wanderingyuncks

Fish Lake and Lake of the Woods

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 13, 2018
1 Comment on Fish Lake and Lake of the Woods

Sunday of Columbus Day Weekend was the only day of the four where the forecast in the Cascade Mountains looked promising so on that morning we headed west from Klamath Falls on Highway 140 to visit a pair of lakes near Mt. McLoughlin.

The skies over Klamtah were pretty much clear as was the case for most of the drive, but as we crossed over the Cascade Crest we found ourselves in a fog bank. We turned off the highway at sign for the North Fork Campground between mileposts 28 and 29. We parked at a small trailhead parking area a half mile down this road on the left.

It was a chilly morning in the fog as we set off on the Fish Lake Trail, but it wasn’t raining.

The trail began by passing through a nice fir forest with occasional views of North Fork Little Butte Creek.

After .6 miles we came to a signed spur trail which we followed 100 yards to the Fish Lake Dam.

For the better part of the next mile the Fish Lake Trail veered away from the water as it curved around some private summer homes.

When the trail did make it to the lake there wasn’t much to see due to the fog.

The trail stuck closer to the lake shore for the next .8 miles before arriving at Doe Point and the Doe Point Campground. As we made our way around Doe Point the fog began to lift revealing some of the blue sky we had seen on our morning drive.

A quarter mile after rounding Doe Point we arrived at the Fish Lake Campground and boat ramp where a variety of woodland animals were busy harvesting chinkapin.
Stellar’s jay

Chipmunk

Golden-mantled ground squirrel

Our guidebook suggested turning around at the Fish Lake Resort, but we wound up losing the trail near the picnic shelter and decided not to try and walk through the campground to find the continuation of the trail and turned around.

It was a different hike on the way back as the fog had entirely lifted from the lake and was breaking up overhead.

By the time we were hiking back along the creek the sky was a beautiful blue.

Typically having a hike only clear up near the end is a bit of a bummer, but we had another hike to go and with the clear skies we knew we should have a good view of Mt. McLoughlin from Lake of the Woods.

From the Fish Lake Trailhead we drove back east on Highway 140 to a sign for Fish Lake. We turned right at the sign and followed this road for a mile and a half to the Dead Indian Memorial Highway where we turned right again. The suggested starting point for this hike in our guidebook was at the Sunset Campground which was a mile down this highway. When we arrived at the entrance road we found it was gated so we turned around and wound up parking at the Rainbow Bay Picnic Area near the Lake of the Woods Resort after obtaining a $6 parking pass.

From the parking lot we headed SE along the lake shore around Rainbow Bay where some ducks were enjoying the wonderful weather.

The first mountain to come into view was Brown Mountain across the lake.

Shortly after rounding the bay we arrived at the Sunset Campground where we did indeed have a nice view of Mt. McLoughlin. The mountain was sporting a dusting of new snow at its summit.

We could picture the route up to the summit that we’d taken a couple of years before (post).

Satisfied with our view we turned around and headed back toward the Rainbow Bay parking area. We weren’t done hiking though and we veered behind the parking lot on the Sunset Trail toward the Aspen Point Campground.

At a three way junction we turned right onto the Family Trail Loop.

The Family Trail Loop crossed the paved road we’d been on earlier after a tenth of a mile.

Just after crossing the road the Mountain Lakes Trail split off to the right while we stayed left.

Several interpretive signs were set up along this trail.
<

We stayed left ignoring a tie trail that would have looped us back to the Mountian Lakes Trail junction and arrived at the Great Meadow .6 miles from the road crossing.

At a junction with the High Lakes Trail at the Great Meadow we turned left skirting the meadow in the forest for .7 miles to another road crossing across from the Aspen Point Campground.

At a junction on the other side of the road we went right keeping on the High Lakes Trail which led around Lake of the Woods to the NW. This section of trail passed some golden aspen trees and a leaf covered slough where ducks, geese, and a heron were spending their Sunday.

We followed this trail past an old Forest Service complex and planned on turning around at the guidebooks suggested location, a small canoe launch.

The canoe launch wasn’t much, but there was a nice view of some of the peaks in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness (post) across the water.

A solitary duck was swimming around in the launch and it apparently expected us to have some food because she came right up to us.

We did our best to explain that we don’t feed the wild animals and she waddled back to the water. At that point Heather asked about something on a plank in the water that I had originally thought was another duck but then decided it was just a rock set on the wood. She had taken it for something inanimate as well but then thought she saw it move. Upon closer inspection we discovered that it was a muskrat (initially we thought nutria but it was cuter than that invasive species).

It wasn’t particularly concerned by us but eventually it disappeared into the water. Then a dragon fly showed up and hovered over the water just below me.

After our unique little interaction with nature it was time to start back. We returned to the Aspen Point Campground and followed paths near the lake shore back to the Lake of The Woods Resort.

Our hike here was 6.3 miles long while the hike at Fish Lake had been 7 miles giving us a nice 13.3 mile day. After the cold, foggy start the day had turned out beautiful. We would be heading home the next morning (with a stop along the way of course) and this was a perfect way to end our time in the Klamath Falls area. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fish Lake and Lake of the Woods

Tags Aspen Point Campground, brown mountain, Doe Point, Fish Lake, Fish lake Campground, Fish Lake Trail, Great Meadow, High Lakes Trail, hiking, Lake of the Woods, Lake of the Woods Resort, mountain lakes wilderness, Mt. Mcloughlin, Muskrat, North Fork Campground, North Fork Little Butte Fork, Oregon, Rainbow Bay, Sunset Campground

California Hiking Trip report

Lava Beds National Monument

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 12, 2018
8 Comments on Lava Beds National Monument

**Note the 2020 Caldwell Fire burned a portion of the Schonchin Butte hike and the 2021 Antelope Fire burned the area around Whitney BUtte.**

We spent the second day of our Klamath Falls trip in California visiting the Lava Beds National Monument. It had started raining Friday afternoon and continued overnight, but by morning the clouds were beginning to break up leaving scattered showers to make their way across the landscape. This made for some dramatic scenery on our drive from Klamath Falls to the National Monument, especially along Tule Lake. We took advantage of a couple of the numerous pullouts that are part of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge to admire the colorful sky and numerous waterfowl on the lake.

The fee booth (currently $20/per car) was closed at the north entrance of the Monument so we had to drive to the Visitor Center to obtain a pass which was 9.7 miles away.

It was a little before 8am and the Visitor Center didn’t open until 9am but we were able to pay with a fee envelope. What we couldn’t do was obtain a cave permit though, which are required to visit any of the area caves. The threat of White Nose Syndrome has made screening by Park Rangers necessary. We’d need to come back for that but in the meantime we headed back north to the Black Crater Trailhead.

