We had an even dozen show up for the Cooper Creek hike. This is somewhat surprising due to the nasty rainy windy forecast, but the clouds parted, and we had a sunny start, rainy middle, with a somewhat clearing ending. New people and new dogs all seemed to have an enjoyable 6+ mile hike around Cooper Creek Reservoir. Had a lolly-gag at the 2/3 mark at the east boat ramp with all under a somewhat protective tree.
This hike was meant to be a lovely jaunt along the Oregon Coast at the funky little seaside town of Bandon. Much to my dismay a couple of weeks before the hike date I was informed that not only was there going to be a high tied that day, but it would be a King Tied. Due to the shortage of rescue swimmers in our club I decided the new title for the hike would then be ‘Swept By The Tidal Wave To the North Bank Habitat”.
Only Four of us this time out; The Prez, The Legend, The Tree Spirit and yours truly. This did not surprise me as this was the weekend of giving thanks and a lot of members were probably recovering from Tryptophanosis. (As a public health suggestion, Friends of The Umpqua Hiking Club would like to say try not to overindulge, but if you do hiking is a good way to counteract the negative effects) It was good hiking weather, Mid to upper 50s and though it had rained the night before the trails were firm and there was no threat of a shower.
As we arrived at the West Entrance, two K9’s playfully attacked my truck, probably recognized me from a previous life, no doubt I probably owed them money. Once the maps were passed out, I explained the route. We would start from the parking lot and proceed to the Oregon North Bank Habitat Chasm Creek Trail, which I prefer to call the OR. Chasm Trail. From there we would hook up with Middle Ridge Trail and continue onto Bucktail Ridge making a nice little six-mile loop. The Legend stated that the last part of the OR. Chasm Trail was an ass-kicker. Now, I respect the opinion of The Legend as he has hiked hundreds if not thousands of Umpqua Miles, but I figured maybe he was just suffering lingering effects from Tryptophanosis. Besides, it was only a couple of inches on the map.
Off we took on our adventure at a refreshing lively pace past shedding fall leaves and non-diversity practicing cattle. Taking a right turn on to the OR. Chasm Trail things were going extremely well. The trail was firm, our pace upbeat we were frolicking along. May I even say we were having a gay old time.
Then things got serious. The OR. Chasm Trail had started its upward climb. Time to start taking off clothes. Heart beating faster. Breathing deeper. Getting lost in the aura of what nature had to offer on our quest to the climax of this unexpected physical climb. Small breaks along the way to catch our breath then continuing on. We were almost to the top. Holding on just a little longer. And then… We made it!
We all had a cigarette and a snack at the picnic table. Just kidding about the cigarette. (As a public health suggestion, Friends of The Umpqua Hiking Club does not condone inhaling smoldering vegetation. Unless of course it is fire season) But I digress, and we did digress down The Middle Ridge into the cool, light grey atomized mist. It was a fairly uneventful decent except for the UFO landing site. We did meet a few bipedal creatures, but no sign of aliens.
We arrived at the parking lot about 11:30. Guess you could say it was a quickie.
What can be better than a hike on the North Umpqua Trail in the fall of the year? It was a Saturday in November, the 12th to be exact, that the Friends of the Umpqua hiked the Hot Springs segment of the NUT. This section never disappoints. Even though the sky was cloudy and threatened rain now and again it was a glorious fall hike. Autumn trees bring to mind this Psalm, “let all the trees of the forest sing for joy”. On this autumn Saturday the trees were definitely singing for joy!
We started our hike at Toketee Campground with our lunch spot at Columnar Falls, which is technically on the Dread and Terror segment of the NUT. Since the falls are so close to the Hot Springs parking lot, within a quarter mile, why not keep going and eat lunch enjoying the falls?
There’s a faint path through the bushes heading downstream where Surprise Falls can be seen tumbling over mossy rocks. The trail traverses over the top of the falls where the water springs out from the rocks below. From the trail, this “surprise” isn’t fully appreciated, but from below the tumbling water is beautiful.
