Journalist By Nature: May 2015

Friday, May 15, 2015

Circumnavigating Larch Mountain Crater

Sometimes you just don't know until you get there. The weather prediction included everything from partly cloudy to thunder storms and rain. We pack for most contingencies when hiking so adding and subtracting layers all during the day is routine. Pursuing our plan to hike a wider variety of trails this year we selected Larch Mountain with its scooped out volcano crater. Larch Mountain is barely into the Mt. Hood National Forest east of Corbett and drains into the Bull Run watershed. We often follow William Sullivan's trail guide book so were prepared with his map and hike description.

Trail guide for the day

Taking our lead from a fellow hiker very familiar with this area we found ourselves not at the base of the crater as planned but at the top of it. The trails all interconnect eventually but our leader knew from many hiking and trail biking trips here that a circumference route would be the best. Carrying but not following Sullivan's map we headed down the western rim of this now forested crater on a smooth and wide needle-strewn path into old growth timberland.

Tiny hemlock seedlings crowd parts of the verdant forest floor in the shadow of their giant elders: Douglas fir, Sitka spruce and hemlock. Common mosses thickly carpet the soil, rocks and downed trees here in the form of glittering wood-moss (Hylocomium splendens), big shaggy-moss (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus) and common haircap moss (Polytrichum commune). Out of this mossy base spring pink and white trilliums, sword ferns, Oregon grape, yellow violets, and the newly opening snowy white Avalanche lilies. Wind-damaged trees lie piled at odd angles like pick-up sticks on a game table and those that fall over the trail are sawn in pieces which are then rolled helter-skelter away from the path. In both cases mosses take a quick foothold on them while insects begin their work of decomposition. Seedlings often grow from this forest fodder to launch a new generation of trees. The airy vine maples spread their thin branches throughout the lower story, popping new green palmate-shaped leaves which will turn to brilliant reds in the fall. We'll return to see this display of autumn color in October.

Pink trillium

Birds flit unseen through the high upper story, calling joyously to one another, avian trills and chortles echoing through the woods. There is reportedly a phone app that will identify a bird call by "listening" to it. You can pack a bird identification book on your hikes if that is a significant purpose of your journey. Be sure to bring binoculars. In any case, the birds add a sweet dimension to the otherwise quiet forest ambiance until the occasional roar of an approaching airplane crackles the air. This hike is near the eastern approach to the International airport at Portland. Lest I digress, the forest retains a juxtaposition of sounds, sometimes peacefully quiet while at other times clearly transmitting hikers' melodic conversation cadence. The curves and hills of the trail determine which sound effects are heard.

The Larch Mountain trail narrows in places as the ground growth of oxalis, wild ginger, bunchberry, bleeding heart, bear grass clumps, deer fern, manzanita, red-flowering currants, salmonberries and snowberry creep onto the trail in their spring awakenings. Other parts of the trail resemble a dry stream bed, rocks askew amid traces of water-carried soil. Tree roots form crude steps in many places, all making for a dramatic and bumpy mountain bike ride but a trip and stumble hazard for the foot traffic. Soggy parts of the path make for creative stepping but keep the trail from being dusty, a state that will occur later in the dry part of summer. The high branches of the evergreens stretching for sunlight keep the summer hiker cool and shaded. The air has a remarkably clean and pure sense to it, perhaps due to the river-facing orientation of the crater which catches the Gorge winds as they blow upriver, scouring out any unpleasantness of nearby city odors.

After accomplishing the nearly six and a half mile rim tour we pushed onward to the 4,056 foot elevation of Sherrard Point, the solitary viewpoint on this hike. A paved quarter mile path from the upper parking lot leads to 117 steps that bring visitors to a lookout station where heavy wire fencing keeps people from slipping into the crater but does not hinder the view of four Cascade peaks and the intermediate green vista of the National Forest. Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson are visible on a clear day. Some visitors report they have hauled dinner up the stairway to host a sunset party in a very dramatic setting. Food for thought, eh?

If you take this hike be certain to bring a well-defined map with trail descriptions. Pack the ten essentials as usual, bring trekking poles and be safe as you explore yet another enjoyable Pacific Northwest trail.

