Spring

Whale rock

Whale Rock today, 70 years ago almost everyone had been to Whale Rock, or at least knew of it, and the beautiful meadow, and wildflowers in Spring that surrounded it, yet today almost no one knows of it. It is located on the West end of Hells Hill at about 1940 Ft. elevation—-along with the Goat Caves a few ft below. Booth-Kelley never logged the area around the meadow and the rock rims to the south and the Camp Cr. trail started at the end of the Plank Road on Cartwright Cr. on the Marcola side and came right by Whale rock and on into the Camp Cr. Valley. I used to take my single shot Remington 22 cal rifle and spend all day in the area and never fire a shot as the only way I could get ammunition was by trade as rationing during wartime allowed me none. The area has not been open to the public as it used to be except during Hunting season and the Plank Road, and Camp Cr. Trail are Long gone, along with the Gnarled Hooter Trees of little or no commercial value that surrounded the meadows.