Lewis and Clark campus walks
When my stepson graduated from Lewis and Clark College this weekend (more on that elsewhere), I had a chance to race back and forth across campus like a lunatic many times. I walked from one function to another, once retrieving a robe, another time going to a department reception, organizing where family members would sit, arranging rides, and so on. One funny time yesterday, I took a short cut through a gorgeous ravine below the commons and found the subject of an engineering student’s prank. For 140 years, students have been wandering this campus at graduation time. There are great views to be had, but I was surprised at the seat somebody arranged. The photo doesn’t quite do the scene justice; I was standing on a bridge, and the perch is at least thirty feet up a tree. It’s all a part of higher education. For other great area hiking, check out Tryon Creek State Park, which has trails heading out directly from the Lewis and Clark Law School campus.
The department chair?
Yellowstone: The Usual Suspects and a Surprise or Two
This fellow is one of the usual suspects: his name is Scarface, and I've seen him before in Yellowstone. He's over twenty years old, with a mangled right ear, and..yes..a scarred face from too many run-ins with other grizzlies. I've only seen him from the road, which is just fine with me: coming around the bend on a trail and meeting this particular face is not on my bucket list.
Maple Trail, Saltzman Road, and a golden light
Looking back toward home and the University of Portland
With more daylight lately and strangely nice weather for Oregon , it almost seems a crime not to head out for a hike or a bike ride after work. Unfortunately, I am generally gone for about eleven hours daily during the week, and I often feel wiped out when I return home.
The other day, with a dash of motivation caused by perfect weather, I drove across the Willamette River toward Forest Park. The bottom end of Saltzman Road is an odd mix of lovely homes, tight curves, a water bureau site, and a gate at a closed off forest road.
I saw no other cars at the pseudo trailhead, but I soon encountered a couple descending cyclists moving at a good clip. The road turned path would be perfect for that. Eventually I arrived at a junction where the curving road neared the edge of a forested canyon. The Maple Trail split off on either side, descending one way and climbing the other.
Works for me right now
I felt a touch lazy, so I opted for downhill. Besides, the canyon on that side looked spectacular. Really.
Looking up, trying to spy the sun line
I wandered for a while with my pup through some phenomenal forest until the trail crossed a creek near the head of a lovely drainage.
Jackie searching for trolls.
The setting was serene, and I wish I’d had more time, but light was fading, so I turned back.
Deck the hills with firs and ferns
The temperature had cooled off considerably in the shade, so I kept moving. Interestingly, some of the best views of the day were yet to come. The Maple Trail definitely merits more exploration. I shall return.
Looking at the railroad bridge from the trailhead.
Perfect weather for an Eagle Creek retreat
This weekend I was lucky enough to attend a retreat in Eagle Creek. Our group had business, but there was much more focus on camaraderie, games, relaxation, and good food. The Alton Collins Retreat Center is a perfect setting for such purposes. There are a couple miles of trails in the area, so you can bet I went out to enjoy them. Saturday afternoon I led a group hike in a casual loop dropping downhill to skirt Deep Creek, then curving back to the center. The dynamics of hiking with ten people or so were unusual for me. I am accustomed to hiking solo or with experienced hikers who move quickly and who contemplate little but the view from the top.
Fellow hiker in what felt like a primeval forest
The trail system at Alton Collins is well marked, if the signs are mossy at times. Some of the brush had obviously been cleared recently, and the trails were in decent shape. The forest is typical for Western Oregon, heavy on the cedars and alders with plenty of sword ferns. Deep Creek itself was small but lovely, with a couple of exceptionally nice little pools. The trail flattened as it turned upstream, and members of our group perched on a bridge for a bit, contemplating the blue sky day and the clear waters running beneath us. We then stretched out as a second group joined the first. Assuming others would follow, I led a cluster of hikers further upstream until the trail neared the highway and turned again. The trail climbed rapidly but briefly as it wound back toward the retreat center. While the temperature must have been close to 80 in the sun, hiking in the trees felt perfect.
Lovely woods near the creek
My only worry was when our group stretched out so far I couldn’t see the end of the line. As it turns out, one member of the second group bringing up the rear joined the first, while the rest turned around, unsure of the way. Naturally, I didn’t know this at the time. I am fairly used to being in a leadership role, but with this group and this event, it was an entirely new situation. After the first few hikers returned, I realized we’d straggled into multiple clumps, and I found myself worrying until the last group returned, perhaps because it included my lovely other half. Next time, I would pay more attention. Naturally, it was a perfect day and nothing went wrong, but one never knows. A twisted ankle can change everything.
