FEELING THAT WAY
I initially had a different plan for hiking this weekend and it was a good one, but at the last minute I changed the plan. Why did I do that? I don’t know. I have to go where I am feeling it. By the time it got around to Saturday, I just wasn’t feeling the other one. But the new plan didn’t really work out so well either.
I got to the parking area just after sunrise and made the quick trek up to Bear Ranch Creek Falls which I have been to a hundred times before. I took a quick shot of it. From there I would hike up to the Middle Bear Ranch Creek Falls (pictured here). I’ve only been to this one once before. The first section of the hike seemed a lot better than before, as there is now a well trodden path up the mountain. I did not see much poison oak either. However, the second half of the hike seemed to be worse than before, much more overgrown and brushy, and a lot more difficult. Where did all those people from the first half of the hike go? I arrived at the beautiful 30 ft. high middle falls and I took a couple photos of it also. My plan was NOT to stop here. My plan was to continue onwards and upwards. There is another waterfall upstream for certain and I hoped to get to it. Really, I did not think it likely I would make it, but I definitely thought I would make it a lot farther than I did. I made it above the middle falls but the further I hiked the more brushy and difficult the route became. Before too long it became much too brushy to continue. I tried the other side of the creek. No good. I tried wading right up the creek but that didn’t work. Soon after, I came to an impassable spot with no way around it. All in all, I thought I would get a lot further than I did. I was certainly not expecting it to be any brushier than the section up to the middle falls but it was far worse. I was feeling disappointed but I did the best I could. I turned around and went back down. Along the way I somehow dropped my GPS without my knowing it. I went back in search for it, thinking it could not be too far. Of course I had to go back across a couple very sketchy parts which I did not want to, but I did finally find it. Whew. If I had not found it, I would not have been lost – always have a backup! But I am still very glad I did not lose it. It was certainly an interesting adventure in Plumas National Forest.