Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Group

Kentucky Falls – November 4, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Edwin Case

The weather gods were kind to us, sort of. It had rained entire bathtubs of water for the week prior but we actually drove to the trailhead under a semi-blue sky. However, once we started hiking, it dark clouds floated in and took away the sun.

This was the tail end of Autumn, and several inches of dead bigleaf maple leaves covered the trail, making for a yellow-leaf road of sorts. Kentucky Falls (both the lower and upper falls) were running pretty strong what with the week of rain. At the lower falls, the North Fork Smith River also tumbled over the same ledge as Kentucky Creek and it was pretty cool to see two large falls doing their thing side-by-side.

Kentucky Falls Trail ends where Kentucky Creek runs into the North Fork but we continued on the North Fork Trail which for the most part followed the river, albeit from high up on the forested hillside. The North Fork Trail had been closed because of flood damage from last winter and the trail was in rough shape.

About 3 miles from the end, the clouds delivered on their threat and we finished the hike in a steady rain. The flood damage was obvious close to the river and we had to rock-hop or wade to get to the stout hiker’s bridge to cross the river. Upstream is a brand new bridge but no trail to and from it yet, apparently the old bridge will be decommissioned. This was a shuttle hike so drivers headed up to the Kentucky Falls Trail head to retrieve cars while the rest of us waited in a cold rain. Great hike, though.

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McKenzie River Trail-Belknap Hot Springs – October 21, 2018

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

Rain, rain, rain…so much rain. That would explain why only 5 hikers showed up for this hike. Originally, the hike was slated for a circumnavigation of Clear Lake but as we drove up the McKenzie Highway, the temperature dropped and was rapidly approaching freezing temperatures. Not wanting to deal with slush and cold rain in the barren and exposed lava fields on the east side of the lake, an impromptu decision was made to instead hike on the heavily forested McKenzie River Trail near Belknap Springs. The thinking was that the trees would provide a modicum of protection from the elements.

Nope, there was simply too much rain and we got soaked within minutes of setting foot on the trail. But since we had a long drive already invested in this hike, we commenced hiking anyway. The trail was wide and well groomed, so we were able to step around the many puddles on the trail. The vine maples were putting on a spectacular, albeit soggy, autumnal show and it was like walking in a yellow hallway. Or maybe a yellow-tiled cold shower.

A couple of miles in, the trail crossed over the McKenzie River on a roadway and from there, it’d be a real trail. Unfortunately, most of that real trail was covered by real water so our party of 5 became a party of two as John and Richard continued on to a trail junction with a forest road.

We didn’t hike very far but despite the rain, the trail was always eminently beautiful what with miles of yellow leaves, a nearby rushing river, ankle deep puddles, and lots of cold fat raindrops. Maybe you just had to be there to understand.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Sacchi Beach – October 7, 2017

Hike Coordinator Diana Pace

18 Friends of the Umpqua hikers went to Sacchi Beach. On a mostly sunny morning with nearly no wind we started at Seven Devils Wayside. The group hiked north for about 1.5 miles until we met a rock wall and the incoming tide. The wisdom of the group was that we could not safely go any further. Some hikers enjoyed good beach combing along the way. We then hiked back past our starting point and south crossing Ten Mile Creek. We walked to the end of that section of beach where we had lunch. We walked back to the cars and Richard’s electronics said we hiked 5.7 miles today.

Cowhorn Mountain – September 23, 2017

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

Saturday morning 9 Friends of the Umpqua traveled up highway 138 to Windigo Pass Trailhead. The group was led by John. Club Regulars were Rheo, Edwin, Dr Wendy, Goaying and her daughter Emma, age 7. Newcomers were Brad and Chealsy.

We started hiking at approximately 10am. Snow was on the ground but it was fairly dry and about 2-4 inches deep. The sky was clear and we actually saw sunshine once in a while–ideal for hiking. As we got higher, the snow got deeper. Goaying, Wendy and I stopped just past noon and just short of the crest below Cowhorn. We ate lunch there then started back to the car. John and the rest of the crew continued on. Brad and Rheo were the next to stop at about the saddle. Chealsy. John, Edwin and Dr. Wendy continued on but I doubt they reached the top.

Edwin reported the snow was about 6-8 inches deep towards the top with drifts hip-deep. There were quite a few elk tracks in the snow and tracks that might have been rabbits. John pointed out where the elk had scratched away snow to find grass to eat. As we returned to the cars the snow was starting to drip off the trees and snow on the ground was turning to slush. We reached the cars at 2:30pm.

We saw very little fire damage on our hike, however there was a fair amount between highway 138 mile posts 48 and 54. Interestingly, a tree was burnt almost completely but those around it were not touched. Larger areas were burned further up on the hillsides. The roads were perfectly clear and looked like most of the forestry/fire fighters had headed back to town.