From this trailhead there were two destinations, Black Crater and an overlook of the Thomas-Wright battlefield.

Each destination shares the first tenth of a mile of trail. The overnight rain had brought out the sweet smell of sagebrush to which Heather pointed out that smell is one thing that you can’t capture in photos.

We decided to visit Black Crater first and took the right hand fork when the trail split.

This trail passed over a lava flow arriving at the start of a short .3 mile loop that climbed up and around part of the splatter cone. We took notice of a peak to the NW that appeared to have a cloud stuck to its summit. It turned out to be Mount Dome, and for much of the rest of the day we kept watch on this peak to see if it would ever be cloud free.

Tule Lake

Although not nearly as large, Black Crater did remind us a little of Coffee Pot Crater which we’d visited in June (post).

After completing the loop we headed for the battlefield. It was just over a mile from the fork to the viewpoint and the trail spent this time passing volcanic formations and a few lingering wildflowers.

The Thomas-Wright battle took place on April 26, 1873 when an Army patrol was defeated by the Modocs.

After reading up on the battle we headed back to the trailhead and drove back to the now open Visitor Center. We spent some time looking at the displays inside before obtaining our cave permit. We hung the permit in our car and headed for Mushpot Cave. After initially starting to drive Cave Loop Road we realized that Mushpot Cave was actually right next to the Visitor Center so we turned around and parked back once again at the center.

At the far end of the center we spotted the sign for the cave.

A .2 mile paved path led to the entrance of the lava tube.

This is the only lighted cave in the Monument and also featured a paved path lined with interpretive signs.

The lava tube is 770′ in length and does have a spot or two where we needed to duck under the low ceiling. We exited the cave and returned to our car. Since we were only there for the day we skipped the rest of the caves along the loop (a few were closed for bat mating season). Instead we drove north, once again, from the Visitor Center to a sign for Skull Cave where we turned right. After a mile we pulled into a small trailhead parking area for Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave.

The short trail here passes several collapsed sections of a lava tube and offers a good view of Schonchin Butte.

We turned left at a sign for Big Painted Cave.

The signed cave entrance was only about 100′ along the spur trail.

More of an overhang than a cave, a path led down to the entrance.

We honestly couldn’t make out any of the pictographs, the colored rocks made it difficult to tell what was natural and what wasn’t. It’s been a common theme for us when visiting pictograph sites.

We returned to the main trail and continued the short distance to Symbol Bridge.

Again a short path led down to the cave entrance, but this time the pictographs were clearly evident.

We headed back to the car happy to have finally been able to make out some drawings. After completing the two mile hike we continued driving north to a sign for Merrill Cave where we turned left for almost a mile to the shared Whitney Butte and Merrill Cave Trailhead.

Up until this point we had been following the recommended hikes in William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Eastern Oregon” 3rd edition, but these were from Bubba Suess’s “Hiking Northern California” book.
We started with the short path to Merrill Cave. An interpretive sign at the entrance told a familiar story, warming temperatures have led to the loss of ice in this cave like many others. 😦

We descended the metal staircase and followed a metal walkway through the cave.

Near its end there was a metal ladder dropping down into an opening.

The rails actually did have a little ice on them as we climbed down into the lower chamber where the path quickly ended.

We climbed back out of the cave and then started down the Whitney Butte Trail. One exciting prospect of the Whitney Butte Trail was that it would take us into the Lava Beds Wilderness.

This was by far the longest hike we’d tackle on the day but was still just a little under 7 miles round trip. The Whitney Butte Trail began by passing through open sagebrush then skirted around an old lava flow.

For much of the hike out, Mount Dome lay almost straight ahead and it was still holding onto its cloud cover. The trails namesake, Whitney Butte, stayed hidden for the first mile and a half before revealing itself to the left of the trail.
Whitney Butte to the left and Mount Dome to the right.

Approximately 2.2 miles into the hike we passed a trail signed for Gold Digger Road.

The clouds had actually increased a bit during the day and we were feeling occasional rain drops which weren’t a big deal, but the cloud cover did put a hamper on the views. Many lower buttes were visible but the higher peaks were hidden.

As we passed by Whitney Butte we began scouting out a route down. Our plan was to follow a suggested off trail visit to the top of the butte described in the guidebook. The most gently sloping ridge appeared to come down the eastern side of the butte.

We stayed on the Whitney Butte Trail until it ended at the Callahan Lava Flow.

From the lava we turned left and headed up Whitney Butte.

It was a relatively easy scramble which provided some nice views despite not being able to see Mt. Shasta or Mt. McLoughlin due to the cloud cover. On the other hand Mount Dome finally broke free of the last of its clouds.

In addition to the views we spotted some wildlife.

On top of the butte we stayed left around a pair of craters and attempted to descend on the ridge we’d picked out on the way by.

We actually overshot it a bit but still had no problem coming down the old cinder cone and reconnecting with the Whitney Butte Trail. The clouds were now breaking up again as we headed back to the trailhead. Our next destination, Schonchin Butte, was visible for most of the hike back.

After finishing the hike we once again drove a short distance north to a signed gravel road for Schonchin Butte. After a mile of good gravel we parked at the trailhead and started up the Schonchin Butte Trail.

The trail was well graded and the views were great making the climb feel fairly easy.
Tule Lake

Whitney Butte and Mount Dome

After .6 miles the trail split allowing for a loop around the crater and past the Schonchin Butte Lookout.

As we made our way around the loop we got a view down to the Symbol Bridge Trail.

The lookout tower was perched on lava rocks that looked like bricks.

Along the deck were identifiers for the area landmarks, some visible and some not.

After identifying the landmarks that were visible we completed the loop and returned to our car. From Schonchin Butte we drove back to the fee booth at the northern park entrance and turned right onto Rim Road for 3.2 miles to a signed pullout for Captain Jack’s Stronghold.

Here two loops (short and long) explore the area where a small force of Modoc held out against the U.S. Army in 1872-73.

We unfortunately did not grab a trail guide for the interpretive trail which we greatly regretted. After climbing a small hill a trail sign pointed out the shared beginning of both loops.

The trail led through lava formations with narrow passages and small caves. Numbered signs along the way marked items that we could have read about if we had grabbed a guide.

At the .3 mile mark the loops split with the shorter return route to the right and the longer loop to the left. We went left.

The long loop was a mile and a half versus a half mile for the short loop option. The extra mile was well worth it even without the companion trail guide. Near the end of the loop we spotted a pair of deer munching on some leaves.

We had one final stop planned before leaving the Monument for good so when we got back to our car we continued east on what became County Road 120 following signs for Petroglyph Point. Along the way we briefly reentered the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge where we wound up stopping again to gawk at the wildlife.

