When viewing a topographical map of the northern part of California's central valley, a tiny mountain range becomes prominent near Yuba City. I've often noticed this out of place range, but never really knew anything about it. My friends in the meetup discovered a guided hike going into this area, known as the Sutter Buttes, as part of the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway. It seemed like a great opportunity to explore an area that I had learned exists almost entirely on private property.
The Sutter Buttes Range, known as the smallest mountain range in the world, was formed during volcanic activity approximately 1.6 million years. Marty, one of our guides, owns the largest single plot of land within the range and uses it primarily for cattle grazing and farming. To see cows up in these high (at least relative to the Sacramento Valley below us) jagged mountains seems quite out of place.
After caravaning out through the pastures and to the trailhead, we were treated to a short overview of the land from both a geological and historical perspective. As it turns out several Native America tribes thought of this area as a holy place and in addition, took advantage of the numerous blue oaks in the range for gathering acorns, one of their staple foods. Ancient grinding stones illustrate the truth of this history.
Most of the trail was either cattle trail or jeep trail, and while it was bit muddy in areas, the overall impression of the land was untamed. We quickly reached a fork and our group of fifty or so hikers split in two. The smaller group, mostly comprised of bird-watching enthusiasts, headed for a small reservoir, while our group headed up one of the steep peaks.
In addition to the trails, we spent a fair amount of time bushwhacking our way up the steep, grass covered landscape. It was quite a workout. Arriving at the summit of our intended peak, we stopped for some lunch and more informative discussion with our guide. The overall group was happy for the rest, but as always, the members of our meetup group were anxious to get on the trail again.
We quickly broke camp and headed for the next peak, which Marty referred to as Bald Dome and further explained that it was the geological center of the volcanic activity during the ranges formation. He has apparently taken quite an interest in the geology of the area over the last few years. It's great to see someone taking such an interest in their land.
We make our way down the hillside to the highest of three reservoir, built by Marty's grandfather in the 1960's. Along the way, we stop to see a tall waterfall hidden in the cliff. While we can hear water flowing, there is nothing to see today, though we are told that after a rain, it rages.
Finally returning to the cars, we offer our thanks and say our goodbyes. The group was pretty slow-moving with lots of informational breaks, but we still managed to cover about 5.7 miles over the course of the day and with the steep ascents, we still got a good workout and more importantly a rare opportunity to see such a wondrous place.
Virginia City, the queen of the boom-towns, lies in the above Reno in the mountains of the Carson Range. Back in the day, all roads leading to the source of the Comstock Load were toll roads. Road builders had to get their piece of the silver riches after all. Most of those roads have never been modernized and are little more than jeep trails in this day and age.
One such road was built up Geiger Grade. In modern times, traffic now follows the NV 341 from Washoe Valley to Virginia City, but the Old Geiger Grade Toll Road makes for a great local adventure.
Yesterday, I decided to drive my jeep up the old road. There are a number of deep ruts carved by running water and a couple of precarious turns, but beyond that, it offered very little challenge and some nice scenery. I decided to return to the trail today and hike it's distance out and back.
Parking the jeep at the end of the residential area of lower Toll Road, I headed up the gravel road into a deep canyon that cuts far below the modern roadway. Even further below me, I can see the frozen creek. While it is cool, this morning, it's not that cold now, but it likely got well below freezing overnight in this hills.
The road offers great views of the canyon through which it passes, a true representation of Nevada. Yellowish amber soil with the occasional juniper or sagebrush over a sea of yellow grasses. It's quite solitary, but in the distance I can hear gun enthusiasts practicing their marksmanship in these long deserted hills. Personally, I never understood the allure of firing a gun for enjoyment, but to each their own. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-gun. I am a gun-owner myself, but I just don't find any enjoyment in recreational shooting. To those that do enjoy it though, more power to you.
Continuing around the bend, the grade increases a bit and finally reaching the neighborhoods on near the intersection of the highway, I turn around and head back the way I came. My mileage today was just shy of 5.5 miles, nothing too extreme, but it was good to get out and get some exercise and explore a new area.
I'm constantly scouring the internet looking for new and interesting areas to explore. Recently, I read of a short hike to a beautiful waterfall near Auburn, CA. Beale falls is known by a number of names, including Fairy Falls and Shingle Falls. Regardless, of what name it is known by, the falls seemed like an excellent destination on a mid-January afternoon.
Getting a bit of a late start, I left Reno shortly after 9:00 AM and headed west. The directions I was following to the trailhead failed to name some of the backcountry roads correctly, which caused some minor delays. Chuck Yeager Way must be accessed from Smartville Road. It took a little bit to bit to figure this out, but eventually, I arrived at he junction of Waldo and Spenceville Roads. The shooting range mentioned in the descriptions was the obvious marker.
Reaching the trailhead after a bumpy drive down a pothole infested gravel road, I left the jeep and headed across the bridge over dry creek and down the trail. Talking with a fellow hiker on my return, I learned that this road once served as the main road to Auburn, but in modern times, it is simply a well defined hiking trail.
I've always loved the green and golden hills of California. There is something artistic about the way nature has dropped the occasional blue oak on a plot of land in such a way as to remind the observer of a perfect balance.
