Wed, Sep 17 2014 - King Creek Ridge Loop (View Original Event Details)
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"Though the distance is short, it's excruciatingly steep, so it demands intense effort" so says the popular hiking book Where Locals Hike. Well today, four first timers found that description to be very accurate! lol We arrived at the King Creek day use area at approximately 10:30am only to discover the gates were locked (the reason would be discovered several hours later) but we parked on the side of the road and began our journey under clear blue skies and bright warm sunshine.
The climb was definitely a steep one and while the trail eluded us from time to time we kept heading onwards and upwards with Sarah coaching us through the 100 step interval method to keep us focused. After about 2 hours and just shy of the first summit, we broke for lunch and enjoyed the spectacular views for awhile. Once our batteries were recharged, it was off to check out summit #1 then a short saddle walk over to summit #2. In the middle of that saddle was the trail down (if completing the loop) and it's where we headed after all the picture taking was done. It looked pretty daunting to be honest but we really didn’t want to go back the same way we came, so we opted to be adventurous and just go for it. Oh by the way, trail conditions were excellent, completely snow and mud free throughout!
Eventually we made our way down to the creek bed searching for a trail but had little success. We knew the creek flowed right by the parking lot so worse case we would just follow it. Unfortunately with the devastating 2013 flood damage that left countless fallen trees combined with widespread flattened vegetation from last week's early snowfall, it was a real adventure working our way back. The flood waters tore up the creek area and took major sections of trail with it but amidst all the chaos we managed to find short stretches still intact reassuring us we were on the right track. We crossed the creek at least a dozen times (most cases there were rocks or trees to help us over but on a few ocassions we either changed our footwear or got wet. Despite all the hassle, the canyon area surrounding the creek was spectacular and well worth the extra effort. Finally, about eight hours later, we reached the parking lot and realized why the gate was locked. lol
Overall it was a fantastic day with great company and plenty of adventure! I am so happy we completed the loop but I would definitely recommend sticking to an out and back should you decide to check it out. Definitely worth the effort!
Happy Hiking!
Duane