Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

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Splintercat
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Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Splintercat » January 26th, 2009, 12:01 pm

I recently noticed an intriguing detail on an old USFS map -- a trail to the summit of Slide Mountain, west of Mount Hood:

Image

I would imagine that this has been consumed by rhododendrons by now, but worth checking out at some point. This map also includes the long-lost "Beaver Lakes" that have apparently dried up or become meadows.

-Tom

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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by pablo » January 26th, 2009, 6:15 pm

This trail (or trails, there looks to be 2 segments) shows up on the 1938 and 1949 maps I have - on the '38 map as a lesser standard trail. I don't see it anywhere else in my collection. In looking at the area in Google Earth there looks to be some viewpoints on the eastern ridge line. In the image below, green and red lines are my guesstimations of the old routes, blue is the route I'd take as it looks more interesting in Google Earth. Were I route planning I'd follow the green and blue line intersecting with the PCT for a loop. Looks like a loop opportunity at the PCT in both directions.
SlideMtn.JPG
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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Wyeast pal » February 3rd, 2009, 11:20 pm

Can you say "devil's club"?

Not so much on the ridges but getting to them...

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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Splintercat » February 4th, 2009, 10:07 pm

I'm pretty sure I'll take about 2 lbs of devils club to my grave, still embedded in my skin... :)

Paul, here's another map clip, this time from the 1938 map -- missed this until now:

Image

Looking at Google Earth, there's a rather interesting summit spine that looks pretty open - this is the view looking west:

Image

It doesn't show too well from this angle, but the open stretch ends at a bit of a knob - shows up as a rock outcrop on this view. If it's actually an opening, the view is right up the Sandy canyon to Reid Glacier... nice!

Tom

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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Wyeast pal » February 4th, 2009, 10:55 pm

I might approach it coming off the PCT on the south side of Rushing Water Cr, staying on the ridge as best as I can. the older map you have just shows what is now the Paradise Park Loop - not the PCT lower down - but you likely knew that.

Or head up Burnt Lake Trail and dive off at the big switchback ("new - early 1990's") and head for that more meadow like area south of the Slide Ridge.

Of course both of those leave steeper pitches at the end to get on the ridge.

I have looked at that ridge from the Burnt Lake trail...

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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Splintercat » February 11th, 2009, 8:23 pm

Me, too -- in fact, you can see Burnt Lake in the line-of-sight in the Google Earth rendering, if you look closely. That little valley to the south looks interesting -- it could be a miserable thicket of willows and who knows what (devils club!) or just huckleberries. I don't have any photos looking down on that valley from above (though I did find one of the north face of Slide Mountain and points northward), so it's kind of a mystery to me.

Approaching from Rushing Water Creek is interesting, too..! Hmmm.....

Tom

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Re: Slide Mountain Trail (circa 1920s)

Post by Guy » April 7th, 2011, 5:13 am

Just adding a link to the trip we made up Slide Mt. based on this thread.
http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/vie ... d&start=10
hiking log & photos.
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