Oregon Hikers

* Summer Lake (Windbreak Dike) * I arrived at Summer Lake in the middle of the day. It was 89° and time for a totally exposed stroll. While deer, bears, and cougars were resting panting in the shade, Summer Lake’s avian residents seemed oblivious to the blazing sun and were either snoozing out in t...

No oxygen for the fungi that break down the cellular material. When wood is submerged, all of the air it contains is expelled.

In our climate I didn't think that those trees would last that long, they should decompose before centuries go by. The natural agents that promote decay of woody material are not present underwater (lack of oxygen). Much of the city of Venice sits atop alder and oak pilings that are at least as old...

I'm gonna have to research that a bit and might give it a go. The Fremont NRT was previously known as the Southern Oregon Intertie Trail. You will have to research carefully. I hiked various segments of it on this trip, but many parts of the trail were affected by recent big fires: Watson Creek 201...

Thanks for the report. Makes me feel cool sitting in my sweltering house!

Glad you made it to the lake anyway. Thanks for the snow report!

drm wrote: ↑

June 27th, 2022, 6:31 am

Page Springs was quite buggy - I would say 5 on a scale 1-10.

Page Springs was a 10 the two times I've camped there. By far the buggiest campground I've ever been at. People like South Steens because it isn't buggy (that is well-known) but you will be entertained by bullbats at nightfall.

* Yamsay Mountain * After driving over the Cascades from Portland, my first stop in a multi-day trip, mostly in Lake County, was Yamsay Mountain. This unobtrusive peak, a sprawling shield volcano that seems almost insignificant in the surrounding landscape, is actually the highest point, at 8,200 f...

You're right, but it looks like that rock has both (phenocrysts and amygdules, as well as some empty vesicles). Apparently, they do occur together.

Good on you for hiking this trail, mostly seen just by mountain bikers and hunters. It has a handful of little-known attractions!