Stairway to Heaven

Sierra Buttes, Calif - Saturday, 25 Sep 2021. 12:45pm.

It was a short but strenuous hike from where we parked near the top of Sierra Buttes to the actual top. But reaching the actual top would require another change of modality. Ascending the tallest spire involves climbing about 150 stairs on a series of metal catwalks anchored to the quartzite rock.



As you can see from this picture, it's a pretty busy day today. In the few times we've been here before I don't think I've seen it even half this busy. Most of these hikers came up from a parking lot on the shoulder of the ridge, cutting in half the nearly 3,000' ascent from the lakes below. Of course, we cut down the on-foot portion of the trek to just a few hundred feet of ascent.

A few were amused by how far we'd driven our car. "I coulda taken a bus?" was my favorite remark. And as I mentioned before, we could've driven even farther. With our 4x4 we could've driven right to the base of the stairs. I didn't because it's pretty narrow up there and I imagined that it might be crowded— which it definitely is!



While there was a crowd relaxing at the bottom of the stairs there weren't as many people going all the way to the top. The steep stairs, where you could sometimes see 3,000' to 5,000' down under your feet, intimidated some.



The stairs didn't bother me. I've climbed worse. 😳



Next entry: up the final stairs... to the lookout tower!

The View from the Top: Sierra Buttes

Sierra Buttes, Calif - Saturday, 25 Sep 2021. 1pm.

After climbing the metal catwalks and stairways anchored into the rock atop Sierra Buttes I made one final climb: up the stairs of the fire lookout tower itself. The lookout hasn't been staffed for quite some time AFAIK— which is kind of ironic given a) the number of fires burning in California the past few years, and b) the fact it's smoky right now— but the catwalk around the perimeter of the tower is at least open to visitors to climb up for the 360° views.



My favorite view is the one to the northeast, looking over the Sardine Lakes, Upper and Lower. They're in the middle of the picture. That tiny lake off to the right is Volcano Lake. These are just a few of the many lakes dotting this area I call the Gold Lakes Basin. Why gold? Well, the biggest lake in the basin is named Gold Lake. It likely got its name from an era in the late 1800s when gold was discovered in the exposed rock of these spires. At one point there were over a dozen active mining claims on this mountain. I don't think any have been active for 100 years now.



The view to the southeast is fun, too, looking over the tops of the other spires of Sierra Buttes. This is one of the angles where you can really see the extent of smoke in the air.



Smoke is a big factor in the view to the southwest, too. The deep valley here leads down out of the Sierras, past the gold rush town of Downieville. This view is one of those Vertical Mile views: a place where you can see lands differing in elevation by more than a mile (5,280' / 1.6km).

Keep reading: There's more to see on the way down!

Coming Down from Sierra Buttes

Sierra Buttes, Calif - Saturday, 25 Sep 2021. 1:15pm.

I've mentioned before that when coming back from an out-and-back hike there's a tendency to stop looking around; to feel you've "Been there, done that" and pay less attention or, perhaps in a stage of fatigue, focus just on putting one foot in front of the other. I try not to fall into that trap. I remind myself that beauty isn't a place I'm hiking to; it's the whole hike. In beauty I walk. Thus I kept my eyes up and my camera at the ready even after I decided I'd had my fill atop the Sierra Buttes fire lookout and began the hike back down.



There are times, though, it's important to think about putting one foot in front of the other. Coming down the "Stairways to Heaven" was one of those situations. But still I stopped several times for pictures, sometimes balancing precariously on a step over a yawning chasm trying not to let the gusting wind knock me off balance.

Once back down on terra firma Hawk and I started down the trail together.



Like I said, there's beauty all around. This twisted old tree I noticed on the hike up but couldn't find the right angle to compose a telling picture with it. On the way down the framing was... right in front of me.



Likewise I couldn't find a expressive composition with our car on the way up. Part of the problem was that it was generally behind me. I didn't want to stop every 10 feet to turn around and look again. On the way down, though... again, the framing was right in front of me.

Next entry: Visiting Sardine Lakes