Bull of the Woods Trail #550

Use this forum to report and discuss trails in need of maintenance. This will help organizations like TKO and agencies like the Forest Service get the most recent on-the-ground trail conditions.
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bobcat
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Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

Bull of the Woods Trail #550

Post by bobcat » August 17th, 2017, 9:46 am

Bull of the Woods Trail #550

There are about 12 - 15 trees down between the trailhead and the lookout. Most are easily negotiated:
Trees down, Trail #550.jpg
This one has a user trail around it:
Tree down with user trail, Trail #550.jpg
South of the lookout, before (I think) the second switchback, the tread is gone down the hill for about 10 yards.

Also, most of the route hasn't been brushed out for years. Huckleberries are closing in the first mile or so especially.

Edit: based on Smith's TR, Dickey Lake Trail #549 has a number of trees down as well. Ditto for West Lake Way #556.

Probably I should not even mention the Geronimo Trail (O.K. it's officially abandoned anyway, but I don't know why) or the Welcome Lakes Trail as far as the Geronimo Trail!

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RobFromRedland
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Re: Bull of the Woods Trail #550

Post by RobFromRedland » August 17th, 2017, 2:00 pm

Bobcat -
I'm going to hijack your thread a bit here - Have you been on Geronimo since the fire(s)? I've only seen the junction with Welcome Lakes after the fire (which didn't look great). I was concerned that Geronimo might have been lost after the fires. For all the doom and gloom talk - I thought the trail was reasonably well graded, except for the very most southern piece. Of course, we did it North to South - maybe if I had to hike UP it, I would change my mind.

I also wonder what Welcome Lakes looks like around the lakes now. After the fire, the section above upper welcome lake had a spring visible and the brush was popping up like crazy due to the all the new sunlight.

Sorry for the thread drift.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW! What a ride! - Hunter S. Thompson

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bobcat
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Location: SW Portland

Re: Bull of the Woods Trail #550

Post by bobcat » August 17th, 2017, 2:54 pm

RobFromRedland wrote:Have you been on Geronimo since the fire(s)?
Yes, but not that recently. Here's my TR from 2012: http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewt ... =8&t=13469

I also put it in the Field Guide: http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide ... _Loop_Hike

Went a little way down Welcome Lakes Trail yesterday. The thickets (cherry, boxwood, snow brush) that you have to stumble through at the top of the trail continue to flourish. They haven't been pruned back in 30 years I would say.

P.S. I edited both this and my previous message to make some corrections.

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