Title: July 27, 2015 - Kings Creek Falls
Description:Today is break camp day. There are eight of us left: Karol, Lewis, Kate, Becky, Marcus-her son, Rose, Sherri and I. We are a bit slow in getting going, but that is ok. We are not pressed for time and that isn't that what camping is about? Enjoying oneself, relaxing, and in this case also enjoying friends.
When I got up this morning, I was mindful of Sherri's last command last night: she does not want to wake up at a time beginning with a 5 or 6. Since I started getting up at 5:45 and got out of the tent by 6am, I took care not to disturb her-turned out she needed to go to the bathroom a few minutes later.
Trail head: Highway 89/Lost Creek Group Campground
Hike Info:
Trail: Noble Emigrant Trail
Destination: none really
Distance: 3.14 miles 1
Travel Time: 1 hr, approx
Maximum Elevation: 5,797'
Since I am the only one foolish enough to be up at this time in the morning, I decide that this is my last crack at a trail I had seen on the map. Now my idea of an early morning walk, particularly by myself is more of a ramble than a hike. I enjoy singing hymns, prayer, and meditating. This morning was one of those mornings when it was too serene to be wasted upon scurrying about. So I sort of started walking west on the Noble Emigrant Trail, just about 70 yards on the other side of the road from the Lost Creek Group Campground.
I will be walking as far or short as I want to. With the air cleared by last night's rain, the sunlight is shimmering through openings in the trees. Just so glad to be out walking this morning. My feet feel light as they glide over the trail. I do not see very many footprints on this trail, so I suspect that even when other parts of the park is busy, one can find solitude out here. I think maybe this is a trail to be walked in the early morning or right before sun down.
For the first 3/4 of a mile, the path is flat. Then there is a rise of about 320' and I meet highway 89. Nobody is on the road at this time in the morning. So I look around and start back. I realize one of the draws for me is a line of blue labeled Abandoned Flume. If my bearings is correct, I have walked right over it and have not seen it. I backtrack a bit and confirm, there was nothing to be seen. No ditch, no pile of rocks, maybe, and just maybe a flat place. But that is not why I was walking this path, it is to just enjoy being out, giving praise to God.
When I make it back to camp, Lewis and Karol are up. We start setting up breakfast which will be a semi-community affair. Sherri's and mine contribution is French toast. This turns out to be a hit-sometimes the simple things in life are the best. By 9:40, we have the campsite packed up and cleaned up, fulfilling Karol's promise of leaving it better than we found it. All three cars split and go there own ways. Our path lies to the south for a hike we heard about four years ago.
Trail head: Highway 89/Kings Creek Trailhead
Hike Info:
Type: Hiking
Trail: Kings Creek Trail
Destination: Kings Creek Falls
Actual Destination: Kings Creek Falls and Bench lake
Distance: 4.63 miles 1
Travel Time: 3:15 (1.90 mph)
Maximum Elevation: 7,365'
1My GPS was low on batteries and I did not have a replacement. So I recorded it with my phone through PDF Maps.The stats on PDF Maps is pretty basic. When I got home, found the batteries. Hiking is not about measurement but about enjoyment.
When we were at Lassen four years ago, we heard that the Kings Creek Trail was one of great beauty and a bit of a climb coming back out. So I have wanted to do this one for awhile. On the way to the trail head, we come across a coyote crossing the road. While I will not say Lassen has an abundance of large animals, it does have a good diversity, if one is quiet and patient. The trail head is a parking area along the side of the road-not to be confused with the Kings Creek picnic area which is a bit further down the road. There is a few cars-an advantage to being here on a Monday. There is a sign which says the overlook to the Kings Creek Falls is closed for renovations. But maybe we will get a peek anyway.
This trail is facing the wrong way. Our first steps, and most of the steps down to the falls is down-I prefer descending on my return trips. But such is life that sometimes we have to take the bad with the good. And there is a lot of good on this trail. Within a quarter mile we see a nice meadow with a deer gentle grazing in it. He does not seem to be too disturbed by us, just raises his head, looks and continues to munch.
A short ways afterwards, the trail splits between a steeper, but shorter way, following the creek or another steep but longer way looping down to the base of the creek. We have no choice as the steeper way is closed for maintenance. We start off on what we think is the trail, but we quickly realize that even though it has some pretty nice views of the creek and the drainage area, this is no trail which NPS ever constructed. Evidently we were following a social trail. Our doubts about this "trail" grew as the trail dropped down this slope. So we climbed back up and what do we find? The real trail.
Still following the trail down, it was steep enough following the switchbacks that I was questioning do I really want to go up it. Even more so, there was a lot of exposure to the sun. Even being the morning, it is warm going down. But once down, the shade of the trees and the coolness of the creek causes my attitude to change and is more relaxed. We head the half of a mile to the overlook and it does look like the overlook is closed, if not the whole trail. Across the trail is the workers tools, but I think they are out to lunch. So we take the hint and retreat back up the trail for lunch.
It was a good place to stop and eat our peanut butter, Nutella, and Ritz crackers. Kings Creek is flowing by us with a little bit of a cascade 30' away. The shade keeps us cool and we enjoy the rest. Now the decision does need to be made: do we go back up the way we known? Or do we go a longer, but what looks like a gentler way past Bench Lake?
