Forum Index > Trip Reports > Heather Creek (& Mt. Fricaba attempt) ONF 5-29-2011
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meck
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meck
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PostTue May 31, 2011 6:12 pm 
Trail: Heather Creek #863 Buckhorn Wilderness from Upper Dungeness TH Roundtrip Distance: ~14-15 miles Elevation Gain: ?3000 ft (TH to ~6000) Well Sunday was looking to be a pretty good day weatherwise (I will post photos a little later). After reading AncientAmbler's report on the FS road conditions (very helpful!) I decided to try out the Heather Creek trail and maybe even head up the big pile of shale (aka Mt. Fricaba) from the south east side. I had a bit of an adventure last September coming down Fricaba via the Milk Creek valley (very nice, even some traces of an old trail...) in that the last mile or so before I was able to find the Heather Creek trail was in the dark (thank goodness for GPS, compasses and topo maps smile.gif ). I thought it might be nice to check out the trail in the daytime. Got a bit of a late start (left the TH at 0915), but made pretty good time along the trail. Came across roughly nine folks on the trail to Camp Handy, and noted that there was a party of three listed on the sign in log somewhere headed towards Heather Creek (later saw them camped out in one of the fantastic little meadows along the river).
(This pic was actually from on the way back down) I had read that some crews had worked on the trail last summer(?) and it showed. I did not have to climb over any blow down, and although the trail was showing the signs of being a bit overgrown, it was generally easy to follow. The location where the trail crosses the Dungeness (~5.4 miles from the TH) has been provided with a very nice log bridge (smaller scale version of the one further down river) and was a very welcome sight (no soggy feet!) as compared with my last Dungeness encounter in September (wading across in the dark...).
Nice Bridge! Beyond the Dungeness crossing the trail began was progressively snowier (above 4000 feet mostly soft snow). Came across one small black bear a few yards off the trail and another hiker's snow tracks from a day or two earlier. After checking the Topo map/compass and GPS, I reached a point (middle of a snowfield with dirty rockfall beneath a small waterfall) that seemed to be pretty close to where the map showed the Heather Creek trail as ending (and the previous trekker's snow tracks appeared to stop). At this point I began heading up Mt Fricaba (GPS location 10T UTM 0486349, 5293907, elevation 4212 ft).
I headed up to the right of the waterfall and around the ridge line through trees and lot of soft snow over compact stuff. I was able to climb up through a patch of trees and a snow field before hitting a large bare scree ridge covered with (who would of guessed?) shale! I climbed about 1800 feet from the trail end below, but by this time the weather was not looking so good (clouds rolling in over Buckhorn Mtn and Marmot pass to the east, Constance Pass and the ridge line directly south, and to my dismay, what appeared to be the top of Fricaba! Once it started lightly raining and I heard the first clap of thunder, and pondering the fact that I probably would not be able to see much anyways from up top, I decided I probably better head back down (guess there always later...). Last upper GPS location along the ridge was 10T UTM 0485999, 5294612, though I made it up a tad farther to just under the 6000 ft. I did not need my snowshoes, but I was glad to have and use an ice ax, collapsible ski/trekking poles and crampons (though not required sure made me feel a lot safer on the snow slopes).
(pieced together panorama from about 15 minutes before the clouds really started moving in) Overall this is very nice trail with some pleasant looking meadows to camp in and is something I would definitely recommend. [EDIT] Photos added and corrected some distances

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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silence
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PostTue May 31, 2011 6:32 pm 
love it up there .. but the wildflowers are awesome in the basin .. snow would be fun i have to admit .. and much ezier for climbing .. but still it's really sweet l8r ... just not sure when that will be this season ... funny we had a t-storm too on our way back out ... exciting stuff in the olys ..

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Phil
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PostTue May 31, 2011 6:35 pm 
Outstanding! I admire your guts. I would never have even tried with the way the weather forecasts were looking.

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FungiFan
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PostTue May 31, 2011 7:46 pm 
Have walked past that trail to Heather Creek several times now - most recently the day before your hike, will have to explore it this summer. Thanks for the TR. FF

Stupid isn't illegal...but sure comes with consequences. Famous last words: 'Here, hold my beer and watch this.'
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bobbi
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PostTue May 31, 2011 8:20 pm 
snow is a four letter word! looks like you had a fun adventure up.gif Heather Creek and Goat Lake are on my list but someone please, pretty please, tell mother nature that summer begins in 3 weeks. get melting the snow already! tongue.gif great TR, thanks!

bobbi ૐ "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!" - Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss
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puzzlr
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PostTue May 31, 2011 8:44 pm 
I remember looking a long way down from Fricaba down into that valley. Easier from the other side! You've got guts trying it in unstable weather.

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meck
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meck
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PostTue May 31, 2011 9:09 pm 
I wouldn't call it guts (polite way of saying I made a risky choice smile.gif ).... I knew the forecast for later in the afternoon potentially called for some rain, and I had the rain gear with me (though I don't particularly care for sweating away in it), but I definitely should have gotten an earlier start if I wanted a realistic (safer) chance of reaching the summit with any views to speak of. Anyways, turning around sooner rather than later rarely causes problems so here's hoping I can reach Fricaba again (and Hal Foss while I'm in the neighborhood) later this summer! Also, if you don't mind fording the Dungeness later in the summer, the Milk Creek route down Fricaba to the Heather Creek/Dungeness trail is really quite a gem and not hard to find your way back to in the daylight.

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*
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Ancient Ambler
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PostThu Jun 02, 2011 7:03 pm 
Very enjoyable TR and photos, and an ambitious day trip. The TH is about 2500 ft, so you racked up 3500 getting to where you got. Too bad the clouds came in and blotted out the summit. They seem to be doing that recently. LIke silence, I'd recommend coming back later in the summer, like late July or early August. By then there may be plenty of flowers in the basin between Fricaba and Hal Foss to go along with the great veiws.

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