We left County Road 120 when prompted by the signage and soon found ourselves pulling into a large parking area near the base of Petroglyph Point.

Here we walked along a fence (to protect the thousands of petroglyphs)for .3 miles marveling at all the designs.

The cliffs above were fairly impressive on their own.

After spending quite a while contemplating the art we headed back to Klamath Falls. It was a full day for sure having spent over 10 hours in the Monument and logging around 16.5 miles but well worth the time and effort. Even with all of that there is still much left there to explore on our next visit. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Lava Beds National Monument

Tags Big Painted Cave, California, Captain Jack's Stronghold, hiking, Lava Beds National Monument, Lava Beds Wilderness, Merrill Cave, Mushpot Cave, Petroglphy, Petroglyph point, Pictograph, Schonchin Butte, Symbol Bridge, Thomas-Wright Battlefield, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Whitney Butte, Whitney Butte Trail

Hiking Klamath Falls Oregon Trip report

OC&E Woods Line State Trail

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 11, 2018
4 Comments on OC&E Woods Line State Trail

We had planned our final multi-day trip for the year over Columbus Day weekend. We were hoping to have it be the backpacking trip around and up Diamond Peak that we’d planned on doing in September but changed due to the weather. Much like that long weekend the forecast was for rain or snow showers off and on over the four days. Diamond Peak will have to wait until next year at the earliest, but in the meantime we needed to find a less damp alternative.

After looking over our list of future four day trips and checking the forecast for each area we landed on the Klamath Falls area. There were still chances of rain in the forecast but it didn’t look like it would be much more than some light scattered showers.

We started our trip off with a pair of hikes along the OC&E Woods Line State Trail.

Our first stop was at the Switchback Trailhead located along Bliss Road 4 miles south of the community of Sprague River (the way we came) or 12 miles north of Highway 140 coming from Klamath Falls (drive Hwy 140 17 miles east from K-Falls to reach Bliss Rd.).

The weather was good as we set off on the trail with some blue sky still to be seen.

At this section of railroad the trains used to have to back up along the tracks in order to climb the mountain.

From the trailhead there was a good view down to the location of the old track below, but the scenery was dominated by a grove of aspen that were in full Fall color.

On the far side of the aspen was our goal for the day, Devil’s Garden, a volcanic landscape a bit off of the official trail.

We followed the trail downhill to where it leveled out beside a bit of a meadow.

About three quarters of a mile from the trailhead we turned right off of the trail onto a dirt track.

Using the GPS in conjunction with the map in our guidebook we made our way slightly SW onto a second, fainter track through an open ponderosa pine forest.

As the dirt track curved to the west we left it and continued south crossing a small gully.

On the other side of the gully we passed through a stand of pines and turned to the SE.

Soon we were entering the volcanic landscape of the Devil’s Garden.

We were now heading east with the pine trees on our left and the golden leaves of the aspen grove beyond the rock formations ahead.

It was an interesting cross country walk through the different formations.

As interesting as the rocks were we were drawn to the aspen grove.

We made our way to those trees and decided to pass through the stand and attempt to loop back to the OC&E Trail.

We had to recross the gully which had deepened immensely but remained crossable.

After navigating a second, shallower gully, we emerged from the aspen and turned left using the GPS to navigate back through the sagebrush and pondorosa to the trail.

We turned right onto the trail thinking that it was a loop, we both had pictured it that way in our minds and there had been a dirt road coming uphill from the south near the trailhead which we took for the return route.

After being back on the trail for almost three quarters of a mile though we noticed that we had passed below the trailhead and were now heading away from it. We took a quick look at the map on the GPS and noticed that it did not show any road or trail connecting up to make a loop. We then checked the map in the guidebook and sure enough it also did not show the hike as a loop, but rather an out-and-back. We were a bit confused because we were both certain it was a loop and I could even picture it on a map. In any case we backtracked to a point below the trailhead and headed cross country uphill.

A .2 mile climb brought us to the road we’d seen when we set off earlier. It was later when looking at the area on Google Maps that we realized where the loop idea had come from. The dirt road and the OC&E Trail do meet but that junction was another 300+ yards away and not shown no the GPS map. With our exploring and the extra out and back at the end our distance for this hike was 3.6 miles.

For our second hike on the OC&E Trail we returned to the community of Sprague River and turned east onto Sprague River Road for 10 miles to Highway 140. We then turned left onto this highway and followed it into Beatty (5 miles) where we again turned left onto Godowa Springs Road. Just over a half mile down this road we parked near a green gate. (There are gates on both sides of the road marking the trail.)

Here the plan was to hike east for 1.2 miles to a fork in the trail where we would complete a two mile loop, with a side trip to Brown Cemetery, before returning to Godowa Springs Road. This section of the OC&E Trail passed through pasture with the Sprague River just to the north.

At the .6 mile mark the Sprague River bent north and Spring Creek took over it’s position to the left of the trail.

We crossed Spring Creek on a bridge where we spotted something in the water.

At first we thought it was a nutria given that we see them in fields near water quite often but after looking at the pictures later we discovered that it had actually been a mink.

After watching the mink disappear into the bank we continued on to the fork where we stayed right on a fainter track.

We crossed the Sprague River on another bridge and then three tenths of a mile later arrived at a junction of dirt roads.

At the junction we made a nearly 180 degree left turn and took a right fork uphill.

As we followed this roadbed uphill we could see that the wet weather was finally on its way.

After following this road for .3 miles we turned right onto another road which led us to the Brown Cemetery in an additional .2 miles.

A couple of deer bounded away from the cemetery as we approached. We briefly explored the different grave sites then returned to the other road on continued on the loop under a light rain.

Four tenths of a mile from the cemetery entrance road we arrived at an abandoned railyard where we turned left and passed through another green gate.

In another .7 miles we had completed the loop and were on our way back to the trailhead.

The rain had let up and we remained relatively dry which was a win for us. Seeing the mink was a nice surprise and the fall colors at Devil’s Garden had been unexpectedly beautiful. Not a bad way to kickoff a last minute trip. Happy Trails!

Flickr: OC&E Woods Line State Trail

Tags Aspen, Beatty, Brown Cemetery, Devil's Garden, hiking, Mink, OC&E State Trail, OC&E Woods Line, Oregon, Sprague River, Spring Creek, Switchback Trailhead

Hiking Mt. Hood Area Oregon Trip report

Devil’s Peak

The end of September/beginning of October brings us a pair of birthday celebrations, my Grandma on 9/30 and our Son on 10/1. We planned a joint celebration dinner in Portland but before the festivities we headed out on a hike to work up an appetite.

