Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

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Splintercat
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Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by Splintercat » July 6th, 2013, 11:19 pm

Lovely afternoon up at Lookout Mountain today -- sunny, a few breezes and not too many bothersome bugs, despite a LOT of bugs buzzing around..! Some photo highlights:

One of the few remaining artifacts from the old guard station and lookout: a lonely phone pole along the old lookout road:

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Pano of the cinder slopes and Mount Hood from the west leg:

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Lots of flowers! Some paintbrush along the west and south slopes:

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Skyrocket gilia, also along the south and west slopes:

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Spent some quality time with an old friend -- this ancient whitebark pine had just two living trunks... until this year, as the north trunk is now dying, and as you can see, the branches on the remaining trunk (on the right) are pretty yellow and stressed. I think this old guy is about to give up the ghost:

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Sort of remarkable (and humbling) to watch this unfold over the past couple decades, as this tree is likely more than 300 years old, based on some ring counts on nearby trees (cut for the original lookout). I love these trees!

Had some sort of bee up on the summit ridge en masse -- and sure enough, they're mating! Just like the froggies at McNeil! Caught a pair in the act, at my feet... hard to see both of them in the first picture...

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...but more clear in this view:

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Romance is in the air in the Cascades..! :D

The old lookout foundation on the summit is suddenly falling apart very quickly -- the section that had the date carved in it has completely crumbled (the corner on the left):

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An iPhone pano looking out toward Flag Point -- you can see a hiker silhouetted over on the right:

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One plant that I could use some help on:

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Saw this up on the summit ridge, near the west end.

Always great to do this trail! Pretty busy at the trailhead today, but I only saw 4 or 5 groups once on the trail.

Tom :)

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shawjr
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Re: Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by shawjr » July 8th, 2013, 5:30 pm

Great pictures as always Tom!! Thanks for the report, I need to get back up there some day soon...

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Splintercat
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Re: Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by Splintercat » July 8th, 2013, 9:02 pm

Thanks, Jamey - didn't we meet up at Pilot Butte in Bend a couple of years ago? I see you're a lookout collector, so here are some old photos of the foundation to give you an idea of how fast this one is fading away.

This is roughly the same view as the one above, taken in 2002:

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Here's the old date carved in the foundation -- also from 2002:

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Going back even further (I'm a living fossil!), here's the foundation -- and a much less obscured Mount Hood at the time:

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The date is (was) about where my pack was sitting in this photo. Not a lot of change from 1983 to 2002, but suddenly the mortar is really coming apart... in the past 2-3 years, in particular.

Tom

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Girl Flora
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Re: Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by Girl Flora » July 8th, 2013, 9:10 pm

I believe your mystery plant is twinberry, or Lonicera involucrata. Nice shot!
-Sage

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Eric Peterson
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Re: Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by Eric Peterson » July 8th, 2013, 9:25 pm

Nice pictures as usual Tom and I noticed you aren't using the 1/3 rule very much either?

Maybe you are and I just don't see it :)

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Splintercat
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Re: Lookout Mountain Loop (July 6)

Post by Splintercat » July 8th, 2013, 9:57 pm

Nice pictures as usual Tom and I noticed you aren't using the 1/3 rule very much either? Maybe you are and I just don't see it
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Ah, well I do strictly adhere to the "Rule of Fifths": never finish one off before noon... alone... on work days... ;)
I believe your mystery plant is twinberry, or Lonicera involucrata. Nice shot!
Gracias! And it looks like the berries had non-food uses to Native Americans. Interesting!

Tom :)

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