yet to calibrate their packs to their exact needs and avoid carrying too much. We had packed exact number of clothes , no extras to carry.
Now however, I was watching our friends stash away their wet socks and replacing them with their dry extras, while my family members could only wring the excess water from ours and rewear the same wet socks that we waded through The Narrows with.
Pappa Quail found a pretty dragonfly that was resting on the wet sand near us.

We finished our lunch but no one was too eager to start going again. What awaited us now was the big long uphill climb of the China Hole Trail to Manzanita Point. I believe we would have lingered longer at China Hole but suddenly the clouds burst and an unforecasted rain started. Within minutes we were all packed and ready to start uphill.
Needless to say, within a few steps uphill the rain stopped. It had fulfilled its purpose of motivating us to move on.

China Hole Trail up to Manzanita Point

Despite some complaints from the younger generation about going uphill, we were actually hiking pretty fast. It might have been the somewhat lighter load of the third day, or the lower temperatures, or the faint promise of a restaurant meal once outside the park, but the kids were leading our small group and they set a quick pace. I stopped momentarily to form a gap for the photo above (and others not posted here) but I would also stop to look at the wildflowers, already familiar to me from the descent to Poverty Flat on our first day.

Fringed Checker Mallow, Sidalcea diploscypha

For the most part however, I too continued on forward with very few stops. I did turn around every now and then to look back at the deep canyon we had walked through earlier. It was very difficult to see the thin strip of water between the steep slopes and under the tree canopies. I waved a mental goodbye to The Narrows, hoping to get back there at some point in the future. It would have to be a long and strenuous day hike or another backpacking trip.

View of The Narrows

Soon we left the oak savannah and now we were walking in thick chaparral. The kids in the lead arrived at the trail junction where we had turned onto the Poverty Flat Trail on our first day and they were waiting for all of us to gather there.
The chamise bushes were blooming nicely, like white fluffy clouds on the earth.

Chamise, Adenostoma fasciculatum

In between the chamise grow other shrubs and vines. The California man-root is one of the early spring bloomers and, by the time we were there, it was already bearing its spiny green fruit.

California man-root, Marah fabacea 

We continued uphill toward Manzanita Point. The trail curved so that we no longer had a view of The Narrows. We did however, had a very nice view of the Coyote Creek as if flowed south and away below us.

Coyote Creek

Closer to Manzanita Point the two older kids were walking so fast that they were almost running. Meanwhile the youngest of our group had nearly reached her limits so she and her dad had slowed their pace. I instructed the fast kids to wait for us by the campground's facilities until everyone arrived and meanwhile I placed myself at the one trail junction on the way to direct everyone behind me in the right direction before bringing up the rear.
Among the manzanita bushes Pappa Quail saw a wild turkey - surprisingly the only one detected on this trip.

Wild Turkey

I too took the time to once again enjoy the ground irises that were blooming at that location. They really do deserve another representation in the accounts of this trip :-).

Grund Iris, Iris macrosiphon 

We had a long and refreshing break at the Manzanita Point campground area. The clouds dissipated and the warm sun heated the air and us.From there we expected a smooth walk back to the Coe Headquarters, about 2.5 miles ahead. Once again we skipped the opportunity to sit by Bass Pond.

Bass Pond

We didn't anticipate any surprises but the people in the lead did get surprised by a gopher snake that sunned itself by the trailside. Pappa Quail photographed it but by the time I covered the gap it was already gone.

Gopher Snake

Taking the high road again I enjoyed much the beauty of the day and the light breeze that cooled us now that the sun was out. In smaller numbers than I've seen them in previous years but still very present - the sky lupine patches mirrored the blue and white sky above the ridge.

Sky Lupine, Lupinus nanus

We continued on without any major stop back to the Coe Ranch headquarters where we sat down to say our goodby words. Just then the elder chika reminded us that we promised them a restaurant meal. (Did I? Really? Couldn't remember that ...)

Back to the Coe Ranch Headquarters via Manzanita Point Road

And so it was that we said our goodbyes sometime later after a nice Thai meal in downtown Morgan hill. We summed up this trip as a raving success and made tentative plans for a future trip. So about now would be the time to get that ball rolling again :-)