Due to the plans we needed a hike near Portland in the 8 to 10 mile range and hiking up the Cool Creek Trail to the Devil’s Peak Lookout fit the bill perfectly. We headed out early to the Cool Creek Trailhead. Oddly our guidebook had us turn on Road 20 at the east end of Rhododendron, OR instead of west of Rohododendron on Still Creek Road which is how the Forest Service directions have you go. We followed the guidebook directions only to be turned back by a closed bridge and had to go back to Still Creek Road. After finding the open route to the trailhead we parked along the shoulder of the road and set off on the Cool Creek Trail.

The trail started with a steep incline, a reminder that it needed to gain over 3000′ over the next 4 miles. Not far from the trailhead we entered the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness.

The trail is mostly forested with a few glimpses of Mt. Hood through the trees.

The best early view came just over a mile along the trail. For about two tenths of a mile the trail passed along an open hillside with a view across the valley to Mt. Hood.

The trail then passed around to the other side of a ridge where it pretty much remained for the next two miles. The forest here still housed a good number of red and blue huckleberries.
<

There were sections of more level trail in the forest which gave a nice break from the climbing, but also meant that the elevation would need to be made up on the sections of uphill.

Approximately 3.25 miles from the trailhead a spur to the left led to a rocky ridge top which provided what turned out to be the best viewpoint of the day.

The rocky ridge

From this point four Cascades were visible, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.
IMG_3213_stitch

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Adams

Tom Dick and Harry Mountain (post) was also clearly visible to the NE.

Beyond the ridge viewpoint the trail traversed the hillside on the west side of the ridge climbing for another quarter mile past one more viewpoint of Mt. Hood to its end at the Hunchback Trail.

A spur trail to the Devil’s Peak Lookout is just 500 feet after turning right onto the Hunchback Trail.

The lookout is a little over 200 feet up this spur.

The tower is available for use on a first come, first serve basis so there was a possibility that it was occupied but it turned out to be empty.

Mt. Hood was visible from the lookout.

I had gone ahead of Heather and Dominique who had joined us for the hike so I explored Devil’s Peak while I waited for them to arrive.

Mt. Jefferson in some haze to the south.

Mt. Hood

Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness

Clouds coming up the Salmon River Valley

Butterflies on the lookout.

One of several birds foraging in the bushes near the lookout.

It turned out that I had gotten quite a bit ahead and wound up spending about an hour and a half at the tower watching the clouds break up above while they also moved in below.

After they joined me at the lookout they took a break as well then we headed back down. At the ridge viewpoint the view of Mt. Hood was better than it had been earlier, but not for the other Cascades.
IMG_3355_stitch

We continued back down stopping to gather some huckleberries to take to my Grandmas house. We wound up passing beneath the clouds losing Mt. Hood for the last mile and a half.

It was a tough 8 mile hike given the elevation gain but the views were well worth the effort. That effort was also rewarded with a nice birthday dinner and a tasty piece of cake. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Devil’s Peak

Tags Cool Creek Trail, Cool Creek Trailhead, Devil's Peak, Devil's Peak Lookout, hiking, huckleberries, Hunchback Trail, Mt. Hood, Oregon, oregon hiking, Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, tom dick and harry mountain

Diamond Peak Area High Cascades Hiking Oregon

Fawn Lake – Diamond Peak Wilderness

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 24, 2018
1 Comment on Fawn Lake – Diamond Peak Wilderness

A week after scrapping a planned four day backpacking trip in the Diamond Peak Wilderness due to weather we found ourselves heading to that same wilderness because of weather. Our one available day for hiking this week coincided with the one wet day in the forecast. When that happens we usually look at several different areas to find the one with the best chance to stay dry. This time that appeared to be Fawn Lake in the Diamond Peak Wilderness with just a 30% chance of showers. With our plans set we drove to the Fawn Lake Trailhead near Crescent Lake. To reach the trailhead we turned SW onto NF 60 at a sign for Crescent Lake between mileposts 69 and 70 along Highway 58 (in Crescent Junction). After 2.2 miles we continued on NF 60 where it made a right turn at a sno-park. After an additional .3 miles we turned left at a sign for the Crescent Lake Campground/Fawn Lake Trailhead.

It is an interesting trailhead, the parking area is a day use lot located next to the Crescent Lake Campground. A trail sign at the far end of the parking lot pointed to the Fawn Lake Trailhead.

We followed this path and in a tenth of a mile came to a crossing of NF 60.

Another pointer for the Fawn Lake Trailhead lay on the far side of the road.

A short distance later we arrived at a sign for the actual Fawn Lake Trail and a signboard with self-issued wilderness permits.

The Fawn Lake Trail set off in a mostly lodgepole pine forest and just after a 4-way junction with the Metolious-Windigo Trail entered the Diamond Peak Wilderness.

After entering the wilderness the trail climbed gradually for approximately three quarters of a mile through a mix of lodgepole and fir forest to a fork.

This was the start of a loop past Fawn and Pretty Lakes.

We went right heading for Fawn Lake which was just over 2.5 miles away. The trail contoured around a ridge end climbing gradually through a nice forest.

The trail split again at Fawn Lake.

The left fork was the upper end of the loop, but before we started on the loop we had plans to visit a couple of other lakes in the wilderness so we went right stopping briefly to visit the shore of Fawn Lake. We had driven through a number of showers on the way to the trail but so far the hike had been dry. From the lake Redtop Mountain to the SE was cloud free while Lakeview Mountain to the SW was not.
Redtop Mountain

Lakeview Mountain (to the right behind clouds)

We continued on around the north end of the lake to the end of the Fawn Lake Trail at a junction with the Crater Butte Trail.

Here we stayed left and climbed above Fawn Lake.

A mile from Fawn Lake we came to the Stag Lake Trail.

It was clouding up at this point and a light mist was falling. We decided to wait on the side trip to Stag Lake which lay at the base of Lakeview Mountain hoping that it would be a little clearer on the way back.

We followed the pointer for Saddle Lake and continued uphill through the forest.

After .6 miles the trail steepened as it climbed out of a gully to a saddle.

After .3 miles of switchbacks we arrived at the saddle where the trail leveled out for a tenth of a mile to Saddle Lake.

A steady light rain was now falling but not enough for us to need to break out the rain gear.

The weather and the scenery really let us know that Fall had arrived.
IMG_3069_stitch

After a break at Saddle Lake we headed back to the junction with the Stag Lake Trail and turned left onto it.

This fairly level .4 mile trail passed a small pond before arriving at Stag Lake.

The clouds had not lifted so our view of Lakeview Mountain was fairly obscured.

