Ahhhh.... with the Cloud Cap Road FINALLY reopened, I headed up there for a much-needed hike on the moraine loop on Sunday with my friend Chris. The logging along the road (of killer trees... more about that at the end...) was apparent, but less horrible than I had feared. Once at the trailhead, we noticed that the Cloud Cap Saddle toilet has a new door:
Ahem... I think I'll pass..!
The mountain was in the clouds for awhile, but we waited at the moraine viewpoint for awhile, and the cloud cap cleared off nicely. Here's a pano:
...and here's a view from near the big cairn on the moraine:
...and some closer views of the mountain and Eliot Glacier
Chris was new to the area, so we made a few stops after the hike -- first at Cloud Cap Inn, where this pano shows just how close we were to losing the lodge to the Gnarl Fire in 2009:
The building was open for tours -- always a fun little gem to experience up close!
We then headed to the Tilly Jane Historic District and visited the various structures -- the Guard Station was especially nice, with new shutters that volunteers had just finished hanging! They will be painted green to match the window sashes next weekend:
The logging... well, there were a LOT of stacked trees that had been cut, and while it was frustrating (and silly) to cut so many trees in the name of "safety", the overall burn area is still standing, and will apparently be allowed to run its course as the forest recovers. These were old (and very solid) trees, so I still question the real motive behind the second round of "safety" logging -- most looked like this:
But alas, they're cut now. The are is still spectacular -- including the stark beautify of the burn, so great to finally be back up there after two years!
Tom
Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
- Splintercat
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Portland
- Contact:
- BurnsideBob
- Posts: 538
- Joined: May 6th, 2014, 3:15 pm
- Location: Mount Angel, Oregon
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
Great photos, Tom. Looks like new paint on the guard station buildings, too.
Thanks for the report. It is great that that area is open once again.
Thanks for the report. It is great that that area is open once again.
I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
Thanks for the great report and pictures. How's the road up to Cloud Cap? Any better or worse since the Killer Tree Harvest?
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
I spent a day on the paint party on the Guard Station last Saturday. It's a wonderful building and it is amazing that all three of them survived the fires.BurnsideBob wrote:Great photos, Tom. Looks like new paint on the guard station buildings, too.
Apparently it took three years for the paint color to be approved for the historic structure. There was another color that was used early on and everybody hates it (apparently it is called puke lime), so this color worked hard to get approval. Somebody said it was on the blueprint because all original photos are B&W.
- Splintercat
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Portland
- Contact:
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
Dean, thanks for working on that! Great to see the building in such great shape! We visited with the volunteers a bit on Sunday, nice group of folks.
loot... er, killer trees could be hauled out... In fairness to Smokey Bear, it doesn't look a lot different than after the first log out of trees along the road in 2010, so it could have been a lot worse. I noticed that the loggers left debris across a couple sections of the historic stage road -- hopefully the USFS will get them to clean that up before the rest of the loot killer trees have been hauled out.
Tom
The road is unchanged and in good shape -- save for where the log trucks have been yarding cut trees, where things are torn up a bit. There are still a LOT of stacked trees waiting to be hauled out. My theory is that dry summer got ahead of the contractor (in terms of fire hazard), and the road was thus opened before all of theHow's the road up to Cloud Cap? Any better or worse since the Killer Tree Harvest?
Tom
- rainrunner
- Posts: 627
- Joined: June 29th, 2011, 6:55 am
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
What a lucky friend of yours to be able to tour Cloud Cap.
I never tire of glacier photos ~~ especially close up. Thanks.
I never tire of glacier photos ~~ especially close up. Thanks.
The mountains are calling and I must go.
John Muir
John Muir
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
Even though I am moving up in years I would be in favor of closing that gate all the time and let that used and abused land heal up there. I was there and did the long version on a week day and saw no one from the gate to Tie in rock.
Its a proven method to cut down the foot traffic.
Its a proven method to cut down the foot traffic.
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura
- woodswalker
- Posts: 835
- Joined: November 25th, 2012, 4:51 pm
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
I'm excited to go up there. I have a friend who is totally in love with the buildings of that era. It will be great to take him. Great shot of those shutters. Do you know if using the tree motif was common in that era for wilderness buildings. A bit of a detour but it seems like a good place to post my picture of the shutters on the two color guard station in the Wallowas. I'm not sure this one went through quite such a rigorous paint consult. But who knows
Woodswalker
Woodswalker
- Splintercat
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Portland
- Contact:
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
Yes, those are CCC-era designs (and I think they originated with the CCC but were adopted by the USFS). Here's a clip from a USFS design manual from the period (this is also posted on Wikipedia) showing the "official" specs:
I noticed that the design on the new Tilly Jane shutters were a bit more freeform, and my guess is that volunteers were simply doing their best to replicate the CCC design -- though it's also possible that the original shutters on this structure had a more freeform design, and the volunteers were simply replicating that.
If you pull off the plank in the middle of your Wallowa shutters, I suspect the bottom half of the "open pine tree" design would be revealed!
Tom
I noticed that the design on the new Tilly Jane shutters were a bit more freeform, and my guess is that volunteers were simply doing their best to replicate the CCC design -- though it's also possible that the original shutters on this structure had a more freeform design, and the volunteers were simply replicating that.
If you pull off the plank in the middle of your Wallowa shutters, I suspect the bottom half of the "open pine tree" design would be revealed!
Tom
- Splintercat
- Posts: 8334
- Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
- Location: Portland
- Contact:
Re: Eliot Moraine Loop (Aug 17)
...okay, had to go dig around a bit, but here's a 2008 photo of the Eagle Creek restroom with a classic example of the "open pine" design on the gables (per the specs I posted previously), though they angled the plank siding to make the "pine" more of a hemlock... or western red cedar..?
Gorgeous building... best restroom, anywhere!
Tom
Gorgeous building... best restroom, anywhere!
Tom