The eternal trees of McKenzie pass
Posted: July 3rd, 2018, 5:53 pm
I've been hiking and exploring the NW for a few years and have most always had a camera at the ready. Of course, in the early years, my income was minimal, film was expensive and even more so developing. Still, I've managed to take some photos that have shown some remarkable changes over the years. Some, though, have shown how little some areas have changed.
About 50 years ago, I drove over McKenzie Pass and with a WWII surplus tent, camped just east of the pass right up against the lava flow. I've gone back and taken photos of the same area and will post them soon when I get some more time to scan them. For the time being, here is a group of photos I've taken of a tree from 1985 up to last week about a mile east of the pass. I've camped in this spot for many years and my kids came to know this as "The Usual Place" since they loved the wonderful times we had on many trips over the years. When they asked where we were headed for the week and I said "the usual place, they would be jumping up and down in anticipation. Campfires, marshmallows, fun hikes and just great family adventures.
The recent fires spared this great campsite but just barely. I hope to get back up there again and hopefully continue to take pics of this eternal tree up on the lava field. If you examine the photos carefully, you can see the tree changes over the years but not very much! Of course, the kids have dubbed this "the usual tree".
This first photo was taken in Aug. of 1985. a tripod mounted night shot but you can see this venerable hemlock quite well:
The next in 1996:
2004:
Last week, 2018.
Stay tuned for more on this subject, but it may take me a few weeks.
About 50 years ago, I drove over McKenzie Pass and with a WWII surplus tent, camped just east of the pass right up against the lava flow. I've gone back and taken photos of the same area and will post them soon when I get some more time to scan them. For the time being, here is a group of photos I've taken of a tree from 1985 up to last week about a mile east of the pass. I've camped in this spot for many years and my kids came to know this as "The Usual Place" since they loved the wonderful times we had on many trips over the years. When they asked where we were headed for the week and I said "the usual place, they would be jumping up and down in anticipation. Campfires, marshmallows, fun hikes and just great family adventures.
The recent fires spared this great campsite but just barely. I hope to get back up there again and hopefully continue to take pics of this eternal tree up on the lava field. If you examine the photos carefully, you can see the tree changes over the years but not very much! Of course, the kids have dubbed this "the usual tree".
This first photo was taken in Aug. of 1985. a tripod mounted night shot but you can see this venerable hemlock quite well:
The next in 1996:
2004:
Last week, 2018.
Stay tuned for more on this subject, but it may take me a few weeks.