We would get a much better look at the mountain from the car as we were trying to leave (more on that later).

After visiting Stag Lake we returned to the Crater Butte Trail and headed back toward Fawn Lake. Shortly before reaching the lake we turned right on a path we had noticed earlier hoping to pass around the west side of the lake and hooking up with the Pretty Lake Trail to the SW of the lake.

The open forest made cross country travel relatively easy.

Using our GPS we made our way to the SW shore of Fawn Lake where the Pretty Lake Trail was just a few feet away in the forest.

Once we were on the Pretty Lake Trail we turned right for a fairly level .4 miles to the start of a short .3 mile climb.

The trial then crested a low pass and descended slightly for another .3 miles to Pretty Lake.

It was a little under 2 miles from Pretty Lake back to the Fawn Lake Trail junction. The trail descended a ridge with a bit of a view of Odell Butte to the north.

We completed the loop then followed the Fawn Lake Trail back .8 miles to our car. With the side trips to Saddle and Stag Lakes this was a 12.7 mile hike with approximately 1500′ of elevation gain. It would have been nice to have had better views of Lakeview Mountain, but it was still a nice hike and we have a good excuse to go back and redo this hike someday.

The only real negative to the day was as we were headed home. A train was stopped blocking NF 60 and we were informed that it could be a couple of hours before it was able to move. We didn’t have a sufficient road map to figure out which forest roads might bypass the train and after a failed attempt to find an alternate route we returned to the stopped train and waited. As we were driving around though we noticed that Lakeview Mountain was now entirely free of clouds. After sitting at the tracks for a little over an hour the train was finally on its way and so were we. Happy (train free) Trails!

Flickr: Fawn Lake

Tags Crater Butte Trail, Crescent Lake Campground, Diamond Peak Wilderness, Fawn Lake, Fawn Lake Trail, hiking, Lakeview Mountian, Oregon, Pretty Lake, Pretty Lake Trail, Redtop Mountain, Saddle Lake, Stag Lake, Stag Lake Trail

Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Southern Coast

Tahkenitch Creek

After three nights in Bandon it was time to say goodbye and head home. We woke up early on Sunday to find that it had rained overnight. As we headed north on Highway 101 we passed through a number of showers and began to think that it was going to be a wet hike at Tahkenitch Creek. In fact the heaviest shower began in Reedsport just nine miles south of the trailhead.

When we arrived at the small parking area we were happy to find that it wasn’t raining there, at least yet.

In 2015 (post) we visited the area on either side of this trail but had skipped over this particular trail. The Tahkenitch Creek Trail set off through the forest on the north side of Tahkenitch Creek which it quickly crossed on a footbridge.

The wet morning hadn’t kept the wildlife from making appearances.

Beyond the footbridge there was a short section of boardwalk then we came to a junction with a trail map.

This junction was only three tenths of a mile from the trailhead and marked the beginning of a couple of loop options. We stayed to the right passing a couple of views of Tahkenitch Creek including the site of a possible ford. We had checked out the ford from the other side in 2015 and were no more interested in doing it this time around.

Possible ford site

The trail spent quite a bit of time away from the creek before arriving at another junction a half mile from the start of the loops.

A left here would have created a 1 mile loop and a 1.6 mile hike overall, but we stayed right opting for a longer option. The trail continued through the forest for another .8 miles to the next junction. We had been having to watch where we stepped all morning due to the presence of numerous slugs but along this section we also saw a rough skinned newt in the trail.

We faced another choice at this junction. Simply turning left would create a two mile loop, but a right hand turn would lead us to the Tahkenitch Dunes Trail in just under a mile. We had hiked the dunes trail to the beach in 2015 so we decided to go to that junction to link up the two hikes.

This stretch of trail remained in the forest until the junction. A brief right hand turn onto the Tahkenitch Dunes Trail provided a bit of a view of the creek and of the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

It would have been another .8 miles to reach the beach on the dunes trail, and since we had hiked that stretch before we decided to turn back here and get home earlier.

We kept right at junctions on the way back passing briefly though a sandy landscape.

As we exited the sandy area we met a gentleman who was looking for a good view of sand dunes to the south. He said he was working on a photography book of the Oregon Coast and had hoped to get some photos of the fog on some of the nearby lakes but due to the rain there was no fog over the water. We suggested he try the Oregon Dunes Overlook just north of where we were. We wished him luck and continued on.

The rain finally started to come down as we completed the loop so we hustled back to the trailhead and got into the car before we got too wet.

Even with the side trip to the Tahkenitch Dunes Trail this was only a 4.3 mile hike, and the shorter loop options make it a great leg stretch stop or hike for the younger kids. For us it was a nice way to end our mini-vacation and one more featured hike checked off from William L. Sullivan’s “100 Hikes/Travel Guide Oregon Coast & Coast Range” guidebook. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Tahkenitch Creek

Tags Bandon, hiking, Oregon, Oregon Coast, rough skinned newt, tahkenitch creek, Tahkenitch Creek Trail, Tahkenitch Creek Trailhead, tahkenitch dunes

Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Southern Coast

Barklow Mountain and Bullards Beach

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 20, 2018
2 Comments on Barklow Mountain and Bullards Beach

When we changed our plans from a backpacking trip in the Diamond Peak Wilderness to a long weekend in Bandon one of the more exciting prospects was being able to check off a visit to our 38th Oregon Wilderness Area – the Copper-Salmon Wilderness. We had attempted to visit that particular wilderness in 2017 but a washed out road denied us access to the Barklow Mountain Northeast Trailhead (post)

For this trip we would be using the Barklow Mountain West Trailhead. We used the Oregonhikers.com field guide entry here to reach the trailhead. The guide mentions that the road is prone to rockfall and slides and that it is best to wait for the dry months of Summer to attempt to reach the trailhead. Based on the conditions we encountered along the roads that is not an understatement.

Prior to reaching the vehicular obstacle course that was the Forest Service Roads we spotted a small elk herd and a number of deer along Elk River Road. It was still a bit dark for pictures but we did our best from the idling car.

We parked at the small pullout that is the trailhead after a long drive (time wise) that included stopping a couple of times to remove small trees from the road and also at the junction with FR 390 because the 390 post was in the center of a fork and we didn’t want to be on that road but we couldn’t tell which one the post was referring to. (Hint – The left fork was FR 390 so we went right.)
Barklow Mountain West Trailhead

The Barklow Mountain Trail dropped slightly from a closed road bed and quickly entered the Copper-Salmon Wilderness.

The forest along the trail was a mix of tanoak and madrone and some sections with fir and pine.

Not unlike the roads to the trailhead there were a few obstacles to maneuver around.

After a mile and a half of climbing, the trail arrived at a saddle junction.

