Hike Coordinator – John Malone
This was a substitute hike because weather precluded the scheduled hike into the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness. So, it was no surprise to the 5 hikers who showed up that it was raining. But since we are Oregonians well used to the rain, we just put on the rain gear and started walking uphill from the west parking lot of the Habitat. The phrase “walking uphill” gets used a lot when hiking in the North Bank and this was no exception. When we got on top of Middle Ridge, the rain stopped and the sun made a valiant effort to turn the day into a sunny day, while not always succeeding. On the open ridges, the wind really picked up and we had to hang onto our hats on more than one occasion. The short loop by way of Chasm Creek was dangled as an option for putting out if the weather turned belligerent and proudly, all hikers eschewed that option. The trail reached the high point on top of North Boundary Ridge and the views were tremendous, this is why we hike, boys and girls, even on a less than stellar day. We could see all the way to the Callahans on the other side of Roseburg while the North Umpqua River glistened as it perambulated around Whistler’s Bend. Also visible, was a wall of black cloud, the opaqueness below letting us know inclement weather was coming. And sure enough, we were pelted with hail as we descended from the ridge. But that was just a temporary squall and the sun came out once again, spreading its sunny good cheer around. At the trailhead, it was high-five and handshakes as we all enjoyed a brisk spring hike in the North Bank.
Pictures by Richard O’Neill
