Our original plan was to drive to the Trinity trailhead on the 22nd, car camp there, then start hiking early the next morning up to Buck Creek Pass camp, and then day-hike to High Pass on the 24th. Reaching the road to Trinity around 7pm, however, we discovered the road closed and lots of activity turning that road into a firebreak in case the Pomas fire jumped both the Pomas ridge and the Old Gib ridge. After a brief panic I pulled up my downloaded CalTopo maps and decided to head for the White River trail. We got to a car camp just below the trailhead around 8:30, set up camp and slept.
By 7 am on the 23rd we were hiking up the White River trail towards Boulder Creek Pass trail. This section of the White River trail is forested with big trees, and is a very gentle grade with just a few rolling ups and downs. The trail is well established with no obstacles other than some encroaching thimbleberry bushes along the way. At 4 miles in, we turned East up the Boulder Creek Pass trail. The first 2.6 miles of this trail is a steady climb averaging a 22% slope but well shaded by forest. Along the way there were ripe thimbleberries to enjoy, and once past 4000 feet elevation there were ripe blueberries -- not too plentiful but intensely flavorful. At 2.6 miles the trail crosses Boulder Creek, which makes for a very pleasant spot to have a snack, refill water bottles and take off shoes for a wade in the cold water. It was definitely getting warm by then! Continuing on, the trail gets slightly less steep, but more overgrown in places and without much shade. The sun was blasting, and the day was getting hotter. At about 1.5 miles from the creek crossing there is a nice size flat dirt campsite that could hold several tents, but no trees for hammocks. A pit toilet is nearby. There is a seasonal water source nearby, and if that is dry, then about a tenth of a mile further there is a trail that branches left, and down 0.25 miles to Boulder Creek. [That trail continues on the other side of the creek to climb the ridge to the west, dead-ending as a mapped trail but providing a high route along the ridge to Clark Mountain. Or so we were told.]
We continued up the main trail until about 2.1 miles from the creek crossing, where there is an old campsite in a clearing above the creek (5200' elevation). There were a couple of semi-flat spots a small tent could fit into, and a few nice trees for our hammock setups, with great views of the cliffs. [Please remember, always use 2" wide tree-hugger straps to prevent damage to the trees!] Although there are trees, there aren't many places to sit down in the shade, so we found ourselves spending the afternoon getting blasted by the hot sun. The creek was cold and refreshing as it came out of the snowfield at the base of the cliffs, however, and eventually the sun dipped below the western ridge. Very few mosquitoes except early mornings when having tea and breakfast. Permethrin treated clothing worked great, and a headnet for those morning swarms.
Day 2 we day-hiked, continuing up the trail another 1100 feet in 2 miles to reach the top of Boulder Pass (6300'). The view from there down into Napeequa Valley is stunning. As we sat, gazing down at the meanders of the Napeequa river, a F-15 fighter jet silently appeared in the air below us, and was halfway further up the valley to High Pass before the sound reached us. Then a second, then a third jet! Not something we expected to see! [Hopefully they don't make a habit of doing that. Maybe they were taking advantage of the fire-related area closure to get in a little mountain valley low altitude training, preparing for an invasion of Canada.] From the top of the pass, the trail continues on, down steep switchbacks to a bit above the river, where it looks like there may be some campsites, and then on down to the river ford to connect with the Napeequa valley trail that comes down from Little Giant and continues on to High Pass. I hope to hike that trail in the future. From the top of Boulder Pass, there is a boot path that climbs the ridge and then ends on the scree below the ridge that leads to Peak 8373 and Clark Mtn. I traversed the scree westward at 6400' to a ridge that gave me a great overlook back down Boulder Creek valley. After that, it was back to camp, dinner, bed and an early morning start back down the trail to the car. I didn't get to High Pass as originally planned, but I did get to gaze down on the Napeequa valley. All in all, this was a spectacular and rewarding trip!
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