Posts in Fall 2017

Hot Springs in the Forest

September 16, 2017 Posted by Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Hot Springs in the Forest”

By Cheryl Hill and John Sparks

A man leaning back in a chair smoking a pipe with four other men sitting around a campsite.

A group of men camped at Bagby Hot Springs in the 1920s.

The Bagby Hot Springs Trail #544 is one of a number of trails that once led to the 136-degree pools above the Hot Springs Fork of the Collawash River. American Indians had long known about and used the hot springs along the Hot Springs Fork when prospector Robert Bagby visited the site in 1881 following a rough sign with an arrow labeled “Hell.” (more…)

Hike of the Season: Potato Butte

September 16, 2017 Posted by Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Hike of the Season: Potato Butte”

By John Sparks

The lower portion of the trunks of ten large coniferous trees foregrounded against innumerably more trees behind them.

Old-growth forest on the lower section of the Red Lake Trail.

There’s a back way into the Olallie Lake Scenic Area, and it requires the relief of driving decent gravel for less than a mile as compared to the dusty, sometimes spine-shattering washboard experience of getting in to the often crowded shores of Olallie Lake itself. The semi-secret is the Red Lake Trail #719. The hike does require a little elevation gain up the escarpment above the Clackamas River, but it delivers you to a series of backcountry lakes with camp spots—Red, Averill, Wall, Sheep, and Fork lakes—which are some of the less-visited in the area. In fact, the trail still exhibits some of the old varnished trail signs of a past age and even one marker referencing the Skyline Trail, precursor to the Pacific Crest Trail! (more…)

Volunteer Spotlight: Geri Marz

September 16, 2017 Posted by Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Volunteer Spotlight: Geri Marz”

By Michael McDowell

A woman in a hard hat standing on a steep slope with her hands on a large rock.

Geri doing rock work at Trail Skills College, April 2017.

Geri Marz joined Trailkeepers about a year ago. She’s volunteered weekly almost ever since joining, and put in many volunteer days over the past winter, spring, and summer on a trail crew building the new Viewpoint Trail at Milo McIver State Park. John Sparks and Michael McDowell met with her in August to discuss her TKO volunteering. (more…)

Oregon Creates an “Office of Outdoor Recreation”

September 16, 2017 Posted by Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Oregon Creates an “Office of Outdoor Recreation””

By Tom Kloster, President, Trailkeepers of Oregon

Man kneeling in water holding a large fish

Oregon Representative Ken Helm with a catch!

In its 2017 session, the Oregon legislature passed a pair of bills that created a new “Office of Outdoor Recreation” and established the first Saturday in June as “Outdoor Recreation Day.” Trailkeepers of Oregon partnered with the Mazamas, Oregon Wild, the Sierra Club, and other outdoor groups to support passage of the bills. Representative Ken Helm (D-Beaverton), a TKO member and co-sponsor of the “Office of Outdoor Recreation” bill, says he hopes the new legislation will help the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department better promote and support outdoor organizations like TKO. (more…)

Send a Ranger!

September 16, 2017 Posted by Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Send a Ranger!”

By Steve Kruger, Executive Director

A man in rain jacket and hard hat kneeling in green foliage.

Steve Kruger cutting new trail at Punchbowl Falls Park on a Trailkeepers of Oregon work party in June, near Hood River.

While chopping up the dirt on a trail near Hood River with TKO volunteers not long ago, I was answering as many questions as I was asking as we got acquainted. Having recently left my job as an Oregon State Parks ranger to accept the role of Executive Director of Trailkeepers of Oregon, I get asked plenty of questions. My most common reply is, “They thought they should send a ranger. A jack of all trades, right?” One of my fellow crew members said, “Did you know there is a second part to that phrase? A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” It brought a smile to my face and reminded me of a line from a seminal figure in public lands’ history about the many roles of park rangers: (more…)

Eagle Creek Fire

September 16, 2017 Posted by Columbia River Gorge, Fall 2017, Newsletter 0 thoughts on “Eagle Creek Fire”

By Tom Kloster, President, Trailkeepers of Oregon

Standing dead trees on a steep slope down to a wide blue river with mountains in the background on the other side of the river.

Snags from the 1991 gorge fire at Angel’s Rest as they appeared in 2013.

Fires in the Columbia River Gorge are as old as the place itself. Early white settlers called it the “Devil’s Wind” when summer drought combined with the wind-tunnel effect of the gorge to create racing forest-fire infernos. As recently as 1991, fires burned a swath from Angel’s Rest to Multnomah Falls and a separate fire burned Wauna Point above Eagle Creek. These same areas burned again this month, and so this timeless cycle continues. (more…)

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