Oregon Hikers

A month ago I went from Mack Canyon, 23 miles from Columbia River. I walked about 8 miles.

There are a lot of places where it burned last summer. Also places that burned previously. Actually, if anything the "trail" is easier now because the brush has burned away.

Lots of burned areas. You can see where there used to be a wooden outhouse but all that remains is the base:
I brought my folding saw. I squeezed around that bush and sliced up my jacket and pants on the barbed wire fence, so I cut off the branches so as not to repeat on the way back. The "trail" is now pretty straightforward. The first 5 miles includes detouring around a number of trestles which are much easier now that the brush has burned off:
The trail follows along an old railroad bed. The fire burned a bunch of the old wooden ties which will eventually make it easier to walk:

Looks better than photos right after the fire, not so black (or maybe it didn't burn that hot up there). I bet in as little as 1-2 years new grass will cover most signs of the fire along Deschutes, the area will be back to old self. Did trees at water's edge survive?

Mostly, trees along water were okay: There was a fire there several years ago. Burned one of the railroad cars. Yeah, area returns to looking pretty normal after a couple years. That area doesn't have a lot of trees and plants regardless because of the soil and weather.

I didn't get very far on this trip, looking forward to going from the Columbia end.

We took a Christmas Day stroll a few miles upstream from the Columbia. The blackened hills already have a wonderful green sheen, as the grasses have sprouted.