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
decent condition 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 
the summit of Barkley Mtn where I found
a Vitz register from 2015. Laura Newman had been the most recent vistor
the previous month. The hike was flat and 
modestly brushy, 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 
blue markings on 
the trees 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
Deer Creek 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
Carter Meadow TH
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
Carter Creek Saddle. 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 
volcanic rock outcrop, easy class 3, with 
wide open views in
three directions. There is a 
USFS benchmark 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 
cyclists 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 
low-lying manzanita, but it is relatively easy to
step over. 
The summit was an unassuming rock at the edge of the
manzanita field, nothing much to get excited about. Views to the north take in
Butt Mtn and much further afield, 
Mt. Lassen.
Back on the trail, I continued on to the Butt Mtn 
trail junction. From
there, it's a mile to the summit, most of this along 
a good trail,
switching to 
talus and boulders marked by ducks for the last hundred
yards or so. 
The summit is open in all directions with few trees to
block views. Lake Almanor can be seen a dozen miles to 
the east. Mt.
Lassen, of course, stands out to the north. South and 
west sweep out
hundreds of square miles of forested lands, part of both Lassen and Plumas NFs.
The register wasn't very old, dating only 
to 2017 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, 
moldy register 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 
the trailhead, 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
private forest lands.
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
heavy brush and some care is needed to keep this manageable. It took
me less than 15min to find my way to the flat, 
uninspiring summit where
I found 
a small cairn with a Vitz register 
from 2012. There
were no other entries until I arrived - these unnamed P1Ks are not very popular.
It took only 8min to find my way 
back 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
I parked 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 
the ridgeline 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, 
north and
east. I found the 
rusty remains of an old sardine tin, some
weathered, cloth, and a small piece of plastic, but no register. I
left one 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
sunset colors that filtered in through the trees. It was a
beautiful twilight, temperatures cooling but still pleasant. The sun
had just set as 
I returned 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...