Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Group

North Bank Habitat

Hike Coordinator – John Malone

It was darned cold for April in Douglas County, temperatures were in the 30’s but twelve people turned out for the hike on North Bank. John had read the icy bad weather prediction for Boundary Springs (the original scheduled destination) and decided that discretion was the better part of valor and he changed the locale to North Bank Habitat. On the Habitat, the sun came and went, some rain spatters came and went, and luckily the hail arrived after the hikers made it back to the trailhead.

The trail wasn’t in the best of shape; heavy rain had turned it to mud or worse because of the bovine population which contributed to the trail’s general messiness. There were segments where hikers had to leave the trail for the relative cleanness of the grass.

The route was up Blacktail Basin, under the power lines, a stop at Grumpy’s Pond for a snack, and then down the well- named Soggy Bottom Road to the parking area at about one o’clock. The weather was temporarily so nice that the hikers loitered at the picnic area at the bottom, enjoying the ephemeral spring weather. The official distance for the hike was seven and one-fourth miles. Some folks joined the hike who hadn’t been with the group for a while, one of whom brought the small girl child who hiked so impressively for her age and size.

Thanks go to John for persevering in his efforts to get the gang out on the trail where they belong.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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Tahkenitch Dunes – March 25, 2017

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

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Horse Rock and Shotgun Creek – March 11, 2017

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

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Cascade Gorge – February 25, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

There was a winter storm warning in effect when we hiked in the Cascade Gorge area near Lost Creek Lake. Yet, despite (or maybe because of) the dire weather forecast, 7 hikers showed up for this hike and it was like “Winter storm, what winter storm?”

At the lake, the surrounding hills and shady parts did have a couple of inches of snow but really, this day was all about the sun and blue sky. The trail leading up an arm of Lost Creek Lake was mostly level and alternated between open cliffs and shady forest comprised of cedar, fir, and madrone. Snow queen and Oregon sunshine were abloom next to the trail and it almost felt like spring. There was one scenic stretch where pink cliffs, blue sky, turquoise lake, and white hills awed us and kept cameras busy Was this not a Richard Hike, or what?

Heh, heh, heh, maybe I spoke too soon. Several miles into the hike, a tree lay across the trail. No problem, we worked our way around that and about 20 yards later there was a second tree. Then there was more, more, and even more trees laying across the trail. And not just content with trees blocking the way, the Richard Hike gods made sure a couple of landslides made things tricky as we scrambled across the shifting landslide scar. Hiking became tedious work, which was a shame as there were several scenic creeks crossing the trail. All of the bridges over the creeks were damaged by falling trees but amazingly, all remained passable.

We were hiking up the Rogue River in the lake’s impound area and at the intersection of the Middle and South Forks of the Rogue River, we ate lunch and turned back. Yay, we got to scramble over, under, and through the same old tree mess again. The hike wound up being a pretty tough 9.6 miler but it did feel good to defy the odds and enjoy a rare sunny day. The next day it was back to rain and snow, so we definitely snuck this one in.

Pictures by – Richard O’Neill

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Riverview Trail – February 11, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Rheo Wheeler

We had a good turnout of 16 for the sunny hike. We also had 3 of our 4 legged friends along for the trip. Riverview is sort of a boring road hike, but it’s on the sunny side of the North Umpqua with nice views overlooking the river. We separated into 2 groups after reaching the junction of Bogus Creek and 6 brave souls went with Richard to the shady side of the river to loop back to the cars, while the rest went on to Fall Creek Falls. We had lunch at the top of the thundering falls. Nice and sunny. The sunny side hikers did about 9 miles and the shady hikers did about 12 miles.

Pictures by – Rheo Wheeler and Richard O’Neill

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Golden and Silver Falls State Natural Area – January 28, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Sharon Dufek

Golden and Silver Falls is a 4.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail (three separate trails) located near North Bend, Oregon that features 2 waterfalls and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. The last 10+ miles drive in to the trailhead you will need to drive slowly, maybe 20 mph with a regular car, since there is a gravel road with many potholes, some pretty deep. A pickup or SUV would be recommended.

What a fabulous day for a hike! No rain just some high clouds, temperature around 50 degrees by 1pm. A total of 12 hikers and 1 pup joined me for this adventure! This is one of my favorite hikes and well worth the drive. I loved sitting at the top of Golden Falls eating lunch with everyone. Great Club! Oregon is BEAUTIFUL!

Pictures by Sharon Dufek

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Bastendorff Bog Trail – January 14, 2017

Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill

I don’t want to get cocky by saying I dialed up a beautiful day because as soon as the weather gods find out I said that (and they will!), then I will never lead a hike in anything but rain, sleet, or snow. Southern Oregon had been pummeled by a series of icy and snowy storms and while the temperature was cold and the roads slippery with ice, it was a gloriously sunny day as we started hiking on Bastendorff Beach.

I sort of kept waiting for the Richard Hike factor to show itself but apart from having to splash across Miners Creek, there was an uncharacteristic lack of travails on this hike. At the end of Bastendorff Beach, we took a narrow path that climbed up to the forested bluffs overlooking the rugged and scenic Oregon coast.

Most of the hikers had never hiked this route so it was all new trail smell as we hiked to the end of Yoakam Point which sports a stunning overlook of Bastendorff Beach and Cape Arago Lighthouse. There are no official trails on this part of the coast so we followed a series of braided trails along the coast, enjoying the view to Gregory Point and Lighthouse Beach.

From Yoakam Point, a short walk along Cape Arago Highway took us to the well hidden Bastendorff Bog Trail. You’d never know the trail was there unless you know the trail was there, but the Bastendorff Bog Trail is used mostly by Oregon Coast Trail hikers looking to use the hiker camp at Sunset Bay. Despite its name, the trail is not boggy and and climbs up and over a small hill with thick coastal forest providing the scenery.

At Sunset Bay, the club ate lunch and then split into two groups: those happy with a 7 mile hike returned back to Bastendorff Beach and those wanting a 10’ish mile hike continued on the coastal trail for a couple of miles. By the time we hit Yoakam Point, the shadows were getting long with the advent of late afternoon. Lane, Edwin, and I were the only takers on the scramble down the cliff to Bastendorff Beach and while some use of hands was required, there was nary a fall on the way down. A mile walk down the beach in the golden glow of the sinking sun capped off a superlative hike. We all stopped for Mexican food in Coquille, and that capped off a fine day for a hike.

Pictures by Richard O’Neill

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