Rain yesterday, rain tomorrow...but oddly enough no rain today. I grabbed the opportunity to go hike the
Larison Rock trail #3607 out by Oakridge. I hit the trailhead some time around dawn, and was up and down in a leisurely 4 1/2 hours or so (for an 8.6 mile round trip).
- Lower trailhead
And I do mean "up". From the lower trailhead on FR5852 (where there is room to park two cars, maybe three if you don't mind one of them getting stuck) the trail leaps up the hillside right out of the gate, and it's basically all up to the top of Larison Rock 2300 feet or so higher. Not the steepest trail in the area, but pretty unrelenting; it winds its way around the hillsides with a few switchbacks, but avoids diving into any valleys on the way.
The trail is in good shape, with a well-packed surface and only a couple of small trees down (one of which was only down on my return trip, in a spot where there was no tree on the way up). It's supposedly closed to mountain bikes this time of year, but at least a few bikers didn't get the message judging by the tracks in the few muddy spots. I can't really blame them; there are no signs stating this, and I wouldn't have known about the closure except from the FS web site.
- Just more climbing around the corner
Around the two mile mark the trail climbs on to a fairly narrow ridge which it then follows, making the slope more moderate from here to the upper trailhead. This is also about where the sun started peeking through the clouds. There were occasional views of Oakridge and the Middle Fork of the Willamette River from here, but nothing to write home about. Not really a trail for incredible vistas.
- Coming up to the ridgeline and out of the mist
At the four mile mark the trail comes up on FR2102, where there is much more ample parking. There's then another .3 miles of trail to the top of the hill. This is once again steeper, with some legitimate switchbacks on the way.
- Upper parking area
One thing that gave me pause in this area was a breadbox-sized chunk of rock that had clearly not been in the trail for long. I could see where it blasted its way through the foliage on the way down from above. Well, at least I wasn't there when it decided to relocate. Just shy of the top there is a nice flat area that would accommodate a tent or two if you were in an overnighting mood.
- Interloping rock on the trail
The last twenty feet or so is exposed rock and a bit scrambly. It was a little slick from the moisture but not loose and I made my way cautiously to the top, past some concrete and steel footings from a long-gone
lookout tower.
- Old tower footing and rod
The view from the top was ... fortunately not what I came for. While it was clear right where I was, there was plenty of cloud on the hills in all directions. I didn't dawdle because it was substantially colder on top than lower down. Still, I was glad I went today, because tomorrow (if the forecasters are right) there will be a foot of snow here.
Overall an enjoyable hike, though I don't think I'd want to be doing it in mountain bike season. There were a lot of spots on the side of steep slopes where I wouldn't want to be trying to get out of the way of the sort of person who thinks plummeting down a steep trail is fun.
- View from the top
