umpquahikes

Tamolitch “Blue” Pool – July 29, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

Lane and I had hiked this trail several weeks prior on a cold and dreary day. What a difference several weeks make. The cold and the dreariness had long since been banished by the heat of summer and we all looked forward to hiking along a beautiful cascading river in a shady forest with blue sky above. Unfortunately, so did most of the population of Eugene, Bend, and all points between.

We started at Carmen Reservoir and immediately delved into the wonderfully shaded forest. The trail was quite busy with mountain bikers and we all made sure to step aside for the faster bikes . Those with cameras soon found themselves at the customary tail of the hiking group.

The Blue Pool is spectacular, the waters displaying an unbelievable blue color, especially when lit up by the sun. However, unlike me and Lane’s exploratory sortie from several weeks prior, the pool was ringed by hundreds of casual hikers. There was a noticeable pall hanging over the crowd. Seems a young lady had fallen 80 feet off a cliff and amazingly, she was still alive. A rescue was taking place and for me, the enjoyment of hiking was lost for the day when they stretchered her past us, her body posture the perfect picture of misery. At least she was conscious and alive. While the rescue was being performed, teenagers were leaping off the cliffs into the pool in youthful obliviousness.

When we had left the shuttle vehicle at the trailhead, we noticed the search and rescue crews assembling in the parking lot. That was about 11AM at that point. So the timing of things was first the injurious fall, which had to have happened fairly early in the morning, close to or before 9AM. There is no cell phone coverage on the trail so a pair of hikers had to hike out to the trailhead, which would take close to an hour, There was no phone coverage at the trailhead so they had to drive down the McKenzie Highway to find phone coverage. The search and rescue crews came from McKenzie Bridge, Corvallis, and Sweet Home. While McKenzie Bridge was reasonably close, the others were well over an hour’s drive away. Then the crews had to hike up to the injured woman, another hour spent. Then they had to immobilize her in a stretcher and rappel her up the cliff and steep slope. Then came the triage and first aid and finally, as we looked, they carted her down the trail with the utmost of care. After the hike finished (we had long passed up the stretcher party) we drove the 7 miles or so to retrieve our vehicles, drove back down to pick everybody up, and the rescue crews still had not reached the trailhead, and it was now about 430PM. That’s a very long time to be injured and without significant medical treatment, search and rescue is an elaborate process and not very fast.

As we hiked down the trail, hundreds of “casuals” were coming up the trail, hiking in flip-flops and bikinis. Some were dragging little wagons of food and drink behind them. Real hikers, like ourselves, were in short supply and frankly, there were way too many people who had no hiking sense. I’m glad to report the injured woman was not seriously injured but not so glad to report that her rescue was the third extraction by search and rescue that week. The other two rescues had significant injuries. I’m also not glad to report that fatalities are a common occurrence at the Blue Pool , that seems to happen several times each summer. So (I’m giving a finger-wagging lecture here), be sensible boys and girls and respect the danger that is always present in hiking. You don’t need to scramble down a cliff to get closer to the magnificent Blue Pool, the view is just as good from a safe distance away from the cliffs’ edge. Don’t hike in flip-flops and bikinis either. The Willamette National Forest is aware that the Blue Pool is being loved to death and have made plans to route the mountain bike trail around the pool but in my view, the problem is not the bikers but that flip-flopping crowd. I vote for moving all trailheads at least 5 miles away from the pool.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Boundary Springs – July 15, 2017

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

Eleven hikers met in the Douglas County Courthouse parking lot on a beautiful sunny July day. They proceeded to the trailhead which is past Diamond Lake on Hwy 230. Starting from the Crater Rim Viewpoint, the group made their way down the cliffs, crossed a very small Rogue River and passed three trail junctions before seeing the springs from which gushes the mighty Rogue River. A new hiker aided John in covering the various turnoff choices as hikers proceeded at different speeds and needed some guidance.

