Visiting Winter Wonderland: Cross Country Skiing at Caples Creek

 

 

Date: February 15, 2023

Place: Kirkwood, California

Coordinates: 38.703589, -120.072097

Length: Job's Jaunt:1 mile, Caples Creek: 3 miles

Level: moderate

 

 

Last month I managed to find a day with nothing on my schedule and a forecast of clear sky, so i told Pappa Quail that I'm taking the day off and going up to Kirkwood to ski. I had my downhill skies in the car but already on the way I started having divergent thoughts in my mind. When I approached Kirkwood and saw how strong the wind was, those divergent thoughts solidified into a decision. I passed the main entrance to the Kirkwood resort, and continued on hy88 for a quarter mile longer, then turned left into the cross country ski area. 

 It has been a long time since I skied cross-country. In fact, it has been 8 years. I decided it was time to go at it again, and ventured further into the beautiful snowy scenery of the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

The Kiddy Loop and Job's Jaunt

 

 After a couple of runs around the kiddy loop to get myself reacquainted with going on cross country skies I headed up to Job's Jaunt trail, a short, moderate groomed trail in the woods.  Not being sure of my stability on cross-country skies, I chose to leave my camera behind and take photos with my phone. 

Job's Jaunt Trailhead

I half expected winter wonderland to be still. It wasn't, of course. Despite the wind and the cold, there was wildlife activity all around me. Most of the activity was of birds, mainly chickadees with the occasional jay or raven.  Then there were the squirrels too. I didn't get photos of any of the animals - by the time I pulled my mittens off and had my phone camera on my would be subject had already hopped or flew away. All I got as evidence are the fresh squirrel tracks in the snow. 

Squirrel Tracks

For some time now I've been harboring the idea of going on a winter backpacking trip. Although snowshoeing would probably be my choice of travel, the thought of using cross-country skiing to traverse flat or mild downhill distances did come to my mind. Of course wilderness skiing wouldn't be the same as going on nicely groomed trail.

Job's Jaunt

The trail was perfectly groomed and there were no signs of anyone breaking it before me. I was the first skier to go there that day. I fishboned my way up the slope to the highest point of the loop and the view there was absolutely grand.

Along Job's Jaunt were a few post signs with historical information about the legendary US Post carrier, 'Snowshoe Thompson', who was the sole connector of information and mail delivery across the Sierra Nevada during the winter months in the time of the Gold Rush. Apparently his 'snowshoes' resembled more the cross country skies of our time.

The forest was thinner at the crest. The trees, nearly all conifers, looked nice and healthy. Despite the strong wind the trees seemed to be almost still. None of the trees had any snow in their canopies, time had passed since the last snow event. 

Job's Jaunt is only a mile long and even at my crawl speed skiing I made it down the final descent all too quickly. 

Thinking I could use a bit more practice I skied Job's Jaunt loop a second time, which is when I actually took the photos. After the second run I decided that I was ready for the longer loop of Caples Creek. 

 

Caples Creek Trail

 

 It was only half way up the first hill crest that I remembered to start my navigator again, so there's a third of a mile missing from the trail recording. Going uphill on skies is hard work and when I reached the top of the crest I was sweating and had to unzip my coat. It isn't a good idea to sweat when it's really cold outside, and the temperature was only slightly above freezing. 

I knew about the fire that raged in the area a couple of summers ago but seeing the charred remains of the forest on the snow-white background was jarring. The burnt patch here was relatively small, most of the forest along the loop trail was green and healthy looking. 

Going uphill on skies is hard work but coming downhill on cross-country skies was even harder for me. I'm a very mediocre skier and the cross country skies have much less control than the downhill skies I'm more familiar and experienced with. I didn't have the skill to do any sort of parallel turning or stopping with the long and thin cross country skies so I had to snow-plow my way on the downhill sections, wearing out my knees and thighs. When I finally reached the flat area surrounding Caples Creek (with only one fall, having caught an edge on a turn) I had to stand there for a while and catch my breath. 

