7/16/20
- Start point– Wright Creek Trailhead
- End point – Swiftwater Trailhead
- Distance hiked ~ 15.7 miles
SEGMENTS:
- Tioga Segment (15.7 miles)
Last night was the warmest night out here on the trail. I found myself awake and sweating in the middle of the night, which meant I needed to open up my quilt. It was far better to use it like a loose blanket instead of keeping it swaddled around me. While I lay there, I also seemed to hear a lot more animals moving around. None of them sounded like large game like deer or elk. It was more the scurrying of small feet. So, I’m glad I secured all my food and odor-type items in my Ursack. And that I tied it to a tree well away from my tent. The last thing I’d need this morning was to wake up with a furry friend looking for free snacks.
The other thing that contributed to a poor night’s sleep was the considerable amount of road noise throughout the night. My campsite was only 50 yards from the North Umpqua, which provided a nice backdrop with to sound of the water. And even though the river is fairly broad through this area, Highway 138 was only a mere 100 yards from the opposite bank of the river. So all night long, I could hear trucks, motorcycles, and cars zooming up and down the highway. Thus, between the warmer night, the pitter-patter little of feet, and the grumble of big engines – I didn’t sleep very soundly.
I woke with the sun again, and was ready to start my final day of the NUT. However, after cooking my breakfast and some coffee, I just couldn’t choke down my oatmeal. I normally love oatmeal for breakfast while I’m on the trail. I ate it nearly every day on my Appalachian Trail thru-hike last summer, and it never got old.
But, for some reason, I just felt repulsed by oatmeal this morning. Perhaps the flavor I’d brought this time (peaches and cream) was too sweet for my palate. Or maybe I’m just feeling the longing for town food. Whatever the case, I could barely take a few bites of my oatmeal before I was digging into my snack bag for an alternative breakfast instead. Even a Clif Bar sounded better than this (and I’m not a big Clif Bar fan!).
Hello Tioga!
After packing up and availing myself of the pit toilet over near the car campers, I was ready to finally hit the trail. The Tioga Segment was going to be my final segment of the NUT. Plus, at 15.7 miles, it was the longest segment by a good bit. Yesterday’s miles seemed to mentally fly by. This was partly because the terrain was pretty moderate. But, I also found it mentally easier because I was checking off a new segment every four or five miles. Today would just be one super long hike.
The first few miles began with a bit of a challenge. The foliage beside the trail was overgrown and at least as tall as my waist. I was still hoping to avoid the poison oak. I knew it was prevalent in the area, but I couldn’t even see my feet to try to avoid it. So I guess only time would tell. I didn’t have itchy legs after yesterday’s hike through the flora. Maybe, I’d be equally lucky today.
The next hour alternated between overgrown trail and climbing up small hills. I was following the silhouette of the mountains as they bent inward and then back out toward the river again. I was treated to views of a giant waterfall with a bridge crossing one of the hairpin turns in the trail. Then I was heading off toward an overlook on the edge of a cliff.
The overlook was flat area with a log bench on it. It would have made a wonderfully scenic campsite (assuming it wasn’t too windy and you weren’t afraid of heights). Just beyond the bench there was a super steep cliff dropped down at least 200 feet to the river below. But, the views of and mountains in the distance were sublime! And there was no road incessant noise way up here!
I did happen to note one weird thing at the overlook though. The bench was tethered to one of the nearby trees with a cable. This made me wonder whether there’s been issues with vandals way out here. Were a bunch of hooligans rolling log benches off the cliff in the past? And if that’s a routine problem, then perhaps I might think twice about camping up there after all! But, it was nice to sit for a minute and rest and just enjoy the solitude as I reflected on the past three days on the trail.
OTHER NUT HIKERS
About 45 minutes later, I saw something I hadn’t seen on my entire thru-hike. There was another group of backpackers out here on the trail!! It was a trio of guys. Two of them looked to be in their 60s along with a teenage boy who appeared to be one their grandsons. They were just starting breakfast, and still had their tents set up and everything.
I hollered hello so I didn’t startle them, and one of the men (who was out brushing his teeth at the time) hollered back. As I got closer, we started to chat and I commented on their unique choice of tent site. They’d picked a spot that was literally in the middle of a bunch of tall weeds and plants and poison oak. He quickly admitted they hadn’t planned to camp there. They’d got on the trail the prior day and they thought they’d be able to make their way up to the Wright Creek Trailhead – back where I’d spent the night.
