💎 Orchid garden along the Smith River’s South Fork
The Smith is the most undeveloped and protected river remaining in California, and the largest completely undammed river from source to sea in the state. Much of the watershed features serpentine formations of the Josephine Ophiolite, and large areas are suited to rare plant life that thrives in harsh settings and in soils containing metals and minerals that are not conducive to typical forest growth.
The South Fork comes from higher elevations of the Siskiyou Wilderness where snow melt lingers and contributes to the basin’s highest flows through the spring.
Much of the Smith’s quality is attributed to nearly all the watershed being in public ownership as the Smith River National Recreation Area with legislated priorities on land and water protection. In addition, all of the 18 mile main stem and 320 miles of tributaries were designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers in 1981.
This marked the first time that the streams of virtually an entire river basin were together designated in the National Wild and Scenic Ricer System as part of a watershed-wide approach.
💎 Stream Orchid, AKA Chatterbox (Epipactis gigantea)
Where have you found these stunning (and well camouflaged!) orchids blooming this summer? They’re surprisingly common, though often go unnoticed because they blend in so well with their surroundings.
The Smith River is the most undeveloped and protected river remaining in California, and the largest completely undammed river from source to sea in the state.
It drains the high elevation flanks of the western Siskiyou Mountains, who’s thin, rocky soils shed water from winter storms faster than any other watershed in the Klamath Mountains.
This River commonly rises insanely fast—from 5,000 to 80,000 cfs within 24 hours.
It’s an absolute joy to watch this wild river flowing swift and clear, full of welcome winter rains.
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We were turned on to the concept of Slow TV by @b_funke.jpg and @gabriellegopinath. We love watching the rivers flow, the mountains catching morning light, the fog slowly settling between ridges. Apparently when you record this it’s called Slow TV! Would a YouTube channel featuring such *shows* from the Klamath Mountains interest you?
Also, please support the Smith River Alliance. They do such important work to care for this watershed!
#protip: *How to keep your tot-sized hiker happy while also decreasing your holiday sweets stash so you don’t have to eat it all.
HINT: Tie the @lindt chocolate to a stick with a blade of grass and dangle it in front of your tot as you hike along. Allow them to grab it only when the laughter subsides. This should buy you an extra mile or two.
*This pro tip will not be included in Hiking Humboldt Kids, a new book we’ve been working on with First 5 Humboldt, due out this spring!
NEW PODCAST // What would you do if you were out for a solo hike in the backcountry, stopped to fill your water bottle in a creek, and turned around to find yourself nose-to-nose with a bear?
This is the story of such an encounter in the Trinity Alps Wilderness from one of our Backcountry Press authors and photographers, Ken DeCamp.
Ken walks us through his ill-fated surprise meeting in a creek side willow thicket when out photographing wildflowers in August of 2020 along a little used trail. It was an encounter from which he bear-ly survived.
Ken’s story shows us that the aftermath of such a fleeting moment may require digging more deeply into your pockets of courage, endurance, resourcefulness, and grit than you may have ever needed to dig before.
This is our first episode of The Backcountry Beat, a podcast about Nature, Adventure, and Stewardship. Streaming to you from a redwood forest in Humboldt County, California.
Keep listening https://backcountrypress.com/podcast/
or find The Backcountry Beat wherever you listen to podcasts (yes, we even figured out Spotify!) 🎧
NEW PODCAST // What would you do if you were out for a solo hike in the backcountry, stopped to fill your water bottle in a creek, and turned around to find yourself nose-to-nose with a bear?
This is the story of such an encounter in the Trinity Alps Wilderness from one of our Backcountry Press authors and photographers, Ken DeCamp.
Ken walks us through his ill-fated surprise meeting in a creek side willow thicket when out photographing wildflowers in August of 2020 along a little used trail. It was an encounter from which he bear-ly survived.
Ken’s story shows us that the aftermath of such a fleeting moment may require digging more deeply into your pockets of courage, endurance, resourcefulness, and grit than you may have ever needed to dig before.
This is our first episode of The Backcountry Beat, a podcast about Nature, Adventure, and Stewardship.
Streaming to you from a redwood forest in Humboldt County, California.
Keep listening here:
https://backcountrypress.com/podcast/
or find The Backcountry Beat wherever you listen to podcasts (yes, we even figured out Spotify!) 🎧