Pictures by Bill Riley

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South Slough Reserve – August 26, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Edwin Case

It was a smoky morning in Roseburg and destined to get even smokier as the week progressed. Eleven people turned out in spite of the smoke and heat and drove in a three car caravan to the South Slough Reserve close to Charleston over on the coast. Two of the group were new hikers who seemed to enjoy the experience.

They hiked the loops at the Reserve, up the old defunct railroad track, past the deserted farm holdings and around the big swamp which because it was low tide, was more grass than water. Lunch was eaten on the big deck on the south edge of the Reserve. Covering all the loops, it ended up to be about a five mile hike with balmy 64 to 70 degree temperatures. Wildlife was in the form of a “Racer” garden snake which was not invited to lunch.

After the hike, the group went off in several directions. Some hiked the Bastendorff Beach and others hit their favorite tide pools elsewhere. It was hard to leave the gorgeous weather and clear air of the coast for what was sure to be the hot smoky Umpqua Valley air. Edwin did his usual great job as hike leader.

Calamut Lake – August 12, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Lane Harris

With the Umpqua National Forest plagued with fires and lung-choking smoke, going to a high cascade mountain lake proved to be an excellent escape from all that. Lane led 12 hikers on a trek to Calamut Lake and beyond.

After a short 1.5 mile hike to Calamut Lake, the group was awe-inspired by the large clear lake! Another bonus: No smoke! We noticed about a dozen backpackers camped out next to the lake and some friendly talk ensued. Several of them were out in the middle of the lake floating in inflatable rafts, whiles others were fishing or swimming near the bank. It certainly looked like they were enjoying themselves, and several of us wished we had brought our own tents and supplies!

With no tents, but with plenty of smiles, we continued on around the perimeter of the lake, enjoying the picturesque views. After completing the one mile lake loop, a side trail on the west side of the lake steered up towards Sawtooth Mtn. Lane had scouted this out when he had pre-hiked, and had marked the sometimes sketchy trail with some bright flagging, which helped keep hikers from straying off the trail.
Although the trail continued on to lands unknown, it was determined that a one mile climb from the lake to a rocky outcrop would be the turn-around point. Everyone took a break and gazed down into the Diamond Lake area, although it was not visible due to the thick smoke. In fact, we could just barely make out the distinctive peaks of Mt Thielsen and Mt Bailey.

After having our fill of hazy views, everyone regrouped at the lake where several of us cooled off with a nice swim! Just perfect on this warm, summer day. After the relaxing dip, we made the hike back to the trail head, completing a very satisfying 5.5 mile hike.

More picture on Lane Harris’ Flickr page

Pictures below by Lane Harris

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Tamolitch “Blue” Pool – July 29, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

Lane and I had hiked this trail several weeks prior on a cold and dreary day. What a difference several weeks make. The cold and the dreariness had long since been banished by the heat of summer and we all looked forward to hiking along a beautiful cascading river in a shady forest with blue sky above. Unfortunately, so did most of the population of Eugene, Bend, and all points between.

We started at Carmen Reservoir and immediately delved into the wonderfully shaded forest. The trail was quite busy with mountain bikers and we all made sure to step aside for the faster bikes . Those with cameras soon found themselves at the customary tail of the hiking group.

The Blue Pool is spectacular, the waters displaying an unbelievable blue color, especially when lit up by the sun. However, unlike me and Lane’s exploratory sortie from several weeks prior, the pool was ringed by hundreds of casual hikers. There was a noticeable pall hanging over the crowd. Seems a young lady had fallen 80 feet off a cliff and amazingly, she was still alive. A rescue was taking place and for me, the enjoyment of hiking was lost for the day when they stretchered her past us, her body posture the perfect picture of misery. At least she was conscious and alive. While the rescue was being performed, teenagers were leaping off the cliffs into the pool in youthful obliviousness.

When we had left the shuttle vehicle at the trailhead, we noticed the search and rescue crews assembling in the parking lot. That was about 11AM at that point. So the timing of things was first the injurious fall, which had to have happened fairly early in the morning, close to or before 9AM. There is no cell phone coverage on the trail so a pair of hikers had to hike out to the trailhead, which would take close to an hour, There was no phone coverage at the trailhead so they had to drive down the McKenzie Highway to find phone coverage. The search and rescue crews came from McKenzie Bridge, Corvallis, and Sweet Home. While McKenzie Bridge was reasonably close, the others were well over an hour’s drive away. Then the crews had to hike up to the injured woman, another hour spent. Then they had to immobilize her in a stretcher and rappel her up the cliff and steep slope. Then came the triage and first aid and finally, as we looked, they carted her down the trail with the utmost of care. After the hike finished (we had long passed up the stretcher party) we drove the 7 miles or so to retrieve our vehicles, drove back down to pick everybody up, and the rescue crews still had not reached the trailhead, and it was now about 430PM. That’s a very long time to be injured and without significant medical treatment, search and rescue is an elaborate process and not very fast.

