Camping in Buck's Pocket 10/01/10

[weathermansam]

Well the trail to the primitive sites was worse than ever, and someone took the coveted campsite at the end, but there were still great times to be had.  Here's some pics I took while we were out there.  The temperature dipped to 44 the first night and the steam rising from the lake was really nice.  Also, I've never seen high falls this dry.  Except for one trickle on the far side [and I do mean trickle, there was no water flowing over.  We wandered under the arch and discovered there's a spring on the other side of the arch.  See all photos

Camping in Buck's Pocket 10/01/10

Camping in Buck's Pocket 10/01/10

Camping in Buck's Pocket 10/01/10

Camping in Buck's Pocket 10/01/10

[bellaleo]

Wow just when you thought you day couldn't get any better...you get a visit by the Goodyear blimp!
Great photos guys thanks your posting.

[grayw0lf]

If you think Buck's Pocket is pretty on foot, try paddling through it on S. Sauty on a rainy day!  Waterfalls everywhere!!!

[weathermansam]

If you think Buck's Pocket is pretty on foot, try paddling through it on S. Sauty on a rainy day!  Waterfalls everywhere!!!

If we'd had more rain I'd planned on hiking the South Sauty Creek Trail to see those two tall waterfalls you can see from the overlook.  I like the other hidden falls in high falls park, too, but the briars are so bad now they're difficult to reach.  I wouldn't mind doing a creek hike come spring from the ranger office down to the primitive area.  The size of some of those boulders are quite impressive. 

[vapor]

Bucks Pocket is or was once a wonderful place as I remember going there as a kid. I am wondering though if you camped in the primitive campground? I stayed there in September this year & sadly the place is need of control. We setup for a what we thought was to be a quiet evening & settled in by 10pm only to find that drunken teenagers come wheeling in about 11pm, blasting stereos, disturbing everyone there trying to get away, & leaving a 3 foot fire blazing when they left. I would go back but would never spend the night there again unless they do something to keep these people from coming in on top of you.

[weathermansam]

Bucks Pocket is or was once a wonderful place as I remember going there as a kid. I am wondering though if you camped in the primitive campground? I stayed there in September this year & sadly the place is need of control. We setup for a what we thought was to be a quiet evening & settled in by 10pm only to find that drunken teenagers come wheeling in about 11pm, blasting stereos, disturbing everyone there trying to get away, & leaving a 3 foot fire blazing when they left. I would go back but would never spend the night there again unless they do something to keep these people from coming in on top of you.

Yeah, we always stay in the primitive area, and this year was the worst yet with people in and out.  It was probably 2 or 3am before it all stopped.  Last year some drunks offered us moonshine and wanted to know if we knew where they could find some women.  Our answer was "not out here".  They were way, way too drunk to drive, I'm not sure how they got down that road.  There should be some fire rings established/camping areas made.  The entire state park is incredibly rundown, though, needs a lot of work. 

[vapor]

I would be happy if they would just put up a gate at the entrance road similar to what Desoto State Park has. The ranger there says that they have given up as the hoodlums just tear it down but honestly they could just setup an $80 wild game camera, get the tags of the hoodlums, & start fining them or make them start putting the gates back up. They need to do something rather than just giving up. We actually feared for our lives as we had no way to defend ourselves & the trucks were circling our tents while we were sleeping in them. I could only advise anyone who likes being away from it all not to even attempt to spend the night in primitive campground unless the ranger can vouch for your safety.

We hiked most of the trails here & also had plans to hike the South Sauty Creek trail but couldn't even find the trailhead. This area definately needs some attention as it is beautiful and deserves it!

[weathermansam]

I would be happy if they would just put up a gate at the entrance road similar to what Desoto State Park has. The ranger there says that they have given up as the hoodlums just tear it down but honestly they could just setup an $80 wild game camera, get the tags of the hoodlums, & start fining them or make them start putting the gates back up. They need to do something rather than just giving up. We actually feared for our lives as we had no way to defend ourselves & the trucks were circling our tents while we were sleeping in them. I could only advise anyone who likes being away from it all not to even attempt to spend the night in primitive campground unless the ranger can vouch for your safety.

We hiked most of the trails here & also had plans to hike the South Sauty Creek trail but couldn't even find the trailhead. This area definately needs some attention as it is beautiful and deserves it!

Lucky you finding a ranger.  The times we've been we've just left the money in the drop box and went on our way.  From what I've heard and read from books, the South Sauty trail was faint and indiscernible in parts years ago so I imagine it's grossly overgrown these days. 

We didn't have quite that experience you did, but we also camped close to the lake's bank and usually angled our vehicle so it blocked the way to get to where we were.   

[vapor]

Actually the ranger I was referring to was the one running the main campground as he doesn't set foot anywhere near the primitive campground. Perhaps he's a renta-ranger

[weathermansam]

There was a woman in plain clothes there this past time and we asked about the road conditions and when she didn't ask us to pay the camping fee, we asked about that and she didn't seem to care when or if we paid or not, really.  A little confusing.  I wonder if when the sinkhole swallowed the creek there if it just killed business and things have just sort of tumbled from that. 

[Lane]

Were these folks coming in from the State Park side?  Last I talked to the ranger there (a few years back), he said most of the trouble was people coming in from Morgan Cove (W of the SP property) to the primitive campground. 

[weathermansam]

The road from Morgan Cove to the primitive campground is near impassable I would imagine.  All of our trouble that night came from the state park side. 

[WolfVanZandt]

Actually, when we used to camp there, most of the trouble came from the locals. We had groups come down and do mechanics work on their dunebuggies (including spray painting them). We've had the drunken guys in the pickem' up truck inquiring as to whether we had any women with us. And there was the group of linemen who came down and had a cookout and when they left, they through all their wood on the fire and vamoosed. The next thing we knew, there was a huge bonfire across the road, flames roaring up into the trees, and nobody watching it. We were told that those were some of the ranger's buddies.

Our group always cleaned up all the garbage left behind by the locals before we left (except the time we were so rudely kicked out by Mamma Nature and her flash flooding) and it got to where we couldn't arrange with the rangers to use the primitive campsite. It was as if they didn't want outsiders using the campgrounds. The last time I tried, I called and the day ranger said that I would have to talk to the head ranger. I got put off a couple more times and when I finally got in touch with the head ranger, he said that there would be a group of horsemen that would pretty much fill up the whole park - that only a short time before I needed a place for my annual, national camping event that had been there since 1997. That's when we moved to another site.

It's a beautiful place. It's just too bad that it doesn't have people who seem to care maintaining it.

[Lane]

The road from Morgan Cove to the primitive campground is near impassable I would imagine.  All of our trouble that night came from the state park side. 

I meant that folks would drive down to Morgan Cove and walk up to the primitive campground.  Shorter walk than coming from the state park.

[WolfVanZandt]

I think it's been a long time since the road from Morgan Cove has been usable as a road (unless they've completely redone it since a couple of years ago), but it makes a really nice trail.