North Umpqua Trail (Swiftwater Segment)

The lower half of the North Umpqua Trail (NUT) used to be so beautiful. A jungle of lush vegetation thrived everywhere and deep shade kept the trail cool even in the warmest of summer days. But in the summer of 2020 the catastrophic Archie Creek Fire went on a fiery rampage and voila, nearly half of the NUT's 78 miles disappeared under landslides, fallen trees, and vigorous regrowth, all inevitable consequences of a large forest fire. In a small sign of progress however, a three-mile segment of trail between Susan Creek and Bob Creek has been restored and that's the subject of today's blog missive.

This part of Susan Creek escaped Archie's wrath

Despite Archie's best efforts to completely blacken the world, the Emerald Trail leading from Susan Creek Day Use Area to Tioga Bridge was still aptly named. The evergreen trees displayed their green foliage per usual, fern fronds draped over the trail, and green moss covered all that did not move. It was a poignant walk through forest totally untouched by fire, especially in view of the ashy devastation waiting for me across the river.

Fire damage and debris were evident
all along the North Umpqua Trail

Massive Tioga Bridge, still bearing Archie's scorch marks tattooed on the stout timbers, crossed the scenic North Umpqua River and "nice" work you've done here, Archie. The former rampant greenery has been supplanted by stand after stand of burned trees (rampant blackery?). Very few live trees exist here on the south side of the river, where the route followed the river from up on high and through all the charred tree trunks you could ever want to look at.

It must have wooly bear season, they were
in profuse abundance on the trail

The NUT here is an old roadbed but because of the fire and increased sunlight, grass has taken over the trail, basically converting the roadbed into a narrow singletrack path. As I hiked on the grassy trail, small clouds of panicked grasshoppers fled in front of me. The trail tread was covered with wooly bears (a fuzzy caterpillar, not a real bear with teeth and claws and everything) and I had to watch my step to avoid squishing them. As far as I know, no wooly bears were harmed in the hiking of my hike, or at least no greenish-yellow caterpillar guts were found on a post-hike inspection of my boots.

Falling trees will keep trail crews busy
for at least the next decade

An appreciative round of applause should be directed to our friends at the BLM, for despite the amount of downfall everywhere, the trail had been totally cleared of debris. Sporting fresh cuts in mute testimony to the handiwork of the trail crews, there were several piles of fallen trees heaped next to the trail. It's no easy task keeping trails open after a large fire and the dead trees will continue to fall and create more hard work in the years to come.

Stinky Bob is a lot prettier
than its name would suggest

If you hike this trail in spring, seasonal creeks and cascades flow across or along the trail. However, hike it in late summer like I was doing, then the creeks had long since gone dry and the nominally green grass and other assorted vegetation were also heading toward that dried-out state of being. However, a small pink geranium known as Stinky Bob was still flowering away in brazen defiance of the coming autumn and winter. Poor Bob, whoever he may have been, his aroma must have been especially notable in view of the fact he has a flower named after him for all of perpetuity.

A grasshopper basks in the early autumn sun

And speaking of autumn, much vegetative elements growing on the dead forest's floor were trending in that direction. Blackberry vines and alder, maple, and dogwood trees were beginning to participate in the autumn beauty pageant by blushing red, orange, yellow, or some hue in between. Most of the leaves were still green but a more colorful hike can be had by hiking here again in a couple of weeks.

Shadow Man sends greetings from Bob Creek

All that remains of the stout footbridge spanning Bob Creek is a pile of chopped wooden blocks, left over from when the fire-damaged bridge had been dismantled by the authorities. Bob Creek may have been a mere trickle but its defile was a difficult, but not impossible, obstacle to overcome. However, the reward for doing so would be hiking on an unmaintained trail through fire wreckage that is probably officially off limits anyway. I really don't need to pay a fine for hiking on a closed trail, either.

The North Umpqua River sparkles in the sun

So, it was back the way I came, all the way back to the picnic area at Susan Creek. The hike had been an easy 5 miles, so I added a walk to Susan Creek Campground and back for a more worthy distance. The trail to the campground was mostly lush and green, although the woods by the campground had also been burned. In the open sunlight, scarlet poison oak leaves advertised the presence of that accursed plant. Below the path, the North Umpqua River sparkled in the afternoon sun and I couldn't escape noticing thousands of acres of dead trees on the other side of the river, extending all the way up into the surrounding mountains.

Ferns from the Shadow Realm

I've often said there is beauty in a burn zone and I'm really trying hard to love this section of the North Umpqua Trail all over again. But damn, it used to be so beautiful before Archie's sacking and pillage of the once and former live forest. I'll keep working on my attitude, though.

Katydid did it

For more photos of this hike, please visit the Flickr album. 