Last year’s North Crater Fire burned the ground and many trees along the way. It burned clear up to the springs, the only green was right along the water’s edge. The downed trees were charcoal leading to the dreaded Hiker’s Black Butt condition when they inadvertently sat on the charcoal logs for lunch or didn’t step high enough when crossing the logs.

The fire did accomplish one thing to the good, the landscape was much more visible than when the trees were there , alive and green. The weather was superb, not too hot but summerish and perfect for the altitude. John drank the pure delicious water from the springs and some followed his example for a wonderful taste. Thanks go to John for great leadership.

Picture by Susan Board

Bohemia Mountain and Fairview Peak – July 1, 2017

Hike Coordinator Edwin Case

It was July, 1, a really busy day with lots going on and a surprising number – seventeen – people turned out to follow Edwin Case to Bohemia Mt. and Fairview Peak. There were some clouds which kept the weather from being too hot to enjoy hiking, but luckily the clouds parted from time to time to show off the scenery which included awesome views from Three Sisters to Mt. McLoughlin.

Edwin warned the hikers, some of whom were new to the club, that if they didn’t want to hike the four steep miles to both mountains to choose to hike Bohemia rather than Fairview. They hiked Fairview first with its unmanned climbable fire lookout tower then Bohemia which had a large patch of snow near the top which surprised the two children with the party. The kids did really well on the hike. One hiker was missed but found as he made a short cross-country detour. Edwin usually sees wildlife on his hikes but this time only saw a covey of grouse the day before on his scouting trip.

The new hikers were very enthusiastic and seemed to like the idea of other hikes with the Friends. Edwin is a wonderful leader and he led them all safely home via Cottage Grove.

Pictures below by Lane Harris

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Golden Stairs – June 17, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Lane Harris

The skies were overcast as a 13 hikers gathered to make the long drive to the Golden Stairs trailhead. The forecast was optimistically predicted to be sunny and in the 70s, so we gleefully set out up the highway toward our first usual rest break, Watson Falls. However, not all the hikers who signed up got any further, as Anna’s car started misbehaving, refusing to go any further. Although we sent a rescue party back to retrieve them, Anna and 3 others decided that this may be a sign to either find a closer hike or to just count their blessings and go home. We bid them farewell and continued up toward Diamond Lake and then down the highway towards Union Creek and the trailhead. Edwin was waiting at a pre-designated spot, so the group was now at an even 10.

At the trailhead, the path zig-zags steeply up a wooded hillside, until it meets up with an OHV bike trail. The zigzag ceased, but the steepness did not. The trail steadily climbed, opening up to occasional clear views of distant mountains, and offering short respites of levelness. But these were followed by more switchbacks and steep climbs. Even we most ardent hikers would classify the first mile of this trail as “strenuous”.

And it’s just at about the one-mile mark that the most spectacular views are to be had. Richard was able to educate all of us of the visible peaks: Mt Mcloughlin and Shasta to the south, Mt Thielsen and Union Peak to the east, and Abbott Butte and Elephant Head to the northwest. I’m glad to report that everyone made it to this point and were able to see this fantastic view.

The trail continued up, but not quite as sharply as it had been, and a few hikers had by now decided to turn around and call it good. The rest of us trekked onward until we reached our turnaround point, a nice meadow where we had a well-deserved lunch break.

The hike back down allowed us enjoy the great views again, but this time without the sweat in our eyes to blur our vision. Everyone made it back to the vehicles safely, and all agreed this was worth the effort and the long day.

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Dellenback Dunes – May 20, 2017

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

Eleven people tuned out for this hike with a total of four solo drivers, a two party car and Richard’s carload.

From time to time there was mist but by and large, it didn’t really rain. There was just enough moisture to keep the wet sand from blowing on the brisk wind.

The group decided to forgo the deflation area that leads down to the beach with its boot soaking puddles, so they climbed the big dune for the views then headed over to Tenmile Creek and made their way to the beach pausing to eat their lunches in a sheltered area before reaching the ocean. John set a precedent for getting to the beach with dry boots.