I think most of the hikers that day had been on this segment multiple times, but this did not lessen everyone’s enjoyment of time spent with friends on a beautiful trail. It was time well spent, soaking in the beauty of creation on such a magnificent Autumn afternoon. I think I did hear the trees of the forest singing.
Misery loves company and I’ve been known to take friends on a hike that made me miserable. However, the opposite can be true in that happy hikers also love company, which is why I took the Friends to the Upper Rogue River. The Upper Rogue is the site of many of our favorite hikes such as Rogue Gorge, Takelma Gorge, Natural Bridge, and Knob Falls. However, north of these iconic places, the Upper Rogue River Trail has not felt the love in terms of trail maintenance and the number of visitors. That’s too bad, for this section is certainly worthy of a visit.
Eight of us set out on the trail from the Big Bend Trailhead and immediately, the tenor of the Rogue River was noticeably different from the aforementioned iconic hikes. Here the Rogue snakes back and forth in a series of serpentine bends, the river seemingly in no hurry to reach the turbulence downstream. The river is placid and serene and the tranquility cannot help but soothe your soul, although it didn’t stop me from making fart jokes.
The trail alternated between dark conifer woods and river overlooks from tall cliffs. In the woods, an understory of alder trees with leaves glowing yellow waved the autumn colors. On the ground, tall bracken fern likewise added to the fall vibe while making the trail faint and hard to follow. The tall cliffs were comprised of volcanic ash deposited when Mount Mazama blew its top and created Crater Lake.
At about the three-mile mark, the trail passed the largest log jam in the world, extending hundreds of yards. The Rogue here, snakes through the logs in an equally large open meadow. The terrain is marshy here, but a large footbridge keeps boots dry and made a logical place to eat lunch at. Several of us continued on into the woods on an increasingly faint trail that led to another picturesque overlook of the mirrorlike river.
On the way back, the forest vegetation was wet as if it had rained but fortunately, the rain missed us. We even enjoyed some sunlight on this cool day, the weather gods refusing to rain on our hiking parade…this time.
We were few but we were mighty. Four of us, includng your intrepid hike leader, made the trip to Briggs Valley for a nice and easy hike along Briggs Creek.
The area had been off limits for most of the summer because of the nearby Rum Creek Fire but fortunately, that fire was contained by the time we did our hike. Fortunately for Briggs Creek fans, the Rum Creek Fire did not ever reach Briggs Valley. That’s not to say though, fire was not a part of this hike for the forest here bears the scars from at least two fires that scorched the woods along the creek.
We began with a quick history lesson at the meadow at Sam Brown Campground. The meadow is the sight where the mining town of Briggs, Oregon once stood. In the meadow is the actual grave of Sam Brown, a bartender at the hotel in Briggs.
History lesson over, we headed out into a green forest with hints of of the coming fall season. The trail went between Briggs Creek and the campground with plenty of side trails braiding off the trail. Once we left the campground behind us, the next point of interest was Dutchy Creek, which was barely trickling, the low water making for an easy creek crossong.
From there the route alternated between actual trail and jeep roads and Briggs Creek soon became our hiking companion, flowing below the trail. As mentioned the forest was singed but there was plenty of greenery on the ground beneath the trees. We enjoyed the up and down ramble through the woods, where eventually we reached Elkhorn Mining Camp. The camp serves as a rustic backwoods campsite nowadays but we explored a bit and found all kinds of rusting mine equipment and the old garbage pit replete with rusting tin cans.
A short walk past Elkhorn Camp brought us to a crossing of Briggs Creek itself. We sat down for lunch, choosing to soak in the sight of an idyllic creek flowing in the bottom of a deep canyon surrounded by green vegetation. This was also our turnaround point, so we avoided that whole wet boots thing. The one good thing about an out-and-back hike is that you get to enjoy the same woodland and creek scenery all over again, so we were all pretty satisfied with the day’s venture.
