cougars and lowland snows

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
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aiwetir
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Re: cougars and lowland snows

Post by aiwetir » January 16th, 2022, 3:19 pm

You merely said south slope. The TNC owned portion is on a south slope, you need to distinguish between the Nature Conservancy's Cascade Head Preserve (largely just the biggest unforested headland) and the federally owned USFS-managed Cascade Head Scenic Area if you don’t want to be called out.

So you stopped at the property line?

The TNC portion has been closed the whole time. No inconsistency on their part.
- Michael

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bobcat
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Re: cougars and lowland snows

Post by bobcat » January 16th, 2022, 5:46 pm

I followed cougar tracks this week in the Columbia Gorge. Coming down from Wauna Viewpoint, I took the "powerline" trail to hit Tanner Creek Road and then returned to Eagle Creek via the 400. No human had hiked this section of the 400 since the snow, but first I followed elk tracks going my way (east). Very soon, these veered off to the left and I saw cougar tracks coming from the west. These veered off to the right. I like to think these two creatures had an accidental encounter. (I don't think a cougar would attack an elk head on, but the elk, probably a solitary male, also didn't want to test that theory.) Anyway the cat tracks extended for quite a way and it had obviously come up from Eagle Creek. I've seen cat tracks in the Gorge numerous times in the snow at low elevations.

Cougar track, 400 Trail.jpg

querulous
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Re: cougars and lowland snows

Post by querulous » January 16th, 2022, 6:10 pm

aiwetir wrote:
January 16th, 2022, 3:19 pm
You merely said south slope. The TNC owned portion is on a south slope, you need to distinguish between the Nature Conservancy's Cascade Head Preserve (largely just the biggest unforested headland) and the federally owned USFS-managed Cascade Head Scenic Area if you don’t want to be called out.

So you stopped at the property line?

The TNC portion has been closed the whole time. No inconsistency on their part.
In this instance, not guilty. The trail hiking I did was on the, North-south whatever it's called, "Oregon coast" trail(?) The rest was cross-country or on the closed road and not in the preserve. I don't imagine I would have seen any cougar tracks on the headland or the lower trail.

But in a broader sense, guilty. I certainly came in to the headland from the top with my seven-year old child last summer, to give him a nice view with little climbing and no crowds. I don't *think* the kiosk at the boundary there said anything about closure. The lower trailhead has had closure signs off and on since at least last winter. If, as you say, it has been continuously closed, then people have taken down the sign repeatedly. No shock. In a larger sense I am surprised they are persisting with a COVID closure; all the big land management agencies (USFS, NPS, WA DNR) backed off from outdoor closures once it became clear that the virus was not that transmissible outdoors. Probably one of the best and safest amusements available in the circumstances. My occasional look-ins (seeing people on the trail or walking to the trailhead) suggest that that Cascade head preserve closure has been pretty widely ignored; the teeming masses of Lincoln City and associated tourist infrastructure will not be denied their scenic walk. So if you have any contacts at TNC tell 'em to change course. Certainly that place needs monitoring. In the summer months it gets hammered, mobbed, and someone needs to keep the dog owners in check. A failed closure is equivalent to no monitoring. Really, I don't envy the TNC. It's a management headache.

Sometimes I flirt with the idea of a photograph or selfie quota for a particular photo spot. Some bits of landscape just get tired from being excessively photographed. The view N from cascade head, over the Salmon river estuary, certainly qualifies for some photo relief.

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aiwetir
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Re: cougars and lowland snows

Post by aiwetir » January 17th, 2022, 12:01 pm

Yes the signs keep coming down and even when they are up, you see cars parked at those trailheads, because people.

Thanks for the clarification too, I commend you on being honest.
- Michael

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