Hike Coordinator Edwin Case
Five hardy hikers braved the possibly wet weather for this hike. We almost didn’t reach our destination because on the drive to the trailhead, where the bridge crossing the South Umpqua River used to be was no bridge at all. There were no signs to direct drivers to an alternate route to Skimmerhorn Trailhead, either.
Working on a combination of guesswork, divination, and blind luck, Edwin found a brand new bridge crossing several miles further up the road and it was “hike on” at that point.
This area had been closed last year because of fire but except for one spot, there was no evidence of fire damage. Fortunately, landslides (which are a common occurrence after a fire) was not an issue either. Scenic Highrock Mountain, which looms over Fish Lake had clearly received the brunt of the fire’s fury.
The weather had been threatening and the threat was made good at the start of the hike as we began hiking under a light rain. However, it soon let up, only to return again when we reached Buckeye Lake. We were soon soaked, not from the rain, but from the water-soaked vegetation encroaching the trail.
This late into a long and dry summer, Buckeye and Cliff Lakes were much lower than normal. They were still scenic though, and after eating lunch at Buckeye Lakes, we turned around and enjoyed the lake scenery all over again.
Pictures by Brad Bishop
