With a few free days, I chose to return to the Lassen NP area to
tag a more P1Ks. I was nursing a cold I'd recently picked up and preferred
something I could abort if I started feeling crappy. A 20-30mi hike did not seem
conducive to getting better. Butt Mtn was the hardest of the day's hikes, coming
in at just over 10mi. Three of the hikes originate from SR32 which goes from
Chico northeast to SR36, largely following the Deer Creek drainage.
The last hike was further north near Lassen National
Park and I ended up with a pretty full day, quite enjoyable.
Barkley Mtn/Ishi Wilderness HP
The main purpose of this effort was to reach the highpoint of the Ishi
Wilderness. The Wilderness is named for Ishi, widely acclaimed as the last wild
American Indian when he emerged from this rugged area in 1911 at 50yrs of age.
The highpoint lies on the western edge of Barkley Mtn's summit. The dirt road to
reach it is long, nearly 20mi from SR32, but in that
most vehicles can drive. The last half mile of a spur road I used is rougher,
suitable only for high-clearance, but it would have been trivial to simply park
and walk it. I first visited of Barkley Mtn where I found
from 2015. Laura Newman had been the most recent vistor
the previous month. The hike was flat and , but really a
simple affair. I then went back to the jeep and searched westward for the
Wilderness HP. As others have reported, this is a non-obvious affair, with no
clear highpoint where the boundary runs over a fairly flat section of the
mountain. There are on to mark the
boundary for the loggers who have worked the area, but the highpoint seems
elusive. I walked north and south over a section that showed highest on my GPSr,
but found no register or other clear marking. Long drive for little in the way
of excitement.
Butt Mtn/Peak 6,940ft/Peak 7,657ft
Butt Mtn is a P2K and the highest point between and the
Feather
River. The Pacific Crest Trail runs across the main ridge of the divide, about
a mile from Butt's summit. One can hike the PCT from SR36, about 9mi one-way. An
easier route which I gleaned from online sources starts at the
to the west, less than six miles one-way and 1,500ft higher. This is a
longish 10mi of decent dirt road from SR32, poorly marked at the highway. The
hike is quite pleasant with two easily reached bonus peaks along the way. There
is no parking lot at the TH, but it seems to get little use and I simply parked
at a wide spot in the road. The first 1.4mi goes south up the creek drainage on
a good trail to reach the PCT on the main ridgeline at
. Here
I turned right to first tag the bonus Peak 6,940ft. I follow the PCT a short
distance as it traverses around the north side of the peak, leaving it to head
cross-country up steep, forested slopes on the NE side. The summit is formed by
a , easy class 3, with in
three directions. There is a cemented into the rocks. I
returned back to the trail and the Carter Creek Saddle, continuing east up the
PCT as it switchbacks through forested slope to gain almost 1,000ft. A party of
five came by, the only folks I'd see while hiking all day.
They looked to be Chico State students, but that was just a guess. They seemed
overly respectful and considerate while passing, possibly because we both knew
bicycles are prohibited on the PCT. But I wasn't going to fault them for that -
better tire treads than horse poop, given a choice. Where the trail tops out to
traverse the SE side of Peak 7,657ft, I left it again to tag this second summit.
The top has loads of , but it is relatively easy to
step over. was an unassuming rock at the edge of the
manzanita field, nothing much to get excited about. Views to the north take in
and much further afield, .
Back on the trail, I continued on to the Butt Mtn . From
there, it's a mile to the summit, most of this along ,
switching to marked by ducks for the last hundred
yards or so. is open in all directions with few trees to
block views. Lake Almanor can be seen a dozen miles to . Mt.
Lassen, of course, stands out to the north. South and sweep out
hundreds of square miles of forested lands, part of both Lassen and Plumas NFs.
The register wasn't very old, dating only with many entries. I
only photographed the pages with names I recognized. Before I left, I went
searching for something older since I knew that both Barbara and Gordon had been
here in 2001. I found the older, buried deeper in the
large summit cairn. It had many entries up until 2015 when it appears it was
hidden away more carefully. I left it as I found it, so maybe it'll be another
three years before it is once again rediscovered. It would take me about an hour
and a half to return to , for an outing totaling just over
four hours.
Peak 5,944ft
I drove back down to SR32, then a few miles north to another dirt road, this one
found on the west side of the highway. The area here is a patchwork of public
and .
The Collins Almanor Forest is managed by the Collins
Pine Company that provides around 200 jobs in the nearby community of Chester.
There do not appear to be any serious restrictions to the public visiting their
lands, though camping and wood cutting are not permitted. The roads were in
decent
shape but often contained water diversion berms that would require the use of
high-clearance. Unnamed Peak 5,944ft is the highpoint. 10mi of driving got me
to within 1/4mi of the summit at a saddle on the southwest side. The more
direct logging road I tried to reach this spot was undriveable, but I found a
circuitous route that worked nicely. Though a short hike, the area has
and some care is needed to keep this manageable. It took
me less than 15min to find my way to the flat, where
I found with a Vitz register . There
were no other entries until I arrived - these unnamed P1Ks are not very popular.
It took only 8min to find my way to the jeep.
Kelly Mtn
It was 3:30p by the time I finished the previous hike and probably should have
called it a day, but I was feeling ambitious. I spent almost an hour and a half
driving between these last two though separated by less than 10 air miles. The
route follows the Chester Warner Valley Rd out of Chester along SR36. This
narrow paved road goes northeast up Warner Valley to Drakesbad at the southern
boundary of Lassen NP. Kelly Mtn rises high on the southwest side of the valley,
with dirt roads reaching to within 1.4mi of the summit on the southeast side.
The beginning part of the road I used climbing out of Warner Valley has been
partially washed out - high-clearance and 4WD needed. There are other roads
that might also be used as the road improves after meeting a junction (one
possibility is a road that follows along Willow Creek from the south). The last
mile of road I drove was a rougher spur with encroaching brush - not recommended
if you worry about paint scratches. The road ends in a small clearing where
and started out just before 5p. The cross-country hike was
pleasant, but not trivial, with lots of sidehilling to avoid heavier brush
growing on in places. It took me about 45min to cover
the distance with the sun hanging low in the western sky. A small rock outcrop
served as the highpoint with decent views looking west, and
. I found the of an old sardine tin, some
weathered, cloth, and a small piece of plastic, but no register. I
for the future visitors that I expect to be few and far
between. I enjoyed the return hike even more, thanks to the wonderful, warm
that filtered in through the trees. It was a
, temperatures cooling but still pleasant. The sun
had just set as to
the jeep by 6:15p, giving me just enough light to take a chilly shower before
changing into some fresh clothes. I drove back down the road in the dark,
choosing to camp down in Warner Valley, nestled in the trees away from the
pavement. It was a very quiet (and cold!) place to spend the night before more
action the next day...
Continued...