“When Hobbits threw a birthday party (and they usually did), all guests were presented with a small gift. ……… The tradition has been elaborated as a form of thanksgiving, so it was taken as a recognition of services, benefits and friendship shown, especially in the past year” Tolkien’s Letter 214.
What!? Isn’t this supposed to be a trip report for the Fish Lake hike on Saturday September 17, 2021? Your assumption would be correct.
A goodly amount of avid hikers assembled at the courthouse parking lot, ready to head south to the Fish Lake trailhead which is out of Tiller. The weather was overcast and cool with a hint of Fall in the air. The group promptly left the lot at the stroke of 8:00am. Anxious, we were to get on the trail. First, we stopped in Canyonville to pick up Terry and Edwin. The carpooling group continued on to the trailhead which is accessed by surprisingly good, mostly paved and gravel roads.
Once at trailhead we all assembled for our group photo, then we were off to our destination of Fish Lake, four miles away. The Fish Lake trail starts by following the creek, veers away then returns to following the creek to the outlet at the lake. The trail has been cleared of most of the blown down trees except in a couple spots where hikers had to decide how to navigate the huge trees and roots blocking the path. Which will it be? Over? Under? Use the tree as a bridge? It was fun to see how each hiker navigated the obstacle, it wasn’t a problem though. Everyone made it through. Stands of burn scarred conifers lined portions of the trail. It was heartening to see the 10 to 20 year old “baby” trees replenishing the forest to its former glory. The trail descends around the edge of a swampy pond which is beautifully decorated with moss, lily pads, algae and grassy edges. Once again, the trail ascends back within sight and sound of the creek drawing the hiker up to Fish Lake. Fish Lake is a lovely blue lake surrounded by verdant forest with prominent High Rock as a focal point looming above the lake.
The group settled themselves along the shore to bask in the beauty and refresh themselves with lunch.
“Ok, Ok, what’s the deal about Hobbits?”, you might ask…
Once everyone settled into enjoying their lunches, the hike leader announced it was her birthday. She had decided to celebrate Hobbit Style by presenting her hiking friends with a homemade Oregon Trail cookie wrapped up into a gift. Even party hats were distributed for all to wear as we celebrated. What could have been a better birthday celebration than the beauty of creation and the fellowship of friends?
After much laughing, photo taking, joking, cookie munching and general merriment, the hikers got back on the trail. Some in the group didn’t want the celebration to end and wore their party hats all the way back to the trailhead. Many in the group commented that it didn’t seem like 8 miles, so pleasant was the weather, the beauty of the area and the company of hikers.
Seventeen hikers gathered on a cool, slightly misty morning. Destination: Lemolo Lake. First visit for several, frequently visited for others.
Our trek began on the west side of the lake near the dam. We traveled counterclockwise. The lake was dotted with quite a few boats, being the last holiday weekend of the summer. Probably a final summer outing as families return to school schedules. Boaters fished in lake boats, skied behind motorboats, and kayaked along shorelines.
The hike was quite the variety pack of environments including lakeshore, forest and several campgrounds. Forests included several species including Doug fir, Lodgepole pine, White pine, Hemlock, and White fir. Wildflowers were done for the season and grasses turning golden.
We lunched at a great little picturesque beach. Hikers visited with old and new comrades, and enjoyed the view.
After completing the shoreline trek of the lake’s south side, we rounded the east edge of the lake and hopped onto the North Umpqua Trail (runs on the north side of the lake) to return to the dam. The NUT portion has lush undergrowth with various ages of trees, a very pretty segment of this hike. Ten and a half miles total, fairly level.
Back at the courthouse where we had carpooled from, I chuckled as I watched us emerge from cars. Slowly, some sounds of pain… BUT we’ll be back for more. Soon!
Waking up to greet the last day of hiking, we were pleased to see that a change of winds caused the smoke from the Cedar Creek fire to dissipate* from our campsites at Odell Lake and the surrounding area. We had Salt Creek Falls planned for a hike but had been smoked out the day prior. Thankfully, the drive this day would be a short one, as we would need ample time to hike the 10-plus miles from Salt Creek Falls to Vivian Lake, Diamond Falls, and back.
