End of hike selfie — Three nights, four days. Twenty-one miles and 1600 ft. Nothing too strenuous, but I’m nearer to 70 than 60, not to mention having to keep an eye on my heart (well those are the excuses I’m fielding at the moment).
March 6, 2023
Irish Wilderness
March 6, 2023
Camp 5 Pond in the winter sunshine — once again our car is the only one at the trailhead.
March 6, 2023
First Creek Crossing, reprise — looking at the leaves, there was no way this was knee deep at any time. Unless the guys I met on day one had really short legs (and I’m short).
March 6, 2023
Haven’t I been here before? Whites Creek Trail Loop Completed.
March 6, 2023
Trees, trees, and more trees — And hidden in this picture is an old forest road.
March 6, 2023
Lunch time snooze in the sun — albeit a very watery sun. Can you see my glasses? No? Neither could I. It took me a lot of searching to find them.
March 6, 2023
The geology seems a bit different on the south loop. Note the rocks in this picture. Also note the blue blaze. You are not supposed to have blazes in a wilderness, but to save money rescuing lost people, there appear to be some exceptions. But the quality and positioning of the blazes is so poor and erratic, it is just annoying. Well, it annoys me!
March 6, 2023
Pool on Whites Creek, Irish Wilderness.
March 6, 2023
Cat briar’s revenge — I got myself into a huge patch of them on the third day, and this is the result. It is also why I am resisting being put on aggressive anticoagulants.
March 6, 2023
Unusual, but it worked — I wanted a tarp configuration that would keep the wind off me, but still let me stand up. +1
March 6, 2023
My own little spring.
March 6, 2023
Camped near Whites Creek — This is not where you are supposed to camp, it is far too close to the creek but it was getting dark when I arrived and this is an established camping spot with a fire ring (I didn’t use it).
March 6, 2023
Whites Creek — All the leaves stuck in the brush are a good indicator of how high the creek got a couple of days ago.
March 6, 2023
All of this was flooded a couple of days ago. Whites Creek, Whites Creek Trail South Loop.
March 6, 2023
Day Four — Contemplating life and the view — The view was a bit tangled as the floods had made a huge mess of everything. +1
March 5, 2023
On the South Loop of the Whites Creek Trail — despite the whole area being flooded yesterday, the trail was not washed out (here, anyway).
March 5, 2023
Pool on Whites Creek, Irish Wilderness — Oh the joys of the Golden Hour (and being in the right place).
March 5, 2023
Whites Creek Cave — It’s a slightly better picture than last time. I used my headlamp to light the place up. I’ve tried to find out some more information about the cave, like how big it is and how far it goes back. Thus far I’ve drawn a blank. Let’s just say it’s big-ish.
March 5, 2023
Gratuitous Selfie — taken just because I took a picture of this sign the last time I hiked this trail. +1
March 5, 2023
Whites Creek — close to its confluence with the Eleven Point River — I stopped here to have lunch and enjoy the view. One-minute read