Story

Continued...

The last day of this 4-day roadtrip had a trio of P1Ks planned in the Six Rivers National Forest, south of SR299. The main roads through the area are very good, several of them paved, but it's a long drive from the highway to get to any of the P1Ks. I decided to make a day of it, tagging whatever other summits I could find in the area before returning to the highway and then home. It turns out there are quite a few summits along the route and I managed to tag most of them in a display of shameless stat-padding. Though the hikes tended to be short, they were often quite steep, usually cross-country, and the collection gave quite a workout. I actually enjoyed the random walks through the forest more than I had expected I would. None of them had any sort of real bushwhacking, and I only saw poison oak in a few places, never much to worry about. Oh, and no ticks today, a bonus.

Bug Creek Butte

This was the most interesting of the day's peaks, the longest hike, and the furthest from the highway. I had driven to the start the evening before, getting to within about 2mi of the summit before the road I was following turned into a motorcycle track. The last two miles of driving were high-clearance, but up to that point (labeled "Brays Opening" on the topo map) the road is paved. In the morning, I followed the motorcycle track through the forest heading west as it drops down onto the connecting ridgeline between Bug Creek Butte and Board Camp Mtn. Upon starting down to one of several saddles along the ridge, one gets only a fleeting view of forested Bug Creek Butte in the distance. The views of it improve as one goes along, but the peak itself is rather dull. The ridge is the interesting part of this hike, a mix of brush, flowers, grassy slopes and unvegetated sections. The motorcycle track goes about halfway along the ridge before veering off to the northwest through the woods. To the south is the Mad River drainage, filled with fog this morning to make for a tranquil scene. There are some rugged crags on the south side of Bug Creek Butte and to the north are some surprising grass-covered hills that mark a sharp contrast with the surrounding forest and brush. The second half of the hike is a cross-country effort, but by taking my time to look for openings and following animal paths, I could pick my way along the ridge to discover the various surprises found along the way. Where the ridge was choked with brush, the north side offered bypasses through more open forest cover. The summit had a USDA benchmark from 1933 with open views to the south but otherwise blocked by surrounding trees. I left a register here under a small pile of rocks I collected, then headed back. It was 9a by the time I returned, having spent about 2.5hrs on the effort.

Board Camp Mtn

The summit is only a quarter mile from where I had camped and a drive-up, though the last several hundred yards are a bit brushy. There is a clearing to turn around near the summit, with the final couple hundred feet on foot through an overgrown path. There are some concrete footings found at the highpoint with a fire ring and rather poor views due to brush and trees.

Kinsey Ridge

Kinsey Ridge runs north from Board Camp Mtn with paved Forest Road 1 going within 20ft of the highpoint. This part of the ridge is outside the national forest and owned by a logging concern which has done extensive logging in the area. Rather unexciting summit.

Spike Buck Mtn

This P1K is found about half a mile east of Forest Road 1, also owned by the same logging concern. Spur Forest Rd 5N18 goes east from the pavement around the north side of Spike Buck Mtn. The gate at the pavement was open, allowing me to drive within 1/5mi from the summit. A steep climb up from the northwest got me to the summit in about 10min. No views on this one, but I left a register since it is a P1K.

Grouse Mtn

This flattish summit is located about a mile SSW of Spike Buck, outside the national forest. There is a locked gate on the spur off Forest Road 5N04 about 1/3mi from the summit. I walked the road to the summit only to discover several pickup trucks, voices, and what looked like plant stakes in a collection of bins. An active grow site? I turned tail and left before being spotted or finding out what was going on up there. The satellite view shows the lookout tower no longer there.

Ammon Ridge

Located about 2mi NE of Spike Buck, this one makes for a pleasant hike. An old road (no longer driveable) goes nearly to the summit from paved 5N01, about a mile distance. Hunters appear to maintain the road as a use trail, clearing brush on this quiet stretch of road. Only the last few hundred feet are cross-country, going steeply up to a wooded summit with limited views. The east side of the summit drops off steeply with a decent view through the trees.

Peak 4,346ft

This is found about a mile east of the Ammon Ridge summit. There is an old ranger station located at the saddle between the two points, just off the pavement. I parked on the nearby circular concrete (heli?) pad, walked by the two boarded up cabins and a gravesite, then headed up to less than half a mile away through forest understory. Zero views here, but at least it was an easy hike. On the way back I dropped south to the old road found on that side and walked it back to the cabins. One might be able to drive this road to get a closer start to the summit.

Sims Mtn

The excellently maintained (but unpaved) Forest Rd 6 goes through the saddle between Sims Mtn and Sims Mtn East. A rough spur road (4N36B) gets one to within a few hundred feet of the summit on its northeast side. A steep cross-country climb goes up to the surprisingly open summit with 180 degree views looking south and a small, rocky outcrop for the highpoint. John Vitz had visited the summit 7yrs earlier, but I found no register (as is usual for him). There was a small circle of rocks that looks like it may have held one at one time. Now there's a new one.

Sims Mtn East

Less than half a mile from the higher Sims Mtn, this one takes roughly the same effort. I parked on Forest Road 6 just west of the summit and went up steeply from there to the top which also has a small rock outcrop, this one with views looking east and south.

Peak 4,440ft

This unnamed point is the unofficial third summit of Sims Mtn, about half a mile NNE of Sims East. There is an old cut going up the southwest ridge to the summit with no views, making it easier than it might otherwise be. About a quarter mile each way from Forest Road 6 where I parked.

Sugarloaf Mtn Mtn

This one actually looks like a peak and makes for a nice climb, about a quarter mile up the South Ridge. The summit is open for about 270 degrees, overlooking the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests.

Peak 4,047ft

Though the highpoint has no views and is buried in forest duff, it does sport more than 750ft of prominence. Spur Forest Road 6N06D, no longer driveable, forks off the pavement and is still quite useful on foot. A use trail has developed, leading one to within several hundred feet of the summit on its north side. From there, steep cross-country through forest understory leads to the highpoint. A bit disappointing, but I left a register anyway.

Hogback Ridge

Various forest roads got me to within 1/5mi on the south side of the summit. A ten minute walk gets one to the rounded summit with no views.

Oak Knoll

This one is a short distance north of Hogback Ridge and very similar - short hike through forest understory, no views. I did admire some of the large trees that somehow managed to escape the chainsaw over the past century. It was after 4p by the time I finished up. After a much appreciated shower, I still had more than six hours of driving to get home. A long day, this one...

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