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Third Creek, May 25, 2013
The Third Creek hike began with a beautiful drive through Cache
Valley and a stop along the way at the Standing Rock in Weston
Canyon. After arriving at the Third Creek parking lot, we
started our hike surrounded by hillsides covered with brilliant
yellow blooms of big leaf and arrowleaf balsamroot. Along the way
we encountered three dirt bikers coming
down the trail, but they were the only people we saw for the
entire hike. Eventually we came to a point were the trail turned
left, but we followed an old trail on the right because it was
shorter. Upon reaching the Oxford ridge, we
were treated to an outstanding view of northern Cache Valley
to the east and Weston Canyon to the west.
Most of the group hiked north
on the ridge, but not far enough to see Oxford Peak. Dan, Terry and Jim
stayed longer on the ridge while the others hiked down, but
everyone met up at a shady spot near the parking lot.
This was a great nature experience. Balsamroot
lined the trail, with blooms of larkspur, woodland star,
evening primrose, wild hyacinth, chokecherry, serviceberry,
mulesears, and more. On the ridge we found
Indian paintbrush, locoweed, penstemon, and mountain
dandelions. We
were serenaded by the songs of robins, chickadees,
yellow warblers, orange crowned warblers, western
tanagers, a Swainson's thrush and a hermit thrush, and
we saw mountain bluebirds and Franklin's gulls.
Near the top of the Oxford Ridge we found a cattle
pond with several large salamanders, amd Dan
and Terry saw a rattlesnake.
Twelve
Cache Hikers participated: Jim (the hike leader), Terry,
Sue, Dave P, Dan, Denis, Rick, Roddy, Gary, Stephanie, Alex, and
Anne. Everyone enjoyed the hike
and appreciated the beautiful scenery, flowers and wildlife of
the Oxford Mountains.
(Thanks to Jim for photos and narrative.)
At Standing Rock, along the way to Third Creek.
Cache Hikers on the Third
Creek hike
Cache Valley from the Oxford Ridge
This GPS track shows the hike going east on Third Creek and north
on the Oxford Ridge