July 16-23 Tahoe/Plumas/Lassen NF Backcountry Discovery Trails adventure

July 16-23 Tahoe/Plumas/Lassen NF Backcountry Discovery Trails adventure

This is a Saturday-Saturday trip, that way we can use Friday for more prep, and will have Sunday for rig and personal cleanup.

I want to hit up the BCCT, but starting from Downieville in Tahoe NF and ending in Lassen NF around either Hwy 32 or 36 (if we are pushing faster than planned). The route is pretty tame besides the three 4x4 additions. But if you have driven with me before, you know I like to add a lot of additional exploring of side roads off of the main fire roads, basically if there could be a road and we are good on time, you never know what you might find. To add a bit more, I have never been on any of these roads, if I had already I wouldn't be doing this trip, I am all about mapping areas, finding gems and just experiencing the new. So everything we find is as new to me as it is you. With that in mind, when we are on the trail, I have a map and some waypoints and ideas, but we all have input on the day and I will gauge everyone a lot to make sure we are all getting the adventure we came for.

While there will be places to jump on the route, it is hard to guarantee that we will be exactly where we plan after about a day in. There will plenty of places to jump off the route early almost every day, and while it would suck to be abandoned before a tricky section, it is what it is.

Dogs, family and friends always welcome. I usually just roll with my dog, but I do have room for one more with storage spaces.

Reading material:
Plumas http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5428383.pdf
Lassen http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5190656.pdf


Gear must haves:
Fuel storage (8-10 extra gallons at least)
Water storage (~1 gallon for every day at least)
Food storage (plan for no food stops even though we may find some)
Your personal supply of recreational vices (then we can share, because sharing is caring)
Way to prepare your food (can be shared with another member, just don't expect to jump on someone else's setup without making prior plans)
Solid recovery points front and rear (make sure you have a great front point, not just the cheap stock loop. Rear should have the hitch shackle insert at the very least)
Your front mount (if using stock) should have a shackle on it ready to go
Fire extinguisher
Extra vehicle items (fluids you may need, items you break often)
Place to sleep (taking into account the different weather possibilities)
Comms CB/Ham (should all at least have a baofeng, they are cheap and awesome)


Gear nice to have:
Vehicle armor (I have no clue what fun we will find)
Lift/bigger tires (unless you don't mind some additional damage)
Recover gear (though we should have a lot of gear on us)
Shovel
Tools
Air pump to reinflate your tires (should be at the end, not enough pavement to air up, will just drive slow)

 

Route:

I have planned for gas and possibly places to pick up more food from local markets.

The daily hours per my research are estimated around 4 hours of driving a day. That is not a lot but I want to keep it to that to allow for a lot of additional side roads where we may need to clear a path or turn around at some point. We will plan a leaving time everyday with the group and I like to get to camp with time to setup and enjoy it. There will be options for water time and some camp spots may have pit toilets so we could get lucky with the amount of holes and wet wipe showers we needs to take.

These are rough outlines and I have waypoints mapped out already. But things may change, I do not know what is amazing out there yet, and while the guide may say one thing, we may chose different. We may push harder or slower than planned, may find amazing camp sites that change the end and start of a few days, it is our adventure and up to us as long as we agree or can be persuaded.

Saturday, 8am meetup/departure from inner bay area. Can pick people on on the way out, will plan those as they sign up and we get near.

Saturday: Downieville -> Poker flats
Camp anywhere we want around there, or push on to camp if it is still early

Sunday: Poker Flats -> Harrison Flat
Possibly through La Porte, they have fuel and food and is a option out

Monday: Harrison Flat -> Through Red Bridge and onto 24N13 (4x4 route)
Dispersed Camp along 24N13 possible, or better ideas
Option out when we hit Hwy 70 around noon

Tuesday: 24N13 -> Quincy for gas and supplies -> Spanish Ranch
This should be a good point to top off the tanks, if we are lucky we are already on reserves
Multiple campgrounds with and without services. Also the option of Snake or Silver lake is a possibility from here

Wednesday: Spanish Ranch -> Hallsted/Twain
Should be able to find a cool camp site along the river before we get to Hallsted
There is a hot spring near here, it is at a RV park, but may be a nice dip. I may call about availability on the drive up just incase we have the extra time

Thursday: Twain -> Lassen BCDT
Camp at Yellow creek (bathroom) or little grizzly (no bathroom)

Friday: Yellow Creek - > Panther/Deer creek

Saturday: Out to Hwy 32 and down to Chico
We can plan a meal in Chico if we feel like it


May be possible to get to Black rock and out Hwy 36 to Red Bluff if these time estimates are totally off and we get a lot more miles completed then planned. We may not get past Butt Valley Reservoir if we find a lot of fun things to do and are running behind.

 

Travelers:

Ten is a healthy number of rigs on a long distance trip. I would be shocked to get more than a few though (this is going out to a few lists and friends).

Whole Route:
1. me and my dog

Leaving Early:
1. @Overlanerd Sat-Thurs
2. MTN4RNR Sat-Mon
3. @w3tw0rks Sat-Tues


Jumping on late:
1. @MJonaGS32 Monday-Weds+
2. @SeekingZero Mon-Weds

 

I am going for sure (even if alone)

I will have (nice to have a few, but more than one working set not required):
Chainsaw
Splitting hatchet (but no felling or splitting axe)
Maxtrax
Hi-lift
Shovel
Some wood (not enough for the whole trip since there should be a lot of wood to gather)

Items I can loan:
Frontrunner jerry cans with new amazing leaking EPA cap
Come along if I am the only winch
Couple hitch D ring shackle inserts
Two old style Maxtrax
Baofeng radio (with have this with me either way)
Portable Ham and magnet mount antenna
Viair portable pump

 

sub'd

 

solid axle?

 

I'd love to go, but the dates don't exactly work for me. Unless I can catch up to you guys on the 18th, but then I can go the length of the trip thereafter.

 

how about the 23-30 then (might not have been clear that there were two early proposed date windows)? June and early July are busy, and the warmer it is the more fun the rivers will be.

 

Damn can't make it

 

I can't do 7/30 weekend

 

But hey man, this is your trip. Don't plan it around me. Truck-wise and gear-wise, I can do the trip, just a matter of things already scheduled this summer.

 

after the 4th I am clear on July, so more about a good group then the dates used.

 

July I only really have 18-28 open

 

any 8 day window works for me. If there is not much interest in a few days, I will PM you for your favorite window.

 

I'm interested. I'll have skids under my truck by June.

 

Interested, but will need to get a few last minute items on my rig. Dates will have to miss my motocross races so anything mid-July should work.

 

Ugh, this sounds like so much fun, but I gotta work 15 16 17 (at least it's a paid trip with beachfront accommodations in south lake). Whatever dates it turns out, finding a babysitter for the week and wifey agreeing have about as much chance as SAS. Seriously sounds badass though. I'll link it in the wheeling thread... Subd for drool factor

 

Keep the schedule ideas coming.

I am leaning towards the mid july also. But still putting together the best window from here and other places. Should nail it down this week, but looking like July 16-23 (@MJonAgs32 can meet us on Hwy 70 on the 18th since that should be a pretty firm location).

 

I may be in for the 16th - 18th. Probably have to be back at work on the 19th. Thanks for putting this together.

 

I think this would still be a fun little trip. So far there looks to be enough room for a few early people. From other input, the 16th is the best day to start for most. Going to change this now.