As we hiked down the trail, hundreds of “casuals” were coming up the trail, hiking in flip-flops and bikinis. Some were dragging little wagons of food and drink behind them. Real hikers, like ourselves, were in short supply and frankly, there were way too many people who had no hiking sense. I’m glad to report the injured woman was not seriously injured but not so glad to report that her rescue was the third extraction by search and rescue that week. The other two rescues had significant injuries. I’m also not glad to report that fatalities are a common occurrence at the Blue Pool , that seems to happen several times each summer. So (I’m giving a finger-wagging lecture here), be sensible boys and girls and respect the danger that is always present in hiking. You don’t need to scramble down a cliff to get closer to the magnificent Blue Pool, the view is just as good from a safe distance away from the cliffs’ edge. Don’t hike in flip-flops and bikinis either. The Willamette National Forest is aware that the Blue Pool is being loved to death and have made plans to route the mountain bike trail around the pool but in my view, the problem is not the bikers but that flip-flopping crowd. I vote for moving all trailheads at least 5 miles away from the pool.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Boundary Springs – July 15, 2017

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

Eleven hikers met in the Douglas County Courthouse parking lot on a beautiful sunny July day. They proceeded to the trailhead which is past Diamond Lake on Hwy 230. Starting from the Crater Rim Viewpoint, the group made their way down the cliffs, crossed a very small Rogue River and passed three trail junctions before seeing the springs from which gushes the mighty Rogue River. A new hiker aided John in covering the various turnoff choices as hikers proceeded at different speeds and needed some guidance.

Last year’s North Crater Fire burned the ground and many trees along the way. It burned clear up to the springs, the only green was right along the water’s edge. The downed trees were charcoal leading to the dreaded Hiker’s Black Butt condition when they inadvertently sat on the charcoal logs for lunch or didn’t step high enough when crossing the logs.

The fire did accomplish one thing to the good, the landscape was much more visible than when the trees were there , alive and green. The weather was superb, not too hot but summerish and perfect for the altitude. John drank the pure delicious water from the springs and some followed his example for a wonderful taste. Thanks go to John for great leadership.

Picture by Susan Board

Bohemia Mountain and Fairview Peak – July 1, 2017

Hike Coordinator Edwin Case

It was July, 1, a really busy day with lots going on and a surprising number – seventeen – people turned out to follow Edwin Case to Bohemia Mt. and Fairview Peak. There were some clouds which kept the weather from being too hot to enjoy hiking, but luckily the clouds parted from time to time to show off the scenery which included awesome views from Three Sisters to Mt. McLoughlin.

Edwin warned the hikers, some of whom were new to the club, that if they didn’t want to hike the four steep miles to both mountains to choose to hike Bohemia rather than Fairview. They hiked Fairview first with its unmanned climbable fire lookout tower then Bohemia which had a large patch of snow near the top which surprised the two children with the party. The kids did really well on the hike. One hiker was missed but found as he made a short cross-country detour. Edwin usually sees wildlife on his hikes but this time only saw a covey of grouse the day before on his scouting trip.

The new hikers were very enthusiastic and seemed to like the idea of other hikes with the Friends. Edwin is a wonderful leader and he led them all safely home via Cottage Grove.

Pictures below by Lane Harris

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Golden Stairs – June 17, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Lane Harris

The skies were overcast as a 13 hikers gathered to make the long drive to the Golden Stairs trailhead. The forecast was optimistically predicted to be sunny and in the 70s, so we gleefully set out up the highway toward our first usual rest break, Watson Falls. However, not all the hikers who signed up got any further, as Anna’s car started misbehaving, refusing to go any further. Although we sent a rescue party back to retrieve them, Anna and 3 others decided that this may be a sign to either find a closer hike or to just count their blessings and go home. We bid them farewell and continued up toward Diamond Lake and then down the highway towards Union Creek and the trailhead. Edwin was waiting at a pre-designated spot, so the group was now at an even 10.

At the trailhead, the path zig-zags steeply up a wooded hillside, until it meets up with an OHV bike trail. The zigzag ceased, but the steepness did not. The trail steadily climbed, opening up to occasional clear views of distant mountains, and offering short respites of levelness. But these were followed by more switchbacks and steep climbs. Even we most ardent hikers would classify the first mile of this trail as “strenuous”.

And it’s just at about the one-mile mark that the most spectacular views are to be had. Richard was able to educate all of us of the visible peaks: Mt Mcloughlin and Shasta to the south, Mt Thielsen and Union Peak to the east, and Abbott Butte and Elephant Head to the northwest. I’m glad to report that everyone made it to this point and were able to see this fantastic view.

The trail continued up, but not quite as sharply as it had been, and a few hikers had by now decided to turn around and call it good. The rest of us trekked onward until we reached our turnaround point, a nice meadow where we had a well-deserved lunch break.

The hike back down allowed us enjoy the great views again, but this time without the sweat in our eyes to blur our vision. Everyone made it back to the vehicles safely, and all agreed this was worth the effort and the long day.

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