Stevens Trail Wildflowers

With the rising temperatures and recent rainfall, the wildflowers are starting to bloom in Northern California. Today I left my gold pan at home and brought only my camera to Stevens Trail. The parking lot at the trailhead by Colfax was almost full.

Today was a preview. I hear the color peaks out in the next weeks, so I'll make return trips.

There were a few patches of wildflowers on the south facing slopes. Once I passed the patches I had the ordinary everyday views of Stevens Trail such as below. These ordinary everyday views make the North Fork of the American River spectacular.

I left the main trail to explore a level area by the river. The little wear on the path showed few people went there. During the Gold Rush and the Depression many miners camped in this area. I found a piece of what may have been a ceramic jug. Did it date to the Gold Rush itself? I left it where I found it.

I ended at the spot where I had panned for gold these past weeks. The water level had not risen much. I took the overview photo below from atop a slate outcrop. I looked down and saw some grinding holes. These were made over many centuries by Nisenan women, as they ground seeds into meal.

On the return hike, the California golden poppies were starting to open up in the warmth of the noonday sun.

I reached my truck and drove to Colfax Cemetery, a short distance from the trailhead, to pay my respects to Truman Stevens, builder of Stevens Trail. He left Camden, Maine in 1859 and crossed Panama to reach the California gold country. He made his living charging a toll on the trail named for him. He died in 1884.

First Hike of the Year on Euchre Bar Trail

Normally Euchre Bar Trail is my first good hike of the year, done when my legs are out of shape, and following the 1.25 mile walk with its 1,800ft elevation gain out of the canyon, I feel it in the leg muscles the next day. But today's hike was different. I could have walked back to the truck without stopping had I wanted - and at a good pace. Three reasons: 1) I've hiked Stevens Trail several times these past weeks, so my leg muscles are in shape; 2) I was well hydrated; and 3) I used a new Osprey pack that put the weight on my hips. My Jansport pack put the weight on my shoulders. Also, the Osprey pack sat close to my back. The difference in the weight distribution was noticable, making for a much more pleasant hike.

Today's hike was just exploratory, no gold pan brought along, I wanted to check the river level. More hikes to follow.

Black Bears and Cougars and Ticks, Oh My!

The North and Middle Forks of the American River have black bears and cougars, but the creature to fear on a hike is the lowly tick carrying Lyme disease. While the black bear and the cougar generally want to avoid an encounter with humans, the tick wants to latch on at any time.

A canyon trail is a thin ribbon surrounded by vast tracts of land that people rarely enter. Consider the spot on Stevens Trail where the mountain lion was killed last month. This was near the town of Colfax. Stevens Trail is a very popular hiking trail in the Sacramento area. Families with small children use it. People stick to the trail and rarely venture beyond it. There's little reason to stray from the trail - the hillsides are steep and full of trees and brush, and the river is the goal of the hike. So the trail has many hikers on weekends, fewer on weekdays, and is quiet at night. Nearby in the woods lives the mountain lion. It keeps away from the trail during the day, perhaps uses it at night, and upon hearing the rare human in the forest it quietly goes in the other direction.

Remember as you're hiking the canyons that you're in something else's territory. But since the likelihood of being attacked by a bear or a mountain lion is very, very low, enjoy the hike. Just check yourself for ticks, you don't want to get Lyme disease.

2013 Bok Kai Festival

As I type this, my ears are still ringing from the fireworks in Marysville today for the Bok Kai Festival. Marysville calls itself "The Gateway to the Goldfields," and its Chinatown dates to the Gold Rush, although what remains is a remnant of what once was. Decades ago the young ones started to move out for opportunities elsewhere. But they remember their Marysville heritage, and return for the annual Bok Kai festival. Even those of no Chinese heritage are drawn to the parade, the historic Bok Kai temple and its water god Bok Eye, the lions blessing the businesses, the gongs and the cymbals and the drums, and the fireworks. This weekend was the 133rd festival.

(Just a small note: Airmen from nearby Beale Air Force Base volunteer to parade the Bok Eye dragon through the streets.)