Azalea

by

CA – Klamath National Forest, Kangaroo Lake Botanical Area (June 2021)

The Klamath National Forest is home to many rare and endemic species. As such they have several botanical areas which have been protected (link) including the Kangaroo Lake Botanical Area. “A 430 acre site located on the southeast edge of the Salmon/Scott River Ranger District  (T40N, R7W, SEC 14).  The area varies in elevation from 6000′ to 6857′.  It provides a diversity of plant habitats ranging from wet seeps and meadows to rock walls. The high level of habitat diversity is associated with a correspondingly high botanical species diversity. Sensitive plant species present include Phacelia dalesiana and Epilobium siskiyouense.” Source: Klamath NF

I have fond memories of Kangaroo Lake from my childhood when we camped nearby, and my dad spent hours fly fishing.

On this day though we were out to explore the Fen Nature Trail, a word that only came to my attention over the past few years.

We found plenty of fens with Darlingtonia californica aka Cobra Lilies or California Pitcher Plants.

We were hoping to find the rare Scott Mountain Phacelia, which I’d been lucky enough to stumble across unexpectedly a few weeks earlier at a different location (link).

Are you hiding down here?

How about here?

Success!

Calochortus elegans aka Elegant star tulip and Northwestern mariposa lily

Calochortus nudus aka Naked Mariposa Lily

Owl’s Clover with bug for extra credit.

Allium (onion) but not the rare one.

Sedum (aka Dr. Seuss trees)

Buckwheat, but not the rare species.

Blue Flax

Penstemon newberryi

Bladderpods

Intense butterfly or moth mating.

We enjoyed several views of Kangaroo Lake and distant views of three other listed botanical areas including China Peak, South China Peak and Cory Peak. Someday I’ll make it a priority to spend a day botanizing in those areas as well.

We hiked the trail to where it connected with the PCT. Our trip was less than 3.5 miles and about 750′ of elevation gain/loss.

Bonus: roadside botany on our drive to the trailhead

When I spied a group of rare California Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium californicum), I was giddy. They were freshly washed after a little overnight rain.

Apocynum andrsameifolium aka Dogbane

Shasta Leopard Lily

Sidalcea, Checkerbloom.

Rhododendron occidentale aka Wester azalea

Showy Milkweed (creative edit)

My botany fieldtrips have been such a fun rehab diversion. It’s highly unlikely in “normal” times I would have taken a day to drive 3-4 hours to spend 5 hours hiking 3.5 miles, followed by another 3 hours of driving. It was a wonderfully long 12-hour day filled with friendship, education, photography and visual delights.

by

CA – Trinity Alps Wilderness, Stuart Fork Trailhead . . . Memorial Day Weekend Memories

This is the time of year I think about my introductory backpacking trips into the Trinity Alps. The year was 2012 and I was still a newbie but thankfully had a friend who was happy to share his knowledge and experiences by planning and leading trips. Late May access to roads and trails is determined by winter snow levels and spring melt. With the trailhead at about 4,000′ we hedged our bets and took the gamble.

This image seems to match John Muir’s words, “and into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”

I haven’t looked at these photos in several years and it’s nice to recognize the improvement in my photography skills. I believe these are Western azaleas (Rhododendron occidentale).

I remember a lot of details about this trip but the moody skies were a surprise revealed only in photos. The beauty of Morris Meadow was lush and green just as I recall.

Emerald Lake was a highlight! I’ve returned several times since but it was this first visit that had me saying WOW.

The granite and waterfalls grabbed my heartstrings.

The old dam structure at Emerald Lake is also a memory that remains. Note: This photo was taken during a different trip.

We hiked around Emerald Lake with intentions of reaching Sapphire Lake. This is the view from the far end looking back down the Stuart Fork canyon. Tip: where you see the group of trees and scrubs along the lake (north side) is where the “trail” runs. The manzanita requires a bit of a bushwhack. It’s not considered a maintained trail but that section is well used and easy to follow. Once you get to the rocks it’s cairns and personal choice.

The manzanita bushwhack getting around Emerald Lake.

The boulder scramble between Emerald and Sapphire Lakes.

Along the way is a lot of old mining equipment.

This is the one and only time I’ve made it to Sapphire Lake. For those interested in scrambling further Mirror Lake lies beyond. It’s still on my bucket list.

The Emerald Lake outlet stream had dramatic waterfalls.

Nearby the Dogwood Trees were blooming.

Caribou Trail

Hiking the 90ish switchbacks 2,200 feet up to Sawtooth Ridge provides an opportunity to look down at Emerald Lake as well as enjoy views of Caesar Cap, Thompson Peak and Wedding Cake (places I can only dream of climbing).

This image of Sawtooth Ridge reminds me of Castle Crags. I believe this is about where the trail reaches the pass. One of these days I need to hike this again in conditions where I can drop into the Caribou Lakes basin.

Views from the ridge include this one into Caribou Lakes Basin, where I’ve spent time but still need to create a blog post. Although the trail was clear on the Stuart Fork side, there was a blockade of several feet of snow on the ridge and nothing but white on the other side. We met another hiker who’d planned to descend but changed his mind after this reality check.

The 360-degree views were worth the effort. This is looking back down Stuart Fork drainage toward the trailhead.

Looking down at Sapphire and Mirror Lakes, surrounded by Caesar Cap, Thompson Peak and Wedding Cake. I remember the even more stunning view I captured on a clear skies day when reaching the ridge from the Tri-Forest Trail (yes, another missing post).

Looking down at the Caribou Trail and across at Sawtooth Mountain.

On our descent, we noticed something red across the canyon.

We couldn’t safely access but we took zoom photos and GPS coordinates to submit to law enforcement. I don’t think we ever heard back regarding a missing person or if they collected and determined contents. It left us with a creepy feeling, worried that there might also be a body somewhere nearby.

Back down off the mountain, we found tree art courtesy of the local bears.

Morris Meadow showcasing corn lilies and the greens of spring.

Resources:

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links may be included which provide me a tiny kickback to help pay for this site.

This memory is dedicated to my friend Scott who introduced me to the Trinity Alps and helped me fall in love with photography and this backyard wilderness.