I find hiking in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness
to be just fascinating. First and foremost, the
Kalmiopsis is where the catastrophic 2002
Biscuit Fire began so you get to experience just
how vast 499,965 acres really is and it is also
a fascinating look at a forest in recovery, or
lack thereof. Additionally, the Siskiyou is
comprised of serpentine, periodotite, and heavy
metals and is an interesting break from our
normal lava-based geology. The third reason the
plant life is so specialized to the harsh
conditions prevalent in the Kalmiopsis that you
will not see many species elsewhere in the world
although they are common and plentiful within
the Kalmiopsis.
When we arrived at the Babyfoot Lake trailhead,
the skies were hazy with smoke from the
California wildfires so views would be somewhat
limited. The trail immediately ascended up to
the Babyfoot Rim and it was a lot steeper than I
had remembered and we were all huffing and
puffing for a bit. Since all the trees had been
burnt, there was a notable lack of shade also.
We ate lunch at the top of the rim and had fun
identifying rare wildflowers on the rim such as
luina, Siskiyou arnica, Siskiyou iris, Siskiyou
onion, and Siskiyou lewisia. We also had a nice
view down to Babyfoot Lake and the rugged peaks
and canyons of the remote Kalmiopsis interior.
After lunch we descended steeply to the
Kalmiopsis Rim Trail which was actually an old
jeep road. Ray and I turned left and headed to
a 10.5 mile round trip to Canyon Peak while the
mere mortals turned right for a 5.3 loop past
Babyfoot Lake.
After several miles of burnt forest with no
shade, the trail began to get very sketchy but
Ray and I just navigated off of visual cues as
Canyon Peak was nearby...couldn't miss it. At a
saddle below the peak, we found not only the
trail resumption, but glory be, we found a
foresty untouched by the fire. That was the
best shade I have ever sat in! After a
recuperative rest, we then made the short climb
to the Canyon Peak summit.
From the Peak we could see into California, sort
of, as California was a smoke bank; turn around
and look into Oregon and the skies were blue.
Gotta be a tourism commercial in there
somewhere. The canyons of the southern
Kalmiopsis lay at our feet and we could observe
the Emily Cabin trail snaking crazily several
thousand feet down the canyon slopes. I would
not want to hike that one back out of the
canyon!
On out way back, the unrelenting sun took it's
toll and we were pretty bushed when we arrived
at the junction with the Babyfoot Lake trail.
By this time clouds had come in and you could
just feel the electricity in the air: lightning
was imminent. So we hurried to the trailhead
where wives and friends had been waiting
patiently (and not so patiently) for our arrival
and we left in the nick of time as the lightning
started on the drive out.
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