Massive cedars and their branch latticework
Our visit to Alton Collins was pleasant and I would recommend it for other groups as well. The accommodations were fine, the food was better, and the lawn was spectacular. There was some serious croquet at one point, along with a diverse talent show. I forced a couple poems on the unsuspecting audience, but the highlights of the evening included the amazing singing of two women, the manic energy of a young thespian, and a lovely Norwegian jokester.
In the morning, before we concluded our business, I went for a walk alone on a trail along Spring Creek. I walked slowly, listening to birds, noticing the way light hit tree trunks and crowns. Interestingly, I found a series of snails along the trail. I am accustomed to seeing slugs on Oregon trails, but this seemed unusual.
Snail city: one of seven or eight in fifty yards
The light in the forest was spectacular all weekend. I wish I had the photographic skills to better capture the interplay of light and moss, branch and leaf. At times, it was stunning.
Fungi on the “Easy” trail near the retreat center
When it was time to pack my bags and depart, I was ready to leave the forest retreat, thinking always of bigger hikes, but also very content with what I’d experienced, my personal batteries recharged.
Such scales of tree and sky
Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Plant Park? Indeed
With fantastic weather today I got motivated to go for a quick hike after work. I couldn’t quite find the right parking area, so I did an end-around and approached from a different angle. I backtracked on the 40 mile loop path along Columbia Slough from Portland Road.
The Portland Road approach. The path soon crosses beneath the tracks.
I passed a Tom Sawyer like fisherman, young and shirtless, beneath a train trestle. Canada Geese flew and squawked overhead, but I wasn’t fast enough with the camera.
Looking out at Columbia Slough from the path–water treatment plant in background
The pedestrian bridge a few hundred yards east drops you into a little park-like area next to the Columbia Boulevard wastewater treatment plant. Such juxtaposition may seem curious, but the park area is lovely, with a few short interconnected paths, a high point with Periscope Rock and views across the slough. As I got the minor league views on the hill at Periscope rock, I was amused to look through the blast holes that give the rock its name and feel a breeze shooting through each one.
Periscope Rock, complete with graffiti and blasting holes to see through (hence the name)
The main path is paved, and seems most popular with cyclists, but traffic was light today. I really should get out the bike and come up here. I worked harder finding the far end connection of the path than if I’d ridden a bike from the south. I’m still learning the area.
One feature that I enjoyed was the artful touches displayed here and there, which seemed very similar to art at the Smith and Bybee Lakes trailhead. There are also some nice stands of deciduous trees to explore along the slough.
Subtle nature-themed artwork towers above the paths
Jackie in front of a cool double gate
The sun was glorious out today, but I had much to do, so I didn’t contemplate much. I simply looped around in the park area and returned, enjoying a Canada Goose fly-by fifteen feet overhead as I re-crossed the bridge. It is such small moments I often cherish the most.
Columbia Slough from the south side– time to head back.
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Mount Hood Memories In Anticipation of Summer
Western Oregon weather has been fabulous lately and I’m excited to really get after some adventure this summer. I found a couple photos from one of hundreds of trips to Mount Hood we took with our old pup Nikko (see Thanks for the Memories: A Dog’s Life).
Nikko on the rim of White River Canyon
Looking up from east of Timberline Lodge
South toward Mount Jefferson at dusk.
While I love the Wallowas and the Front Range, the Bitterroots and the Adirondacks, there is no single mountain I know that rivals Mount Hood in my heart. It is approachable yet daunting, beautiful yet rugged, inspiring yet backbreaking, fun yet dangerous to the unprepared.
If Nikko were still around, he would probably be whining for a good hike. I’m thinking Yocum Ridge. Summer is coming. Let’s do this!
Gateway to Forest Park: Lower Macleay Park
Lower McLeay Park is an easy access point to a massive urban park trail system, one I spent much time on as a teenager and a young adult. It was more than a decade since I’d last been there, so it takes me a couple extra minutes to find the trailhead off Upshur. The weather seems mercurial, but when I walk into the park, the sun is shining and all is well.
Starting point, the weather looking good
My dog Jackie was so appreciative, he leaves a doggy land mine on the trail in less than two minutes. I bagged it and quickly toted it back to a trash can. The initial trail is easy, and nobody else was carrying a pack. Call me old school. Once I am on the Wildwood Trail, fifteen minutes up Balch Creek Canyon, people seem a tad more serious.
Balch Creek looks like it has glacial runoff. It doesn’t.
Funny how long it has been. I hiked this canyon dozens of times when I was younger, but I have not been here in years.