When I felt I could move again I turned right to the Granite Rock loop. The map I was given at the rental center had the entire wilderness area east of Granite Rock closed off, but I don't think I would have gone there anyway - that area is for more advanced skiers. 

When I reached Caples Creek I had to pause again, this time in awe. I stood by the creek bank and admired the gorgeous sight of the calm, dark flow walled by two feet of pure snow. 

Caples Creek

 The flow was almost invisible. In fact, I could see the reflection very clearly on the surface, as if the water was standing. The sound of the flowing water however, gave it away. In the stillness of winter wonderland, the sound of the creek was like music to my ears. 

Caples Creek

I made my way around the Granite Rock loop without actually identifying what the 'Granite Rock' was. As I looped around I did recognize a familiar landmark - the three rocky 'horns' on top of the ridge to the west. This ridge towers right over Kirkwood Lake, where I've hiked in the past with my family and our friends. 

After completing the Granite Rock loop I continued west on the snowy plain toward the Beaver Pond Loop. By then I have already crossed paths with a handful of other skiers who moved on the snow with much more skill and assurance than me. Most of the time however, I was still very much alone. 

It was past noon and I was feeling hungry. I had my backpack with water and snacks but I didn't see any place where I could sit comfortably to have a lunch break, so I continued on westward. 

The Beaver Pond Trail is a narrow, little loop at the west end of Caples Creek loop trail. Entering Beaver Pond Trail I was once again in skiing in the forest, and along the beautiful Caples Ceek. 

Caples Creek

A fellow passed me quickly, gliding on his skies as if he was born on them. Behind him followed a mid size brown dog that reminded me of Disney's Pluto. The dog paused to sniff me but his owner called him and the dog continued galloping down the trail. In less then a minute, both man and dog vanished around the curve, and I continued my crawl-skiing after them. 

By that time I was very hungry. I was also feeling tired and needed a break. I looked for a fallen log that I could sit on, but there were none close enough to the trail, and I didn't want to wade in the deep snow with the rental ski shoes. When I completed the Beaver Pond trail loop and faced the uphill way back to the lodge I gave up on finding a comfortable sitting place, and I sat on the snow at the edge of the trail, and pulled the food out of my backpack. 

Reflection in Caples Creek

A couple of elderly skiers passed me while I was sitting there. They too were on their way back to the lodge. We exchanged greetings and impressions and I watched them as they made their way uphill, envying the apparent ease in which they did so. 

When I finished my lunch break I felt invigorated and ready to get going up the hill crest. Going uphill on skies can be done by either very slow and tedious side-stepping, or by 'fishboning', named so by the ski tracks left in the snow by pushing each ski sideways in an angle with each step. 'Fishboning' is much faster and more efficient, but also requires a great deal of fitness and stamina. Thankfully, the uphill stretch wasn't all that long. I was very proud of myself for having stopped for only one short break on the way up. 

The last bit of the Caples Creek loop trail overlaps the Job's Jaunt loop. By then I was considerably more confident on the cross country skies, and I let myself slide downhill with much less snow-plow dig. 

 

It was around two thirty when I finished my day in winter wonderland by Kirkwood. For a moment I entertained the thought of maybe going to the slopes of the downhill ski area, but after i returned my rentals and made it back to my car I realized that I had only one hour eft before they's close the lifts, so I resigned to going back home. 

 I drove away into the sunset (literally) with the conviction of doing this again, even if it means giving up a day or two of downhill skiing opportunity. Passionate downhill skiers might not understand this. Cross-country is hard work, and not even remotely as thrilling as downhill ski. It is however, greatly rewarding on other levels. For an avid hiker as me, cross-country skiing opens up trails that would otherwise be either inaccessible or harder to traverse during the winter season. For me it is a way to immerse in a part of Nature that is otherwise reserved to the chickadees and the squirrels, and the silent firs. It is another door that's available to me when I venture into winter wonderland. 

