Mt. Hebo Hike -01/01/19

[barryjones335]

i have seen cougar up there quite a few times while driving. and iv'e followed their tracks up the trail twice in snow. might end up doing it again this weekend lol.

[Naturebat]

Very cool. Did you continue on or turn around? Any nerves?

What's the boards opinion in general on the amount of wildlife seen on Oregon trails (specifically in the Oregon Cascades / Mt Hood)? Why does it seem like there's so much less than Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, etc? Or is it just me?!

I know it is an old post, but I think it is because our mountains (mostly) are less rugged and remote than up in Washington, the Sierras, or the Rockies. (The only exception would be the Wallowas, in eastern OR). Most of the OR Cascades are much less rugged, have less vertical relief, are more roaded over, and are much drier (with lots of barren pumice plains, lava flows, etc.).

The Cascades up in northern and central WA have a lot more vertical relief, accessibility to water (from the numerous glaciers up there), less trails in general, and a lot more remote glacial valleys. Our wilderness areas in the Oregon Cascades are also much more fragmented, with less adjacent boundaries. Pretty much everything north of I-90 in WA is wilderness, except for two major east-west highways. Even Mt. Rainier is surrounded by a lot more wilderness area, has more water and glaciers, and more vertical relief.

As for the Oregon Coast Range, it is much more roaded and logged out. Even the Oregon Cascades are a lot more roaded and logged out–habitat fragmentation from roads.