Stewart State Park

March 28, 2017

Since it was Spring Break week here in Southern Oregon, we made a break for Stewart State Park (officially it is called Joseph H Stewart State Recreational Area) for our first 10+ mile hike of the year.

Even the slugs were out for a Spring Break hike!

We began our hike at the day use parking lot and following the bike path for about 2.5 miles through woods which included many large Madrones and along open grassy fields with some very old oak trees. We got to see (and smelled) a few Yellow Skunk Cabbage flowers while passing a creek in route to Peyton Bridge.

The pretty and stinky Yellow Skunk Cabbage flower

Just before Peyton Bridge we made a sharp left turn and continued following the paved pathway which was now the Rogue River Trail.  This portion follows the Lost Creek Lake shoreline most of the time till arriving at the day use area.  It was also our favorite portion of trail during today's hike as it wandered through thickly forested areas, provided viewpoints of the very full Lost Creek Lake, crossed over various bridges, and passed numerous small creeks and waterfalls.  It was in this portion that we also got a good look at a large Pileated Woodpecker and saw Snow Queen, Yellow Violets and Oak Toothwort wildflowers.

Snow Queen

A very full  Lost Creek Lake

A black fungus thingy!?

Hiking and doing the Limbo Dance on the same trail!!

Once we arrived back at the day use area we decided to continue hiking on the Rogue River Trail towards the dam.  We made Upper Rumley Creek falls our turnaround point (just short of the dam) due to time restraints but made sure to take a few minutes to enjoy the falls beauty and sound.  This side of the lake also had the most tree downfall from the winter storms this year, but we were able to navigate the few trees still across the trail.

Upper Rumley Creek Falls

When our hike ended back at the day use area we had covered 10.4 miles in 4 1/2 hours and only had sore feet which was due to most of the trail being paved.  Not bad at our age. As a reward we stopped at the Picnic Basket Deli located in the Fishin' Hole Fly Shop in Shady Cove and picked up Veggie and Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches for dinner to top off a great day and hike.

Trekking Together
Glenn and Carol

Cathedral Hills Park - Grants Pass

January 29, 2017

As January comes to a close, we got in a couple of local hikes.  First on Friday we revisited the Jacksonville Woodland Trails to find that most were now clear of snow and ice.  That being said, they were now muddy.  But hikers can't always be choosy and Katie loved getting her paws all muddy!  The sun was out while we hiked for 4.3 miles and we got to see wild turkeys, deer, and even our Screech Owl friend on the Britt Ridge trail.

Time to hike in Grants Pass!

On Sunday we drove over to Grants Pass and hiked at Cathedral Hills Park.  Our 6.7 mile hike consisted of hiking out to and on the Wild Rose Loop followed by hiking what is probably the most popular trail at Cathedral Hills Park, the Outback Loop.  We started both hikes at the Espy TH.

Looking up the ridge at the inversion layer.

One the views of Grants Pass - where???

We found out that even though Medford had some clearing and sunshine, Grants Pass was all about the inversion layer, so we literally hiked "in the clouds".  We kept trying to envision the wildflowers that will be all along these trails in a few months.  For now the trails were mostly lined with creeks & puddles from the winter weather.

View of the Outback Trail from the Outback Trail

 We did get to see a large Pileated Woodpecker while hiking the "W" trail out to the Wild Rose Loop.  We couldn't get a picture, but if you want to see what a Pileated Woodpecker looks like, click here.

The start of what we consider the toughest climb on the Outback Loop!

Well that's about it for now.  Felt great to get out a stretch the legs again and soon the wildflowers will be here!

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

High Lakes Trail - Lake of the Woods

August 28, 2015

The month of August has not been friendly to hikers here in Southern Oregon. It seems that for most of the month there have been fires north, south, east and west of us and temperatures in the 90's or higher to go with the smoke.  A recent story we read stated that Southern Oregon has not had one continuous 24-hour period with "good" air quality since the end of July.  So as the last days of August were counting down we headed to Lake of the Woods to give our legs a much needed stretch on some hiking trails.

In addition to hiking trails, Lake of the Woods features cabins, campgrounds, a restaurant and store, plus many specials nights or activities which make a great place for the family.  If you have not been there yet, be sure and check it out sometime.

A panoramic view of Lake of the Woods.  The gray haze is from smoke.

We started our visit by hiking back through the day use area and past the campgrounds to the High Lakes trail.  This trail connects Lake of the Woods to Fish Lake and can be used by hikers and bikers.  The trail itself is easy to follow, wide and also pretty flat the entire distance.

Start of the High Lakes trail

Nice wide and easy High Lakes trail.

 As we starting hiking we got a see an Osprey perched at the top of a dead tree.  Evidently sushi was on it's menu for the day.  Although there was smoke surrounding the area, we didn't notice it throughout our hike. Part way to Fish Lake we took a break and then hiked back to Lake of the Woods.  We saw a few flowers still blooming along the trail as well as some ugly fungi stuff of which Glenn took pictures.

Marsh area of the lake near the start of the trail

Ugly gross looking fungi thing.

Aster still in bloom

Pretty flower, not sure of the variety.

Once back at Lake of the Woods we spent the day relaxing & reading along the lake shore.  Katie enjoyed multiple dips in the lake as well as rolling in the dirt, rocks, pine needles and bark.  She really likes the idea of being out in the wild and getting dirty!

Who is a dirty dog -- not me!!!

In the late afternoon the winds picked up and blew away the smoke and brought sunny skies to the area.  So before leaving we took another hike which covered part of the Family Loop trail and Great Meadow trail.  Even though this was a short 1-hour hike, we got to see a Pileated Woodpecker, Gray Jays and deer.

View of Lake of the Woods after the wind blew away the smoke......

Our spot by the lake

So as August fades we are looking forward to September and the arrival of Autumn.  We hope to get out and hike during that colorful yet short time of year and as always, we'll look forward to sharing that with you.

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

P.S.  Since Katie pictures seem to be pretty popular, we've included a few extras from this trip to Lake of the Woods for your viewing pleasure.