 

 

On A Botanical Treasure Hunt at Lake Margaret

Lake Margaret

Date: August 3, 2019
Place: Lake Margaret, Kirkwood, California
Coordinates: 38.704396, -120.069563
Length: about 5.5 miles round trip
Level: moderate +

A few months ago when I was just beginning to formulate my annual backpacking trip I saw an announcement on the California Native Plants Society page about a botanical guided hike planned in the area of Kirkwood on the Saturday of August 3, right at the end of the week I had planned my backpacking on. I did a quick assessment in my mind and promptly signed up to participate in that hike.

And so, after completing a wonderful five-days backpacking trip in Yosemite my friend and I drove up to Kit Carson Campground where we had spent the night before the group hike and, on the following morning drove up to the small Lake Margaret parking lot off rte 88.

Near the Trailhead

A small group of people was already waiting at the parking lot. We had a short round of introduction, then headed off to the trail right away.

The hike as was captured by my GPS

Knowing nothing about the trail (I failed to do my homework ...) I wondered aloud how long is the hike expected to be. The tail, I was told, is not very long - just under 3 miles one way. but we're botanists, and we walk slow because we stop at each flower, I was informed.

Dwarf Larkspur, Delphinium depauperatum 

I immediately felt comfortable with this group of people I have just met for the first time.

Broad leaf Lupine, Lupinus latifolius 

The trail goes up and down a lot, over rocky ridges and through small meadows and patches of forest, and a small creek here and there, flanked by wetland areas.

California Corn Lily, Veratrum californicum var. californicum 

The official botanist of the group kept pointing at plants and reciting their latin names. I tried walking close to him so I could catch those names but in the end I could only remember a few, meaning at home afterwords I had to look everything up again. This one I did remember, and when fruiting it is quite memorable:

Twinberry, Lonicera involucrata

He said to stop when we see something interesting ... so we stopped a lot.

Sierra Tiger Lily, Lilium parvum 

In between the blooming meadows we crossed some rocky ridges. That involved some rock scrambling and occasionally when I got separated from the leaders, trying to guess where the trail continued. Every now and then I would raise my gaze from the ground and the wildflowers and took in the view of the surroundings. Having spent the previous five days in Yosemite's high country didn't diminish any of the area's striking beauty in my eyes.

But then again, wildflowers were the main item on my agenda for this hike.

Pretty Face, Triteleia ixioides 

Our group wasn't big yet soon we stretched over a big distance with large gaps in between. The botanist lingered with the slow people and elaborated on the wildflowers we've seen on the way.

Dusky Onion, Allium campanulatum

So, by the time we arrived at the first crossing of Caples Creek most of our group had already crossed it and continued on.

But those of us who took it slow were treated to a pretty flower, one which Ive never seen in bloom before: Lewis' Monkeyflower. Not long ago all monkey flowers were grouped in the Mimulus genus. Recently however, they were split into several genera and now I have a hard time figuring out which is what. I was glad to have been told the species name of this one.

Lewis' Monkeyflower, Erythranthe lewisii 

Near the water were also much more common wildflowers. I usually don't even try to identify yellow composites to the species level but once again the botanist came to my aid, divulging the plant's identity.

Groundsel, Senecio triangularis 

We crossed the creek and followed the group. At that point we were walking in the shade of a nice conifer patch and the forest floor was matted with the small, velvety lupine that I've seen in Yosemite on my backpacking trip.

Brewer's Lupine, Lupinus breweri 

By the time we caught up with the people before us we had all come to stop: someone had spotted a small patch of coral root orchid and everyone circled the plants to get a good look and if possible, good photos too.

Summer Coral Root, Corallorhiza maculata

A little further we were out of the forest and in a lovely meadow lit with sunshine and painted with bright-colored wildflowers.

Soon our group stretched into a long string of people again, each of us looking at different plants.

Alpine Shooting star, Primula tetrandra

An important goal of this hike was to learn to use the Claflora app to upload plant observations to the Calflora website. Because I use Calflora frequently to identify plants I thought it would be a good idea to learn to contribute. Besides, how often do I get a chance to hike with wildflowers expects?

Sierra Beardstongue, Penstemon heterodoxus 

I sure made a good use of the experts' presence and willingness to educate me. But I couldn't get anyone else in the group excited about the grasses and sedges I saw. I do think they're beautiful, though.