At the 1.2 mile point, the trail leaves the abandoned roadway and heads into the green hills above Dry Creek and just a short distance beyond that, the trail forks with three tines. Having a caught up with a fellow hiker, we discuss the trail and the best option. Jerry, my new friend, is obviously very experienced with these trails and suggests taking the left-most trail, which while slightly longer and starting uphill, he assures me is the best choice.
Jerry politely asks if I would like to share the trail with him the rest of the way to the falls. His unassuming invitation, urges me to accept. Along the way, we discuss our careers, other local hikes, and the falls we are approaching.
Arriving at the top of the falls, my new friend wishes me well and explains that he is going to take his lunch at a picnic bench above the falls. He describes the path in and around the falls and I use his guidance to find the best shots available.
After a short time exploring the rock formations overlooking the falls, I head back the way I came. Covering just over 5 miles, this was an very nice hike. It was very easy, but the views were spectacular.
Finding good hikes or areas to explore during winter in and around the Sierra Nevada can be challenging. I generally try to find areas on the eastern side of the range, which lies in the rain shadow and gets much less precipitation. Reviewing possible adventures in the area, I stumbled across mention of a small petroglyph site east of Susanville, CA.
Taking some back country roads, I arrived at the Belfast Petroglyph site about 10:00 AM. Being out in the middle of nowhere, the trailhead consists of a sign, two picnic tables, at the far end of a gravel pull off of the muddy gravel road. From the trailhead, a muddy trail heads toward a medium sized canyon carved by Willow Creek. We had several hours of drizzle early in the week and it has turned the surface into the kind of clingy mud that builds up on the bottom of one's feet with each step until finally it must be scrapped off on any available rock in order to maintain balance.
As I approach the canyon, a second less worn trail leads off to the left and up a large pile of volcanic rocks. From a distance, I can see a few petroglyphs on some of the rocks and decide to head that way.
While not densely populated, the rock art specimens are very distinct and easy to spot. Judging by the renewed build-up of desert varnish over the patterns, I suspect these are not millennia old, but probably centuries. Climbing to the top of the hill/pile, I note dozens of football-sized rocks piled in a circular wall-like structure with an entrance on the south side. I'm forced to wonder if this was the foundation of an ancient dwelling.
Returning to the main trail, I find numerous other examples of rock art on the various surfaces. The rock here appears to be a different type and has allowed several of the petroglyphs to be carved much deeper than the ones spotted earlier.
A begin hiking down the trail towards the creek, but the combination of frost and slippery mud makes it a bit dangerous. Also, I notice several dens (probably Coyote) in holes between the rocks alongside the trail. Paw prints and well-worn mud at the entrances indicates they are currently in use. Combining the factors, I decide to cut my losses and head back to the jeep. While not a large site, it was very unique and living here with the magnificent overlook of this canyon must have been something for those ancient artists.
A little over a year ago, I explored the Pah Rah Range just a couple of miles northeast of Sparks, NV. I was looking for some petroglyphs I had read about and while I did find a very nice panel, I didn't find the concentrations I was expecting. When my friend Deanna's meetup group put together another 'expedition' into the area, I was excited for a second chance to find some amazing rock art.
The group met in the northern part of Reno and carpooled out to Golden Eagle Regional Park. From there, the group looked to me as a guide as I was the only one to have explored the area. I warned my friends that there weren't any true trails and that the terrain would be rugged, with lots of uphill and a lot of ankle-breaking rock-scrambling. As we started up the first ridge, I think everyone realized that I wasn't kidding.
Trying our best to follow the game trails through the golden sea of grass and across the dense rock fields, we made our way up the first ridge and then onto the second and finally the third. Our path took us due east from the park and as we reached the third ridge, I suggested everyone start checking the rocks at our feet for any signs of petroglyphs.
As we proceeded on, the group got split up a bit. I was very anxious to find the rock art and perhaps a little overzealous. I got quite a ways ahead of the group. Exploring each small rock outcropping, I finally found the first panel and then a second. I still hadn't made it to the area where I believed the highest concentration would be found, but as I headed in that direction, I heard the group yelling at me from half-a-mile or so away. I was going to continue on my way, but I have become friends with many people in the group and didn't want to worry anyone. I turned and headed back to the area they were calling to me from.
When I arrived, the explained they had found a rich cache of rock art. As I moved from one example to the next, I found myself analyzing the petroglyphs using some of the methods I recently learned at the Rock Art 101 class. While some of the specimens were likely authentic, I couldn't help but question a number of other examples that included things that didn't seem Native American in origin or just had improbably pairings of figures.
In one example, a figure appeared very demon-like with horns and a ghost-like body. Another suspicious petroglyph showed a humanoid figure pointing a bow at something that very much resembled a pre-historic terror bird, which went extinct some 1.8 million years ago. The time lines just don't match-up, but I intend to send the image to one of the Anthropologists from the Rock Art class for his expert opinion.
After spending some more time examining the numerous panels of rock art, we began heading back towards the park and our cars. Much of the area south of where we climbed up the ridge was scarred from a wildfire that scorched the area this last summer. I was aware of the fire, but had no idea of how much of the landscape had been burned. As we continued, we were forced to scramble down several tiers of treacherous rock ledges. It was a bit sketchy, but everyone reached the bottom without incident. Arriving back at the cars, I noted that we had hiked right at 8.5 miles, but without a trail, it was a pretty rough hike.
