Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

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bobcat
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Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by bobcat » January 26th, 2022, 2:17 pm

I hiked up to Angels Rest for a look-see at the improvements/directional markers in the Principality of Foxglovia. Much work has transpired since I was here last and, under the potentate’s direction, there has been some upgrading of the nomenclature.

Looking to Portland from the Angels Rest Trail.jpg
Silver Star Mountain from the Angels Rest Trail.jpg

The junction above Angels Rest has a fairly discreet, rudimentary sign. The next junction on Foxglove Way is cluttered with a smorgasbord of labels. Under the ancien régime, Foxglove Way had been a west-east trail that roughly paralleled the Angels Rest Trail. The part of the route from this junction east is now known, by princely decree, as Lily’s Lane. Foxglove Way has become a vertical trail, leading, with some twists and turns, from Angels Rest to Devils Rest.

Junction with Foxglove Way, Angels Rest Trail.jpg
To Devils Rest, Foxglove Way-Lily's Lane junction.jpg
Old and new signs, Foxglove Way and Lily's Lane.jpg
Angels Rest sign, Foxglove Way-Lily's Lane junction.jpg
Lily's Lane sign at Foxglove Way junction.jpg

The next junction is with an old road bed. West of the junction, it is called Smith Road, while Foxglove Way takes the road down to an alder swamp. (You could thrash through the salmonberries and downed trees on Smith Road to conceivably make a loop south of Devils Rest and swing back to the rim of the Wahkeena bowl – one option is to meet up with Palmer Mill Road; I don’t know the condition of these routes at the present time.)

Invitation at Smith Road junction, Foxglovia.jpg
Old sign at Smith Road junction, Foxglovia.jpg

Down at the alder swamp, Foxglove Way continues steeply up to Devils Rest. The other option is Devils Fork, which continues on the old road bed above a creek. The trail breaks off the road bed and descends in scrappy, burned, deciduous woodland to join Lily’s Lane. The Devils Fork is the only one of these trails that never appeared in a guidebook, but it has been there as long as I remember (although often a semi-bushwhack through dense brush). It is Lily’s Lane that arrives at the Angels Rest Trail just west of Mist Creek.

Foxglove Way-Devils Fork junction, Foxglovia.jpg
Sign for Devils Fork, Foxglovia.jpg
Old metal pipe, Devils Fork, Foxglovia.jpg
Tree obstacle, Devils Fork, Foxglovia.jpg
At the Lily's Lane-Devils Fork junction, Foxglovia.jpg
Pointing back up Lily's Lane, Devils Fork junction, Foxglovia.jpg
Lily's Lane sign near Angels Rest Trail, Foxglovia.jpg
Signage on Angels Rest Trail at Lily's Lane junction, Foxglovia.jpg



There are downed trees here and there on all these trails.

In the fall, I took the Primrose Path down from Devils Rest. The post-fire incarnation dives down through the brush from the “A pox on he who vandals me” sign, generally following the ridgeline route of the old trail. After passing the open scree viewpoint, it makes an abrupt left turn, the “Disruptive Way”, veering off the old course, and meets with the Angels Rest Trail. The trail is steep and will be slippery when there is ice or snow. In places, there is a bit of minor clambering to be enjoyed.

Pox sign, Primrose Path.jpg
Den sign, Primrose Path.jpg
Rattler, Primrose Path.jpg
View to Table and Hamilton Mts., Primrose Path.jpg
Disruptive Way sign, Primrose Path.jpg

johnspeth
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by johnspeth » January 27th, 2022, 6:26 pm

Are you able to tell us who does these signs?

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bobcat
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by bobcat » January 27th, 2022, 7:17 pm

There's an update on the newest version of the Primrose Path at the tail end of the thread in this old report: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3804

As for the new signs on the Foxglove trails and the origins of "Lily's Lane", I have no idea.

12XU
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by 12XU » January 27th, 2022, 8:37 pm

I love the Foxglove rats nest of trails. I can't remember if it was foxglove or primrose, but the fire opened up an old bottle dump right off the main trail and I absconded a couple years back with some nice complete bottles, probably from the 40s or 50s. Last time I was up there was in November and these new signs were definitely not there then.

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by Don Nelsen » January 28th, 2022, 9:50 am

Thanks for the report and pictures. Nice to see someone's putting up a few signs. Perhaps fewer folks will get lost in the future.

Those signs are all new since I was last up there, or at least I didn't notice any. I wonder who Lily is?

dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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bobcat
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by bobcat » January 28th, 2022, 10:58 am

12XU wrote:
January 27th, 2022, 8:37 pm
I love the Foxglove rats nest of trails.
I called it a "principality" and you called it a "rat's nest." I actually like yours better.
Don Nelsen wrote:
January 28th, 2022, 9:50 am
I wonder who Lily is?
. . . and "Smith."

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by Don Nelsen » January 28th, 2022, 3:56 pm

[quote="Don Nelsen" [/quote]

. . . and "Smith."
[/quote]

I been told that Smith was the name of a family that lived on that road.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

Lurch
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by Lurch » February 2nd, 2022, 1:21 pm

I don't have a problem with people coming up with their own internal names for places, but I really wish they'd stop posting signs with random trail names on them. I'm sure it's fun and cute to some niche of people but this can legitimately and seriously confuse people, and misdirect resources when help is needed.

squidvicious
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by squidvicious » February 2nd, 2022, 3:04 pm

Lurch wrote:
February 2nd, 2022, 1:21 pm
this can legitimately and seriously confuse people, and misdirect resources when help is needed.
This was one of the misgivings I had when these signs appeared, so thank you for making that point. To be fair, nobody ever could seem to agree on what the individual trails were called or how to distinguish one from another, and I see the names on OSM maps were updated to match the signs, so maybe it will ultimately be a positive?

I first noticed the signs at the junction of the Angel's Rest and "Lily's Lane" (ie the east end). The multiple signs were extremely prominent, identifying just about everything except the official trail that most people should be/stay on. They also didn't note that they were not official trails. It seemed like a really good formula for confusing people unfamiliar with the area and drawing them off somewhere they didn't mean to be.

Logically anyone who started off intending to go down the Angel's Rest trail should be able to figure out to just stay on that, and the nature of the signs themselves should make it clear they aren't official. But then I remember how many people I've run into in that area who just started down a trail because it was there, and had absolutely no idea where they were going, how far they'd gone, or where to go from there. 100% guarantee some of those people would see that junction and decide it was the turn for home they'd been expecting to appear at any moment now.

I feel like a couple small changes could make a difference, like making sure they're marked as unofficial trails (and not necessarily subject to the same maintenance); maybe moving the signs off the official trails and posting them a bit down the foxglovia trail so they're still helpful but not as prominent and alluring; and/or including a sign clearly marking the official trail. If whoever put them up is around and open to suggestions, I guess.

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retired jerry
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Re: Visit to Foxglovia 1-24-22

Post by retired jerry » February 2nd, 2022, 3:17 pm

maybe there should be signs pointing to the trailhead(s) so people won't get lost and Lurch have to go find them?

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