Trail Log: 8-11-2024

Left - dog leg to nice camp - Right - to Schneider Meadow

 

• Trail: Trail Creek - Schneider Meadows - Trail Creek NF6610
• Miles: 7.25
• Riders: Self
• Horses: Jack - Drifter
• Dogs: Groot

Notes: I thought for sure I'd been to Schneider Meadows in the past but now I don't think so. I put in off Clear Creek Rd and started riding. I took a dog leg off the main road until the trail fizzled out but found a nice spot for a camp. We practically stepped on a deer while crossing a downed tree. Thankfully neither horse did much (Riding Jack - towing Drifter) There's never a good place to get bucked off, but getting dumped this far off the main trail where they'd never find your carcass might be worse. 

We rode back to the main road toward what I assume to be the direction of S. meadow. We saw a big elk browsing Clear Creek. You can get pretty close to them if your on horseback so I dove down the bank to see if I could get a picture. It was steep and towing Drifter and trying to operate a camera at the same time wasn't particularly smart in this terrain so I gave it up. 

I really need to get some sort of trail app for my phone...or better yet, get a real map from the Forest Service. There's a novel idea. After looking at my Garmin Basecamp tracks it looks like I made it to the lower end of the meadow. I crossed Trail Creek headed toward Meadow Creek. Schneider Meadows sits between the two creeks, according to Basecamp. 

The air quality was much better and didn't increase until we got to higher ground. The Town Gulch fire is at 37% contained. The wind started to gust and the smoke increased to the point it made me nervous enough to turn around and head back. 

Drifter is not a water baby so crossing this a couple times was good for him.