Eponymous Fall Creek

Someday I’d like to visit Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell SP without someone in my hiking party falling. June 6, 2023 was not that day. As you will recall, the trail along Fall Creek is graced with fallen redwoods, which we call the Overs and Unders. Overs and Unders make the trail more interesting and risky. Overs and Unders refer to how you cross that fallen log: climb over or crawl under. I remember M’s disappointment one afternoon when we returned to Fall Creek and she noticed that the Park Service had cut a massive chunk out of an Over to form an unimposing step. And the Park Service chainsaws had nipped a chunk out of an Under so only the Tall had to duck. Where’s the fun in that? Meanwhile, more trees have fallen and some creekbanks have slid, so the trail continues to have some tricky spots. On this hike, JG lost his footing on an Over and stumbled forward. The rain had made the path even slicker. He said he wasn’t hurt and we continued along eponymous Fall Creek. 

Our signature day hike is a lollipop: counterclockwise, up to the lime kilns, climbing the Lost Empire Trail, up the Big Ben Trail, lunch just past Guv’nor Ben, then down to Fall Creek Trail and finally back to the parking lot. By the time the rains came about 11 am, we were hiking in the burn scar and about halfway through. We pulled on raingear and slowed down, and admired how peaceful the forest was. Did you know banana slugs climb trees? Here’s one on a burnt redwood. 

It amused me that Lost Camp had an informative sign, so it couldn’t have been too lost. 

Water features are always lots of fun. The trail along Fall Creek crosses back and forth, sometimes with bridges, sometimes with fords. I am mostly confident with most water crossings. Hiking with two sticks, I make up for having lost my sense of balance. Although at least a few times, such as fording the Big Sur River at Andrew Molera SP, I have taken off my shoes, socks, and pants and carried them across. At that ford, JG splashed across in full hiking gear. I was astonished because I would not like hiking in wet boots. But JG, rugged mountain man that he is, professed not to notice. 

Although greeting other hikers is part of Trail Magic that transforms us all into Nature-loving friends, we saw no one until we passed by the Barrel Mill Site, about 3 miles from the parking lot. Then we saw several other hiking pairs and families, including two young women with improbable sheepskin bootie footwear and flannel pajama bottoms. That is how I’d dress for ghost stories and hot chocolate by the fire, not for a muddy trek around Fall Creek. Trail Mom lives within me, but mostly holds her peace.