March 2017 – Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Group

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

Slideshow

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