Rogue River Day 3 Layover
Pat and I talked to one of the guys in the group staying at the lower campsite as we were carrying all the food stuff up to the bear fence last night. He and his family are from California and he is in the same situation that I'm in! This is the biggest and most difficult water that he has run in his IK but he says he is doing okay for now. He told us that their group is moving downriver the next morning. They are taking off the river on the same day we are so we will probably see them again.
Usually a layover day means that you don't have to pack up your tent or any of your stuff. Not so for us. The group using the Lower Horseshoe Bend campsite are heading downstream and we have decided to move into that campsite after they have left. It isn't far, about 100 yards and we can easily carry everything up over the hill. The lower site has better access to the river for swimming and bathing. Several spots close by with rocks sticking out from shore creating nice eddies and a privacy.
Michael, Pat, and I have decided to go for a little walk/hike. There is a trail that runs the whole length of the Wild and Scenic section of the river. In most spots it is a decent distance above the river and meanders through the trees. It took us a little while find a trail that actually went all the way up to the main trail but once we found it walking was easy. The trail follows the contour of the mountain but it doesn't have very much elevation loss or gain. As we headed upstream the trail crosses several small creeks and I couldn't help myself, I had to flip over some rocks and see if there was life! This is another thing that I miss, small creatures and amphibians. Sure enough there were all kinds of worms, larvae, and I found a salamander. It may have been a Siskiyou Mountains salamander but maybe a very young one. I remember the head being squarer, and the legs and tail were shorter than the ones in the pictures that I am finding on Google.
After the hike I took a bath! Ohhhh it was lovely. The water is approximately 63 degrees Fahrenheit and the air temps were in the 90's. I splashed around in one of the eddies, swimming out into the current and floating down a little bit then popping back into the eddy to do it again. While I was swimming a group of Boy Scout hikers took up residence in the Upper Horseshoe Bend campsite. These weren't little kids though they were all teenagers with adult supervision. We were a little worried about screaming kids and a raucous night but our worries never came to pass.
Michael with Pat and I helping are on dinner duty tonight. After that it will be time to watch for satellites to zoom across the sky. It's a tough life.
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