Unfortunately, the trail had been much harder than any of them expected, and they were moving at a much slower pace due to some old knee injuries. They’d also been running low on water. And so, as it started to get dark last night, they hastily opted for the very first semi-flat spot they could find with some semblance of river access.
They weren’t to happy about stopping short of their intended destination. Especially since they’d staged one of their vehicles and several gallons of water at the Wright Creek Trailhead. Heck, I’d even walked right past their green pickup truck this morning on my way to the pit toilet. I’d just assumed it belonged to the group of car campers nearby. Well, at least they only have another 2.5 or 3 miles left to get there this morning.
As I said a quick goodbye and started back on my way, I wasn’t very focused on where I was headed. And that’s where I nearly stepped on a two-foot long garter snake! Man, oh man. It almost gave me a heart attack! Even though I knew it wasn’t a venous snake and no a real danger, it really startled me. I jumped back nearly a foot – much to the three guys’ delight and amusement.
A WARM MORNING
The stretch of trail after my snake/hiker encounter was definitely a bit more strenuous that I’d expected. I can see now what those three guys ended up taking longer than they expected. Not only was it super steep in places, but there were a couple of 6-10 foot areas of trail that were nearly entirely washed out. So you had to be extra careful where you put your feet to ensure you didn’t end up sliding down the mountain.
But, after a mile or so, then the trail turned rather scenic. I found more blackberries to pilfer from nearby vines. Plus, there were lots of stunning pink and purple flowers growing beside the trail to keep me distracted. The further west I walked, the more streams I seemed to be crossing as they made their way down to the North Umpqua.
The morning was rapidly heating up as the sun moved overhead, and it had to be well in the 80s by mid-morning. Today was going to be a hot one. But, the idea of a scorching hot afternoon didn’t bother me. I’d be done hiking by 1:30pm or 2pm at the latest. And I was already thinking about that cool refreshing beer I was planning to crack open once I finished.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Just before 10:30 am, the trail widened into a smooth bike path. Then I encountered a large pedestrian bridge crossing the river. This was the Tioga Bridge that allowed the North Umpqua Trail to join some of other trails and primitive campgrounds on the opposite side of the river – like the Smith Springs Campground and Susan Creek Day Use Area. I’d visited so many of them in my childhood.
Some large boulders sat in the shade near my side of the bridge. So I figured this was as good of a spot as any for my morning snack break. My stomach was now grumbling in the absence of my oatmeal breakfast. As I sat there at one end of the bridge, I watched several cyclists come cruising over the bridge and onto the trail.
Then a group of boys around 8-10 years old came running down the bridge toward me. As the bridge decking ended, they skidded to a stop and started looking around for something. Each of them had a ziplock bag in hand with a folded up piece of paper inside. Two of them started to head under the bridge, while the others fanned out on the trail around me. They were clearly looking for something, but what?
The two boys who’d gone under the bridge returned again shaking their heads. Then one of them opened his ziplock bag and pulled the paper out. And that’s when I finally realized they were on some sort of scavenger hunt, and their marker had to be close by. I turned my attention to digging in my food bag for something that seemed appetizing. And before long, I heard a a bunch of joyful squeals. When I finally looked up, all the boys were all scurrying away and back over the bridge. I guess they found whatever they were looking for.
While I relaxed and took in my surroundings, I noticed an interesting sign nearby. The sign was clearly for the NUT, but it seemed to break the super long Tioga Segment down into two separate parts. The arrow pointing to the east (where I’d just come from) was called the Tioga Segment and had a distance of 8 miles. While the upcoming segment to the west (where I was headed) was being called the Swiftwater Segment and was 7.8 miles long.
That division made total sense. The Tioga Bridge was just as much of a trailhead as anywhere else I encountered along this hike. So why not break this lengthy segment into two shorter bits of trail? It’s wasn’t like the long Dread & Terror Segment, which needed to extend 13 miles because there were no access points along its route.
But, of course, then I was left with the mystery of whether this division was a new proposition for the trial or an old idea that had been nixed. Because as far as my USFS brochure was concerned, the Tioga Segment was still 15.7 miles long.
BOB BUTTE
After my snack break at the Tioga Bridge I was ready to attack the final 7.8 miles of trail. Three more hours and I’d been done with the NUT!
