December 2023 – Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Group

Cooper Creek Reservoir – December 23, 2023

Hike Coordinator: Rheo Wheeler

Narration by Rheo Wheeler

Two days before Christmas and all through the house, oops not the house, but Cooper Creek Reservoir and the 6-mile hike that circumnavigates the reservoir. That would be tough to rhyme. Anyway, we had a gathering of 11 on this close-to-home trek on a beautifully maintained trail this chilly December morning. The ups and downs of the trail warmed us soon enough.

There were lots of water fowl, a couple of fishermen and 3 hearty kayakers who had ventured out on the flat water this a.m. There’s something to be said about hiking close to home, as we made it back home by noon.

Pictures below by Rheo Wheeler

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Dellenback Dunes – December 9, 2023

Hike Coordinator: John Malone

Narration by Rheo Wheeler

We had a 6-ish mile meander through the dunes beginning from the Dellenback trailhead. We were heading for the beach but were turned back by a submerged trail. Go figure, no one wanted to go for a thigh-high wade to get to the beach. Oh well, high tide would have not provided much sand for a stroll.

We retreated to the dunes area and then uphill to overlook one of the lakes for lunch. After lunch, we followed a trail near the lakes and found a waterfall gushing from the recent rains. Going down to the lake meant climbing back out to continue our circle back to our starting point. I won’t mention the 3 huge dunes between us and the trailhead… but… Up and down, and up and down to get our miles in.

We had just a tiny bit of sprinkles with an interesting sky, making for a great outdoor experience.

Pictures below by Rheo Wheeler

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