*dissipate: /ˈdisəˌpāt/ verb 1. to break up and drive off: The overuse of the word “dissipate” caused Missy’s hiking buddies to dissipate.”
Salt Creek Falls sits directly off of Hwy 58, attracting many people who gather to awe at the second largest falls in Oregon. On this morning, it had its fair share of visitors, but was certainly not overcrowded. After oohing at the sites from above, we took the path to the bottom of the falls to do some aahing from below. It is quite a marvelous waterfall, and after multiple digital images were captured on our devices, we climbed back up the path to begin the hike proper.
After about a mile of pleasant forest hiking, we took the junction which led us to Diamond Falls. The view of the falls from above are mediocre at best, with all the trees obscuring any good views, so we decided to take the trail that leads to the bottom of the falls. We were soon greeted with an in-your-face view of this incredible waterfall! This type of waterfall is called a fan waterfall, as the water maintains contact with the rock and spreads out in a fan-like shape. We could actually reach out and touch it. It was decided later that this was truly the highlight of the day.
We continued up the trail with Vivian Lake as the goal. The trail to get there is not easy, in terms of elevation gain vs distance. In other words, the trail is steep! In one part, the trail climbs 600 ft in half a mile. Hikers huffed and puffed, taking frequent breaks on the way up. Fortunately, we were walking in a deeply wooded forest which provided ample shade, a small win for us. The sound of nearby Fall Creek was constant, adding another dimension to that deep woods feel.
Upon reaching Vivian Lake, we plopped ourselves down along the shoreline, giving our tired bodies a much-needed break. Here, the air was still and quiet, the sounds of the creek non-existent. The thought of hiking back down was also non-existent, as we languished in the shade along the water’s edge. We spent time eating our lunches, watching birds soar high in the sky, and witnessing dozens of tiny frogs hop about the shoreline. This was definitely a peaceful place to be.
About an hour later, we gathered our things and headed back down the trail, this time with a bit more pep in our step, as it was literally going to be all downhill from here. Needless to say, the going was much easier. We even had enough energy to play! What with some rhyming games to finish the day. For this game, everyone had a say. Our witty words were on full display. Heading downhill, we all knew the way. Alas, I have led you astray…. Anyway, now YOU know how to play!
We had 8 participants on the hike at south slough. Weather was amazing for the 4-mile loop through the estuary. The wildlife was clearly absent for this hike, but the side trip to the beach was our reward. Truly a short sleeve weather day at the beach near Whiskey Run.
Sometime in the middle of the night while we all slept, happily dreaming of new trails, smoke from the Cedar Creek Fire cloaked Odell Lake. Who wants to hike in that crap? Not us, so we quickly confabbed and put together an end-to-end route that ran from Little Cultus Lake to Cultus Lake. And after the half-hour drive to the trailhead, I’m glad to report that the air was blessedly clear at Little Cultus Lake.
We had an enjoyable view of Little Cultus reposing in a forested bowl below a bright blue sky before the trail took us into the woods and we never saw Little Cultus again, in what was a trend for this hike. After a mile or two, we reached scenic Deer Lake and then the trail, in keeping with the trend, then ducked into the forest and we never saw Deer Lake again, either.
Cultus Lake is a large lake and is not so easy to hide, although the trail did a good job of keeping us from seeing the lake as we hiked roughly three miles along the Cultus Lake shoreline. We did stop at a boater’s camp for a lunch ‘n laze, watching thunderclouds form just east of the lake.
As we walked through the forest, we became adept at spotting the floral spires of pine drops, a parasitic plant that we normally don’t see a lot of where we normally hike. There were plenty of pine drops in this area, though.
Mike, Missy, and I get the Golden Boot Award for this hike because while everybody piled into the one car to effect the retrieval of the second car, we hiked nearly another two miles to the Cultus Lake Resort. By doing that, we got more lake time than we did during the entire hike up to that point.
Read more about this hike on Richard O’Neil’s blog, Richard Hikes
