Camping in the Redwood Forest

The following is a summary of our camping trip, if you are looking for information on the trail that we hiked see links at the bottom of this post.As part of our 2007 Christmas vacation we (Kim, Julie, and I) went camping in the Redwoods National park in Prairie Creek State Park, a mouthful I know. We camped at Elk Prairie campground, where I was a bit surprised at the number of people that were willing to brave the rain just to stay there. While we were there longer than anyone else, there were about 8 to 10 other groups each night. Most of which were in RV’s but some were tent camping as we were. As expected it rained every day, nearly all day long.We arrived around 6:30pm on the 26^th found a campsite and preceded to setup camp. First thing up was our new 10′x10′ aluminum rapid shelter. This thing worked great, with all the rain it never leaked and provided a place for us to hide from the rain while we ate. After camp was set up we made a fire, cooked dinner, ate smores, and went to bed. It was a long day of driving (for me at least, everyone else slept the entire way) and we had a big hike to do in the morning. When we went into our tent we quickly realized that our air mattress had gone flat, must be a hole. I blew it up again and quickly found a ¼” long gash in the side wall. So I put some duct tape on it, blew it up again and went to bed. I was hoping that the mattress would stay aloft long enough for us to fall asleep. Mission accomplished, an hour after I fell asleep I woke up and realized that the mattress had gone flat, screw it, went back to sleep.The next morning Kim and I woke up bright and early (10:00am). We got up made coffee and breakfast and then woke Julie up. Once breakfast had been eaten and dishes cleaned we packed for our hike along the James Irvine trail, once packed we walked from the campsite to the park entrance. After some initial confusion we finally found the correct trail head. Turns out that the beginning of the trail was closed for maintenance and we needed to take a different trail and then switch along the way. In fact the California State Department of Corrections was onsite with a crew of “volunteers” working on the trails. For more details on the hike click here to read the story. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we were not going to make it to the end of the trail and back before dark. So we decided to hike half of the trail now and the other half the next day (both side of the trail are accessible by car). By the time we made it back to camp we were all tired and wet, except for Kim who had a nice new raincoat. Soit seemed like a good idea to drive into town and get a hot meal. This is what we did. When we got back to camp I once again blew up the air mattress and we went to sleep.The next morning we once again go up early (10:00am). Just like the first morning, Kim and I got up made coffee and breakfast and then woke Julie up. We ate, cleaned up, packed our bags, and headed for the Fern Canyon and the other half of the James Irvine Trail. The idea was to walk up the canyon and then connect with the trail. We piled into the truck and drove towards the trail. When we turned of highway 101 and onto Davison Rd we were greeted by a hug puddle, it spanned the road, was about 40 feet long and about 18 inches deep. Needless to say, I had to drive fast through it, water spraying everywhere. After crossing the puddle we came upon a large hear of Elk. We stopped and looked but I didn’t bring my zoom lens with me, so no good pictures. Onward we went to the canyon. We drovealong the narrow bumpy 8 mile long road until we hit the coast. There the road got wider but was just as bumpy. After a short while we came across a creek crossing. The creek was about 10 feet wide and 2 feet deep. There were a couple of Subaru Outback’s parked here. We crossed the creek and after a few hundred yards came across another. At this creek there was another car parked. Finally we came to the third and final creek crossing. After the third creek there were a couple groups of people walking (from the cars that were parked). When we finally got to the parking lot there was a Volkswagen Rabbit sitting there, something that made me laugh when I thought about those people with the Outback’s walking the last ¼ mile in the rain for no reason. We got out of the truck and walked the .2 miles to the canyon.Now when I was planning this trip, l looked at many pictures and read many reviews of Fern Canyon. I seemed to be a beautiful place with a small creek winding its way through the bottom. When we got to the mouth of the canyon I suddenly realized that the pictures I had been looking at were taken during the summer, and not during the rainy winter. That’s right, the small stream was a bit (considerably) swollen from all of the rain. Luckily there were a lot of logs that people had arranged into walkways that criss-crossed the canyon floor. So up the canyon we went. It took about 45 seconds before Julie fell into the water and got her boots all wet. Shortly thereafter I slipped on a log racked my shin and smashed my forearm. On we go! It didn’t take long before all of us had wet boots. After about 100 yards Julie decided it wasn’t worth it and she was not going any further, with that Kim decided she was going to go either. I continued on for another 25 yards before turning around. I figured that if I went to the end of the canyon (another 50 yards) and go onto the James Irvine trail it would be another 1 ½ hours before I got back. I decided not to leave Julie and Kim for that long. I won’t pretend that I was happy that they decided to quit so easily. Less than happy, we went back to the truck and headed out.In an attempt to salvage the day, we decided to head up to the Lady Bird Johnson grove. By the time we got to the grove the rain had stopped and the fog had settled into the trees. It was a perfect time to do the loop. We walked around the loop took pictures and had a good time and for the second time that day, I slipped and fell in the mud, covering the butt of my pants with a nice creamy brown color mud. After the grove we drove around a bit, looked at the ocean and then went back to camp. For more details on the hike click here.At camp I made a very large and very hot fire. We cooked dinner and roasted marshmallows. While Kim and Julie were doing their roasting I suddenly realized that the Fern Canyon trail is actually a loop, and that the other portion of the loop is above the canyon and therefore not up a creek. I decided that I would wake up early hike the other part of the loop and finish the James Irvine trail. I asked Kim and Julie if they wanted to go with me, there was no doubt that they didn’t. So the next morning I got up in the cold and the rain and headed out for the trail. When I got to the trail I put on my soaking wet boots and started hiking. It was a beautiful morning, by this time it was lightly raining and it had warmed up a bit. While thoroughly enjoying the scenery I missed the trailhead. I came to an area that was muddy and slicker than snot on a log. Once again I slipped and fell, this time it was a full on both legs out from under me and above my head. Slam, I hit the ground like a rock, the proceeded to slide down the small hill. Now after three falls my pants were almost entirely encrusted in mud. Whatever. I pressed on. I found the trail head and proceeded to finish what I had set out to do a few days ago, hike the James Irvine Trail. For more details on my hike of the James Irvine trail click here.Once I completed the hike I drove back to camp. We packed up and left for home. Much like the drive down to California, Julie and Kim slept almost the entire way home. I am sure that there is more to say, but I am getting tired and don’t feel like typing any more.

Links
Photo Gallery
James Irvine Trail
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
Maps/Tracks/Waypoints