White Creek/King's Cove Hike, 03/07/10

[weathermansam]

Trekked almost 9 miles today down the Randolph/Rippley trails then bushwhacked down White Creek for two spectacular waterfalls and 'valentine pond'. I turned north, explored the sipsey rapids and Eye of the Needle area from the opposite side, ate lunch on some rocks in the middle of the river, and then did a trip on the wild side slipping and sliding, busting my trail and my arm to see  Schoolhouse Falls, only to be unimpressed. I continued on to the King's Cove 3 hole Mortar Stone, complete with flint shards and a piece of pottery laying on top. That part was well worth it.

Photos are here:
http://www.weathermansam....p/030710sipsey/index.html

Video of Upper and Lower White Creek Falls:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/ATYZqk7-v0U&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/ATYZqk7-v0U&rel=0</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/2r0B7Wbs5J0&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/2r0B7Wbs5J0&rel=0</a>

[Pully]

Sounds like you had a great and rough trip. Schoolhouse Falls is really only nice after a rain. That mortar stone is impressive. It actually has 4 holes but one is small.

[weathermansam]

Sounds like you had a great and rough trip. Schoolhouse Falls is really only nice after a rain. That mortar stone is impressive. It actually has 4 holes but one is small.

I noticed the fourth one, but debated on whether it was a true hole or not.  The trail to schoolhouse was awful, I kept falling on all the deadfall, but I also hiked a lot closer to the stream instead of the bluff going up to it.  Overall though it was a fairly leisurely trek outside of the schoolhouse area, and some much needed time out of the house on a beautiful day.  After seeing what White Creek had to offer, I'm not sure Schoolhouse stood much of a chance anyway.  I did find two still sites in the schoolhouse area, on the left side of the creek, one pretty close to the stream, the other up closer to the bluff.  The mortar stone was further along than I thought, too.  I was convinced I'd walked past it when I happened upon it.  What an odd place;  not well protected from the elements. 

[Uncle Wayne]

Nice photos.  I see you found the nutting stone this trip. Did you notice the small hole in the bluffline near the nutting stone?  For years, there was a rattle snake den there and I saw a rattler there several years in a row, during all 4 seasons.  One of the old time residents of King Cove, Mr. Jake Flanagan, told me about the snake den and I always checked the place out carefully before going close to the bluff.

I've seen the rattler laying in the sun, coiled up on the nutting stone several times.  He (she?) never rattled and I never bother it or let anyone else do so who may have been with me until one day I carried my dad and uncle to see the mortar stone. I looked around for the rattler and didn't see it so I didn't say anything about it to either of them.  Bad mistake.  After we had eaten a snack, I was gathering up our garbage and that left by someone else when I heard daddy yell, "There's a snake!"  Before I could say anything, daddy had crushed the snake's head with his walking stick.  

I was so sad, it was like losing an old friend.  Daddy was from the old school where the only good snake was a dead snake.  To make it worse, daddy wanted his picture  taken with the dead rattler.  If I can find it, I'll post it.

White Creek/King's Cove Hike, 03/07/10

I haven't seen another snake there in 8 years now.

If you're coming toward FS road 208 from Mt. Hope, that's the old Flanagan cabin / homestead on the right side of the Byler Road maybe a mile before FS Road 208 turns east toward Thompson Creek.  Mr. Flanagan told me he had plowed corn in the bottom between the mortar stone and Thompson Creek.  Hard to believe isn't it? That was his medicinal alcohol producing industries you found enroute to Schoolhouse falls.

As far as number of holes in the mortar stone, there used to be 5.  The one on the north end, which would have been the deepest, split off way before my time.  Mr. Flanagan told me it was still intact but split when he was a boy.  He figured that water collected inside and froze and caused the split.  It has always been broken off and almost unrecognizable during my life time.

[weathermansam]

Nice photos.  I see you found the nutting stone this trip. Did you notice the small hole in the bluffline near the nutting stone?  For years, there was a rattle snake den there and I saw a rattler there several years in a row, during all 4 seasons.  One of the old time residents of King Cove, Mr. Jake Flanagan, told me about the snake den and I always checked the place out carefully before going close to the bluff.

I haven't seen another snake there in 8 years now.

If you're coming toward FS road 208 from Mt. Hope, that's the old Flanagan cabin / homestead on the right side of the Byler Road maybe a mile before FS Road 208 turns east toward Thompson Creek.  Mr. Flanagan told me he had plowed corn in the bottom between the mortar stone and Thompson Creek.  Hard to believe isn't it? That was his medicinal alcohol producing industries you found enroute to Schoolhouse falls.

As far as number of holes in the mortar stone, there used to be 5.  The one on the north end, which would have been the deepest, split off way before my time.  Mr. Flanagan told me it was still intact but split when he was a boy.  He figured that water collected inside and froze and caused the split.  It has always been broken off and almost unrecognizable during my life time.

Hard to see, but is it the hole in the rock beneath the shadow of the shrub  here?[/url]

Had I not previously known the nutting stone was there somewhere, I would have missed it.  It was completely covered by dirt, and the section that's visible in the photo is only because I unearthed it with my hands and a little stick to dig out the holes. 

I'll pay more attention next weekend when I'm camping in the area and see if I can't locate that 5th hole.  I'm hoping we don't get too much rain this coming week.

[Uncle Wayne]

I believe it was closer to the nutting stone.