2013 Trips
Devil's Punchbowl, Siskiyou Wilderness, California
11.5 miles of hiking • 3250' elevation gain • 3 nights
Got a late start and arrived at the trailhead after sunset. The moon was nearly full and our hike in to Buck Lake with headlamps was quick and uneventful. Set up camp at the first lakeside campside and went to sleep. Woke up in the morning to a mist-covered, perfectly still Buck Lake before the sun had broached the mountains surrounding the lake. Ate breakfast, watched the sun rise over and hiked back to Doe Flat Trail to continue on to Devil's Punchbowl.
Doe Flat Trail is an easy hike, belaying the sheer hell that is about to come once leaving Doe Flat onto Devil's Punchbowl trail. It's switchback after switchback of straight up climbing: 1300 feet of elevation gain in one mile. The reward at the top is a gorgeous view of the peaks surrounding the cirque, which cannot yet be seen. The last section between the lower lake and Devil's Punchbowl above it is scrambling over sparsely vegetated granite. Follow the cairns because the trail cannot be seen.
The entrance to the cirque and the color of the Punchbowl is breathtaking. Bear Mountain towers above the lake with a rockfall into the lake at it's base. High walls surround the lake on three sides with a spectacular vista of the Wilderness from the opening. Cross the stream to the right of the trail at the lake to secure the best campsite in the cirque, slightly above the lake with a commanding view of the lake to the south and the Wilderness to the north. This campsite has benches and a table created out of slabs of granite with a firepit in the center of it making it feel like an outdoor living room with the most awe-inspiring view.
Swam in the lake to cool off in the late summer heat. The cirque is very exposed and there is little shade in the camping area. There is very little firewood available either. But the lake is pleasantly chilly and basking in the sun on the warm granite after a cold swim is heavenly. Sunscreen is advisable, though finding the motivation to sit up and reapply may be challenging.
Climb the peak above the campsite for a panoramic view of the cirque and have a sit on the car-sized boulders and the opposite shore admiring the clarity of the water. Fishing is good here.
Sadly, we had a full moon during our stay and it was so bright, you could walk around safely in the middle of the night with no headlamp, so we missed some prime dark sky viewing. We plan to come back on a new moon. We saw nor heard no large critters and only had a problem with chipmunks and mice, which tried to steal a sandwich that was inadvertently left in a backpack and managed to eat part of it. Kept our food in drybag outside our tent and had no problems with any critters, large or small. Chipmunks stole our TP, too. Saw bats at night. No mosquitos, just annoying giant black flies and bees that hovered while we ate.
It was so hard to leave this magical place and, despite the intensity of the hike, is well worth returning to. Plan on being in better shape next time around.
September 18 – September 21, 2013
View trips from: 2013