Little Fish Fork Overnighter, 7/2 - 7/3/2009

[Hikin_Jim]

Thanks, Bill, but remember you lead the way. Your TR was the first mention of LFF/UFF I had heard in a long time. Then Matt's TR came along and I was looking to do a quickovernighter, thus my TR.

[Richard N.]

I was at LFF a few months back but we we ran out of time to get down to UFFC. We started at Lupine and took the old logging road around to the trail. We are heading back in a couple of weeks. Camping @ Lupine and heading out early Saturday morning for UFFC. Our track was identical to Matt's going to LFFC. We turned back where the trail gets lost in the thickets, but we found another route to the ridge overlooking UFFC. We saw the trash heap and never thought about hemp growers. But very close to the trash heap was piles of dung. It looked like there were some pack animals or maybe big horns that made the area a camp too??

We are pretty confident we'll have no trouble getting to UFFC. Matt's tracks were maybe 40' below where we turned back.

The Blue Ridge Road to Guffy is generally opened after maybe mid April. The gate past Guffy is always questionable whether or not it will be open. A lot of hikers will just park in Guffy and hoof it to the Devils Backbone trail. On the road there is a small turnout but if you watch the ridge line its easy to know were to park. The trail heads down a bit the starts its steep climb up Pine. From Pine to Daswon is pretty easy. Finding the old trail down to UFFC is not that difficult if you know what to look for. There are some places the trail down is nowhere to be found but following the ridge down will keep you on track. When we hiked that loop we estimated it to be close to 13 mile. Then again we went down Pine Ridge into the East Fork as well.

[Hikin_Jim]

Richard,

Did you finally make it all the way to Upper Fish Fork?

HJ

[Ze Hiker]

so there's this list that mentions a few waterfalls in fish fork

there are two mentions of "fish fork" falls, with one being called "upper" fish fork falls.

do we think the regular falls is associated with the falls on the topo map? is the upper falls just downstream off upper fish fork campground, or elsewhere?

[Hikin_Jim]

so there's this list that mentions a few waterfalls in fish fork

there are two mentions of "fish fork" falls, with one being called "upper" fish fork falls.

do we think the regular falls is associated with the falls on the topo map? is the upper falls just downstream off upper fish fork campground, or elsewhere?

It's hard to say what Tom Chester is referring to.

For sure there is a falls just down stream from Upper Fish Fork Camp. That would be my candidate for Upper Fish Fork Falls.

HJ

[HikeUp]

I nominate Ze to go find out.

[Hikin_Jim]

I nominate Ze to go find out.

Seconded. All opposed say "nay." Hearing no opposition, I declare the vote unanimous and declare Zé duly authorized to explore Fish Fork under the auspices of the SGMDF. Congratulations, Zé

OK, time for some Acme Fu. "A" is the approximate location of Upper Fish Fork Camp. The narrows I went into was as I recall below the confluence of Fish Fork and Little Fish Fork. The falls were in the narrows, somewhere in the vicinity of "B." "C" is the location marked as "Falls" on the topo map. "D" is the small falls near the mouth of Fish Fork. The location of "D" is very approximate.

I'd be very surprised if they're weren't a couple of other falls in that water course just based on the map and my knowledge of the country.

Given that there are multiple falls in Fish Fork, but only one is called out on the topo, I wonder if the marked falls is particularly large or spectacular. The marked falls is the most difficult to reach and most remote of the three falls I know about on Fish Fork. Surely there must be some reason they marked the falls they did and ignored the other two?

Inquiring minds want to know. Time's a wasting, Zé; get on out there.

HJ

[Ze Hiker]

I nominate Ze to go find out.

Seconded. All opposed say "nay." Hearing no opposition, I declare the vote unanimous and declare Zé duly authorized to explore Fish Fork under the auspices of the SGMDF. Congratulations, Zé

OK, time for some Acme Fu. "A" is the approximate location of Upper Fish Fork Camp. The narrows I went into was as I recall below the confluence of Fish Fork and Little Fish Fork. The falls were in the narrows, somewhere in the vicinity of "B." "C" is the location marked as "Falls" on the topo map. "D" is the small falls near the mouth of Fish Fork. The location of "D" is very approximate.

I'd be very surprised if they're weren't a couple of other falls in that water course just based on the map and my knowledge of the country.

Given that there are multiple falls in Fish Fork, but only one is called out on the topo, I wonder if the marked falls is particularly large or spectacular. The marked falls is the most difficult to reach and most remote of the three falls I know about on Fish Fork. Surely there must be some reason they marked the falls they did and ignored the other two?

Inquiring minds want to know. Time's a wasting, Zé; get on out there.

HJ

gee thanks guys!

seems like two trips. I want to visit UFF and check out the falls at B. obviously, the main falls at "C" are a long ways away from that... and I have no desire to hike through the poison oak at the bottom of fish fork to get to C. That leaves attempting to descend from Pine Mt ridge south or SA ridge north close to the falls. SA ridge would be ridiculous hike, so Pine Mt ridge it is, perhaps down from x7363.

heading from "B" to "C" (even after passing the upper falls) would probably be terrible, and like you said, other falls and roadblocks along the way.

[RyanB]

I had a friend do this last year. It is one serious route. He did it in 2 days, rappelling down multiple falls. He said the biggest was about 100'. I don't know if that true. Only one way to find out.

[Hikin_Jim]

SA ridge would be ridiculous hike...

And that's stopped you before when?

This from the man who goes over Iron to get to Stanley-Miller.

HJ

[Ze Hiker]

yeah but I didn't go back up Iron after!

[Ze Hiker]

Only one way to find out.

yeah, have him write up a trip report!

[Taco]

F*ck it, I'm down for it ONLY IF IT'S GOT A BADASS RAPPEL or two or fifty. Screw non-technical stuff.

[Johnny Bronson]

F*ck it, I'm down for it ONLY IF IT'S GOT A BADASS HIGHBALL RAPPEL or two or fifty. Screw non-technical stuff.

count me in =D

[AW~]

I nominate Ze to go find out.

Maybe the technology needs to progress further, but there is promising opportunity....remote control landrovers...in this video at Eaton canyon hassling some snakes....

[Mike P]

Looks like two rattlers had their date interrupted

[mattmaxon]

very cool..
Too bad these dolts where too dim to realize what they where witnessing was rarely seen

Nice to see anyway!

[asbufra]

A few years ago I saw two rattlesnakes doing this. From a distance it looked like two tulips bobbing in the breeze. I thought they were mating, later I read they were males doing some kind of dominance fight. I still wonder how they know that, I sure wasn't sex checking.

I stood there for 10 minutes and the two snakes had no interest in me. I could walk right up to them. There was no need for that remote control car cam. They could have gotten better pictures walking to the snakes and pointing the car at them.