From Dingford to Goldmyer returning along on the Goldmyer trail/road (the old Middle fork road) About 10 miles, 1000’ gain.

Road: from Garfield Ledges the road is rough but typical as it has been for years

Trail: There are a couple blowdowns and brushy spots but the trail was in good shape meandering along the river at times and much of it following an old logging railroad bed in very old second growth. Bridges are at Wildcat and Rock creeks. A short ford (a foot deep) is necessary at Burntboot creek by Goldmyer. The hike back along the old road was very pleasant as it stays closer to the river and the afternoon sun was highlighting the nearby cliffs. Dingford falls were nice to see right near the end of the hike.

No trip report Tim dragged me around the mountains this week for a 4 night extravaganza.

Starting on 9/17. Trail up to Myrtle was nice. Routefinding up to big snow lake and Snowflake Lake wasn't bad. However, carin's were very sparse. camped at Snowflake, lots of of fish in big snow lake.

Day 2 started with a steep ascent of Big Snow Mountain following talus and creek beds. Pretty strenuous, but not too bad. At this point Carin's are more of something to stumble upon then to follow. grabbed the summit, which was about the smokiest elevation around, and headed down to Gold Lake and the 4 or 5 tarns above it, this took much longer than anticipated. Plenty of fish here as well.
After a quick dip we head north to wrap around Wild Goat Peak to Chetwood Lake on some seldom walked talus. Very wild drainage area, and very intense. We loop around the Southside of Chetwood with headlamps on steep talus and make camp near its east shore.

Day 3 is, surprise, more talus! much more traveled, though, which was nice. Routefinding becomes easier, but the terrain remains absolutely wild. we stop at iron cap lake for some water and to soak up its mesmerizing silty blue beauty. From here we head to the Tank Lakes where we saw multiple parties camping. some of the first people we've seen in 3 days. after some water we drop down fast into the end of the Necklace Valley and then up the last steep push to the La Bohn Lakes where we make canp. We decide Mount Hinman is a bit much for our tired toes, so we leave it for another trip. Saw some weird string of lights in the sky that I'll have to look up later. Hanging a food bag here is pretty laughable so an actual bear bag is recommended.

Day 4 starts with us finalizing our decision to bail on Hinman and we walk steep talus to Williams Lake. Some awesome mining history just above that we spent an hour or so checking out.
From Williams we have an actual trail so we turn the speed up and make it to the end of the forest service road that heads up the middlefork and camp at a major hub on the river.

Day 5 is just a wet road hike. the rain started around 5am and didn't let up until around noon so we walked out with soggy feet.

Over all a killer trip. No trip report Tim gives it a 9/10 for difficulty in our current shape. I'd have to agree.

We arrived around 1pm for an afternoon hike. The parking lot is very large (and fully paved), and we had many spots to choose from. Also of note, the vault toilet was well-stocked with toilet paper.  

We hiked about 7 miles total (~3.5mi out and back). It was still a bit too early for the start of fall colors, but we really enjoyed the gentle rolling terrain and getting to walk both near the river and in the forest. Some sections of the trail were a bit narrow and brushy, so if it is a rainy day I would plan to get a bit wet. Many slugs and caterpillars were out on the trail, especially when we were on our way back to the car!

We hiked about 4.5 miles round trip in the rain and turned around when there were a few stretches of really close-in, brushy trail and we didn't feel like getting more wet than we already were from the extra foliage. No obstacles other than a collapsed puncheon (but still very easily passable) and the brushiness of the trail. This is a perfect rainy day hike!

There were just a few mushrooms starting to pop. Hopefully after a few more good rains they'll be filling up the forest.

Toilet at the trailhead was in good condition, and there were very few cars in the parking lot for a Sunday.

We arrived at the trailhead around 10:30am and the parking lot was nearly empty. Most of the trailheads all the way out were pretty empty, as a matter of fact. I was pleasantly surprised to see the outhouse and trash were clean and taken care of despite funding cuts (GO PARK RANGERS! ❤️). This is your friendly reminder to buy your annual park passes to help support park rangers and the areas we love to hike in!

The trail today was stunning. No issues on the trail, except for one bridge that may have gotten broken by a fallen tree but is still easily crossable. There were TONS of caterpillars and banana slugs out on the trail, so watch your step. 

We only hiked 4.23 miles round trip today because I'm rehabilitating my sprained ankle, which did really well! This was a great hike for that. We got back to the parking lot around 1pm and I enjoyed soaking my feet in the river before heading home.