For several nights, my sister, her partner and I camped at Walton Lake in the OR Ochoco Mountains. This was my third visit in four years, and their first time. Seasonally, this was the latest I’d been there even though same on the calendar. Snow was complete gone even above 7,000 ft. Large mammals non-existent,…
On the way to Portland to visit friends, I stopped over at Silver Falls State Park for a quick trip through the 10 Waterfalls. My car was the first in North Falls TH parking lot and that early start gave me about 3 hours of solitude. By 10:00-10:30, the parking lot was full and humans…
Central cascades snowpack remains historically low and suggests that early June could be the start of Willamette National Forest’s great mosquito gauntlet – a couple weeks early traditionally. If you have not experienced that gauntlet, don’t … find another hike. I headed to Mckenzie River trail to add the lower, wild section downriver from Koosah…
A warm, balmy day threatening rain all afternoon, but the scrub oak meadows were full of summer flowers, interesting lizards, new song birds … how better to spend the afternoon? I left North TH around 11:15 and hiked Mt Pisgah via trails #3 and #4. Human traffic was seasonally low – almost none. The threatening…
On the way home from Camp Sherman, the ritual stop at Clearlake Resort for a quick hike around the far side of the lake to Great Spring and back down to Sahalie Falls. The weather was nigh perfect – and as I neared the pass, Mt Washington greeted the sun After leaving the resort and…
For 6 nights, my sister, her husband and I camped at Smiling River Campground on the Metolius River. Every day was a hiking day – some solo, some with company, and every one captured that Metolius Magic. Weather was challenging – days 2-4 with cold wet weather and wind. On the early morning drive over…
A warm but grey day in the valley with promises of afternoon sun … rather than drive, I stayed local. Leaving TH around 6:30am, there were >10 different birds singing in the parking lot. Later in the river meadows, 11 different birds sang while in the nearby woods only 4. A lazuli bunting was a…
For Day 3 of 3 consecutive days of long hikes to assess adventure readiness, my sister joined the fun at Mary’s Peak. Starting around 8:30 with fog on the coast and patchy fog in the valley and thick air, the day finished warm and sunny with Mt Jefferson hardly visible thru the haze as we…
Day 2 of the consecutive 3 day hikes started at Westfir Covered Bridge covering the North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette River. Walking up-river accentuated following spring up the mountain. But, comparing to yesterday’s Goodman Creek gentle singing in the background, the North Fork was raging and loud. Even the Stellar Jays didn’t call…
Time to hike the foothills to catch spring as it moves up the mountain … keep driving to minimum but hiking experience to maximum: Goodman Creek to Eagles’ Rest. This was the first of a planned 3-day sequential hiking sequence to test conditioning for longer adventures after day hiking all winter. After a 30 min…