As I hiked west, the trail was now nice and wide. In fact, it was more of a forest service road than the typical single track trail that I’d been hiking on most of my journey. But, I wasn’t complaining. A wider trail meant less opportunity for wayward poison oak to find its way to my calves and legs.
This wider stretch didn’t last too long though. And within a few miles, the trail returned to its normal width, and it was no under a broad canopy of trees. This change signaled that I was finally headed toward Bob Butte, the biggest climb on the Tioga Segment. I’d be trekking in the direct sun as I switchbacked up a next few golden-colored hillsides toward the top of the butte.
The absence of forest here because I could also look south and see the ample evidence of decades of logging in the area. There were entire swatches of hillside cleared of trees. It was alike a patchwork quilt – with some sections intact while other have been clear-cut in distinct lines and patterns.
As scenic as it might have been, the sun was blazing during this ascent up toward Bob Butte. I even found myself needing to put in my earbuds to distract myself with a podcast as I climbed. I was looking forward making it over Bob Butte, not only because I’d return to the shade of the forest, but because everything on the west side of that point was familiar trail to me. I’d hiked that final stretch of trail dozens of times.
CLOSING IN
Once I got to the top of Bob Butte I finally took my phone off airplane mode. There were no more obstacles between me and the cell towers to my west. I was closing in on civilization and all the comforts that come with it. Of course, I still had a bit of the backcountry to get through, but it was all downhill from here – both literally a figuratively. The trail would be a gentle slope down toward Swiftwater Park.
I still had to make it through another burn area though. This part of Oregon has seen so many fires. And it always amazes me how resilient the forest is. While the bark on the tall trees might still be charred black, the plants and flowers were flourishing. It was a wild juxtaposition between life and death. And it was rather striking to look at.
The last few miles took me past the a stretch of the North Umpqua often referred to as “swiftwater.” The calm, wide Umpqua narrows and then forcefully pours around giant boulders and over short drops. Rapids and eddies form, and the sound of the water becomes far more noticeable to anyone standing nearby.
Between May and October, salmon can often be seen literally jumping up these powerful falls to make their way up river toward the spawning grounds. Small side trails broke off from the trail to lead to viewing platforms and overlooks, but there weren’t too many people out watching today. I was nearing the end of the trail and so I slowed my pace and tried to savor these final few sight.
The final half mile of the trail was a bit bittersweet. How many times had I hiked here as part of a short day hike? How many times had I looked at the kiosk sign at the Swiftwater Trailhead with its map of the entire NUT while telling myself, “someday I’m going to hike this entire thing”? After years of wanting to thru-hike the this trail from the headwaters to end of the trail, I’d finally done it!! And it was worth savoring.
Perhaps it took a pandemic to finally got me out here on the NUT. Left to my own devices, I might had picked a longer, sexier trail. But I shelved those dream hikes this year in favor for short, local hikes instead. And you know what? I’m really glad. Crossing the NUT off my “to do” list of thru-hikes was more meaningful than heading out on another summer-long thru hike of one of our National Scenic Trails.
Sure, the NUT is a heck of a lot lot less social than almost any other trail I’ve been on. But, that just means more tranquility, less competition for campsites, and the opportunity to have the entire trail to myself. Plus, none of those other trails would have tied back to my childhood in so many ways like this one did. Seeing the Cascade Mountains again brought me true joy. Learning more about the local salmon that I’d observed throughout my childhood (and shared with my own child) was a memorable addition to my history. This trail has had its hooks in my for so long. And it feels good to know I’ve finally seen it all.
NUT DAY 4 SUMMARY
HIGHLIGHTS
- Seeing three section hikers camping out on the trail. While I’ve enjoyed the serenity of having the trail to myself, it sure was nice to see some other faces out here enjoying it.
- Woohoo! I finally completed the entire North Umpqua Trail! After years and years of contemplating thru-hiking it. Oh, It feels so good to finally lined it off my bucket list!
CHALLENGES
- Nearly stepping on a snake while distracted, and scaring myself silly. I’m NOT a big fan of snakes, no matter what type they might be!
- A few area on the eastern end of the Tioga Segment were steep and washed out. Plus the area was pretty overgrown. I sure hope the USFS had a chance to fix those sections before more hikers attempt a thru-hike.