Anglers Leave a Heavy Footprint
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
The following trip report is from a mid-July Boise and Payette National Forest venture, that took place northeast of Cascade, Idaho in the Krassel Ranger District.
Trail Creek = ultra slammed! A brief stop revealed less trash in the pullout than my last visit. On down the road.
Forest Service Road (FSR) 474 South was under heavy construction. ALL official and primitive camping areas are still off-limits due to area restoration efforts. Why the National Forest doesn’t just close the road to recreation traffic, or AT LEAST post 474 S as being under construction (massive mud/rocks) and that no camping is allowed, is beyond me. You would think they could work more efficiently with less traffic. Plus, aside from visiting (not camping) Vulcan (only roadside parking), Molly’s and Molly’s Tubs all other areas are off-limits.
The tubs at Molly’s Tubs are really, truly … gone. And, (big surprise) so is the trash. I recently received a trip report about the formation of two natural pools, however.
In regard to Molly’s Hot Spring… red spider mite alert! More and more people have been letting me know about this, and a recent email entailing of a spider mite infestation got me thinking it was time to ring the alarm. Why are so many of Idaho’s hot springs afflicted by the mites? Here’s the complete list of hot springs that have reported red spider mite activity… if you have more to add – please comment!
FSR 474 North was under pending construction. Nothing was going on, but the signs stated that construction would begin soon and would completely shut down the south fork road for about a month. They are going to replace all of the main culverts that run underneath the road.
Also worth noting, 474 N currently does not grant access to Yellow Pine and the Mule Hill trailhead to hot soaks in the Frank Church Wilderness (Kwis Kwis and the Middle Fork hot springs). Bridge out. To reach the afore mentioned destinations, take the Stanley-Landmark Highway instead. Drive past the 474 N turnoff towards Warm Lake and look for it near the lake heading north. There are plenty of signs to help you along.
This brings me to the title of this post. After turning onto FSR 474 North (AKA the South Fork Road) I began to notice a trend that made me feel very uneasy. Trash. Everywhere. Yep. Animals got into it.
I’ve been coming up here for almost a decade and have never seen it this trashed. Not even close. Not even after (or during) a fourth of July weekend. Campsites, both primitive and official – trashed. Garbage on the roads, trails and riverside. Fish entrails everywhere.
Apparently, this week a particular tribe is granted access to this area for fishing rights and free camping. Sadly, this type of behavior was something I’m accustomed to from other groups. I know so few fishermen that respect the land these days. Gotta give the Krassel crew a pat on the back for the cleanup. I picked up a ton of trash myself… it’s a compulsive habit nowadays. It barley made a dent though.
This was also the first time I have witnessed pimped-out cars bumpin gangsta rap in this area. Lovely to say the least. It was especially fun having a car pull into my campsite late at night just to be rudely asked “where are the hot springs?”. Oh joy. You can guess what I did. Played dumb. 
Keep in mind, great soaks under the stars were had along with excellent mild-weathered hiking during the day. Wildlife was abound everywhere. Including the bugs. Even with bug juice on they ate me alive. Mosquito bites on my hands and face, a big (itchy) spider bite on the inside of my palm (still visible) and a mutant bug bite on my belly that left a scar! After a trip like this I’ve decide to look into garlic tablets.
“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” –John Muir
| Posted in boise national forest, buckhorn, environment, idaho, kwis kwis, mollys, mollys tubs, payette national forest, penny, teapot, vulcan, warm lake | 6 Comments »
Latest Updates Before Hitting the Road / Trail / Backcountry
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
Warm Lake Access Road Update
Forest Service Road 474 South, also known as the South Fork (Payette River) Road remains closed until November 1st. The East Fork Road from McCall is currently the only access road will get you to the town of Yellow Pine and the northwestern trailheads of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
Area Map showing FSR 474 northwest of Warm Lake
View Larger Map
Hot Springs access restricted by the closure: Penny, Sugah, Lodgepole, Teapot, Buckhorn (1 of 2 trailheads)
View the official news release PDF
Bull Trout Lake Closure
The Fir Creek and Bear Valley areas are now both back open. However, the Bull Trout Lake area is intermittently closed until August 30th.
Bull Trout Lake Map
View Larger Map
Hot Springs access affected: Sitting Bull (trailhead 1 of 2)
View the official Boise National Forest new release
Idaho Wildfires
The last few days have brought some hefty thunder and lightning storms through Idaho. So far, only light wildfires have been reported, and no fire bans have been initiated. Which is really amazing, considering the last 4 years in a row fire bans hit most of Idaho before the start of August.
The best place to keep tabs on Idaho’s wildfires is at InciWeb’s Idaho Incidents area.
Please remember to pick up your trash, don’t bring glass or hassle wildlife. Remember to share, and most of all – enjoy the rest of summer.
Happy Trails!
Side Note: My blogroll has been updated with some incredible blogs: California Camp Bug, Hiker Hell, Idaho Nature Notes, Light Backpacking and the Idaho Incident feed from InciWeb.
| Posted in 16mile, breaking news, buckhorn, commentary, idaho, krassel, sitting bull, warm lake, wildfires | 1 Comment »