Having hiked this trail before, the group's botanist knew where to find wildflowers off the trail and he beaconed us to follow him to the base if the rocks to take a closer look at some of them.

Pink Alumroot, Heuchera rubescens 

By the time I saw some paintbrush plants across the meadow the group had already moved on, so I took a quick shot and run after them.

Scarlet Paintbrush, Castilleja miniata 

Caples Creek makes a wide arch and we crossed it again a second time. All the crossing were on fallen logs, strategically places across the stream. It was far easier todo this without the huge backpack that I had to carry for the previous 5 days!

Crossing Caples Creek 

The meadow on the other side was much wider. The botanist took the group aside to show them a patch of lousewort flowers. My friend and I stayed behind to spray ourselves - the mosquitoes were much more numerous here than anywhere else along the trail.

Going off trail to see wildflowers

Soon after we rejoined the group in admiring the lousewort flowers too.

Little Elephantshead, Pedicularis attollens ssp. attollens

Back in the forest we stopped for a brief snack and water break and chat to get to know each other better.

Oceanspray, Holodiscus discolor 

I tried to take mostly people-free photos but at times it was quite challenging, because there were many other hikers on the trail that day, including two large groups of boyscout backpackers, one returning from the lake after having spent the night there, and another just going in.


There were many other hikers there as well, and some had dogs with them. I was fortunate to hava had the chance to photograph some of the multitudes of butterflies that were flying all over the place.

One can imagine that with all the wildflowers blooming there would be a lot of butterflies (as well as other pollinators) flying around. There weren't sitting still though. The heat and the presence of so many active people and dogs walking on the trail (or off it) had limited my chances of getting good butterfly shots. I did manage a few, though. What was impossible however, was to get a butterfly-free photo of the coyote mint, which was very prevalent and in peak bloom too. Well, I didn't try too hard at that :-)

Coyote Mint, Monardella villose 

The Penstemon genus is a large one, with many species look very much like one another, and having an expert botanist in the group was really helpful. This one is another wildflower I'd have never been able to identify by myself:

Regel's Mountain penstemon, Penstemon roezlii 

We were getting near our destination but first had to go up another, higher rocky ridge. I love the sleek granite slabs of the High Sierra and admire the majestic trees that take root and thrive in the thin crevices of the hard rock.

Passing a small forest pond I stopped to look at the perfect reflection of the calm water.

The wetland surrounding the pond was another colorful bed of colorful mountain wildflowers.

Brewer's Fleabane, Erigeron breweri 

Here too I was grateful for the presence of our group's botanist to show me the differences between two species of yellow monkey flowers that to see looked all the same ... I hope I got their names memorized correctly.

Larger Mountain Monkeyflower, Erythranthe tilingii 

Not all monkey flowers are the same, even if they look alike.

Primrose Monkeyflower, Erythranthe primuloides

We came upon Kitrkwood Creek. The trail followed the creek for some distance and we enjoyed the lush riparian vegetation that grew on its banks.

Near the creek - a familiar mountain shrub, the rose meadowsweet in bright pink bloom and lots of bugs buzzing around it.

Rose Meadowsweet, Spiraea splendens

Our botanist identified for us a pretty red flower that someone in our group had spotted. Many of us got close to take  good image, one good enough to upload to Calflora.

Scarlet Gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata

The scarlet gilia was very pretty but there was a lot more excitement over a single mariposa lily that was spotted near our trail. Many of our group lined up to take a close up photo of the lily. I had seen many of them on my preceding backpacking trip so I settled for photographing the photographers :-)

Leichtlin's Mariposa Lily, Calochortus leichtlinii

We arrived at the crossing of Kirkwood Creek. A large group of boycott backpackers filed along the log bridge and balanced one by one across the stream.

Meanwhile our much smaller group assembled on the side of the trail and looked at what was blooming nearby.

Streamside Bluebells, Mertensia ciliata 

Of those there were many. Group participants who had done this very same hike at this exact time of year last year said that there were much fewer wildflowers then. This year the snow stuck late and everything was peaking when we were there.

