We were looking for a somewhat shorter day given the forecast of rain later, so left 29 Pines for the very potholed Jungle Creek road. We had an SUV and that is helpful as some of the puddles we had to drive through were a bit deep. The start of the trail is just a wide spot in the road with a small sign on a tree a ways back, so watch your mileage to get here. As an earlier writer from the end of May reported, there had been some logging out on this stretch of trail, as well as a bit of tread improvement. The wildflowers along here were quite varied, between more creek side favorites up to the drier slopes below the pass. However, it had rained the day prior and the shrubbery is starting to get bigger, so beware!
From the saddle, it was apparent to us that the trail work did NOT continue down the other side with the Jungle Creek trail. No worries, as our destination as to head west, taking the Way Creek trail back to the car. This stretch of trail had not been maintained, and there were some trees to climb under or climb over, but are all on a fairly steep side slope so one can’t really go off trail here. There are a few steeper climbs where the motorcycles and bikes that use this trail have really contributed to some erosion. There was one snow patch remaining, not too difficult to get by.
From the second saddle, we ventured off trail heading up to Johnson Mountain and some well-earned lunch. The views on top are really something! Back on the trail, we continued on the Way Creek trail, swinging around the south side of Johnson, until the route joins an older and often steeper Jeep track. From the second saddle, the trail had again seen a chainsaw, as trees were cleared. If this trail were to get more use, it would benefit from some re-benching and brushing, and of course, some erosion management on the Jeep track. Then, we walked the road for 1.7 miles to get back to the car. A good day!
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