nORthern Fall Trail Therapy!

We, along with our friends, Beth/Pat and kids (Sophia & Olivia) were supposed to go north to stay at an AirBnB in August to explore the trails in and around the Southern Oregon Kalmiopsis Wilderness, which I've wanted to visit for a while!  However, we had to cancel (well, postpone) our trip due to a large wildfire near Gasquet, CA, which shut down Highway 199 which connects northern California and Oregon (the highway was entirely closed for several weeks and then partially closed with one-way traffic for some more). Sophia and Olivia are competitive swimmers with weekends often taken up by meets, but we were lucky to be able to reschedule for this weekend, when the kids were off school Friday for Veterans' Day. The roads were clear, the fires extinguished by (firefighters and) plenty of rain, and we benefitted from clear fall weather.  I'm so happy the others were game to "come along" to hike with us (hiking is perhaps my favorite activity!).

We hiked 5.6-mile round trip French Hill Trail outside of Gasquet on Friday on our way north. It was a challenging uphill climb on the way up, but the kids made it (Niall made about 4 miles on his own!).  The Spellmeyers are all incredible athletes (even though swimming is their forte), and it's really fun to do "sporty" things with them. Beth even went out for a run in the mornings before our days of hiking!

There were LARGE pine cones!

The views for the last stretch were better than the end of the trail, which dead-ended into a logging road. 

Our "adopted" daughter, Olivia!

Olivia took this family pic for us (right after she took a selfie of herself :)).

We checked into the "Lodge" at the RV resort in O'Brien, OR, a tiny town on the 199 just south of Cave Junction. It was a really comfy place with bunk beds, a full kitchen and nearby swimming hole (obviously not able to be utilized in the winter). We made dinners and breakfasts at home and packed lunches.

On Saturday, we headed into the Kalmiopsis Wilderness to Babyfoot Lake Trail.  I had thoroughly freaked out Beth on a uphill winding road outside of Weaverville over the summer, and the gravel road up to the start of the trail was a close hair-raising second, but we made it and she doesn't seem to hold it against me. It felt and was super remote, as well as was pretty cold when we started! 

I wish it had been less foggy as I'm sure the views would have been marvelous! 

The trail was only 2.4 miles round trip, and very manageable for the kids, who enjoyed messing around at the turnaround point, Babyfoot Lake. 

Group shot (no one fell off the log into the water)!

Family photo time!

Pat took this great panorama

We stopped by the Illinois River bank and also at the 8 Dollar Mountain Botanical Wayside to see the carnivorous pitcher plants native to this area. 

There was lots of relaxing (and some fighting) at "The Lodge." 

 

On our last morning, we headed just west of Selma, OR to Kerby Flat, which was a pretty easy grade loop of about three miles.

We walked past the banks of the Illinois River and viewed lots of nice fall foliage.

More large cones!

Niall hiked almost all of the three miles on his own (the highlight was seeing a gutted deer carcass!).

Fun photos

He needed a ride at the end and Olivia volunteered to be the carrier!

Kelvin had to continue onward (North) to Medford to overnight prior to another ophthalmology appointment for Pepper, and the kids and I rode home with the Spellmeyers.  It was a truly restorative, lovely fall weekend with lots of fun, laughter, and time in nature, which we all thoroughly enjoyed and which always makes my heart happy!