Looking for an easy hike with great scenery? A friend recommended the trail to Mossbrae Falls in Dunsmuir. There are only a few activities that my husband and I can agree upon. Walking is one of them. And, at our age, getting one’s heart rate up is a good thing, right?
We arrived in Dunsmuir early Saturday morning and bickered a bit about what constituted a trail. I maintained that walking on a railroad track is not the same as a trail and surely we must be in the wrong place. I further noted that where there are tracks there tend to be trains and that the west side was bordered by an electric fence and the east side had only a few feet of very slippery rocks before the sharp drop down to the Sacramento River. I was not entirely comfortable with this hike. Jack knew his directions were accurate and besides, it was highly unlikely a train would come along as the entire walk would take only an hour or so. He added brunch as an inducement. I have been known to be motivated by food.
I trudged along the tracks and chose the east side as I have a healthy fear of electrocution. But I also didn’t want to slip on the rocks and slide screaming down to the river, so I endeavored to walk on the concrete thingies that are placed about a foot apart under the tracks. This is not a natural stride: baby steps, very fast. So, there might have been lovely scenery, but what I saw were my feet and the tracks. Occasionally I would jerk my head up and whip it around if I heard a noise that might be a bear or snake.
We walked single file. I followed at a very wifely distance. We did not see any bear. However, we saw some people fishing that reminded me of a scene from Deliverance.
We heard the falls before we saw them. Jack pointed to an incredibly good place to slide down and break several limbs before hitting bottom. I demurred. Jack tried to badger me, but I walked away from his outstretched hand. He descended down.
I tried for a glimpse of the falls but the foliage was thick. I walked on and saw a train trestle from which you would probably have a birds-eye view of Mossbrae falls. The tracks had metal mesh on either side that surely would sustain the weight of an average adult, but you could see through the mesh to the rushing water about a hundred feet below. Walking on this was not appealing, but I thought it safer than the super-steep trail to the floor of the falls. And I had made this walk to see the damn falls.
I called to Jack merrily that I had found an alternative way to view the falls and scampered to the trestle. I walked along the tracks, trying very hard to not look down. I got to the middle, exhaled and turned to the river. I heard a low rumble and felt the tracks beneath me shake. Jack shouted for me to run. He is an absolute master of superfluous instruction.
All in all, the walk was not particularly strenuous, but I am happy to tell you it achieved the goal of getting my heart rate up. After running from the train, we did find an easy trail down. The falls were gorgeous and the ominous fishermen offered to use our camera to capture a picture of our marital bliss. So here we are. Still alive, still married.
Cover Photo by Leon Turnbull, waterfallswest.com
