Ever since I went to Quartz Creek I’ve been wanting to backpack in the area. After a failed attempt back in May when we had to cancel the backpack due to snow and conform with just a day hike, it was time for one more try. We still found snow so we were not able to do part of the loop I wanted to do but finally I was able to explore the upper section of this wonderful trail. Since my last trip was not long ago, I will spare the first part of the trip as there’s not much to say about that I have not said before. The only great news is that WTA has been actively working in the area so the lower part of the trail is in much better condition than before; in fact, we even saw bike tracks on the trail which I don’t know if I feel happy about. On our way in, we made a short stop at the small campsite near the junction with the Quartz Creek Ridge trail which has always been the point I get to on a day hike. After that break, all was new to me. The trail from that point on actually climbs away from the creek as it skirts the canyon and goes uphill. There are few viewpoints and many sections with downed trees that required some heavy bushwhacking that, with a heavy pack is a whole other story. We crossed a couple of creeks and finally got back down to Quartz Creek and big log to cross it. By then we were all pretty tired and it was getting dark so instead of continuing to the intended campsite on the French Creek trail, we decided to stop there at a small campsite we found. After setting up camp and getting water we started a fire and made dinner which was accompanied by a delicious Pizza that Celeste brought for all of us. Later that night, I looked at the map and decided that, instead of breaking up camp and continue further to a second campsite, it made more sense to leave camp and do a day hike. That way our hike out on Monday would not be too hard. On Sunday we woke to a rather cold morning which forced us to have an early fire. After a nice breakfast and another food surprise, we took off on our day exploration of the upper section of the Quartz Creek trail. The first part was a bit of an uphill with a couple of downed trees but much cleaner than the previous section. On our way up, we crossed a couple of smaller creeks that were a bit unusual. In most cases, the creeks we find are filled with rocks and shrubs. The creeks in this area are basically a very long rock slab that resembles a slide. Crossing these is not as easy as one might expect though. Since there’s no rocks to hop on or under water and the rock surface is slippery, there little to hold on as you cross. So even with water rushing at ankle level, you feel the creek trying to drag you down. On the second creek crossing, we could see the water flowing down a small and very steep canyon down to a pool far below. On that same pool we could see more water pouring from another side but we were not able to see where it was coming from. Shortly after the cross, we came to the intersection with the French Creek trail and noticed a side trail to the side. Hearing a roaring waterfall we decided to check it out and discovered the other source of all the flow in to that pool we could see. Just from the side of the trail there’s a 60’ drop with a beautiful waterfall that plunges into an enclosed canyon far below. On the side of that canyon is the smaller waterfall from the second creek and further down the creek continues thru lush green forest that get water all year long. The views from the top were amazing and inviting enough to make a mental note to try to find a route to go down on our way back. We continued up getting closer to the ridge line but without any interesting views. In the end we got to the top to a trail sign at the fork with the boundary trail that opened views to the Juniper Ridge where could see Jumbo Peak and Sunrise Peak. At the top we found a lot of snow so we continued for a while until we realized there was no easy way to predict how the rest of the day would go. So after exploring for a bit, we turned around and started heading down the way we came. Once we got back to the fork with the French Creek and crossed the second creek, we started looking for a possible way down. After a short walk on the trail and passing the waterfall, we found a ridgeline that seemed doable to climb down. We tried that and ended up descending all the way to the creek where we found a couple of large logs right where we needed to cross. After that, a short bushwhack took us right to the base of the waterfall. I think the only word I can say about the view is spectacular. We stayed there for quite some time admiring the scenery and the waterfalls before continuing down back to campsite. For our last day, it was just the hike out the way we hiked in on Saturday so after a good breakfast, we started our journey back out. I can say I’m happy I finally made the backpacking trip to Quartz Creek but somehow have the feeling I didn’t explore everything I wanted to explore. We did not make it to the Dark Meadow so I guess I will have to come up with yet another trip to this area. The only thing is, having done this trail three times already; I need to give it a rest for a while. Perhaps next time I will approach it from a different route.
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