The trail to the left led to Johnson Creek Road.

The trail to the right was the one we wanted. This trail would lead up up to the old lookout site atop Barklow Mountain.

Approximately .3 miles beyond the junction we came to an unmarked side trail heading downhill to the right.

This short spur trail led down to the site of a now collapsed shelter.

Beyond the shelter the trail steepened a bit as it wound beneath Barklow Mountain.

We passed through a patch of manzanita where we had a nice view south of nearby Copper Mountain.

A total of .4 miles from the old shelter we arrived at an unsigned junction on a ridge. Here we turned left to visit the lookout site.

From the lookout site we could barely make out the Pacific to the SW along with Grassy Knob (post).
Grassy Knob is on the horizon just to the left of the near trees.

Copper Mountain from the lookout site.

After a break we headed back to the car and navigated the obstacle course again. Fortunately we did not encounter any other cars until we were clear of the mess. We then drove back to Bandon, passed through town, and continued north on Highway 101 for three miles to the signed turn for Bullards Beach State Park.

We parked at the beach access parking lot which is located 1.3 miles from the highway.

Our plan was to hike a clockwise loop along the Coquille River, the north jetty, and the beach. From the parking lot we headed inland on a paved path signed for the campground.

We followed this path until we had crossed the entrance to the Bullards Beach Horse Camping Area.

Just beyond that entrance (.4 miles from the beach parking area) we turned right off the paved path and crossed the paved park entrance road onto a dirt road which led us down to the Coquille River.

There was no actual trail along the river so we spent most of the next 2 miles walking along the sandy river bank. We were forced inland a couple of times in order to cross water on logs.

There was a lot of activity on the river between boats and birds.

As we neared the north jetty across from Bandon’s Old Downtown we turned inland at a sandy gap which led to a gravel road.

We followed this road for .4 miles staying left at a fork on a grassy track.

The road bed ended at the Coquille River Lighthouse. An Army Corps of Engineers ship was busily going back and forth near the mouth of the river.

Once past the lighthouse we continued out along the north jetty for .2 miles.

It was a much better day visibility wise than the previous one had been and from the jetty we got a decent look at some of the Bandon Islands on the other side of the river.

The view north was much less rocky.

After partaking of the view we headed back, hopping off the jetty and onto Bullards Beach.

After 1.5 miles along the beach we turned inland and climbed over the foredune to the beach access parking area.

After a shower and change of clothes we found ourselves wandering through the old downtown again. When it was time for dinner we decided to go back to Foley’s Irish Pub. After another good meal there and desert from Pastries and Pizzas we turned in for the night. We had agreed that Bandon had quickly become one of our favorite coastal towns and were already looking forward to our next visit. Happy Trails!

Flirck: Barklow Mountain and Bullards Beach

Tags Bandon, Barklow Mountain, Barklow Mountain Trail, Barklow Mountain West Trailhead, Bullards Beach, Copper-Salmon Wilderness, Coquille River, Coquille River Lighthouse, elk, Foley's Irish Pub, hiking, North Jetty, Oregon, Oregon Coast, oregon coast trail, oregon hiking

Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Southern Coast

New River and Bandon Islands

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 19, 2018
2 Comments on New River and Bandon Islands

We had changed our mini-vacation plans from a four day backpacking loop around and up Diamond Peak to four days of hiking on the Oregon Coast due to the possibility of wet weather. Wet weather isn’t typically a big deal at the coast and drying off in a motel room is a lot more convenient than trying to keep your backpacking gear dry for multiple days. When we had looked at the forecast for Bandon the best looking day weather wise had been Friday with a forecast of mostly sunny and no chance of showers. We planned a pair of hikes for that day, first at the New River Recreation Area and then a walk along the beach starting at the Bandon South Jetty Park.

The BLM managed New River Recreation Area is located eight miles south of Bandon on Croft Lake Road. We parked near the New River Nature Center which hadn’t opened yet for the day.

We headed north from the parking area onto the signed North Trail.

A little over a quarter mile along this forested path we came to a junction with the Ridge Trail.

We turned right onto this trail which made a .4 mile horseshoe along the top of an old dune now covered in vegetation including some madrone trees.

At a bench at the end of the Ridge Trail we turned right onto the Huckleberry Hill Trail (If we had gone straight at the North/Ridge Trail junction we would have wound up here in less than a tenth of a mile.)

We followed the Huckleberry Hill trail .4 miles down an increasingly sandy track to the Ocean View Trail where we turned left (the only choice).

Huckleberries along the Huckleberry Hill Trail

After just 430′ on the Ocean View Trail we took a signed spur trail to the right to a viewpoint.

We arrived at the New River in less than 100 yards. The Ocean was barely visible on the other side of a low rise on the beach between the river and the Pacific.

We returned to the main trail and continued an additional .2 miles before arriving at the New River Boat Ramp.

It was a little foggy but we could see quite a few Canada geese and an egret in the river.

From the boat ramp we followed the road for .2 miles to the Muddy Lake Trail.

Two tenths of a mile from the road we turned right on the .1 mile New River Spur Trail.

Instead of burning off we noticed that the fog was getting thicker when we arrived back at the river.

Canada geese

We headed back to the Muddy Lake Trail which we followed for about 110 yards, crossing over a boardwalk, to a very short spur trail leading to a bird blind at Muddy Lake.

We were fortunate enough to have a couple of different birds hunting their morning meal near the blind.

The egret seemed to be having quite a bit of success.

After watching the birds from the blind we continued on. A little over a quarter mile from the blind we came to another trail junction.

This first junction wasn’t signed but just over the small hill was a signed junction letting us know that this was the Old Bog Trail.

This .3 mile trail climbed up and over an old dune to the site of an old cranberry bog.

After reading the history of the bog we returned to the Muddy Lake Trail and followed it another .2 miles back to the New River Nature Center. Even with all the side trips this was only a 3.6 mile hike making it a good option for the kiddos.

We drove back north to Bandon and used the GPS to guide us through town to the Bandon South Jetty Park located at the end of Lincoln Ave. SW across the Coquille River from the Coquille River Lighthouse.

We headed down to the beach just south of the jetty. There was a little bit of blue sky to the north and inland to the east.

That was not the case however to the south where we were headed.

We would be passing by a series of ocean rocks and islands along a three and a half mile stretch of beach from the jetty to Devils Kitchen. We headed into the fog hoping that it would indeed burn off as the day progressed. In the meantime the tide was out allowing us to get a closer look at some of the rocks. Please note that climbing on any of the rocks and tidepooling is banned so keep your distance and use your binoculars or camera’s zoom.

We got to see an actual live crab dig itself back into the sand.