There were two really energetic kids on the hike, Emma, Gaoying’s daughter and Daweson, one of Richard’s grandsons. They were a delight to watch, Daweson with his leaps and summersaults and Emma with her vitality and stamina. They brought more joy to the marvelous vistas always present on the dunes. Oh yes, we mustn’t forget Rachel’s enormous leap which Richard captured with his ever- present camera eye. Rheo got a good picture of Daweson’s flip off a dune.

There were marvelous views of the lagoons with their sparkly blue waters even when there were no blue skies. The breezes kept the day from being too warm for hiking – in fact it was a perfect hiking day. Thanks go to John for coordinating.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Blacklock Point – May 6, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Rheo Wheeler

We did not have a large crowd for this hike, boy did you all miss a great hike. The clouds blew away, wow did it blow, but the temperature was perfect for hiking and pictures.

Seven of us met in Roseburg and traveled over to the air field in Port Orford and met four others, total of 11. We hiked down to Blacklock Point for lunch on the windswept cliffs overlooking the ocean. Actually we had lunch hiding from the windblown sand in the bushes and trees just back from the view.

We then traveled on towards Flores Lake to find another photo op, looking over the cliff for a backside view of the arch on the beach. This was about 3.5 miles in so half of us headed back to the cars for a little over 7 miles. The other half continued on towards Flores Lake, thank you Richard, for a 10 to 11 mile hike.

Pictures by Rheo Wheeler

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North Bank Habitat

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

It was darned cold for April in Douglas County, temperatures were in the 30’s but twelve people turned out for the hike on North Bank. John had read the icy bad weather prediction for Boundary Springs (the original scheduled destination) and decided that discretion was the better part of valor and he changed the locale to North Bank Habitat. On the Habitat, the sun came and went, some rain spatters came and went, and luckily the hail arrived after the hikers made it back to the trailhead.

The trail wasn’t in the best of shape; heavy rain had turned it to mud or worse because of the bovine population which contributed to the trail’s general messiness. There were segments where hikers had to leave the trail for the relative cleanness of the grass.

The route was up Blacktail Basin, under the power lines, a stop at Grumpy’s Pond for a snack, and then down the well- named Soggy Bottom Road to the parking area at about one o’clock. The weather was temporarily so nice that the hikers loitered at the picnic area at the bottom, enjoying the ephemeral spring weather. The official distance for the hike was seven and one-fourth miles. Some folks joined the hike who hadn’t been with the group for a while, one of whom brought the small girl child who hiked so impressively for her age and size.

Thanks go to John for persevering in his efforts to get the gang out on the trail where they belong.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Tahkenitch Dunes – March 25, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

I seem to be a lucky hike leader lately. It was raining in Roseburg and on the drive to the coast but once at the coast, the clouds dissipated and voila! It was a sunny day on the beach.

The original plan was to hike to Tahkenitch Creek and wade across to the Oregon Dunes area. But alas, Tahkenitch was rain-swollen and moving too deep and fast to wade across safely. So the plan was amended to an 8’ish mile loop through the dunes and past Threemile Lake. 10 hikers made the right turn and 3 hikers inadvertently made the left turn at the first fork. Any anxiety a hiking leader with missing hikers may have felt was assuaged when we ran into the three hikers doing our hike in reverse order, so all was well.

This has been an uncommonly wet winter and much to our surprise and chagrin, a full-fledged creek has formed about 0.5 miles from the beach. Because the soil is all sand, the creek has carved a veritable Grand Canyon of the Tahkenitch right across the trail. So, we got to practice our bushwhacking skills as we left the trail and scrambled down to Tahkenitch Creek.

We then got to practice our sprinting skills due to a very large sneaker wave. Rachel was ahead of us so I frantically pointed at the wave coming to smite her from the rear. Unclear on the concept, Rachel smiled sweetly and waved. She got wet.

We enjoyed a lazy lunch on the beach and the sun felt wonderful upon our pale Oregon skin. Everybody was game for more miles so we took the dune trail to Threemile Lake and then it was up and over the mountain and through the lush coastal woods before we returned to our cars at Tahkenitch Campground.

