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As seen on Google Earth
As seen on Google Earth. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I’d spotted something long and white on the ground in the woods on Google Earth. After I’d set up camp, I went to investigate it. It was a downed tree (just as I suspected).
Bushwhacking to this spot was okay, but there were a lot of downed trees to negotiate.
Heading back to camp, I made a silly navigational blunder… Fortunately, my navigational ‘Spidey sense’ kicked in after a short while, …
Heading back to camp, I made a silly navigational blunder. In getting ready for this trip, I’d prepared a route to this point from the pond, and as I had originally planned to set up a basecamp on the ridge, I’d plotted a different, more direct route back.
I had the GPS screen zoomed in and mistakenly took my compass bearing from the pre-planned return route, and not back to where I was actually camped. Oops. Fortunately, my navigational ‘Spidey sense’ kicked in after a short while, and checking my location and direction again, I realized my mistake.
Oh well, I had nothing else to do, and the extra bit of hiking didn’t harm me.
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At the top of a very marshy area, a dammed pond
At the top of a very marshy area a dammed pond — All the recent rain seems to have topped it up. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It didn’t take me long to find the second potential water source I’d identified on the map. The map shows a creek running down from here, the reality is that there is just a wide marshy hollow. I hiked past the hollow because I was looking for a creek crossing the trail. A quick check of the GPS put me right.
It’s difficult to tell how big this pond is in normal circumstances, but judging by the bushes I saw, it’s pretty small. I wandered around a bit before deciding to camp on the north side.
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Signs of recent trail maintenance
The trail had been recently cleared — Exploring south of the Whites Creek Trail, South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I have noticed this before. The ‘less official’ trails are frequently in better condition than the official trails. I wish the North Loop Trail was this clear and easy to follow.
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Camped overlooking Slash Bay Hollow
First Breakfast — Camped overlooking Slash Bay Hollow, Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Getting here wasn’t easy. This was not the open woodland I’d encountered earlier yesterday. There was dense undergrowth and lots of trees down. It was challenging hiking. Then the final big disappointment was that there were no decent views of the Eleven Point River, and a dearth of suitable trees in safe spots to hang my hammock.
I ended up hiking back towards the trail until I found a spot I fancied on the south (Slash Bay Hollow) side of the ridge.
In the morning, I woke up to the sound of chainsaws and heavy equipment to the south. I couldn’t tell which side of the Eleven Point River the noise was coming from. That disruption to my peace and quiet decided me to change my plans for the day.
I was originally planning on establishing a basecamp here and going to look at another potential water source I had seen on the map, also, there was a mysterious object I had spotted on Google Earth that I wanted to investigate, a long straight white line, probably just a downed tree out in the open. With all the noise and the lack of a decent view, I decided to abandon the basecamp idea and shift camp to wherever I ended up today.
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Ooh! I found a well-maintained and clear trail
Ooh! I found a well-maintained and clear trail. Exploring south of the Whites Creek Trail South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This bodes well for my plans for this trip. Although this trail is in excellent condition, I’ve still got a mile or so of bushwhacking to look forward to, to get to the end of the ridge I want to camp on. Nowt for it other than to press on.
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Open woodland
Open woodland — Exploring south of the Whites Creek Trail South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
I found a pond
I found a pond — exactly where I expected one to be. Exploring south of the Whites Creek Trail South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I spent half an hour bushwhacking to get here, and part of my route went through a stand of shortleaf pines I nicknamed ‘Catbrier Hell,’ you can guess why. Checking out this possible water source was my first objective for the day. I had spotted the depression and potential water source on the USGS map. Was it filled in and dry? Fortunately, not, and the recent rain appears to have filled the pond. Judging by the vegetation, it holds water for a significant portion of the year.
I stopped to have lunch, and I topped up my water with some of the tannin (and tadpole) rich water from the pond.
Next, I was heading off searching for my second objective for the day, a trail marked on the USGS map. Did the trail still exist? I had no idea, but having secured a water source, my final objective for the day was the Holy Grail of a campsite with good views overlooking the Eleven Point River on the ridge between Stillhouse and Slash Bay Hollows. If the trail didn’t exist, or I couldn’t find it, I would have to bushwhack the entire way, another couple of miles.