The rocky islands were neat but with the fog limiting visibility they weren’t as impressive as they should have been. For one thing we could only see the ones close by and couldn’t get a feel for just how many and how big they were.

Near the two mile mark below the Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint there were a few sea caves present at Grave Point.

Beyond Grave Point the number of sea stacks and islands dwindled as the beach flattened out. In the next 1.9 miles we crossed Johnson Creek and passed Fish Rock before arriving at Crooked Creek and Devils Kitchen.

Fish Rock aka Haystack Rock

Devils Kitchen

We climbed up to the Devils Kitchen parking lot.

We made use of a bench at a viewpoint above Devils Kitchen where we had a snack and took a break.

We were still hoping that the fog would burn off as promised as we headed back along the beach but alas it was not to be.

By the time we’d gotten back to the car we had decided that we would be trying this hike again the next time we were in the area. We have a few more hikes left to complete between Bandon and Coos Bay and the Bandon Islands will be a part of that trip.

After cleaning up in the motel we walked across Highway 101 into Bandon’s Old Town and did a little shopping. They were having a farmers market where we came away with a few goodies. After a hitting the farmers market and a few of the shops we stopped into Bandon Brewing for a beer and an appetizer, at least that had been the plan. We ordered the small Spinach Artichoke Stix from the bradsticks section of the menu. We had expected a few breadsticks with some dip, but it turned out to be more like a pizza and was quite a bit larger than we’d anticipated. That wasn’t a bad thing as they were delicious and we had no problem finishing them off. It ended up being our dinner which was fine because we had also picked up some pastries from Pastries and Pizzas which was located dangerously close to our motel.

The pastries hit the spot that night and we went to bed satisfied and ready for another day of hiking on Saturday. Happy Trails!

Flickr: New River and Bandon Islands

Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Southern Coast

Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 19, 2018
1 Comment on Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

We’d been fortunate this year having only been forced to change plans due to weather twice, in February due to snow in the coast range and at the end of our trip to the Elkhorns when thunderstorms forced us to cancel our plans to visit the lookout atop Mt. Ireland. For the third time in the last four years our September vacation coincided with a forecast for snow in the mountains. We had planned a four day trip around and up Diamond Peak, but with a chance of rain or snow showers all four days we decided to turn to our alternate plan which was a trip to Bandon, OR on the Oregon Coast.

We had three stops planned in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on our way down to Bandon. Our first stop was at the Taylor Dunes Trailhead located seven and a half miles south of Florence.

From the small parking area the trail immediately crossed a paved road and passed by Taylor Lake.

After .4 miles we arrived at a viewpoint above the dunes.

From the viewpoint we followed the trail through the sand for half a mile to a signed junction.

We turned right here on a half mile trail that passed through a forest behind a foredune before arriving at the Pacific Ocean.

After reaching the ocean we returned to the junction and turned right to complete a loop through the Carter Lake Campground.

Carter Lake

The final .4 miles of the loop was along the paved campground road.

Our second stop was at Lake Marie, about 18 miles south of Taylor Dunes, in the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We parked at the Lake Marie Trailhead and set off on the 1 mile loop clockwise around the lake.

The fishermen around the lake had some competition from the local wildlife.

Just under a mile around the lake a short spur trail led to a viewpoint overlooking more dunes.

We completed the loop and then decided to walk the tenth of a mile up Lighthouse Road to see the Umpqua River Lighthouse.

A viewpoint at the lighthouse looked out to the mouth of the Umpqua River.

There was also a gray whale jawbone nearby.

After visiting the lighthouse we returned to our car and continued south on Highway 101 for another 5.5 miles to the signed John Dellenback Dune Trailhead.

The trail left the parking area and immediately crossed Eel Creek on a footbridge.

The trail passed a marshy area where a great blue heron was looking for breakfast.

At the quarter mile mark the trail crossed a paved road in Eel Creek Campground.

In just .2 more miles the trail left the trees and entered the dunes.

Poles marked the route of the trail through the shifting sands of the dunes, but we began to doubt that we were really supposed to follow the poles when they began to veer to the north (right) of a tree island. The GPS appeared to show the trail passing to the south (left) of that island.

There were footprints leading to both sides of the trees so we decided to trust the GPS and headed to the left.

When we reached the vegetation of the deflation plain just under two miles from the trailhead we were unable to find any sign of a trail. We did however find a lupine still in bloom.

We attempted to locate some sign of a trail in the area shown on the GPS but each time we thought we might have found a way through the brush it got too dense to continue. We worked our way north along the edge of the vegetation for nearly half a mile where we finally spotted some signs.

For the next three quarters of a mile the trail passed through a variety of scenery before reaching the ocean.

We followed the beach south for about a mile before turning back.

On the way back we followed the posts along the north side of the island.

We took a side trip up the tallest of the dunes before reaching a junction at the edge of the trees.

We went right at the junction for a half mile to complete a loop back to the trailhead.

With our wandering around this hike came in at 8 miles giving us a total of 12.7 on the day. We ended the day in Bandon where we explored the old downtown and had a wonderful dinner at Foley’s Irish Pub. A good start as far as backup plans go. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Jefferson Area Oregon

Pamelia Lake Overnighter

As I mentioned in our recent Table Lake Loop Trip Report (post)we had plans to visit Goat Peak, a 7159′ peak just south of Mt. Jefferson. We had obtained a Pamelia Limited Area Entry Permit in May when they became available for September 8th and 9th. It was a roll of the dice not knowing what the wildfire or weather situations would be four months down the road but it ensured that we would be able to go if conditions permitted it. Aside from a slight chance of showers the morning of the 8th the forecast looked good so that morning we drove to the Pamelia Lake Trailhead and set off.

We had been here once before in 2013 on a long loop to Hunts Cove (post).

From the trailhead the Pamelia Lake Trail travels just under two and a quarter miles to the lake. Along the way the trail passes through some very nice forest scenery with several views of Pamelia Creek.

Just prior to arriving at the Pamelia Lake the trail veers left at a junction with the Grizzly Peak Trail which heads to the right.

Our original plan for this trip had been to take the Pamelia Lake Trail to the Pacific Crest Trail via the Hunts Creek Trail and follow the PCT up to Coyote (aka Mud) and Shale Lakes where we would set up camp before attempting to reach Goat Peak. After some additional consideration though we decided that setting up camp at Pamelia Lake might be a better option. Setting up camp there would eliminate the need to haul our heavy backpacks up the PCT while also leaving us with a hike out the next day of less than two and a half miles. It did mean we would be adding nearly 4.5 miles to Saturdays hike, but on paper it would still only be around 15 miles. The designated campsites at the lake were all along its left (north) side so we followed a use trail straight ahead from the junction and started looking for an open site.