North Umpqua Trail (Swiftwater Segment)

In 2020, the Archie Creek Fire raged along the North Umpqua River, immolating over 130,000 acres of beautiful forest, not to mention numerous homes and businesses. Also falling victim to the massive wildfire, the lower 30 miles or so of our beloved North Umpqua Trail was rendered impassable for hiking. Even if one is inclined to stealth hike on the officially closed trail, the incessant piles of scorched and fallen trees are an effective deterrent. However, rumor had it that part of the Swiftwater Segment of the North Umpqua Trail had been recently cleared and opened, so I just had to go get a look-see.

Here, the trail was untouched by fire

The fire scars and damage were eminently visible from the Susan Creek day use area, the starting point for today's venture. However, the day use area itself was relatively untouched by fire but just after the Susan Creek crossing, trees proudly bore their scorch marks like so many tribal tats. The fire did not get very far into the picnic area, although it did hop-scotch up into the surrounding slopes after jumping the North Umpqua River.

Snow queen bloomed in purple abundance

From the first step onto the trail, it was eminently obvious that spring was very much happening along the North Umpqua River. The forest floor was carpeted with healthy layers of snow queen, woodland violet, and trillium flowers. Also playing their part and vying for the Miss Supporting Wildflower sash were oxalis, bittercress, spring beauty, and candy flower. With all the flowers to photograph, this was not a very fast hike.

Here bee, bee, bee!

There's something insidious about spiders and trilliums. Here, you have an elegant and stately wildflower to entice bees, photographers, and other invertebrates. And yet, cream-colored crab spiders lurk among the pistils and stamens within the flower's interior and on more than one occasion, I have caught the conniving arachnids in flagrante delicto, happily dining on their victim. It just doesn't seem fair, from the bees' perspective, it'd be like a lion ambushing you as you ate a steak at Applebee's. Predictably enough, crab spiders were spotted on the abundance of trillium flowers blooming away on the forest floor and pity the bees.

Tioga Bridge now has battle scars

After a short walk along the North Umpqua River, the trail crossed over the river via photogenic Tioga Bridge. Built on the piers of an old roadway washed out by a 1964 flood, the stout bridge has become a local landmark since its restoration in 2012. The Archie Creek Fire had swept over the river here and while the bridge survived, scorch marks now adorn the wooden beams and trusses. However, the structural integrity of the bridge remained intact and I hiked across, safe and secure on the stout span.

What this part of the Swiftwater Segment
looks like for most of the three miles

Just after the bridge, there is a T-intersection with the North Umpqua Trail where one can go left on the Tioga Section or right on the Swiftwater Segment. The Tioga was clearly closed although the trail showed obvious signs of having been worked on. The Swiftwater at this end is an old road bed which means it's much wider than a footpath and presumably easier to clear fallen trees from. Despite some strong inner temptations to hike the Tioga Segment, closure notwithstanding, I made the right turn onto the Swiftwater.

Seasonal creeks kept things fresh

Seasonal creeks soon became a thing, as they flowed in abundance across the trail. Because the forest is now bare and stark, the noise of flowing water clearly carried all along the route. The small gullies that contained water were green and overly mossed while moisture-loving plants, such as spring beauty and candy flower, happily flourished as if there had never been a fire in the first place.

Life abounded on the forest floor

The forest was mostly dead and if not completely dead, then on life support. However, despite the arboreal skeletons standing everywhere, a veritable choir of songbirds were twittering and tweeting among the charred trees. On the ground, grass, moss, and wildflowers thrived, the vivid green vegetation in sharp contrast to the surrounding tree graveyard.

Wreckage at Bob Creek

After a couple of miles, the North Umpqua Trail morphed into a real footpath and descended steadily down to Bob Creek. The trail used to cross Bob Creek on a stout bridge but the fire ruined the bridge, the remnants of which were haphazardly piled up next to the creek. It would be indeed a strenuous and sketchy endeavor to scramble up and down the creek's formidable and bridgeless defile, only for the privilege of bushwhacking on what appeared to be an unmaintained continuation of the scorched North Umpqua Trail. I called it good here, and headed back the way I had come.

A halo of woodland violet

This section of the North Umpqua Trail used to be one of my favorite hikes because of the lush and verdant greenery flanking either side of the trail. Naturally, things are markedly different than before and during my remaining time on this planet, the forest here will never be like it was. However, I still enjoyed this walk and found it quite beautiful in its own ashy way. Forest fires are part of life, although they don't really need to be as destructive as the Archie Creek Fire had been, and life abounded among the bones, carcass, and general air of death of what once was a vibrant forest. It's just a different kind of beauty and despite the carnage, it's still very much a pleasant hike.

If you like charred wood, then this is your hike

For more photos of this hike, please visit the Flickr album. 

More Details

North Umpqua Trail (Swiftwater Segment)

Three weeks into the new year and I finally get in my first hike of 2020. Wow, that puts me on pace for a whopping 130 miles for the year! If I want more miles than that, and I do, I guess I really need to hike more often.

