We venture once more into the Briggs Creek area. This entire area once was a major gold mining site, with a steady stream of horse, and human traffic from all along Briggs Creek. That tree could be Paul Bunyon's slingshot.
A lot of this forest
looks untouched. Not far up the trail is the old town site for Briggs,
the nearest town, and a wild one it was!
This entire area has some of the most magnificent trees we've ever seen!
What do you suppose spends the winter in here?
Evidence of early hydraulic mining is everywhere, and they must have blasted everything they could reach.
This is a very different landscape from what we normally encounter in the mountains.
Many trails and paths
show signs of heavy use. Most likely from forestry crews fighting
the fire that raged through the area ahead of us in 2010.
We kept hearing rustling
noises along the left of the trail, but just figured it to be a deer
trying to avoid crossing our trail. In some places like just ahead the
trail descends in very dark, brush covered areas where the forest canopy
is so closely entwined, you cannot see the sky.
It was very overgrown,
and the humidity along the creek was high due to the fact it was so
overgrown that no breeze could get through.
The trees seemed to be fighting their way up to the sun and the fresh air.
This area has not been logged for a long time, due to so many laws and the impossible terrain.
These monsters have been here for centuries, and it's surprising as to how close together some of them are.
The trail seemed to have
changed since we were last here in 2009, just after we moved to Grants
Pass. At times, everything looked different, and then, as if to
reassure us , there it was!
Right in the middle of
the trail. How could anyone forget this stump? We don't know if it
marks a section corner or what as I didn't have a GPS with me; we have
no idea as to why it was carved like this? Maybe someone can shed some
light on this unusual find?
Some trees seem to bend
for no apparent reason. This one is like a 120 foot gradual curve back
to vertical. Perhaps some early mining equipment was cabled to it and
caused it to permanently bend?
The forest becomes very dense with old-growth timber. Untouched by previous logging attempts due to the terrain.
Some things are
different, as we are having to cross streams, although there has been no
rainfall for a month. There goes that rustling noise again! This is
unusual, as we have hiked a lot of mountain trails, and deer, and elk
normally just step aside, or run a ways and stop until we pass. I cannot
think of any creature that follows, and also one that would make noise
doing it!
The dogs are nervous
through here where normally they pull on their leashes to go after a
noise, they pull forward instead to leave this place.
We are out of the dark
area now, and there is no room for whatever has been alongside the trail
to remain unseen between us and Briggs Creek. A miner friend had
mentioned last year that his good friend had reported a Sasquatch
sighting not far from here, as he was sluicing his color into a
rewarding pile of gold.
Signs of previous spring torrents that keep this rugged terrain looking wild and unfriendly.
Descending to the main creek.
We begin to see the signs of the recent forest fire.
Some trees are looking charred now.
This is how a tree bleeds. It is pouring sap, as though trying to seal its massive burn!
This monster is well over 150 feet high, although we cannot begin to see its top.
Huge piles of sap cover the entire base of the tree.
More burned trees start to open up the forest, as many of their neighbors have fallen.
The tree on the left was obviously a victim of a forest fire from long ago.
The fire must have dashed in all directions as it tore through this gulch.
This photo is from 2009,
where these giant trees marked the trail, and soared so high you
couldn't see their tops. Our little buddy in front is new to this hike,
as our old pal (on your left) in the next photo is only along in our pleasant memories
now.
Today, the tree on the right in this photo has burned completely off just a couple of feet from the top of the picture.
Briggs Creek is lazily
continuing its long journey through this canyon, and on to the next one
for mile, after mile in its long trek to cascade into the beautiful
Illinois River, and then running together for a lot more miles, and a
lot more canyons to bust through into the fabled and Mighty Rogue, and
then on to the Pacific Ocean.
There is a trail across
the creek in the upper left quadrant, that curves up and turns right to
parallel our trail at a higher altitude.
Funny what a million years of erosion can do.
This is an absolute Monster!
Nothing but the giant sequoias could even come close to the majesty of these monumental giants!
This tree was burned so badly it's root ball gave up and it toppled.
This entire area is
secured by mining claims, so even disturbing this gravel is against
federal law, but in this remote an area, it makes on ponder just how
much black sand, and gold lie in these deep crevices.
The rushing waters in
the early spring carry huge amounts of gold-bearing sand downstream, and
this material gets deposited wherever there is an obstacle to change
its flow. How fun it would be, but on we go.
When this tree was born,
, these words were being spoken back east; WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION................ That's
right, the Preamble to the United States Constitution was being
ratified! That was 225 years ago!
This one is a lot older!
Strange growths are apparent. Could it possibly be from the mercury that was oftentimes used to separate gold?
We begin the return trip.
We are getting into the brushy area again, and the dogs are straining at their leashes for no apparent reason.
We again hear the
strange rustling alongside the trail, and we are nearing that same place
where it came from on the trip in, only on our right side now.
Most of the thrashing
sounds are coming from behind a bunch of dead falls, and I ready the
camera, and move closer while my wife holds the dogs.
Just as I made it over
the second log, the noise stopped, and I could detect a slight movement,
as I raised the viewfinder to my eye; I swear I saw what appeared to be
a gorilla face, and in that split second of time my mind thought of
some kid with a Halloween gorilla mask playing a gag, but in the next
instant the image was gone, and this is all I got in the lens. I
immediately plowed closer, but the funny looking head-like image was
gone, and I was left with the sounds of whatever it was crashing
downhill toward the creek. At least I know it wasn't a prank. Now, I
just wish I knew what it really was!
No, I don't know either?
Travelling along a slightly different route, here is a 4x4, or horse, and wagon crossing from mining days.
This is really a
beautiful area, but it is so far off the "beaten path", and it takes so
long to get here, the tremendous efforts by early day miners are to
really be admired and appreciated.
We again pay our respects to the residents of the two graves that sit silently in a sheltered draw just off the trail.
Little has changed, but
there is fresh sign of a visitor. There are fresh ashes in front of
this grave to indicate a ceremony perhaps? Possibly Native American?
There is a fire pit near here, and it appears that whoever visits this
remote burial site must spend some degree of time in remembrance.
This grave seems less
visited, and we left it as it was. Our thoughts 3 years ago were that it
may have been for someone's pets, but the crosses make that an
unlikelihood.
We leave without
disturbance, While it's easy to come up with many ideas, such as early
miners, then who maintains them? If anyone has any thoughts on this we
would appreciate solving this mystery.
Old parts to mining equipment dot the forest floor.
The dogs have finally regained their composure, so the hike is again a thing of beauty.
Hard to tell how high it really is!
700 years ago, Edward II was king of England, and this tree was a couple of feet high.
This is a different
world, and you will see amazing sights throughout the Briggs Creek area.
Who knows, maybe you'll see Sasquatch!
