Trinity Alps & Vicinity: Including Whiskeytown, Russian Wilderness, and Castle Crags Areas. Mike White
food from a tree at the very least, is essential for the well-being of both you and the bears. The following guidelines should help campers and backpackers reduce the possibility of a bear encounter.
At the campground:
• Store all food and scented items out of sight in a bear locker or the locked trunk of your vehicle.
• Dispose of all trash in bearproof garbage cans or dumpsters.
• Never leave food out and unattended.
In the backcountry:
• Don’t leave your pack unattended on the trail.
• At your campsite, empty your pack and open flaps and pockets.
• Keep all food, scented items, and trash in a bear canister or effectively counterbalanced from a high tree limb (10 feet high and 5 feet out from the trunk).
• Pack out all of your trash.
Everywhere:
• If possible, don’t allow a bear to approach your food—throw rocks, make loud noises, and wave your arms. Be bold while maintaining good judgment from a safe distance.
• If a bear gets into your food, know that you are responsible for cleaning up the mess.
• Report any bear-related incidents to the appropriate government agency.
The most likely spot to encounter a rattlesnake is near or under the end of a footlog at a stream crossing. Rodents cross streams over footlogs too, and rattlesnakes often wait there for dinner to come to them. The relationship between rattlesnakes and rodents is discussed earlier (see). The only incident of a rattlesnake bite in the Trinity Alps that I’ve heard of involved a dog owner trying to get a snake off of his dog. Separating the participants in a dog–bear encounter may prove just as unfortunate. Both bears and rattlesnakes will avoid you if they can, so always allow them a route of escape. Refrain from killing a rattlesnake simply because you happen to see it: rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem and were here long before people.
A human being in reasonable condition should be able to survive a rattlesnake bite without immediate treatment, provided he or she stays reasonably calm. Fortunately, rattlesnakes do not always inject venom when they strike, and if they do, bites are very rarely fatal. Of course, victims should be taken to a hospital or urgent-care facility as soon as possible, but they should ride or be carried out of the backcountry rather than attempting to walk out under their own power.
To treat a rattlesnake bite, wash the area with soap and water. If you happen to be carrying an extractor, apply suction and use the device to pull venom from the wound, but do not incise the wound. While a tight tourniquet should not be used, application of a constricting band tight enough to slow circulation but not stop pulses will help to slow the spread of venom. Keep the affected limb immobile and below the heart.
INSECTS
Although the overwhelming majority of insect bites cause no problems, the western blacklegged tick—one of California’s 49 tick species—may carry Lyme disease. If bitten by a tick, carefully grab the body of the insect with a pair of tweezers as close to its mouth as possible. Applying gentle traction, pull the tick straight out of the affected flesh without twisting, which can separate the head from the body. Once removed, place the tick in a container for later identification if necessary, and then wash the wound (as well as your hands) thoroughly with soap and water. If the bite becomes infected, you can apply an antibiotic ointment and cover with a bandage. If the wound starts to itch, swell, or redden, an antihistamine such as Benadryl may help alleviate those symptoms. Consult a physician if the wound develops a round, red rash and/or you experience flulike symptoms, which can occur anytime after three days or up to a month after you get bitten.
STREAM CROSSINGS
A number of stream crossings that would otherwise be dangerous early in the summer have been bridged. Some potentially problematic stream crossings without bridges are specifically mentioned in the trip descriptions. A few streams to be wary of during high water include Virgin Creek, North Fork Trinity River, Grizzly Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, Canyon Creek, Swift Creek, and Stuart Fork. For information on roped stream crossings, consult Brian Beffort’s Joy of Backpacking. In order to rope safely across a stream of any size, you will need a 150-foot lightweight climbing rope.
A hiker fords Stuart Fork (see Trip 5).
WILDERNESS PATROLS
Wilderness trail crews are composed of some of the hardest-working, most dedicated public servants you’ll ever meet. Unfortunately, there’s simply not enough money to fund enough personnel to do all the things that need to be done. Most of the small force of workers in this area is made up of volunteers—if they do get paid they don’t receive a ton of money. If you happen to meet a USFS, National Park Service (NPS), or state park ranger on patrol, he or she will likely be carrying a radio, first aid kit, shovel, ax, and plastic bags for picking up garbage left behind by the thoughtless few who abuse the privilege of being in the backcountry. Rangers have plenty to do in directing visitors, educating the masses, overseeing trail maintenance, and conducting rescues when necessary. Rangers can and will issue citations for flagrant violations of USFS, NPS, or state park regulations.
What You’ll Need
Maps
The maps at the beginning of each chapter of trail descriptions provide a general idea of where trips are located. Individual trips are shown in greater detail on maps sprinkled throughout the pertinent chapters. Familiarity with topographic maps and orienteering with map and compass are skills essential to successfully following any off-trail routes described in this guide, and are highly recommended for on-trail travel as well. Some conservation and hiking associations, as well as some community colleges, offer classes in these skills.
The topographic maps listed in the key information at the beginning of each trip are U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute maps. These topographic maps are available directly from the federal government at store.usgs.gov and from visitor centers, ranger stations, and some outdoor retailers. A number of applications are available for creating maps to print from your home computer or for display on your smartphone.
Additional listings in the heading are for useful topographic maps printed on waterproof paper and published by the USFS for Trinity Alps, Russian, and Castle Crags Wilderness Areas. A Guide to the Trinity Alps Wilderness (2004) is a two-sided map (scale is an inch equals a mile) printed on waterproof paper that covers the entire wilderness and is quite handy for longer trips. The same is true for A Guide to the Marble Mountain Wilderness and Russian Wilderness (2004), with the Marble Mountains shown on one side and the Russian Wilderness on the other. At a scale of 2 inches equals 1 mile, A Guide to the Mount Shasta Wilderness and Castle Crags Wilderness (2001) is printed on waterproof paper and also has the two areas shown on opposite sides. California State Parks publishes a waterproof, topographic map at a scale of 3.75 inches equals 1 mile for Castle Crags State Park, which is available from the park’s visitor center.
Not mentioned in the headings but useful for trip planning and for finding directions to campgrounds, picnic areas, trailheads, and other features, the USFS also publishes smaller-scale maps covering an entire national forest for Klamath (2007), Shasta-Trinity (2007), and Six Rivers (2005) National Forests. All of these USFS maps can be purchased at ranger stations and information stations, or online at nationalforestmapstore.com.
Index of USGS 7.5-Minute Topographic Maps
TOOLS