It didn't rain, looks can be deceiving

Weather, concerts, and just a wee bit of laziness had all conspired to keep me from my perennial New Year resolution of hiking more. However, enough is enough and it was time to confront my inner slothfulness and whatever weather was lying in wait for me on the trail. There was a high likelihood of precipitation as it had been raining all week but as it turned out, the only weather issue was that it was cold, getting close to but not quite freezing. But thankfully, no water fell from the sky during my short visit to the North Umpqua Trail. There was plenty of water on the ground though, and all the little creeks along the North Umpqua Trail were running as full and noisy as a constipated goat. Boots did get wet, but, that's a lot more preferable than atmospheric rivers waterfalling from the sky, drenching me from above.

White staghorn fungus was plentiful next to the trail

The Swiftwater Segment was chosen as the destination du jour simply because a friend of mine had posted a photo of the view from Bob Butte and what Tim can do, so can I. Setting out from the Susan Creek Day Use Area, I grabbed the Emerald Trail which is a short connector trail to Tioga Bridge. Emerald was the key color of the forest, as anything not moving fast enough was cloaked and covered with copious layers of moss. I spent a few minutes crawling through the forest cover in search of snow queen, one of the first wildflowers to bloom. While I found many budding out, none were displaying the small lavender flowers that I wanted to photograph. At least my hands and knees got dirty.

Lichen on a tree trunk

It was kind of a slow walk on the Emerald Trail, for there were so many standing trees with small (tiny, even) mushrooms, lichen, and moss thriving on the trunks: much photography ensued. Below the trail, the turquoise'ish waters of the North Umpqua River coursed by, swollen with rain runoff this time of year. Leafless maple trees provided some color what with their mossy branches and trunks contrasting against the dark gray of the sky.

The Tioga Bridge is like the 12th Wonder of the World

The Tioga Bridge was constructed in 2012 and it amazes me that you can still smell the creosote on the stout timbers. The arched bridge is not only stout, but scenic as well and a few minutes were spent taking pictures of the span and the river flowing underneath. On the other side of the river, a T-intersection with the North Umpqua Trail heralded the beginning of the real hike, but not before I stopped to photograph a creek cascading right next to the trail junction. Whew, with so many things to appreciate and look at, it sure was hard to commence hiking in earnest.

The creeks were in full torrent on this day

This portion of the North Umpqua Trail is on a gravel road bed and the grade was gentle as it angled uphill away from the river. Cedar fronds waved over the trail, and mushrooms along with  the ever ubiquitous moss consumed dead trees both standing and fallen. The forest ground cover was a dense and sodden green knee-high carpet of fern, salal, and Oregon grape. Periodically, rustic footbridges spanned the frequent creeks running across the trail. Hikers who like to photograph really appreciate the rustic bridges because the rails allow one to take those exquisite slow creek shots without having to pack a tripod.  

The "real" trail enters the forest

After several miles of this, the trail departed the road bed and became a real trail with rough tread. Unfortunately, this led to the only un-scenic portion of the hike when the path ran underneath some power lines for a brief bit. Much photography did not ensue. Once past the buzzing power lines, the trail entered the forest and I was back in business with the camera.

Bob Creek flows below the footbridge

The path was dropping rapidly in the forest and Bob Creek came into view with plenty of white water shining through the trees. I might not have been able to see the creek much, but I sure could hear it. Running full, the stream was loud as it rambunctiously tumbled over boulders in the bottom of its canyon. At yet another stout footbridge over the boisterous torrent, more photography ensued. I've hiked here before, but nearby Bob Butte had always been hidden up in the clouds which conveniently provided me the cover (pun intended) to avoid the hike up. But today, the dark clouds were high enough to allow views so I cinched up my internal fortitude and continued hiking past Bob Creek.

Let the uphill begin!

Oof! That was kind of steep for the first hike of the year and my winter-atrophied leg muscles were soon complaining. But hey, I like hot food, so I'm used to ignoring the burn and I did that very thing as I trudged up the switchbacking trail through the forest. Just as the trail broke out into the open, I met up with the only other hikers I'd see all day. These two ladies were on the first leg of their goal of hiking the entire 78 miles of the North Umpqua Trail by dayhike. Cool, and so nice to see ambition on the trail.

View of the North Umpqua River canyon from Bob Butte

There is an open area on the side of Bob Butte, consisting of low growing grass and a bunch of rocks. Water seeps out of the ground here and all the rocks were accordingly covered with moss. Oak trees, seemingly out of place among all the conifer and maple, dotted the green slope. And of course, the open greensward provided an impressive view of the North Umpqua River canyon upstream. Small nearby peaks were covered with snow, and I probably was just several hundred feet below snow level.

A rock feels true love's mossy embrace

After a brief stay where I couldn't really sit down because of all the water seeping out of the ground, it was back the way I came, where I could enjoy the creeks and forest all over again. But at least it was all downhill, excepting the climb away from Bob Creek, and leg muscles were appreciative of that. So, the first hike of the year came in a little under seven miles, and my poor flaccid body felt every bit of it. But that was to be expected since it had been about a month since I last had hiked. I really should do this more often. 

Moss rules all on the North Umpqua Trail

For more photos of this hike, please visit the Flickr album.

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