Hike Coordinator: Terry Andreucci
Narration by Lane Harris
On this marvelous March day, Terry had at least a dozen hikers make their way to the trailhead near Graves Creek to hike the always-lovely Rogue River Trail from the boat ramp to Whiskey Creek and back. With a handful of man’s best friend tagging along, not a dull moment was had this day.
There was a chill in the air when the large group started, and right away we were traversing the small swollen creek that runs near the parking lot. Unbeknownst to us, this would be a small practice run for what lay further ahead on the trail…
This was one of those days where everyone had their rain jackets on, as there was that feeling in the air as if it may rain at any moment. But just like when someone puts a near-empty milk carton back in the fridge, barely a drop was to be had. We experienced some grey skies and some sun. Kinda perfect weather, really. Cool, but a little sun to keep you warm when not hiking.
As we made our way down the trail, there were several creeks which required some clever negotiating. The recent rains and snow had made all the local creeks absolutely engorged with water! Looking across the river, one could make out many waterfalls cascading off the hillsides, with snow still present on the highest part of the hills.
At one point, we all had to make a short scramble off below the trail to avoid the rushing water that had pretty much inundated our path. To attempt walking down that watery way would have been quite risky, with the slippery footing underneath surely having the last laugh. Thankfully, no hikers were smitten by the water gods this day.
Normally, all the wildflowers are just bursting with color this time of year. But due to the long, late winter we’ve had, the flowers were just starting to do their thang. Give this place another a few weeks or so and the real show should be in full swing!
After successfully crossing multiple creeks running across the trail, we eventually reached Whiskey Creek cabin. As the group did a self-guided tour of this historical site, I was doing a little looking around too, and found a geocache, totally unintentionally! It was an ammo box locked to an old cable just uphill from the cabin. With curiosity, I took a quick look inside, then placed it back where I found it. (TIP: If you ever stumble upon a geocache and are not actually participating in the sport, please be courteous and leave it where you found it so others who are looking for it can find it) I always thought geocaching would be a neat thing to do, but just haven’t made the effort. You need a GPS to participate, but I typically use mine to prevent from getting misplaced in the woods!
After having a late lunch along the edge of Whiskey Creek, the group made its way back upriver. We were all spread out along the trail, just enjoying the magnificence solitude and the grandeur that is the wild Rogue River. Although we ran into quite a few other hikers this day, it just reaffirms that this place is worthy of visiting, and visiting often, as evidenced by the amount of people who walk these banks of the Rogue River Trail.
Pictures below by Lane Harris
