Day 6 out of 11. I miss my mommy, says Journey. Tara is away on a trip to Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Journey is sad. She loves her mommy so much. Truthfully, she has been doing quite well with daddy. We have been going to the park twice a day despite the heat this past week. We have had a good routine every day. The weekend is here now. Let’s shake that routine up a bit and go on a hike to a waterfall. Journey is all in for that!
We drove all the way out to nowhere. A place called Clipper Mills and a return to Deadwood Creek Falls.
I stopped short of the actual trailhead. It was intentional. It would have been easy to drive all the way but I wanted a bit longer hike. That would have been a great idea except for one thing: the gnats! They were horrendous. I had my headnet so it did not really disturb me so much but I was worried about Journey. They were bothering her quite a bit. I really considered just going back home. But … we continued on to the trailhead. Once we got going down the actual trail all of a sudden the gnats were gone. I guess it was because the trail was still in early morning shade. They would probably be bad on the way back up the hill. For now though, it was a big relief.
We saw a couple hunters out and about. Is it hunting season all ready? They were friendly (one of them was, anyway). I heard a big animal crashing through the bushes but I did not see what it was. It must have been a deer or a bear. Also, there was some guys in 4 wheelers at the trailhead. I guess they drove their machines all the way down to the river and back (I only heard them when we were down there).
Anyway, I was a little concerned if Journey could make it to the waterfall or not. My notes said it was extremely steep and last time I needed to use a rope. Well if I needed a rope that would mean Journey would not be able to make it. I wanted to try it with her anyway. There must be a way. Sure enough, the route I took last time was too steep and dangerous. There were a lot of leaves on the ground which makes the terrain very slick and dangerous. One slip and you would be sliding down the mountain all the way to the creek. I did not want to take the chance that Journey would get hurt. We turned back. Bummer. My plan B was to walk up the creek from the bottom but there was a small waterfall that made that option impossible. How about plan C? Maybe there was a route on the other side of the creek.
I was shocked to find it but indeed there was a path on the other side and it led all the way up to the waterfall. It was easy enough that Journey could do it. There was one steep and sketchy section but we got by it. Awesomeness!
Deadwood Creek Falls is 43 ft. high. It was flowing very well. It is a big creek but I expected the flow to be much less. We enjoyed the waterfall for quite awhile and ate our snack. Then we headed back up the mountain. The gnats were out now but we managed. It was a 1400 ft. climb back up the mountain. Journey was very tired and laid down to rest at every stoppage. We were almost back to the car (I could see it but she didn’t see it yet) and she just laid down in the middle of the road. That’s it, daddy. End of the line. That’s all she wrote. But then I pointed out the car to her and she got enough energy back to make it the rest of the way. She plopped down on the seat and closed her eyes. We did it. It was a fantastic morning in the middle of nowhere Plumas National Forest.
