PCT: Green Springs Summit to Little Hyatt Lake

May 29, 2016

After getting a taste of hiking the PCT on the Green Springs Mountain Loop trail, we decided it was time to stretch our legs and challenge ourselves with our first 10+ mile hike of the year.  So back up to the Green Springs Summit we went, this time hiking the PCT from the Summit to Little Hyatt Lake and back --- 10.8 miles when done.

What?  Who you calling "trash"?

The first couple of miles took us in and out of various meadows and wooded areas, but both had one thing in common- wildflowers!  This would be the theme for this hike as we were able to identify 34 different wildflower varieties and had about 4 or 5 that we could not identify!  It was absolutely flower filled -see a few samples below.

Wild Iris

Yup, the elusive Mission Bells again!

Oregon Anemone

Striped Coral Root.  Never seen so many on one hike!

Royal Jacob's Ladder

Eventually we arrived at the trailhead for the Green Springs Mountain Loop trail that we hiked a few weeks ago, but this time we continued on the northbound PCT.  It is always interesting to hike the same trail in a different direction, so in a sense, this was new to us too.  We were treated to views of Pilot Rock and still slightly snow covered Mount Ashland.

After departing from the Mountain Loop trail section of the PCT, we continued on, alternating between meadows and forested areas as well as between uphill and downhill.  We even came across one meadow area with some nice rock cairns which we could not pass up without taking a picture.

Another Pitcairn cairn???

No, it's a Katie Pitcairn cairn!

We finally started to hear water and knew we were getting close to Little Hyatt Lake.  How do you hear a lake you ask?  The PCT goes past Little Hyatt Lake just below the little dam and overflow which today made quite a pretty waterfall.  For the backpackers at the lake, it made a nice natural shower.

Little Hyatt Lake dam overflow - great natural shower.

We hiked just a short distance off the trail and found a nice area where we could sit down and drink and eat, while taking in the beauty of Little Hyatt Lake.

Katie posing in front of Little Hyatt Lake.  Ok, begging for food.

Little Hyatt Lake

Downstream from the Little Hyatt Lake dam overflow

Our return hike offered us a second chance to take in all of the beautiful meadows, woods and of course wildflowers that we had seen earlier in the day.  We did cheat a little by taking the connector trail portion of the Green Springs Mountain Loop trail rather than hike the PCT the entire way south.

One of many wooded meadows

As we arrived back at our car we were tired and had some sore feet but we sure enjoyed all of the beauty on this hike.  Sometimes it takes long hikes to get you way out in the woods where you can enjoy the silence and the sounds of nature. Who knows, maybe we will come back again to the Summit and hike the PCT southbound next time.  We hear there's a nice hike to Hobart Bluff that way.

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

Green Springs Mountain Loop Trail

May 1, 2016

We have hiked at various places in or around the Ashland area such as Grizzly Peak, Oredson Todd Woods, Lithia Creek, Ashland Meadows and Wagner Butte, but have never hiked trails near or around the Green Springs Summit.  So when our sister Karen wanted to join us for a hike, we decided to head for the Summit and try a new short loop trail called the Green Springs Mountain Loop.

A sign that says "it's time to hike".

 Although the Pacific Crest Trail has been around for some time, a few years ago a connector trail was added which connects two points of the PCT to form a loop.  Although only 2.9 miles long, the loop allows you the opportunity to hike the PCT and get a sampling of the beauty in this area.  It's also a great hike for the family.

A birdseye view of where we were and the loop trail

After taking a few short side roads from the summit on Highway 66, we arrived at the trailhead parking lot which has room for about 6 vehicles.  It was just a short walk down the road to where the Pacific Crest Trail comes across the road and heads north to start our hike.

The PCT quickly arrives at a "fork in the road" and you can hike the loop in either direction.  We decided to hike counter-clockwise and start with the connector trail and then hike the PCT south back to the starting point.

Blue skies and white puffy clouds - beautiful day for a hike!

The connector trail is a mere .75 miles but takes you through beautiful wooded areas where we saw Trilliums, Snow Queen and Yellow Violets along the trail.  We did have to cross a few down trees, but that is typical this early in the hiking season.  We also had to pass through one gate which was either to keep cows out or the hikers in - not sure which.

Katie leading the way through one of the meadows on the PCT

It didn't take long till we intersected with the PCT again.  You can continue north on the PCT from here and hike a couple of miles to Hyatt Lake, but for our hike we made a left hand turn and took the PCT south for about 2 miles till it met the connector trail intersection to complete the loop.

Mission Bells

Even though some parts were through wooded areas again, the trail does take you through a couple of meadows that allow you wonderful views of the surrounding mountains and Pilot Rock.  We saw a few more varieties of wildflowers in these meadows like Larkspur, Fawn Lilies, and Ballhead Waterleaf. We were even treated to a pair of Mission Bell flowers --  a sight we have seen very few times while hiking.

View of Pilot Rock

When our loop was completed, it was just a short hike down the road and back to our car.  Our hike lasted a mere 90 minutes but provided us with some wonderful views, beautiful woods and flowers, and whetted our appetite to return to the summit and hike the PCT to either Hyatt Lake (north) or Hobart Bluff (south).  Look for that posting in the near future.

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol