timber interests, the whole area showing signs of
significant logging for more than 100yrs. There were a trio of
unnamed prominence peaks around Yuba Pass off SR49 that were on the agenda. I expected
none of them to provide much excitement and though I had hoped otherwise, they did not
surprise me.
Peak 7,100ft
This P1K is located to the south across Sierra City and the North Yuba River from Sierra Buttes. Henness Pass Road can get one within a half mile of the summit and the unimproved dirt roads forking off from it can get one even closer. Snow would keep me from utilizing this easier option, so instead I started from the Wild Plum Campground found just off SR49 at Sierra City. By starting around 4,400ft, I would have a real climb of it. The topo map shows a trail leading to the Hilda Mine located northeast of the summit around the 5,900-foot level. Though the trail is no longer officially maintained or signed, I found it after crossing
Haypress Creek and passing through the
campground, having some 
initial trouble locating it. It would appear that folks
still use the trail, though irregularly, keeping downfall cleared for the most part. I
spent the first hour hiking to the end of 
this trail where I found
warning signs for the mine and old 
TH signs. I didn't venture into the
mine area, but turned up the 
old road that once serviced the upper TH. Most of
these old logging roads are still shown on the 7.5' topo (there are
yet more old roads that are not) and 
still useable, though some have become
overgrown
with buckthorn and other unpleasantries. Aside from the brush covering portions of them,
they weren't all that helpful anyway since they tended to circumnavigate the mountain
rather than go to the summit. The second hour was spent with mostly cross-country uphill,
using the roads briefly before striking off cross-country again in pursuit of the
highpoint. There was some 
snow in patches, but never very much, lots of
slash
from logging to trip one up and plenty of trees to block most of the views. I did find
periodic views of 
Sierra Buttes along the way, but these tended to be fleeting
and not terribly clear (overcast skies weren't helping with the views either).
I found the summit is a semi-clearing, with some views to 
the south towards
English Mtn and partial views northwest towards 
Sierra Buttes. In the tangle of
brush among the modest 
summit rocks was a glass jar holding a 2yr-old
register by John Vitz. Mine would
make the second entry. The absurdity of what John and I were doing was not lost on me
and provided some laughs. The return went much quicker, only half the time it had taken
for the ascent, and by 10a I had returned to the 
campground,
Haypress Creek, and my car at the 
nearby TH.
Peak 7,605ft
This summit shares Chapman Saddle with Haskell Peak, east of Sierra Buttes and north of SR49. With nearly 1,500ft of prominence, Haskell Peak lands on several peak lists while Peak 7,605ft gets not even a name. Still, it has over 900ft of prominence from Chapman Saddle and had my attention, albeit briefly. I utilized FS Road 09, an improved road that any car can manage. I had actually been on this road before when Ryan and I had visited Haskell some five years earlier, though it was July and we approached from the west end off Gold Lake Hwy. Today I only managed a few miles up the road before being stopped by
more snow
than I could safely drive over. At 2.5mi from the summit, I was within the
arbitrary 3mi limit I have for marginal peaks. It's not that I would refuse to hike them
if I wasn't closer, because I'd probably do it even if it was 10mi. The 3mi figure is
really just the point at which I'm more likely to start complaining to myself.
The area seems to be signed for 
cross-country skiers and
backroad enthusiasts. I followed 
Road 09 for a bit less than two miles
to its highpoint west of the summit before it begins to drop to Chapman Saddle. I left
the road here to head east up 
easy cross-contry, reaching the highpoint
20min later. No cairn, no register, no view, not much of anything other than a
large boulder I christened as the summit by placing a
smaller rock atop it. Yay. Heading down a slightly different route to the southwest, I
came across a small 
rocky outcrop that I scaled because I thought it might
offer the views I didn't get from the summit. Though weak, it was 
better.
As I scurried down the slopes through the forest I couldn't help but notice the profusion
of 
cut timber
lying about the forest. It appears that folks had come in to thin the forest, cutting
trees 6-12" in diameter in order to provide more room for the others to grow big and
strong before they, too, are cut down and turned into lumber. Only the stuff that was
cut earlier wasn't even turned into toothpicks - it was just cut up into 6-foot sections
and left lying on the ground. It looks like a lot of fuel that might someday help make
a wildfire worse than it might otherwise be. At any rate, it made walking through the
forest less pleasant. Less than an hour and a half after starting out I was 
back
at the van - two down and not even noon yet.
