Last Friday-May 6-My two buddies and I went out for a one night expedition-we didn't have a lot of time but had the hankering to get in the woods. We left the POW Lake area about 5:10 pm. Our (flexible) plan was to hike in an hour or so, find a spot to camp, wake up and walk out sat morning. The trail parallels Tuxachanie Creek for about two to three miles before turning upland. The conditions were extrememly dry. The creek, which has some nice little rapids over the soap stone bottom was only a trickle. Deeper pools of Black water was the only water seen on the trail anywhere until the 7 miles up to Airy lake area.
It was a task finding a campsite with the underbrush of the sparse pine forest growing about a foot to 3 foot high. This is not the most aesthetically pleasing scenery due to the stage of the forest but still its out there in the woods and it is the experience of that stage of the forest.. The actual path is grassy for the most part especially once you meander away from the creek bottom-(mowed like walking in the back yard grassy). So..finding a campsite was not easy. We ended up walking 2 hours from the pow lake about 4.5 mile to marker 8.
Now, the trail shares the horse trail from about 1.5 miles. We saw no horses and only little unpleasant horse signs (manure) and there was no smell that often accompanies horse trails. You will cross a gravel road and walk near the road a couple of times.
We than found a spot..finally about 7:15..still plenty of day light. At mile marker 8 stop..go off the trail (north) about 100ft and there is a very nice spot. I'm really not sure how they expect you to camp 100 ft off the trail as this was the only place we saw for the most part the whole way not "in" the trail. The only negative,,you are only about 400 yards from that road, which we didnt realize until we heard one group of loud folks with dogs and when they left it was quiet..they would not know you were there unless they see your light.
We heard some coyotes off in the distance at one point and saw what we presumed was there scat on the trail in a few spots.
Temps down in the low 50's or upper 40's, We got up, decided to walk to Airy lake about 2.5 miles away, filled up on water and headed back to the POW lake area retracing our path and arrived back at out starting point about 12:30 pm on saturday...
All in all a pleasant outing on the easternmost part of the Trail off Bethal Rd.