Starting down the trail

Plenty of light above

a little mud

old and new growth

foot bridge over Multnomah Creek

slick footing

the future Multnomah Falls

multilayered understory

spotted owl cave spot?

negotiating a stream crossing on rocks

squirrel munchings on fungus

birthday graham crackers

tiny delights

forest fodder

vine maple sprouting from old stump

Avalanche lilies

the high point

millions of forested acres

looking into the crater

starting to clear towards Mt.St. Helens

downriver to Portland

lookout benches

rock structure at the top of crater

Monday, May 11, 2015

Tom McCall Preserve: Primary Colors

The early and decidedly invigorating spring weather spurs us to take as many wildflower hikes as we can before the season fades to brown seed heads and dried foliage. The eastern side of the Cascades is brimming with a multitude of captivating wildflowers, many not seen this early in the western Gorge area. The Tom McCall Preserve, site of two different hikes totaling five and a half miles, belongs to the Nature Conservancy of Oregon and offers a palate of primary colors in the wildflower display washing across the spring green basalt layers of the middle Gorge. There are no restroom facilities or trash receptacles so plan accordingly if you make this trip. The closest town is tiny Mosier with few offerings. Additionally, dogs are not allowed on Nature Conservancy sites.

Taking exit 69 from Interstate 5 we headed up to the old Columbia River Highway, an original and winding two-lane road running from Troutdale to The Dalles on the Oregon side. Up and away from the speeding interstate traffic we slowed to take in the expansive views of the river and the Washington side of the Gorge. Rugged bluffs of basalt have sculpted this land, begging questions about its ancient formation by repeated lava flows and receding glaciers. Oregon white oak, Ponderosa pine and cottonwoods clustered in random groves as we rose to the plateau rim and followed the edge of Rowena Dell to the Preserve. White puffy wisps of cottonwood blooms drifted through the air like unseasonal snow and the diminutive tree sizes gave evidence of the constant wind currents that buffet this area.

Mt.Hood behind balsamroot

Arriving at the Rowena Crest viewpoint we drank in the panoramic view of snow-capped mountains, a wide blue river, rocky green hills and a never-ending cloudless blue sky. Fresh warm air filled our lungs as we hefted our backpacks and followed the signage to the trailhead of Tom McCall Point. Wading through grassy fields we followed the dusty tan trail leading to the 1722 foot elevation of the point. Bunches of mustard-yellow balsamroot festooned the fields, mixing with purple lupine, blue Bachelor buttons and gentian and red Indian paintbrush. White desert parsley in its starburst pattern, golden arnica, widow grass, trateleia and the blooming stage of poison oak added more variety to the floral scene.

The easy tread of the lower trail gave way to a long series of steep switchbacks that angled through short stands of oak and thick underbrush spattered at times with poison oak. Openings in the trees framed long-range views of the river and the steppes of the Washington cliffs. All thoughts of a simple hike were abandoned as we huffed and puffed our way higher and higher, a little voice in the group calling out from time to time "are we there yet?" Thankfully the soil was moist enough to provide traction on the steep trail but not slippery-muddy, nor was it so dry that the fine, flour-like soil acted as ballbearings to cause slipping. Rocky in places from heavy foot traffic the trail was well maintained, and newly constructed wooden steps helped achieve elevation gain at one point.

Summiting from the eastern side we rounded the point and gazed at the familiar white profile of Mt. Hood and across the river the flatter-topped Mt. Adams. A tiny sliver of Mt. St. Helens was visible beyond the Washington hills and the Columbia River appeared to roll from eternity to eternity through the Gorge. We settled down among the wildflowers and spread our lunches while resting and taking in the dazzling grandeur of our surroundings. The scene is fresh no matter how many times we see it or from what angle it is viewed.

Soaking up the descending view we scooted and side-stepped down the serpentine trail, thankfully never seeing any actual serpents on this trek. It is always like a mini-goodbye when we leave a peak, always too soon, the visit too brief. Tug and barge traffic made its way slowly upriver as we gazed at the reverse views and headed for the flatter plateau trail to the north. Picking up speed, we hastened for the pond to check out the lily pads and then kept going in the heat for what would end up as a dead end rim peek. This trail is mostly free of poison oak, but also has fewer wildflowers. It is pegged for children and those less inclined to elevation gains.

Mt.Adams in the distance

Visit the Preserve even if you don't hike much as the stroll and quiet views are reward enough. Pack a picnic and enjoy the spring primary colors of Tom McCall Preserve before the color fades.