Our decision, being the intrepid people we are is to go the unexplored and face the unknowns of going past Bench Lake. We start off with a pretty ascent, but short climb out of the Kings Creek area. As a note, our stay in Kings Creek, we never saw anything of the falls, except for the top of it. Then the trail falls into a gentle undulation as it starts a long, but gentle climb towards the lake. We pass by the talus slope of the cliff which Bench Lake resides. So far we are pleased. It looks like once we get to the flat place by Bench Lake we can cut a triangle and go about a quarter mile cross-country, cutting off at least 3/4 of a mile and about 120' of climb. So that is what we do.
Bench Lake is a large dry lake bed from what we see. No steady flow of water in and right now nothing out. But our short cut is doing pretty good. It is easy walking and when we go up 20' up a ridge, we find the trail back to Kings Creek, where we started our hike this morning. Sherri is concerned about the sun so she frantically searches for sunscreen.
Now we are on the return trip. The biggest climb, which is not so bad in respective is right at the start. We climb around the end of the long cliff above Bench Lake and come out on top. Now it is a bit more rising up and falling until we get to King Creek and its meadow. We did meet one man out for exercise and that was it. So different than the crowds on top of Lassen. When we hit the trail, just below the first meadow, we start the final leg back to the car, which we get to about 1:45.
It is time to return home. First we stop at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at the park entrance. I report the bear we saw yesterday. We look around a bit. Sherri gets a soda, but no volcano ice cream. Then it is off to Mountain View. We stop in Willow at Black Bear Diner for dinner-tastes good, even as good as the food has been. Then off to Vacaville and gas. But not only do we stop for gas, we stop at Fenton's Creamery in the Nut Tree area. Soooo good-probably knocks my blood sugars for a loop. We reach Mountain View by 8:30pm. Tuesday we do the final leg home and get back to Fresno around 4:30pm. Traveled over a thousand miles in seven days, but it has been a good trip.
When we were at Lassen four years ago, we heard that the Kings Creek Trail was one of great beauty and a bit of a climb coming back out. So I have wanted to do this one for awhile. On the way to the trail head, we come across a coyote crossing the road. While I will not say Lassen has an abundance of large animals, it does have a good diversity, if one is quiet and patient. The trail head is a parking area along the side of the road-not to be confused with the Kings Creek picnic area which is a bit further down the road. There is a few cars-an advantage to being here on a Monday. There is a sign which says the overlook to the Kings Creek Falls is closed for renovations. But maybe we will get a peek anyway.
This trail is facing the wrong way. Our first steps, and most of the steps down to the falls is down-I prefer descending on my return trips. But such is life that sometimes we have to take the bad with the good. And there is a lot of good on this trail. Within a quarter mile we see a nice meadow with a deer gentle grazing in it. He does not seem to be too disturbed by us, just raises his head, looks and continues to munch.
 |
| Sherri looking over Kings Creek |
A short ways afterwards, the trail splits between a steeper, but shorter way, following the creek or another steep but longer way looping down to the base of the creek. We have no choice as the steeper way is closed for maintenance. We start off on what we think is the trail, but we quickly realize that even though it has some pretty nice views of the creek and the drainage area, this is no trail which NPS ever constructed. Evidently we were following a social trail. Our doubts about this "trail" grew as the trail dropped down this slope. So we climbed back up and what do we find? The real trail.
 |
| Small Meadow |
Still following the trail down, it was steep enough following the switchbacks that I was questioning do I really want to go up it. Even more so, there was a lot of exposure to the sun. Even being the morning, it is warm going down. But once down, the shade of the trees and the coolness of the creek causes my attitude to change and is more relaxed. We head the half of a mile to the overlook and it does look like the overlook is closed, if not the whole trail. Across the trail is the workers tools, but I think they are out to lunch. So we take the hint and retreat back up the trail for lunch.
 |
| Lunch Scenery |
It was a good place to stop and eat our peanut butter, Nutella, and Ritz crackers. Kings Creek is flowing by us with a little bit of a cascade 30' away. The shade keeps us cool and we enjoy the rest. Now the decision does need to be made: do we go back up the way we known? Or do we go a longer, but what looks like a gentler way past Bench Lake?
 |
| Talus Slope |
Our decision, being the intrepid people we are is to go the unexplored and face the unknowns of going past Bench Lake. We start off with a pretty ascent, but short climb out of the Kings Creek area. As a note, our stay in Kings Creek, we never saw anything of the falls, except for the top of it. Then the trail falls into a gentle undulation as it starts a long, but gentle climb towards the lake. We pass by the talus slope of the cliff which Bench Lake resides. So far we are pleased. It looks like once we get to the flat place by Bench Lake we can cut a triangle and go about a quarter mile cross-country, cutting off at least 3/4 of a mile and about 120' of climb. So that is what we do.
 |
| Bench Lake |
Bench Lake is a large dry lake bed from what we see. No steady flow of water in and right now nothing out. But our short cut is doing pretty good. It is easy walking and when we go up 20' up a ridge, we find the trail back to Kings Creek, where we started our hike this morning. Sherri is concerned about the sun so she frantically searches for sunscreen.
 |
| Putting the pack together |
 |
| Meadow at the end |
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| Sundae at Fenton's |
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| Happy Hiking Couple |
Trail Lesson:
Hiking is not about measurement but about enjoyment.