Almost as soon as we started home, the rain resumed. Like I said, I seem to be a lucky hike leader, lately.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Horse Rock and Shotgun Creek – March 11, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Lane Harris

16 enthusiastic hikers made the drive past Marcola near Springfield to make a steady uphill climb towards part 1 of our hike, Horse Rock. While the skies appeared threatening, the rain never fell on us, but the wind was quite fierce. We enjoyed great views of the surrounding hills while we marched through leprechaun-green meadows laced with rocky outcroppings.

Upon arrival to giant Horse Rock, most of the hikers peered into the cave underneath the rock, but none dared crawl into the dark hollow. Some of the faster hikers ventured further uphill past the rock on what appeared to be a barely distinguishable trail, which was not part of the hike itinerary. They were soon reined back in and directed towards the proper direction.

Upon reaching an appropriate turn-around point at the top of the ridge, the wind was whipping at our faces quite ferociously, so we decided to delay lunch until we arrived at Shotgun Creek. The group did a reversal to head downhill, and with the trail remaining in view for nearly a quarter mile in spots, hikers appeared like tiny ants marching along in the distance along the ridgeline. Although this portion only totaled 3 miles, everyone agreed it felt a lot longer, most likely due to the elevation gain. But the views made it worth the effort.

After the descent off the hill from Horse Rock, everyone met up at Shotgun Creek Recreation Site to have lunch at the covered pavilion before we set out for part 2. A light, misty rain began to fall as everyone set off for a loop hike along Shotgun Creek and the surrounding wooded hillside.

There were a few tricky wet crossings we had to endure, but that is to be expected this time of year. Moss covered trees and quaint creek crossings were the highlights along this fern-lined trail. The trees helped shield everyone from the light rain, which was now falling from the grey skies. As usual, the once-tight group eventually got spread out along the trail, allowing everyone to decide which trail junctions they wanted to take. Most hikers opted to cut the hike short by taking quicker paths back to the parking lot. Hike leader Lane was the only one to complete the entire 3.4 mile loop, but his faithful group was awaiting his arrival back, which he greatly appreciated.

Everyone enjoyed this 2-parter, with their feet just a little bit wetter than when they started. All in all, it was a fine day of hiking.

Pictures by Lane Harris

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Cascade Gorge – February 25, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

There was a winter storm warning in effect when we hiked in the Cascade Gorge area near Lost Creek Lake. Yet, despite (or maybe because of) the dire weather forecast, 7 hikers showed up for this hike and it was like “Winter storm, what winter storm?”

At the lake, the surrounding hills and shady parts did have a couple of inches of snow but really, this day was all about the sun and blue sky. The trail leading up an arm of Lost Creek Lake was mostly level and alternated between open cliffs and shady forest comprised of cedar, fir, and madrone. Snow queen and Oregon sunshine were abloom next to the trail and it almost felt like spring. There was one scenic stretch where pink cliffs, blue sky, turquoise lake, and white hills awed us and kept cameras busy Was this not a Richard Hike, or what?

Heh, heh, heh, maybe I spoke too soon. Several miles into the hike, a tree lay across the trail. No problem, we worked our way around that and about 20 yards later there was a second tree. Then there was more, more, and even more trees laying across the trail. And not just content with trees blocking the way, the Richard Hike gods made sure a couple of landslides made things tricky as we scrambled across the shifting landslide scar. Hiking became tedious work, which was a shame as there were several scenic creeks crossing the trail. All of the bridges over the creeks were damaged by falling trees but amazingly, all remained passable.

We were hiking up the Rogue River in the lake’s impound area and at the intersection of the Middle and South Forks of the Rogue River, we ate lunch and turned back. Yay, we got to scramble over, under, and through the same old tree mess again. The hike wound up being a pretty tough 9.6 miler but it did feel good to defy the odds and enjoy a rare sunny day. The next day it was back to rain and snow, so we definitely snuck this one in.

Pictures by – Richard O’Neill

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