Elevator Shaft 9.16.12

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
User avatar
finley
Posts: 25
Joined: August 20th, 2009, 6:16 pm

Elevator Shaft 9.16.12

Post by finley » September 16th, 2012, 4:37 pm

Enjoyed this hike for the second time today, and wanted to supplement the already informative field guide entry and trip reports.

As a prior hiker posted earlier this summer, it is true that the area up on Multnomah Basin is overgrown in spots, and the once frequent flags are rather scarce. Once on the level basin, the trail is fairly easy to follow until it suddenly becomes the opposite, at which point inexperience could be a problem. Having traversed this path before, I had a general idea of where I was, but still felt a bit uneasy as the trail entered heavily overgrown, bushy areas. This happened at approximately the "unmapped east-west trail" as described on the main page, with sometimes 20-30' with only a semblance of a trail beneath bushes. This happened about 4 times - 4 opportunities to lose the trail.

Once through, the trail to Cougar Rock and Nesika Lodge are well worn, however, leaving the lodge area was also a matter of uncertainty, as many of the signs are broken. Again, having done this before, and with a map and compass in hand, I knew the direction I should head and the general lay of the land, but there are many intersecting roads and trails that are all deceptively well maintained. I felt a little uncomfortable at times, fearing not being lost, but that we'd accidentally headed more indirectly toward Larch Mountain or Franklin Ridge, turning a 7 mile day hike into something else. Even when there were positive signs (how about some Christmas ornaments?), there were still forks in the trail that could have easily mislead someone out on their first trip. I was hugely surprised when we came out onto the Multnomah Falls/Larch Mt. Trail, as I expected another 30 minutes or so of westerly traverse. A pleasant turn, but it only shows how far I was off.

If nothing more, I suppose I want to caution people before endeavoring on this hike. It's an awesome, heart pounding yet punishment-free climb, a truly great hike in many ways, but it could also be a cold night in the woods for the unprepared. The disclaimer for Lost Hike - "The "trail" may be dangerous and hard to follow and is not recommended for beginning hikers without an experienced leader" - is no joke.
DSC02127-002.JPG

Post Reply