The old stone house at the bottom of the canyon.
I see fewer folks once I make the turn on the Wildwood and start head angling back uphill. At the first firelane, I peel off and head further uphill. There is not a soul here. Clouds boil overhead, yet sun pops through on occasion, backlighting the mostly deciduous trees.
Looking across the valley, still in the city limits
The higher I climb, the muddier the track gets, and I rapidly regret my shoe choice. I opted for my mids, and although they are comfortable, their traction is poor.
Jackie on the firelane
The map leaves something to be desired, and where the firelane ends, I head onto a trail that seems to be the logical location of the Birch Trail. Wrong answer. But I follow the track, Jackie off leash of course. Eventually the trail peters into a muddy steep pitch, just as it is ready to join the Wildwood Trail again. People are on the trail below, so I figure I should leash Jackie. Silly man. He tugs me when I have little traction, and I slip and slide a bit, but I make it down, only slightly embarrassed that I’ve taken a herd path rather than finding the real trail.
Lovely Forest Park woods
I catch up to a group of four young men who don’t seem like typical hikers, and eventually pass them. A woman with a dog is close behind me with her own dog, and she suddenly starts running to pass. OK. There are glimpses of houses below as we near the neighborhoods of inner Northwest Portland , the great writer Ursula Leguin’s old Thurman Street hood.
I consciously decided not to head back the same way, but below the base of the fire lane cut through a meadow where I spent some time making bad choices as a teen. This connects to an informal trailhead above the park where I started.
The meadow
I have to navigate my way through forgotten streets as a mist turns to solid rain. I am not thrilled about that, but it stops before I make it back to the car.
The rough neighborhood walk back to the car
This is no bucket list hike, but it’s a good quick fix hike, and I enjoy the literal trip down memory lane. Next time, I’d bring better boots and a better map.
New Mexican Memory
I’ve recently heard multiple people discussing New Mexico, and it reminded me of our 2011 trip there. I thought I’d throw a couple photos up that are mere teases of what is available in the southern part of the state. We started in Las Cruces, which was a great little city, then meandered to Alamagordo via White Sands, and finally up to the mountain haven of Ruidoso. I hope to return when I have more time. Until then, a few photos.
The fabulous Organ Mountains east of Las Cruces.
White Sands. And this was the less dramatic area.
Hiking near the ski area above Ruidoso. This is the area where Smokey the Bear came from.
Headed back to El Paso, we found a nice spot for a hike. Hot and dry.
Smith and Bybee Lakes: Oasis for Portland Birders
Sculpture at the trailhead
The first you might notice on the Interlakes Trail are the tall cottonwood trees. Then you will notice the constant chatter of birdsong. The area at Smith and Bybee Lakes is one of the great natural treasures in the Portland area, made more valuable by its industrial surroundings. Two miles west of I-5, adjacent to a major set of train tracks, Smith and Bybee Lakes is a 2000 acre natural haven for ospreys, herons, otters, and many other creatures.
View towards Bybee Lake
According to Portland Parks and Recreation website, this “is the largest protected wetland within an American city.”
The area boasts a small trail system, only one chunk of which penetrates the wetlands area, but there are miles of cycling or running to be had on the perimeter. The Interlakes Trail splits off of the road-like path of the Forty Mile Loop trail near the entrance to the park.
Dense deciduous woods; lots of black cottonwood
The main path ends after two-thirds of a mile at a covered viewing platform facing the reedy shallows of Bybee Lake.
Standing there, you will see waterbirds scoot about, songbirds dart about, and wind ruffling the lush grasses. It is a peaceful place if you can ignore the powerlines in the corner of your eye.
Lovely scene; notice the powerlines.
An unmaintained trail continues beyond the viewing platform, well-trod but increasingly muddy, meandering through grasses as trees become sparser and views open up in most directions. The song of red winged blackbirds punctuates the scene.
Out at the end of the muddy world
It is hard to imagine a more pleasant payoff for such an easy hike. This a top-notch venture for all ages.
Returning to the trailhead with pines, art, and a train in the background
Note that because the area is a wildlife refuge, dogs are not welcome on the Interlakes Trail. Sorry, Jackie.
Teen Inspired By Movie 'Into The Wild' To Live Alone In Wilderness Missing
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — High winds on Thursday grounded an air search for a young Oklahoma man inspired by the movie "Into The Wild" to test himself against the wilderness in southeastern Oregon.
Harney County Sheriff Dave Glerup said the winds on Steen Mountain were too strong to fly safely, and they hoped for a break in the weather that would let them fly Saturday.
