| I want to hike
them all! So many trails, so little lifetime,
sigh. That's why I don't like to repeat hikes.
The way I figure it, for every hike I redo, that
means there is a trail out there that I will
never hike on. Having said that, there are a
few trails that are so sublime that they get
hiked at least once a year, being placed into
heavy rotation. Rogue River is one of those
hikes.
What's not to like? The trail spends a lot of
its 45 miles up on cliffs nearly 100' above the
green waters of the Rogue. Ducks and geese fly
up and down the canyon, honking or quacking
loudly as they go. Vultures ride the canyon
thermals while ospreys fish the waters.
Wildflowers abound along the rocky canyon slopes
and one can enjoy spring displays weeks earlier
than our waterlogged home base.
On May 3rd, 10
Friends began this hike on a wonderful sunny yet
relatively mild day. The wildflowers began
right at the trailhead and I must say the
display was the best I've ever seen on this
trail. The dominant life forms, flower wise,
were ookows, red larkspurs, blue larkspurs,
golden iris, sea blush, and tarweed. In between
there were a myriad of other flowers such as
monkeyflowers, alumroot, popcorn flower,
phacelia, starflower and so on, We even saw a
patch of the unusual ground cone, a brown
saprophyte that is a madrone root parasite.
The trail
undulated alongside cliffs, open hillsides, and
wonderfully cool shaded forests. The forest was
your typical Siskiyou mix of bay laurel, madrone,
tan oak, and mixed conifers. There even was a
lone Brewer's weeping spruce specimen with its
mournfully droopy branches.
The club
arrived at the historical Whiskey Creek Cabin
and sat down to wait for me as I was slowed down
by my camera. They ate lunch while they waited
for me. I think we all enjoyed the hike so much
that we hated to go back to the car and end the
hike. So 8 of us continue on towards the Tyee
Rapids overlook. Only 4 of us did the 10 mile
round trip to the rapids but most everyone
managed to get at least a 9 mile hike in, At
the rapids we watched a couple of rafters
negotiate the rapids, they didn't even wave at
us...I think they were occupied at the time.
At our return
to the trailhead, we were entertained by one
last item of interest: a couple of bright
yellow goldfinches were flitting wildly in the
shrubbery along the river. They were like on
bird speed because they would not stay still
long enough for me to get a good picture.
All in all, a
great hike on a great day and for more pictures
see:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/563303256rOKdGI?vhost=outdoors |
