Acorn Woman Peak (S Oregon) 21-Feb-2015
Posted: February 22nd, 2015, 8:55 am
Previously (Little Grayback TR), I'd hiked a part of the Little Grayback trail but got diverted from it by a climb of Little Grayback itself. This time around the goal was to hike the whole trail (and not get flayed by foolishly trying to go XC through manzanita and buckbrush thickets!) and continue on to the old LO (now a met station) on Acorn Woman Peak (name updated when new name became official in September 2022). We started at the lower Little Grayback TH,
and began a gentle but ever upward traverse into a madrone forest,
then on up into a forest heavy with Ponderosa pines (possibly my favorite pine),
across open meadows,
where the first tiny flowers of Spring are already out,
then back into the forest,
before finally glimpsing the old LO (arrow), our goal for the day.
The entire trail - except for the short road section up to the LO - is S facing, so my decision to wear shorts in February worked out just fine! The LO itself is out of commission - what matters now is the automated met station next to it. During our last series of storms, that station clocked winds in excess of 110 mph over the peak - it was amazing that there weren't more trees down on the trail.
There are, of course, views - of Grayback Mountain (G), Baldy Peak (arrow), which is accessible via the Mule Mountain trail (Mule Mtn TR), and the LO's sanitary facility,
of Wagner Butte (arrow),
and of Mt. McLoughlin.
After lunch, we went back the way we'd come - passing a raucous group of Medford Happy Hikers along the way - and marveling how quickly the leaves of Fall were giving way to the new grasses of Spring.
An easy (11 mi RT, 1800' EG) and highly recommended hike and, according to the locals, a wildflower bonanza in the Spring.
and began a gentle but ever upward traverse into a madrone forest,
then on up into a forest heavy with Ponderosa pines (possibly my favorite pine),
across open meadows,
where the first tiny flowers of Spring are already out,
then back into the forest,
before finally glimpsing the old LO (arrow), our goal for the day.
The entire trail - except for the short road section up to the LO - is S facing, so my decision to wear shorts in February worked out just fine! The LO itself is out of commission - what matters now is the automated met station next to it. During our last series of storms, that station clocked winds in excess of 110 mph over the peak - it was amazing that there weren't more trees down on the trail.
There are, of course, views - of Grayback Mountain (G), Baldy Peak (arrow), which is accessible via the Mule Mountain trail (Mule Mtn TR), and the LO's sanitary facility,
of Wagner Butte (arrow),
and of Mt. McLoughlin.
After lunch, we went back the way we'd come - passing a raucous group of Medford Happy Hikers along the way - and marveling how quickly the leaves of Fall were giving way to the new grasses of Spring.
An easy (11 mi RT, 1800' EG) and highly recommended hike and, according to the locals, a wildflower bonanza in the Spring.