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Looking back down the trail to Fiddler Spring
Looking back down the trail to Fiddler Spring — The trail drops very steeply down to Fiddler Spring. So steep you can’t see the trail from here. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This is the start of the ‘Social’ trail heading down to Fiddler Spring. I was camped on the ridge in the distance to the right last night. This bit of trail is very steep, so steep that you can’t see the rest of the trail from this point, which I thought made for a more dramatic picture (probably not).
I find going down this trail is more difficult than coming up, but it’s tough and fairly dodgy going in either direction. It might be a tough climb, but looking at the timing of my pictures, it only took six minutes to get here from Fiddler Spring. This point is below the official Whites Creek Trail, so more uphill work still to be done.
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Fiddler Spring, Irish Wilderness, April 2025
Fiddler Spring, Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Established primitive campsite near Fiddler Spring
Established primitive campsite near Fiddler Spring. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Someone has been able to clear this site up. The left behind tarps and crates have gone. With the wildflowers the site was looking much better. I was just passing through to fill up with water at the spring and then climb my way up onto the ridge on the right.
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Camped overlooking Whites Creek near Fiddler Spring
Camped overlooking Whites Creek near Fiddler Spring. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I’m not keen on the existing primitive campsite at Fiddler Spring — I saw that it had been cleaned up a lot as I passed by, but there’s no morning or evening sunshine, and it’s on the trail. I bushwhacked my way to Whites Creek, waded across, and then climbed up the ridge until I found a couple of trees I liked the look of to hang my hammock on.
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Whites Creek had been running hard a couple of days earlier
Whites Creek had been running hard a couple of days earlier — The trail was buried in debris and had been submerged under several feet of water. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I camped high up on the ridge to the left, and I’d climbed down to fetch water for the night. While I was filtering my water, I noticed that the leaves had been cleared off of the side of the hollow to around fifteen feet above the creeks current level.
Signs of flooding on Whites Creek — The leaves had been cleared off of the side of the hollow to around fifteen feet above the creeks current level. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Whites Creek on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop — Looking upstream
Whites Creek on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop — Looking upstream. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Whites Creek on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop
Whites Creek on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. The trail at the bottom of the descent down to Whites Creek had been washed out, and parts of the trail were knee-deep in running water. Nothing unexpected after all the rain we have had. I crossed Whites Creek a little bit more to the west than usual, where I took the above photograph before crossing.
I backtracked once I’d got to the trail on the other side, and the original crossing point was a mess with downed trees and debris. In fact, most of the trail from here to Fiddler Spring was a mess, with the trail having recently been several feet underwater. The leaf litter and other debris was formidable.
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Dogwoods on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop
Dogwoods on the Whites Creek Trail South Loop. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Rain-cleared trail
Rain-cleared trail. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. In many places, the recent rains had cleared the leaves off the trail. Whites Creek Trail, South Loop.
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Trail-side Dogwood. Whites Creek Trail, South Loop
Trail-side Dogwood. Whites Creek Trail, South Loop, Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
New trailhead signage at Camp Five Pond
New trailhead signage at Camp Five Pond. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Check out the sub-heading on the left image below. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. As a former writer and editor, I find it appalling. Minor typos might be acceptable in some instances (not really), but definitely not on a public sign.
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Gary at the Camp Five Pond Trailhead
Gary at the Camp Five Pond Trailhead. Irish Wilderness, April 2025. Copyright © 2025 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s time for another visit to Irish Wilderness. This trip I’m going to abandon the main, Whites Creek Trail, and see if I can find some of the older trails, south of the Whites Creek Trail South Loop.
There could be a lot of bushwhacking in my future, if I can’t find the trails. I’m hoping that last weekend’s six-plus inches of rain means there will be water to be found up on the ridges.
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Journal: Berryman Trail Revisited, March 2024
After my last hike of the Berryman Trail in December 20024, I had a score to settle. I experienced a bout of AFIB on that trip, and realizing I hadn’t packed enough medication, I had to take it slow and easy. Another round of AFIB caused a canceled hike of the Berryman Trail in February 2025. It’s finally time to ‘get it done.’
For details of this trip
