by scottmiller » Fri May 20, 2022 9:52 pm
Date Hiked: May 18, 2022
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Horse Pasture Trail from Horse Bridge to Horse Pasture Camp (sort of). We had planned to hike the Horse Pasture Trail from north to south, at the end of a five-day loop going west on the Marble Peak Trail, then north to Divide Camp, and then east and south. We were going to stay at Horse Pasture Camp, and if there was no water we would just keep going to Horse Bridge. However, the Marble Peak Trail turned out to be impassible, or at any rate we just totally lost the trail, so we decided to go back and do part of the loop backwards. That meant hiking up Horse Pasture Camp trail, and because the water seemed iffy, we filled every water bottle we had in case we had to dry camp. Dang, that was a heavy pack.
The trail itself is very steep, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of shady parts. There was a lot of low growth, we were wading waste-high through poison oak, some tall brush to get through, a few downed trees, and an occasional place where the grass had taken over completely. The good news is that it is 95% visible, so even though it feels like a deer trail now and then, we never doubted we were off the trail. The cliff-side parts are slumping a bit, but even though I am scared of heights, it was OK. You want to keep your wits about you, though.
The spring before Horse Pasture Camp was a tiny trickle. I guess if we were incredibly patient and had a few hours to burn we could have filled up our bottles. That was the only water, except for a small pool farther down the trail. So, not completely dry, but not all that great.
As for the camp, we never found it, so we camped in the meadow. There are enough level spots here and there. The view was great, the stars were great. The next day, being spooked about the unknown water status, and having only a liter each left after the hike up and making dinner and breakfast, we turned around. Going down the steep parts was difficult.
The camp on Willow Creek was terrific, and we had a nice swim at Horse Bridge, and the next day a massive breakfast at the Wild Horse Cafe in King City, so, even though it was a truncated trip, it was a good trip.
[b]Date Hiked:[/b] May 18, 2022
[b]General Condition:[/b] Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Horse Pasture Trail from Horse Bridge to Horse Pasture Camp (sort of). We had planned to hike the Horse Pasture Trail from north to south, at the end of a five-day loop going west on the Marble Peak Trail, then north to Divide Camp, and then east and south. We were going to stay at Horse Pasture Camp, and if there was no water we would just keep going to Horse Bridge. However, the Marble Peak Trail turned out to be impassible, or at any rate we just totally lost the trail, so we decided to go back and do part of the loop backwards. That meant hiking up Horse Pasture Camp trail, and because the water seemed iffy, we filled every water bottle we had in case we had to dry camp. Dang, that was a heavy pack.
The trail itself is very steep, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of shady parts. There was a lot of low growth, we were wading waste-high through poison oak, some tall brush to get through, a few downed trees, and an occasional place where the grass had taken over completely. The good news is that it is 95% visible, so even though it feels like a deer trail now and then, we never doubted we were off the trail. The cliff-side parts are slumping a bit, but even though I am scared of heights, it was OK. You want to keep your wits about you, though.
The spring before Horse Pasture Camp was a tiny trickle. I guess if we were incredibly patient and had a few hours to burn we could have filled up our bottles. That was the only water, except for a small pool farther down the trail. So, not completely dry, but not all that great.
As for the camp, we never found it, so we camped in the meadow. There are enough level spots here and there. The view was great, the stars were great. The next day, being spooked about the unknown water status, and having only a liter each left after the hike up and making dinner and breakfast, we turned around. Going down the steep parts was difficult.
The camp on Willow Creek was terrific, and we had a nice swim at Horse Bridge, and the next day a massive breakfast at the Wild Horse Cafe in King City, so, even though it was a truncated trip, it was a good trip.