We wound up choosing site #3 which kept us relatively close to the Grizzly Peak Trail junction as well as the Hunts Creek Trail junction.

After setting up camp we briefly visited the shore of Pamelia Lake then we headed up to the Hunts Creek Trail.

We turned left onto the Hunts Creek Trail and followed it around a ridge for nearly three quarters of a mile to its end at a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail gaining a view of Mt. Jefferson along the way.

On our loop to Hunts Cove I had taken the short side trip north on the PCT to see Milk Creek but Heather had not so we turned left at the junction and followed the PCT for a tenth of a mile through vine maple donning its fall colors to a viewpoint above the creek of Mt. Jefferson.

After checking off the viewpoint we turned around and headed south on the PCT which climbed gradually through a varied forest.

Along the way some movement in a fir tree caught our attention. At first we thought it might be a medium sized mammal of some kind but it turned out to be a squirrel harvesting cones that were crashing down through the limbs after being detached.

Approximately four and a quarter miles from the junction we arrived at Mud Hole Lake. (On some maps it is identified as Coyote Lake but on the USGS Topographic Map the name Coyote Lake is assigned to another lake on the west side of the PCT.)

We turned off the PCT just before the lake on an unsigned but clear trail leading NE through a meadow.

We were using “75 Scrambles in Oregon: Best Non-Technical Ascents” by Barbara I. Bond as our reference for the hike. This was our first time using this particular guidebook but so far everything was going smoothly. The book did not mention that there was a clear trail to follow but we were headed straight for Goat Peak and we’d turned off the PCT at the right spot so we figured we were good to go.

Our intended route would lead us up above a talus slope to the north (left) of Goat Peak where we would then bend to the south at about 6800′.

It was a lovely area with red huckleberry leaves and a few butterflies still flying about.

The tread petered out for a bit in one meadow in particular but small cairns helped lead the way.

The unexpected presence of the well marked trail got us off our guard and we weren’t paying enough attention to the fact that our heading was drifting further north than we’d intended. In the meadow where the trail grew faint the cairns led to the left of a rocky ridge end. In order to reach Goat Peak we should have veered to the right here to find the correct gully uphill.

Instead we continued to follow the trail as we now were hearing other voices ahead. The trail began to climb away from the meadow passing more rock covered hillsides.

Three Fingered Jack

It started seeming really odd that we seemed to be heading directly at Mt. Jefferson but kept thinking that maybe the trail would bend right around some geologic feature.

I really started to question things when we caught up to the group of gentleman who were ahead of us. They asked how high we were planning on going which is when I became fairly certain we were on a climbers route and not the scramble route to Goat Peak. I replied “as high as our legs will take us”, knowing that if this wasn’t the right way to Goat Peak we’d gone to far to correct it by then. Shortly after we crested a rise and left the tress. We were now at the bottom of a boulder filled gully.

There wasn’t much we could do at that point other than go back or continue on so up we went.

Cliffs on the right side of the gully.

As we gained elevation the views to the south opened up and the Three Sisters joined Three Fingered Jack on the horizon.

We were well above the summit of Goat Peak by the time we reached the lip of the gully where stunted white bark pines clung to the steep slope.

Anxious to see what spectacular view awaited I charged up the final pitch only to find a second albeit smaller gully.

At least it had a view of Mt. Jefferson. There were a couple of bivouacs here and I waited for Heather to decide our next course of action. When she reached the second gully I decided to continue on and told her I would wave her up if I thought there was something that she just had to see. From where we were I could already see the top of Goat Peak below to the south as well as The Table and Cathedral Rocks.

Goat Peak

The Table

Cathedral Rocks

Getting out of the second gully was much easier than the first and I soon found myself walking along a snowfield.

Later research would reveal that we were indeed following a climbers trail to the South Ridge Route up Mt. Jefferson. I ended my climb at the top of the snowfield but did a little exploring to the high points on either side of the gully.

Climbers trail continuing up Mt. Jefferson

View south from the ridge to the north of the gully.

Looking out along the ridge.

Where we had intended to be.

View from below the snowfield.

Paintbrush below the snow.

Looking south from the opposite ridge top.

Wildflower atop the ridge.

Bear Butte along the nearest ridge.

Looking back at Mt. Jefferson

The views were nice but I didn’t think they warranted waving Heather up so I headed back down to where she was waiting. After a short break and a snack we began the half mile decent down the lower gully.

We passed the other group, who were still on their way up the lower gully, just after starting our descent. When we’d finally gotten back to level ground in the meadow we decided to check out the other side of the ridge to see if we find any sign of a trail we’d missed. IMG_2128_stitch

There wasn’t anything we could see, but based on all the information in the book including the map and GPS coordinates we definitely had wanted to be on this side of the ridge. Once we had gotten into the area we noticed that there were several ponds/lakes showing on the map to the south. The terrain appeared to be level enough to make a cross country jaunt inviting.

We used the map and GPS to locate several of the ponds but they were all dry save one unnamed lake. We did get some really nice views of Goat Peak though.

IMG_2149_stitch

We took another break at the lake.

There were some tents set up nearby in the trees so we thought that there might be a trail somewhere nearby and set off looking for it when we left the lake. It didn’t take us long to spot the clear tread.

This path led us west between Mud Hole and Shale Lakes and back to the PCT.

Mud Hole Lake

Shale Lake

We turned right on the PCT and continued a short distance until we spotted another use trail heading further west. We followed this path past more dry (or nearly dry) ponds to Coyote Lake.

Our urge to explore was now satisfied and we returned to the PCT and headed back to Pamelia Lake, which looked like it was way, way down below us.

It was closing in on 6pm when we finally made it back to camp. We went down to the lake to get water then cooked dinner and relaxed in our camp chairs.

Ouzel

Marty, a wilderness ranger, stopped by to check our permit and make sure we were aware of the campfire ban. She seemed relieved that we had a permit and knew about the ban. We got the feeling that a fair number of folks aren’t as friendly as we were which is a shame.

Even though we hadn’t made it to Goat Peak and we’d hiked much further than originally intended (19.4 miles) it had been a great day. It helped knowing that we only need to hike 2.5 miles the next day to reach our car.

The next morning we were up before 5am and on the trail by 6:30.

We made it home just after 9am which gave us plenty of time to unpack, clean up, and do some laundry. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Pamelia Lake Overnighter

Tags backpacking, Bear Butte, Coyote Lake, Goat Peak, hiking, hiking oregon, Hunts Creek Trail, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Mud Hole Lake, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Pamelia Creek, Pamelia Lake, Pamelia Lake Trail, PCT, Shale Lake, South Ridge Route