Cache Creek Wilderness – April 2023

[Greg F]

Companion forum thread to: Cache Creek Wilderness – April 2023

I had planned this hike to be my initial backpacking trip after retiring in January 2023. In addition it would be the first trip of the year, which would involve building up miles and doing a shakeout of new gear acquired in the offseason…

[Alex Wallace]

Thanks for sharing, Greg. Sounds like a good first trip of the season. Any ticks? How’d your new gear work for you?

[Michael P C]

Greg, thanks for the report. Sounds like a nice option for Winter and Spring trips. Seems like you didn’t see a lot of people, given how close it is to the Bay Area. What days of the week did you go?

[Terrie A]

Thanks for the trip report, Greg. Cache Creek Wilderness is an annual shoulder season/winter backpack for many of us in the Bay Area, and I used to take my Beginning Backpacking students there for their first foray into the backcountry. Last time I was there I spotted a Bald Eagle eyrie in a snag next to the creek in Wilson Valley. I only saw the female of the pair on the nest, but she didn’t seem too bothered by my taking a dip in the creek. Did you see any eagles, Bald or Golden, while you were there?

[Greg F]

Thanks for the questions and feedback!  @Alex W – I didn’t get any but I mainly stayed on the trails, other than that one trip on an unmaintained trail on the second day down to Cache Creek for water.  I liked the new backpack.  As mentioned I’m new to UL backpacks, and I think I did a good job packing it so that it was not uncomfortable and also could make use of the waist belt.  I liked the bottom stash pocket option, which was good for snacks.  I didn’t like the water bottle pocket on the shoulder strap (I like them on non-UL, framed packs I have used) as it seemed to weigh down the strap so that it was somewhat uncomfortable and a little out of balance relative to the other strap.  Not sure if this is a problem with this brand (water bottle pocket was sown up pretty high on the strap) or with frameless / UL packs in general.

[Greg F]

@ Michael PC – the trip was Saturday through Monday.  Saturday night was definitely busier, but not crowded.  I probably could have found a spot to myself if I came in a little earlier or was more familiar with the Wilson Valley area, perhaps a little upstream.  I’m guessing Sunday night had only one or two groups.  @Terrie A – Wow that’s an awesome sighting!  I may have seen a golden eagle that I mistook for a hawk.  There were some day hikers I met at the end of the trip who said they saw a golden.  I did see what I thought were bear and mountain lion tracks in the mud at Wilson Valley.  I wasn’t absolutely sure, though, so didn’t include it in the trip report.  That said, I think it’s hard to mistake bear tracks.

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