Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

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dgweston
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Joined: June 4th, 2017, 4:04 pm

Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by dgweston » July 8th, 2018, 8:23 pm

It's July 8, 2018 and I'm just back from an overnight backpack trip. Loads of wildflowers (couldn't post photos of all), a reliable water source at Oval Lake camp, and two spectacular overlooks.

I started at Fret Creek trail head and hiked in just shy of 2 miles to reach Oval Lake. It's short but there are two *very* steep sections. Oval Lake is lovely, though very shallow, and surely a mosquito's paradise. Luckily, they are only starting to emerge and not really a bother. You'll want bug spray for dusk and morning, but that's all. Oval Lake is a great base camp. There are other spots further up (and I do mean "up") but I didn't see any more water sources.

After setting camp I continued on up and hung a left. Just a bit over a quarter mile to Palisade Point. It's very rocky and dry, and higher elevation,so the wildflowers were of a different sort. Dramatic views of the Cascades and fascinating andesite rock formations.

Next I turned around and headed past my home trail to hike up to Lookout Mountain summit. At 6,536 feet, Lookout Mountain is the highest point in Badger Creek Wilderness. There once was an actual fire watch building there, but you can only see the foundation now. More importantly, you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, the Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Jefferson.

All of this is certainly doable as a day hike. You can also access Lookout Mountain, etc. from other trails. What I like about the route I took is it's pretty much all downhill after the last hurrah. In a good way. By the time I was back to camp, I hiked around 8 miles total, with almost 2,000 feet of net climb. Worth every last centimeter.

Note: I'm fairly certain I heard a bear very near my camp. It was about an hour after sunset. Sounded just like recordings I've heard, but I couldn't locate with a flashlight. Glad I had my food and anything with a scent hung way high up!

***
It was seriously hard to narrow down to just 15 photos

NOTE: All plant IDs are my best attempt. Corrections are welcome!

Fret Creek Trail is mostly forested and closely follows the creek. Green, green, green everywhere.
1 Fret Creek.JPG
Royal Penstamon
2 IMG_6703 Royal Penstemon.JPG
Anemone oregana
5 IMG_6715 Anemone oregana.JPG
A gauntlet of coral mushrooms
7 IMG_6724 a gauntlet of coral mushroom.JPG
Obligatory lake as mirror shot. Oval Lake.
9 IMG_6906.JPG
Saw two salamanders - waiting on ID help.
10 IMG_6895.JPG
Cistanthe sp. ("pussypaws")
11 IMG_6737 Cistanthe Pussypaws.JPG
One view from Palisade Point
14 IMG_6769.JPG
Mule ears?
16 IMG_6764 Mule ears.JPG
Calochortus subalpinus (Mariposa Lily)
17 IMG_6834 Calochortus subalpinus Mariposa Lily.JPG
There were two wonderfully fragrant plants near Lookout Mountain. I think one was a Ceanothus of some sort, the other is this Fragrant white sage.
20 IMG_6828 fragrant white sage.JPG
Mt. Hood looking good!
23 IMG_6841.JPG
I just learned Whitebark pine is a threatened species. Next time, I'll have to look for living examples.
26 IMG_6851.JPG
Tall Jacob's-Ladder
27 IMG_6847 tall jacob's-ladder.JPG
Phlox
28 IMG_6858 Phlox.JPG

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bobcat
Posts: 2764
Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by bobcat » July 9th, 2018, 1:11 pm

Great overnighter and one of my favorite areas!

Your salamander looks very much like a Cope's giant salamander, right on the eastern edge of its range. Wow - I've never seen one, but now I know where to look!

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walrus
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Joined: July 9th, 2014, 7:24 am

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by walrus » July 9th, 2018, 6:21 pm

We camped at Oval Lake just a few weeks ago - the froggy evensong was something special, but no mysterious snuffling in the wee hours. If you go again, I endorse keeping going past the Palisades to the Flag FretPoint lookout tower, which is an active firewatch in the summer. It is manned June - September by a very nice man and his dog who in all likelihood will invite you up - the view is most definitely worth the rickety stairs!
Last edited by walrus on July 10th, 2018, 6:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

dgweston
Posts: 30
Joined: June 4th, 2017, 4:04 pm

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by dgweston » July 9th, 2018, 7:09 pm

bobcat wrote:
July 9th, 2018, 1:11 pm
Great overnighter and one of my favorite areas!

Your salamander looks very much like a Cope's giant salamander, right on the eastern edge of its range. Wow - I've never seen one, but now I know where to look!
Thanks, Bobcat. I wondered about the Cope's. It was so fun watching the guy/gal swim around. Near the best established camp spot at the north end, by the way. :-)

dgweston
Posts: 30
Joined: June 4th, 2017, 4:04 pm

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by dgweston » July 9th, 2018, 7:11 pm

walrus wrote:
July 9th, 2018, 6:21 pm
We camped at Oval Lake just a few weeks ago - the froggy evensong was something special, but no mysterious snuffling in the wee hours. If you go again, I endorse keeping going past the Palisades to the Fret Point lookout tower, which is an active firewatch in the summer. It is manned June - September by a very nice man and his dog who in all likelihood will invite you up - the view is most definitely worth the rickety stairs!
Wonderful - thanks for the tip, I will definitely do that. And agreed on the froggy evensong. Sigh, I should have stayed. :-)

dgweston
Posts: 30
Joined: June 4th, 2017, 4:04 pm

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by dgweston » July 11th, 2018, 6:39 pm

bobcat wrote:
July 9th, 2018, 1:11 pm
Great overnighter and one of my favorite areas!

Your salamander looks very much like a Cope's giant salamander, right on the eastern edge of its range. Wow - I've never seen one, but now I know where to look!

UPDATE: according to the Facebook herp ID group, my salamander friend is a Ambystoma gracile. The common name is boringly common: northwestern salamander. Neotenic type. Sorry to say, your search for a Cope’s may have to continue. :-)

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bobcat
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Location: SW Portland

Re: Overnight Fret Creek to Palisades Point and Lookout Mt.

Post by bobcat » July 12th, 2018, 6:16 am

dgweston wrote:
July 11th, 2018, 6:39 pm
UPDATE: according to the Facebook herp ID group, my salamander friend is a Ambystoma gracile. The common name is boringly common: northwestern salamander. Neotenic type. Sorry to say, your search for a Cope’s may have to continue.
Glad you checked on that with the experts - although this one would also be at the very edge of its range. Apparently the neotonic type prevails at higher altitudes.

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