Peak 8,060ft
Located south of
Yuba Pass, the highpoint of SR49, this summit can be reached
via FS Road 12, also called Yuba Pass Rd, connecting SR49 to Henness Pass Road south of
the summit near Webber Lake. Snow played a much more significant role on this summit than
any of the others, partly because it was the highest of the three, but also because I was
approaching primarily from the north. I was happy to find Yuba Pass Rd open, but again
was stopped 
by snow after driving in a few miles. At one point I had to get out
to move a 
small tree that blocked the road - others had simply driven over it,
clueing me in that mine was the first low-clearance effort of the season. Though stopped
short, I was happy that
the Forest Service did not simply gate the road closed back at the pavement until all
of the snow had melted as they often do in other parts of the state. I was about 3.5mi
short of my destination, but it would have to do. I locked the van and headed out.
Now that it was afternoon, the snow had softened some, leaving me almost wishing
I'd brought the snowshoes with me. "Almost" because the coverage wasn't uniform, at least
along 
the roadway I traveled for two miles, as it would have been a nuisance
taking them on and off. The snow was a nuisance regardless, putting my waterproof boots
to the test and failing. The most interesting thing was a series of 
bear prints
I found along one section of the roadway. It had probably been days or weeks since it
had been along this part of the road. When it was time to turn off 
the road for
the last mile and a half, the snow coverage was continuous but at least better
consolidated, making it possible to make good time 
in boots. Somewhere under
the snow was a road, judging by the various 
flaggings I found on some of the
trees as well as the old 
snowmobile tracks I was following. 
The summit
proved disappointing, a large flattish area that made it difficult to even identify
precisely. I wandered around the area to make sure I had covered it sufficiently. At the
eastern edge I managed to find a small gap in the trees that allowed 
a view
northeast to Sierra Valley, the only real view I had on this summit.
Reversing the route by following my bootprints back to the roadway, I was
back at the car sometime before 3p. My new waterproof boots were thoroughly soaked. Now
I know why they were in the bargain bin at Big 5.
Beckwourth Peak
I hadn't planned to do a fourth peak today, but with extra time I set out to reach this P1K to the north, just south of SR70 and the small community of Portola. My first effort was to reach it via dirt roads I had identified online from
the east
along
Westside Rd in Sierra Valley. This turned out to be a mistake. Portions of the roads I
planned to use were private, gated, and inaccessible. I wandered around some dirt roads
east of Beckwourth,
getting eyes from some of the residents living there, eventually
giving up. Another look at the road atlas suggested the west side might be easier as it
shows to be more National Forest lands than on the east side. I redirected my efforts to
the town of Portola on SR70, and after more wandering I came across the
Beckwourth Peak Rd
on the edge of town - just the ticket. With a high clearance vehicle one can drive
to within a mile of the summit where the last section is gated. In the van I managed to
drive the first two miles of this road, stopping at 
a clearing
where the road conditions grew worse.
Though no rain was in the forecast, the weather had steadily deteriorated during the
afternoon. The sky was completely overcast and there were visible signs of rain off to
the west. I wasn't so much concerned about getting wet myself as what it might
do to the
road - I could be stuck in a muddy quagmire should it rain any significant amount. With
this in mind, I headed out before 4:30p at a steady pace, hiking up the road
overlooking Portola and views to the north. I reached 
the gate in half
an hour, continuing 
past that for another 30 minutes to the summit ridge. Here
the road turns southwest as it reaches to the radio towers located in
that direction. The highpoint is to the northeast, cross-country through some
modest brush before reaching the volcanic 
talus piles and boulders that
mark the highest point. I found the second John Vitz 
register of the day among
the rocks in 
a glass jar, dating to 2011. As peaks go, it was the most
interesting of the four I visited on the day. The rocky perch has a commanding view of
Sierra Valley to 
the east and the Feather River drainage to 
the north,
with Portola nestled in among the trees adjacent to the river. On the 
way back
I was happy to find a 
shortcut trail that had been cut through the heavy brush
in the lower half below the locked gate. This direct route cut at least half a mile off
the long switchback the road makes as it makes its way up. It was 6p by the time I
returned to the van, making for a total outing well unde 2hrs.
Back in 
Portola there were few dining options I found open, but I was happy to
find the 
Portola Frosty open until 7p. After delivering my order of a Papa
Burger and onion rings, the teenage crew closed up shop and took off while I was enjoying
it on the patio outside, the only customer they'd had in the last half hour of business.
Afterwards I drove out to US395 and the 
Fort Sage Mtns where I found a lonely
stretch of sandy dirt road to spend the night, enjoying some 
wine with a movie
after a 
fine sunset - not a bad way to spend a Thursday night...
Continued...