Continued...
On our second and last day in the King Range, I had some easy hikes for
Jackie and I to do before heading home. In order to beat the heat we
experienced the previous day, I figured we'd get an early start and get done
well before noon. The hike to Chamisal was quite lovely, enjoyed by both of us
but the latter one was of the sort that only a peakbagger could enjoy.
Chamisal Peak
This
CC-listed summit lies south of the Shelter Cove Rd. We used one of the
two possible trailheads, the off signed and
paved Chemise Mtn Rd. The start of the trail is not obvious from the campground
as there are at least three bridges over Bear Creek, two of which lead to
campsites. We eventually found the trail starting at the
to the
east and from the start found it quite nice. It climbs about 800ft in 1.5mi,
rising through lusher forest than we had found the previous day at King Peak.
There are with water, ferns and other bright green
plants in the understory with leaves covering much of .
Reaching in about 40min, we found at
the summit overlook with a serene view towards (no ocean
views on this one). It was a fine little spot that we enjoyed having to
. We returned in about 30min via the same route.
Queen Peak
This is the second most prominent summit in the King Range after King Peak with
1,400ft of prominence. There is no trail to the summit but an unsigned dirt
road passes just north of it. I had expected to walk the two miles from paved
Shelter Cove Rd to reach it since this spur road is shown as a jeep trail on the
topo map. I was happy to find the road quite driveable, not as good as the Kings
Peak Rd, but good enough to drive the low-clearance van on. I probably could
have drive right to the base of the final summit climb but a somewhat steep
downhill ahead had me stop at a small clearing at the one-mile mark. I don't
mind trying to climb such hills on the way to a peak, but not so much on the
way back where I have the potential of getting stuck (my $600 towing expense
in Hawaii from the previous year was still quite fresh). Jackie joined me for
the short walk along the road to the base of the mountain but declined to
continue for the cross-country to a summit with no views. So I left her
and headed up the steep slope towards the summit less than 1/10th mile
distance. Though terribly steep, I actually found it quite fun with clear
going on the north slope under cover of forest. I weaved my way along the ridge
when I reached it, through tightly-packed tree branches to find the highpoint
at a little knoll where three ridgelines come together. I found no David Naylor
register on this one like the previous day. I left a small stack of sticks and
branches to mark the highpoint. I took a more direct route down to the road on
the descent and was quickly . Ten minutes later we
were back , done with hiking before 10a.
Humboldt Redwood State Park
On our way back to US101 we stopped at a small grove of large redwoods in the
state park. Jackie had wanted to see some big trees and so far all our hiking
was through second growth forest. Here along
were some stately
specimens hundreds of years old.
Confusion Hill
Jackie had never been to a roadside attraction, the silly little stopping points
that sprung up across the nation in the middle of the last century when ordinary
folks starting taking to their cars for recreation.
is home to the , and for $10 one gets to tour this old
built specifically for the purpose of amusement. There are all sorts of
scattered throughout the grounds of
and we spent about half an hour before heading on
our way. A was had by all.
Slacker Hill
I surprised Jackie with a stop in Marin Headlands, just before the Golden Gate
Bridge. We stopped here two days earlier for an easy stroll to nearby Hawk Hill,
but it was only later I realized there was a second summit. I figured a short
stop would help us stretch our legs before the final drive through SF and on to
San Jose. Unlike the first stop here with beautiful clear skies, today had
, keeping the temps cool (about 64F) and
. We
spent about half an hour hiking the to both the
lower and the higher . The wind was
blowing strongly which provided Jackie and later a
reason to . It was a nice to three easy
days in the coast mountains.