Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

This forum is used to share your experiences out on the trails.
Post Reply
pdxalex
Posts: 60
Joined: July 26th, 2016, 4:04 pm

Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

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

On our way to pick up a wine club shipment, my wife and I decided to check out the Lyle Cherry Orchard trail for the first time. We just wanted a little exercise but it felt more like walking up and down a slip & slide at times. Sunday the 16th was pretty dreary and overcast at that end of the gorge. It was 37 degrees at the trailhead with 8 cars at the siding. No wind or precipitation. No problems finding the trailhead. The field guide is spot on. There was still some snow on the ground although not much on the trail. One spot, just past the sign and boot brush, was compacted enough to be very slick and icy. There were a few patches of snow higher up but the greater hazard was mud. Some sections of the trail were remarkably slick. Every step seemed to slide a couple of inches and there wasn’t much to grab for support. Poles helped some but it didn’t take long for the ends of mine to become encased in tennis ball sized gobs of mud. Other than the patches of mud and snow, the trail was in pretty good shape. There are a few limbs down and a little bit of rock. We encountered a few people on the trail and saw others in the distance on the first shelf. We saw no wildlife other than the occasional raptor circling below us. It is a pretty spot. We definitely need to check it out in the spring.
IMG_2227.JPG
IMG_2235.JPG
IMG_2240.JPG

marcelohoyt
Posts: 1
Joined: January 17th, 2022, 5:11 pm

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by marcelohoyt » January 17th, 2022, 5:17 pm

Beautiful. That's a trail I've yet to hike so looking forward to giving a try.

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by drm » January 18th, 2022, 9:31 am

You didn't say how high you got. On the climb up I'm guessing the worst mud is in the new switchback that was added a couple years ago. But once you get near the top and into the trees, the mud can get really bad. It's not like stepping in a puddle, it's that gooey clay stuff. But that far east, it mostly stops raining by late winter, so can be in good shape for spring hikes.

pdxalex
Posts: 60
Joined: July 26th, 2016, 4:04 pm

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by pdxalex » January 18th, 2022, 10:22 am

We had limited time and were moving so slowly that we had to turn back before reaching the top. We hit the really gooey stuff after the turn up from the first bench. Very slimy & slippery with some decent suction too.

User avatar
BigBear
Posts: 1836
Joined: October 1st, 2009, 11:54 am

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by BigBear » January 18th, 2022, 2:43 pm

Yep, that good ole Missoula mud. Your results will NOT vary on Burdoin Mountain's east face or Tom McCall Point. And if you are looking for the same fun without the drive, Forest Park's non-gravel trails offer the same silt splashed up onto the hills from those 80-or-so Missoula Floods. When dried, it bakes into nice adobe bricks, and when wet it has the consistency of pudding.

Even on the upper road on Lyle Cherry Orchard its on the other side of the ridge above the trail), those steep grades make for great snowless glissades. I have a confirmed three-foot long, single-foot-stance slide without falling before regaining my traction. I do not recommend trying to beat my record...unless you are riding in someone else's car. Even then, you might find yourself strapped to the luggage rack on top.

User avatar
drm
Posts: 6133
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: The Dalles, OR
Contact:

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by drm » January 19th, 2022, 2:48 pm

Can we send it back to Missoula?

I find that mature trails sometimes have washed the mud off down to the rock below. This is the case with most of the trails around Coyote Wall. You can tell that the newer routings there are worse.

User avatar
Chip Down
Posts: 3037
Joined: November 8th, 2014, 8:41 pm

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by Chip Down » January 19th, 2022, 5:21 pm

pdxalex wrote:
January 17th, 2022, 12:01 pm
... like walking up and down a slip & slide
If you're referring to the classic Wham-O summer yard amusement product, it's actually styled as Slip'n Slide.

You're welcome. :geek:
Attachments
slipnslide.jpg

User avatar
BigBear
Posts: 1836
Joined: October 1st, 2009, 11:54 am

Re: Lyle Cherry Orchard Slip & Slide, Jan. 16, 2022

Post by BigBear » January 20th, 2022, 11:20 am

That brings back memories. For the best results, sit down at the start, holding a rope and have two friends holding the rope ends. They run half way down the length of the plastic slide and let the momentum carry you the rest of the way and into the grass.

My other favorite: HIPPITY-HOP: just bounce around and make yourself sick. Another 1960s favorite: LAWN JARTS. These deadly projectiles puncture right through the corrogated aluminum roof of patios. I kid you not. It was quite surprising to see two inches of the tip extending through the metal.

Post Reply