| Gore Creek Trail |
| Sunday, September 04, 2011 15:55 |
|
Sept 1, 2011 by John Norris At this time of year the early part of the trail is a remnant of a magnificent summer wildflower kingdom that was studded with lots of water features and hazards. The grade is easy but the trail is ragged and rocky in many areas. In the spring sections of the trail would be a bog but are almost dry now. There is still snow on South facing slopes supplying the remaining flowers. Further along the trail fallen timbers block the trail and renegade trails circumvent the hazards. A foot bridge is located at 1.8 miles. None of the half dozen camp sites along this 4.2 mile section of the trail seem to meet the wilderness guidelines of being located more than 100 feet from stream or lake. The sounds of Gore Creek vary along the walk. The creek can be as close as a friend and as far away as a silent gorgeous view. At the turn marked by the Recen graves (4.2 miles), the last 1.9 miles of trail rises 2000 feet to Lake Gore. At first the trail is steep and the hiker is further challenged with fallen timber hazards. Eventually the trail becomes a staircase of small meadows adorned with small streams and swarms of wildflowers. Most of the flowers are past their prime but some are as fresh as the air. There are 8 or 9 meadows leading up to Lake Gore. The final rise is once again quite steep. The flower ringed lake is just beautiful. There is a small pond in front of the lake that provides a reflective view of opposing mountains. A small stream leads down to a lower pond before meandering through a meadow. Tags: |
