Hiking Oregon's History by William L. Sullivan

Hiking Oregon's History by William L. Sullivan

This is a terrific book, even if you don't venture out for the hikes found inside.  It provides an enjoyable history lesson that is a great introduction to some very beautiful hikes.

Our own Briggs Creek is featured in the "Gold!" chapter, and it is such a great place to spend an afternoon exploring; it's become one of my favorite hikes.

So far, my husband and I have taken about 60% of the hikes in this book, so we can attest the accuracy of the directions and how easy or difficult the trail is.

The Starvation Creek Falls was the first hike we went on from Hiking Oregon's History.  When Sullivan describes "... a clifftop viewpoint.  From there you can see the entire sweep of the Columbia Gorge...", he means it; it is absolutely breathtaking!

The next hike we plan on taking is 29. Rogue River.  We can't wait to "Cross Oregon's bloodiest battlefield to a riverside waterfall."

Hiking Oregon's History can be purchased now for just $18.95
 

or at the Josephine Historical Society's Bookshop located in the Research Library at 512 K Street, Grants Pass.

Be sure to check out our Online Bookshop for more titles.

100 Hikes in Southern Oregon

100 Hikes in Southern Oregon by William L. Sullivan

100 Hikes in Southern Oregon has been our constant hiking companion since moving to Josephine County.  In fact, we're on our second copy of the book, having worn out the first one!

The guides for each hike (and their level of difficulty) are detailed, accurate and easy to follow.  The driving directions are also accurate. 

Sullivan provides a nice glimpse of what to expect on each hike, and also points out good turnaround points if you're hiking with smaller children (or dogs in our case).

We do not venture out on a hike without this very helpful guide!

 

100 Hikes in Southern Oregon can be purchased now for just $18.95

or at the Josephine Historical Society's Bookshop located in the Research Library at 512 K Street, Grants Pass.

Be sure to check out their Online Bookshop for more titles.

Indian Summer in the Pacific Northwest

I am hoping for an Indian Summer!

In the Pacific Northwest, an Indian Summer is loosely defined as a stretch of dry, warm weather after the first Fall rains have started.  Our rains have not started yet, but here are my top ten favorite reasons for wishing for an Indian Summer.

10 - You can finish off the Popsicles so they won't be taking up precious freezer space.

9  -  It's easier to show off your Halloween costumes if you don't have to wear a coat.

8  -  The dogs aren't tracking in mud yet.

7  -  You can bake to your heart's content without heating the entire house up.

6  - Raincoats and umbrellas are not necessary.

5  -  Flip-flops and shorts don't look too out of place.

4  -  You can continue to grill outside.

3  -  You can snuggle into blankets at night without also having to turn on the furnace.

2  -  You can open your windows and let the fresh, crisp air in.

1  -  The hiking season is extended!

Hiking Eight Dollar Mountain - Josephine County, Oregon

Thank you Gary Swanson for the following post: 

Today, we revisit a familiar area in order to look for interesting areas that are across the Illinois River, and thus far we have not found a road over there to connect.

This tree is typical of a lot of the area's weatherbeaten guardians of Eight Dollar Mountain.

The mountainous area in the background is across the Illinois River, and the road to Babyfoot Lake, and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness area winds around, and up before dashing off to follow a precipitous cliffside route that makes your toes try to escape from your shoes to dig into the carpeting for additional security!

We are now one companion short, but Tatanka still travels along in spirit.

The Illinois is calm now, as it lazily passes through the valley enroute to its meeting with the mighty Rogue.

It's hard to believe that this is the same river that can quickly carry an an unfortunate automobile at a high speed, and toss it easily aside when is through playing with it.

The holes are deep, and as secretive, as the large fish that are watching us as we pass their lair.

The animal trail on the opposite side is well used, and links with the old mining road about a third of the way down the slope.

All along the road, there are trails leading down to the river. 

There are massive sand flats that testify to the raging torrents that crash through this valley in the spring.

When one is this far downriver you realize why forest fires are so very difficult to fight! The catastrophic winds created will whip through these narrow canyons, and by the time they get to it, the flames will be miles away, charging up another gorge.

