A day at Bear Basin Butte

Original Publication DATE: 2/7/2011

During this extended period of phenomenal weather, we packed our weekend bags to rough it on the edge of the Siskiyou Wilderness. Nearly ten years ago to the day, I pursued this route to reach Clear Creek in the wilderness, a new transplant to the Klamath Region. Had I known there was a cabin en-route that I could  have rented, on the top of a mountain and in a botanical area no less, I may have never properly understood the hardships that weather in northwest California could offer the winter traveler. On that particular trip I endured snow and rain for four days, alone in Bigfoot country–meeting my first Brewer spruce, Port-Orford cedar, and Darlingtonia. I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form.

However this February 2011 weekend, surrounded by friends, it was mostly sunny with a strong chance of incredible.

• View Siskiyou Wilderness Timelapse on YouTube
• More hiking in the area on Conifer Country