Sierra Larkspur, Delphinium glaucum 

It was really very fortunate. In fact, one of my challenges was to keep this post to an acceptable size - many good wildflower photos had to be cut from this post.

Horse Mint, Agastache urticifolia 

But although this was a wildflower hike, the trees captivated me just the same.

The last part of our trail ascended up through a crevice in a a steep rock face. From there we descended in a single file into the basin of Lake Margaret. (Full view of the lake at the top of this post).

Lake Margaret, view from above

There were many people at the shores of the lake. Most of the shoreline was rocky and set well above the water. We found a low rocky ledge and sat down to have lunch. While all the day hikers in our group had sandwiches and snacks, all my friend and I had was backpackers food. We therefore pulled out the stove, filled a pot with lake water, and cooked a tasty hot chilly and miso soup. While cooking I kept my attention on the pretty blue damselflies that swooped by, and caught some of them on camera as they came to rest.

Damselflies

A few people were swimming in the far side of the lake. The water must have been cold otherwise I thought there would be more swimmers on such a warm day.
A mamma mallard swam by, accompanied by three ducklings. They didn't come too close and i was glad to see that they didn't seem habituated on human food. I didn't see any other waterfowl.

Mamma Mallard and one of the three ducklings I saw with her

Our group leader didn't waste any time. She disappeared behind a bush and returned wearing swimsuit and goggles, and she was holding an underwater phone case. Without further ado she jumped into the water and started swimming away. Her goal was to find and photograph a rare water plant, the white-stemmed pondweed.

Our hike's organizer diving for White-stemmed Pondweed 

She had done several dives, changing to another phone case and also trying an underwater go pro camera, and got some nice photos of the water plant. I regretted having missed in her email the part about bringing swimwear, the water looked so inviting!

After getting photos to her satisfaction she joined us on the rock ledge to have her own lunch and dry up before changing clothes again. It was a beautiful, calm time of day and I gazed onto the water and daydreamed. 

Our way back from the lake was much quicker. Naturally, we did not stop an each wildflower we saw, having appreciated them all on the way in. I did however, take the opportunity to get another try at flowers that I didn't think I captured well the first time.

Monkshood, Aconitum columbianum 

Now that it was past mid day the trail seemed more quiet. We run into fewer people on our way back, but some of them were known to people in our group so everyone stopped to have a chat. Me and my friend too got into more social and less plant-focused chats with other group members. It was an easy and relaxing hike.

Not that we neglected the wildflowers - I spotted a pine wood lousewort that was in bloom and pointed it out to the others. This we've seen on the way in were not yet in bloom and it was nice to see one that was.

Pine Woods Lousewort, Pedicularis semibabata

And I didn't forget the trees. Not the big and majestic ones,

Sierra Juniper, Juniperus grandis 

And not the small, shrublike ones.

Huckleberry Oak, Quercus vacciniifolia

It seemed easier scrambling down the rocks rather than going up. This time also, I found myself in the group's lead, pressing on forward. Now I wanted to finish the hike quickly because I hoped to get back to the Bay Area in time to pick up my elder chika from her 4H camp drop off place and space Pappa Quail the extra trip.

But eagerness to get home did not come in place of wanting to stay some more in the mountains. I wish I could.

Mushroom

It was my first time joining a botanical group hike. I learned a lot and met nice, knowledgeable people who share a similar passion with me. We had a fantastic weather and were fortunate to be there at peak bloom.

I also learned about this beautiful trail and the lovely lake at its end. I don't know that I would have ever found out about it by myself. The trail is beautiful, and while fairly well marked, it is quite rugged at places and involved creek crossing on fallen log bridges and some scrambling up and down rocks. It's well worth the time to go and explore this pretty corner of the forest.

Coming up to the trailhead

I was sorry to say goodbye so quickly. This hike was the perfect encore of a beautiful and adventurous backpacking trip about which I will post later this year. I have been uploading photos to Calflora since and I hope to go once again on one of those organized botanical hikes!

Many thanks to Cynthia, Matt, and Mona of Calflora for organizing this hike and for sharing their immense knowledge and love of wildflowers with us!