This is the area we seek to explore, but as yet have not found the right series of roads to get there. It is across the river, and with the aid of a monocular, we saw old roads criss-crossing the hillsides.

A gold miner friend told us these roads were built by the Chinese workers, in response to my questioning the elaborate rock walls along their cliffside edges. 

These walls are built with stacked rocks, and run for miles down the canyon. I neglected to get photos, as I want to see them up close when we find a route.

This is as far as we go today. This is Deer Creek.

We considered wading across, but it is deep, and the rocks are sharp. That, plus the thought of hiking all the way back with wet boots, made the visions of blisters not worth it.

Plus that it's cold water.

Like everything else out here, there are mining claims on most every inch of waterfront.

You may still travel through the area, but it is illegal to even pick up any rocks and minerals.

In the flat area across the creek, are the remains of a large vehicle that was deposited by a flood, and who knows how far it was carried?

The peak in the background is where the Illinois will pass enroute to its meeting with the Rogue.

As far as we know, this is all that remains of an old U.S. Forestry Service building that served as quarters for the personnel assigned to this area. I do find it hard to believe that the government would erect such an elaborate foundation for a structure so far from anywhere, but it was probably "only tax dollars."

The old trail winds up to the right, and we bid goodbye to Deer Creek.

This area on the creek is also held by mining claims.

That is a future target for exploration, and we can see the Chinese built roads on the sides of the slope.

This faint reminder of an old road leads up to the next road, and I am reasonably certain that we could hike up to Oak Flat, but that would be just too much fun for one day.

Heading back by a little deviation.

This is an old still used by the early miners. We have photographed it on a previous hike, so I chose not to fight the blackberries again, but the still sits on a concrete slab, and must have been a first class operation.

More old car remains, dot the river's edge.

This is about as calm as it gets on this river!

Across the way are miles of rocks left piled up after the hydraulic mining operations that chewed through the entire valley floor, and as high up the slopes as they had the water pressure to collapse them.

Now this is not a photo for everyone. It is something that is just unusual enough that I had to take the shot.  My wife thinks I'm nuts, but NEVER have I seen this before, and this scat pile is special!
We all know that animals mark their territory, but I have never seen them do it in this manner, and it may be significant, or it may be just a pile of c _ _ _.

These were obviously, all coyotes, and at different times.  Could it be that this is the coyote's public rest area, since it is only a few miles from the one at Eight Mile bridge that the humans have? I know they are highly intelligent, but can they be evolving?

Yes, this was on the way back from a long hike, and we had jumped a family of deer at this spot earlier, and I failed to get a photo, so let this be runner-up in today's most interesting snapshot contest.

Coming back down Eight Dollar Mountain.

The ground squirrels have a whole family condo in these rocks. The guy in the center was begging, so we gave him some treats, and said adios to the trail one more time.

Hike to Tanner Mountain - Josephine County, Oregon

08/08/2012 - Author's note --  History has proven to be wrong on the name of this mountain and the lakes that lie beneath it.  The correct name is "Tanner," and future maps hopefully will correct this misspelling so long in err.

Thanks to Gary Swanson for the following post...

Beginning our trip from Grants Pass, Oregon, we headed Southwest on Highway 199, which is called the Redwood Highway, as it will take you to the majestic redwood forests in California.  At Cave Junction, we headed toward California Via Waldo Road, which becomes Happy Camp Road.  Just after entering California, we turned left into the Siskiyou National Forest, and after meandering back and forth over the state lines, we finally reached our jumping-off point in Oregon, and Josephine County. We were fortunate this time of year to drive far in without 4 wheel drive. We began our hike in the Red Buttes Wilderness area.

The trail winds uphill, through thick forests that thin out gradually as we climb.

The silence is incredible!

There are no sounds, other than our footsteps, and my labored breathing.

No birds were present at this altitude, as there really isn't anything for them to eat.

Talk about the "forest primeval", when a tree dies, it may still remain standing for another fifty-plus years. Protected by its neighbors, it could stand guard for a hundred years, unless fire should expose it to the winds by clearing away its' defenders.

