Idlehour via Poles Trail
Happy New Years everyone! Today was time to visit Idlehour Campground, but this time I wanted to take the Poles trail and drop into Eaton Canyon as Brennan, other rappelers and peeps from this group have done via Telephone Flat. I started at the Eaton Canyon trailhead at the Pinecrest Gate. Lots of people going (trying) up to Henninger and then afterwards...no one but me. And the flora and fauna. I got up to Esme junction and dropped down into Esme canyon to join the Poles trail. The trail is in surprising-good shape all the way through Telephone Flat. Even the drop down into Eaton was not too bad. Someone has kindly setup fixed rope, which helped. Note this loose section may not be for the faint of heart. I took my time and got down without problems. Once in Eaton Canyon I immediately started heading upstream. The going became tough: water levels are not very high, but whatever use trail there was, most of it is covered with overgrown vegetation, fallen trees, big leaves. Getting to Idlehour was a slog, not going to lie. A few times I took what looked like a use trail, only to cliff out. Lots of trial and error. Eventually made the campground at around hour 3. Saw 1 tent but no campers. While I had lunch two female trail runners blew by, but did not acknowledge me. That's ok, I am just a middle-aged hiker looking for peace and serenity. I took the Idlehour trail back out, reconnected to the fire road and back down to Henninger. In all 11miles, 2900ft and just under 5 hrs moving time.
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- Esme Junction
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- Poles Trail
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- Pole down!
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- Eaton below
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- Section of poles trail getting eroded
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- View from Telephone flat
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- Dropping into Eaton
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- Interesting opening in Eaton wall as I drop
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- View of how I dropped, note the rope
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- First sight of Eaton
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- Water feature downstream, did not go past, but Brennen says it can be bypassed on left side
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- Debris in canyon
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- Side waterfalls
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- Small obstacles
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- Larger obstacles
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- Use trail took me way above the stream
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- Abandoned campsite, including trap and camping gear
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- Idlehour camp site and someone's tent
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- Making my way back to MW fire road
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- Debris on fire road, just above Esme junction
Nice trip! I haven't gone that way for a year or so. By the way, there used to be a level trail from Telephone Flat to Idlehour camp. It was built by one of the cabin owners in the 1930s or 1940s, I think. I tried finding the Telephone Flat half of it a few times, but it appears to be completely gone. It must have passed above the waterfall in your photos, and it'd be interesting to go up there to see if anything remains of the Idlehour half of it.
Thank you Dima. You inspire me brother. Yes this area deserves much more time to explore. Old topos indicate cabins in that stretch. I found some remnants of concrete foundations and lots of corrugated metal, especially in that area where I took a photo of the abandoned spring bed base.dima wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:18 pm Nice trip! I haven't gone that way for a year or so. By the way, there used to be a level trail from Telephone Flat to Idlehour camp. It was built by one of the cabin owners in the 1930s or 1940s, I think. I tried finding the Telephone Flat half of it a few times, but it appears to be completely gone. It must have passed above the waterfall in your photos, and it'd be interesting to go up there to see if anything remains of the Idlehour half of it.
Thanks for the report. Idlehour is like a second home to me now. I've taken the Telephone Trail many times, and put work into it too. But I haven't gone that way in awhile. The waterfall down there is called Hildur Falls, named by one of the original cabin owners.
Cool and nice work on the trail! Was that your gear I found? Someone left what looked like a North Face tent/sleeping pad and remnants of a tarp.Sean wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 6:10 pm Thanks for the report. Idlehour is like a second home to me now. I've taken the Telephone Trail many times, and put work into it too. But I haven't gone that way in awhile. The waterfall down there is called Hildur Falls, named by one of the original cabin owners.