Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

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VanMarmot
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Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by VanMarmot » July 20th, 2017, 1:12 pm

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In late 2015, as we were assembling our hiking to do list for 2016, it occurred to us that we had yet to at least visit all of Oregon’s 47 established and open federal wilderness areas (post). Two of the 47 (Oregon Islands and Three Arch Rocks) are closed to public entry (and would require amphibious operations even if they were open). Of the remaining 45, we had, as of 2015, hiked or visited all but 18. So we planned some trips to visit these. We’re not philosophers but suffice to say that wilderness exists just to be wild, irrespective of human needs or wants. So we understood going in that the primary “human” purpose for these wilderness areas is to protect a watershed or a threatened and endangered species or a terrestrial habitat or a fish habitat or all of the above and not for our hiking pleasure. This is particularly true of the smaller, less visited areas, many of which have few or no trails and in which cross-country travel opportunities vary from good to heroically (think Lewis & Clark or Alexander Mackenzie) difficult. So we weren’t planning on long day hikes or multi-day backpacks, just a visit and, if possible without undue heroics, a short hike.  We started on the remaining 18 in January 2016 and visited the last one (amid some drama) in July 2017.  Below is a list of all of Oregon's established wilderness areas, with a link (if available) to at least one of our visits to each (we've visited some multiple times).

Badger Creek Wilderness [post]
Black Canyon Wilderness [post]
Boulder Creek Wilderness [post]
Bridge Creek Wilderness [post]
Bull of the Woods Wilderness [post]
Clackamas Wilderness - a brief foray in from Indian Henry Campground in 2001 or so.
Copper Salmon Wilderness [post]
Cummins Creek Wilderness [post]
Diamond Peak Wilderness [post]
Drift Creek Wilderness [post]
Eagle Cap Wilderness [post]
Gearhart Mountain Wilderness [post]
Grassy Knob Wilderness [post]
Hells Canyon Wilderness [post]
Kalmiopsis Wilderness [post]
Lower White River Wilderness [post]
Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness [post]
Menagerie Wilderness [post]
Middle Santiam Wilderness [post]
Mill Creek Wilderness [post]
Monument Rock Wilderness [post]
Mount Hood Wilderness [post]
Mount Jefferson Wilderness - during Mazamas climbs of Mt. Jefferson in 1997 & 2002.
Mount Thielsen Wilderness [post]
Mount Washington Wilderness - during Mazamas climbs of Mt. Washington in 1996 & 2002.
Mountain Lakes Wilderness [post]
North Fork John Day Wilderness - during a short hike to the “Bigfoot Hilton” (Home Mine) in about 2005.
North Fork Umatilla River Wilderness [post]
Opal Creek Wilderness [post]
Oregon Badlands Wilderness [post]
Oregon Islands Wilderness [closed]
Red Buttes Wilderness - Oregon Portion [post]
Roaring River Wilderness [post]
Rock Creek Wilderness [post]
Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness [post]
Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness [post]
Sky Lakes Wilderness [post]
Soda Mountain Wilderness [post]
Spring Basin Wilderness [post]
Steens Mountain Wilderness [post]
Strawberry Mountain Wilderness [post]
Table Rock Wilderness [post]
Three Arch Rocks Wilderness [closed]
Three Sisters Wilderness [post]
Waldo Lake Wilderness [post]
Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness - Oregon Portion [post]
Wild Rogue Wilderness [post]
Last edited by VanMarmot on July 20th, 2017, 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Webfoot
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by Webfoot » July 20th, 2017, 3:24 pm

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drm
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by drm » July 20th, 2017, 3:35 pm

Hey, your list is missing Badger Creek Wilderness.

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VanMarmot
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by VanMarmot » July 20th, 2017, 4:43 pm

drm wrote:Hey, your list is missing Badger Creek Wilderness.
Thanks for catching this! I put it back in. It seems to have gone missing during the translation from HTML to BB.

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GabrielleOC
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by GabrielleOC » July 21st, 2017, 8:11 am

Congratulations! I'm currently on the same mission but since I work full-time and have other obligations, it's taking me a bit longer than it took you. Looking forward to reading through your trip reports for ideas!

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drm
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by drm » July 21st, 2017, 8:46 am

VanMarmot wrote:Thanks for catching this!
Well, I was looking for the ones I've already visited, not very many of them, and since you were missing one of the small number I've been to, it was obvious for me!

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VanMarmot
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by VanMarmot » July 21st, 2017, 9:40 am

GabrielleOC wrote:Congratulations! I'm currently on the same mission but since I work full-time and have other obligations, it's taking me a bit longer than it took you. Looking forward to reading through your trip reports for ideas!
Thanks! Well, it took us almost 25 years to visit the first 27, what with work, business travel, and other stuff. We stuffed the last 18 into less than 2 years thanks to retirement and having (luckily) left the smaller ones till last. So keep at it - visiting these special places is soul-restoring no matter how long it takes! :D

Now, of course, we're starting to look at all those wilderness areas in Northern California... ;)

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sgyoung
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by sgyoung » July 23rd, 2017, 10:24 am

This is super cool. What a comprehensive post. Thanks for putting this together. Is it fair to ask if you have a favorite wilderness area, or is that like picking a favorite child?

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VanMarmot
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by VanMarmot » July 23rd, 2017, 10:47 am

sgyoung wrote:This is super cool. What a comprehensive post. Thanks for putting this together. Is it fair to ask if you have a favorite wilderness area, or is that like picking a favorite child?
Definitely a favorite child kind of question. Some are much more hikeable than others but all have something to offer in lieu of civilization.

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bobcat
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Re: Visiting all of Oregon's Wilderness Areas (July 2017)

Post by bobcat » July 25th, 2017, 11:18 am

Congratulations! I am now on the same quest in earnest and am also planning to revisit all those I haven't been to in the last ten years.

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