There is an occasional sound of a chipmunk scurrying away from our approach, but you can hear your heartbeat up here. Not a plane, or vehicle!

This bear sign was exciting to find, as we saw places that had been ravaged, likely so it could dig up a squirrel, or some ants for lunch.   Desperation for adventure must have taken over for me to resort to photos of scat!

From alongside the trail, the terrain beyond is wild, and beautiful!

Underbrush is not difficult to bypass, as it grows slow this high up.

The bears sometimes hasten the decay of the rotting trees. This one was likely here long before Christopher Columbus was even born.

Do I see an end to this trail?

Looking back, at my wife following behind with our other dog, as I break trail to fend off the creatures of the mountain, and listen for the cry of the Sasquatch.

Wow! Just as I thought we had made it to the top, I cross the beautiful meadow, and as I peer over the edge, I see More mountain!  A LOT MORE Mountain!

This is not the peak, so we trudge across, and up the meadow.

This is a view into the "roadless" wilderness.

As we reach the upper end of the steep meadow, the actual peak is challenging my 70 years, and I wonder if I am even capable of making such a climb.  After a lifetime of wearing a tie, and dress clothes, where the highest climb I had to make was up the "corporate ladder", this seemed a bit much.  Also being as I hate heights, what a challenge!

Beginning the assault on the summit, and my better sense, the views became even more incredulous for a city boy.

Looking back down was easier.

The trail winds along the edge in places to avoid the ancient, twisty, and very thick mountain shrubs.

Now we can see another mountain range in the other direction.

Now, we are close to the sheer face of the summit, and it makes me wonder how the "real" mountain climbers ever get the nerve the first time the one of these things going straight up the cliff!

Only one time-ravaged tree remains.  There are no signs of others, and it sits as a silent sentinel about halfway up to the peak.  If only we could observe what it has seen.  When you consider how long it took to grow at over six thousand feet this is really astounding.

Made it!  Here we are, dogs, and all!  The only thing miserable about the entire trip was the thousands of BLACKFLIES!

I have heard about them, but in 3 and a half years in the area this was my first encounter.  There were literally well over a thousand of the innocuous, vile creatures.  They covered the entire peak, and my immediate thought was that we may find something dead, but a quick look around revealed nothing.  I did not get the feeling of being bitten, as I have had several thousand mosquitoes on me in a Minnesota swamp before, but they were so thick that they just covered us completely!  Just a few feet from the top, and the flies returned to their homes; the invaders retreating.

How interesting would it have been to be on the U.S.Geological Survey team? Wherever we go, it seems that these folks were already there.  Looking  We are at 6298 feet above sea level.  I think a trip to the coast will be necessary for me to decompress!

Below us is Tanner Lake.  We have hiked in to this lake, and its little sister East Tanner lake before, and the trail to the lakes also will wind up to where we now stand, but it becomes a total hike of about seven and a half miles which at that time was too much of a challenge for the old guy to care for!

I must confess that my wife took this photo, as I felt mine may have been blurred (which it turned out to be), and I hate heights so much that she got this photo!

You can barely see East Tanner lake in the photo center, but I took it quickly, as the only thing I hate more than looking up, is looking down!

This is from the other side of the peak.

Looking back up at the summit was so much easier, and I realized it was not so bad after I got used to it.  Next, I think of Grayback Mountain: it's over 7000 feet.

A glance back at the sentry tree, and we depart.

Do I see a way up the face?  Forgedaboudit!

Wow, More scat. This time from an elk.

And a Coyote!  I found what I'm certain was a cougar track, but it wouldn't photo.

Also footprints!  Isn't it great that we could bring you all of these signs, and scat?  Anyone can photograph animals, but whoever gets these kinds of mementos?

I know, my wife thinks it's dumb also!

Signs of coyotes are everywhere, as the attempt to dig out the ground dwelling chipmunks.

Now that the peak is over the hill it looks a lot more tame.

The trail back down.

The Tanner Mountain summit is far up and to the right.

Looking Northeast.

One of the lesser peaks on our way out.  The view below is the edge of the cliff-side road, and looking into California.

Thanks for viewing, and WELCOME TO OREGON!