Mazama Trail

Our focus narrowed at that time to intensified work on just a few trails. Basil Clark and Eleanor Heller worked with the Forest Service to establish the Trapper Creek system of trails in southwest Washington. Clark also developed the Wygant Trail/ Chetwoot Loop at the east end of the Gorge. Bus Gibson and Ray Davis put in hundreds of hours working on the Columbia Gorge Trail, otherwise known as Trail #400. Elinor Levin, who led more trail maintenance trips in any decade than any other Mazama, worked on all the above with equal fervor. And the most-hiked trail in Mazama history, Angel’s Rest, got attention from a variety of leaders, including Don Onthank. Hardesty Trail, Wahkeena, Table Mountain, Mt. Defiance, and Wyeth Trail got some love, too.

Despite massive volunteer labor donated to the restoration of the Cathedral Ridge trail, which was then christened as the Mazama Trail we know today, the regular care of trails elsewhere continued unabated. When beloved Elinor Levin led her last Trail Tender in late 1996, capping her career as a Mazama volunteer after 26 years, new faces like Linda Castor, Skip Smith, Louise Brown, and Ron Von Wald were soon picking up the slack. In 2002, Jane and Dick Miller made a 5-year commitment to care for the trails in Forest Park. During this time, Rick Pope also stepped in and secured a commitment from the Mazamas to tend the trails of Elk and Kings Mountains in the Coast Range. Finally, in 2006, Trail Tending was granted status as an official sub-committee of Trail Trips, the first such recognition since 1933, when the original Trail Committee disbanded.

However, over the nine years of its existence, the membership of the Trail Tending sub-committee declined. Most of its original members were already people who led trail tenders. Some of them left the Mazamas; some moved away from the area; and Bus Gibson, after an astounding 38 years of leadership, had to step down. In the end, the committee consisted of only chairman Rick Pope.

Maintenance trips for the Mazama Trail are still on the schedule. We need to continue to honor our commitment to the Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain trails. What we need is qualified leaders to keep up these standing commitments and possibly establish collaborative efforts with other vounteer organizations, such as Trailkeepers of Oregon and the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

Above: Ray Davis (left) and Rick Pope (right).

... AND THEN THERE’S THE MAZAMA TRAIL

Ray Sheldon (left) and Stan Egber (right).

by Ray Sheldon & Rick Craycraft

Editor’s note: the following was compiled from Ray’s first and last report on the building of the Mazama Trail.

The 1992 Mazama Council started the planning for celebrating the Mazama Centennial by asking the membership for ideas on how and what could be done to make 1994 a special year for the Mazamas.

Ever since the organizational climb of July 19, 1894, the Mazamas have carried on a love affair with Mt. Hood. To reaffirm our devotion, it seemed only fitting that some feature of Mt. Hood should carry the name Mazama to further recognize our care and commitment to the peak. The original namesake, Mazama Rock, an outcropping on the summit had long since disappeared down the north side. This rock was where the 1894 picture of Mazamas reaching the summit from the Cooper Spur route was taken.

At the November 1992 meeting, the executive council gave Ray Sheldon verbal approval to pursue the possibilities. His initial thought was to request a change of the name of the Timberline Trail (#600) to Mazama Trail. The Executive Council’s response was “Great idea Ray, come back when you have something definite.”

Letters of request were mailed to the United States Forest Service (USFS), first to the Mt. Hood and Zigzag Ranger Districts, then to the Mt. Hood National Forest, and finally to the Pacific Northwest Region. The request was denied at each level, based on several criteria, but their principal point was that the name Timberline Trail had widespread use over a long period of time. A contact was made with Lewis L. McArthur, keeper, caretaker, and undisputed authority on Oregon place names. He felt that there would be an insurmountable battle to get the trail name changed, and, if it should come to pass, there would be some very irate

wilderness travelers cursing the Mazamas for their arrogance. Public acceptance was an important concept, and the Mazamas realized that a centennial project must not be divisive in nature.

But the USFS did open the door to a possible project on Mt. Hood’s northwest flank. A major blowdown of timber in the winter of 1985-86 had closed the trail on Cathedral Ridge. Due to budget constraints, repair was not possible, and the trail was abandoned.

During the seven following years, more blowdowns, accompanied by overgrowth by rhododendron, huckleberry, and other brush had almost obliterated the trail. There were other problems too: an ugly approach through a clear cut; a steep series of switchbacks; and the need to realign the upper portions of the trail to a more enjoyable pitch. Thus, the reestablishment of a trail on the ridge would be a huge endeavor. As a volunteer project, it was bigger that any undertaken by any USFS District or Pacific Northwest Region. In fact, we were told it well might be the largest volunteer project undertaken on any USFS land in the entire nation.

The successful completion of this project would not only require an army of volunteers, it would also demand a major commitment of money.

That “army of volunteers,” under the leadership of Ray Sheldon and Stan Egbert, did materialize, aided by the U.S. Forest Service, the professional trail building expertise of former Mazama president Jim Angell, the Mazama Explorer Post of that time, various Portland area volunteer groups, and mule and llama packers. Over the course of five years and 28 separate work sessions, some as long as ten days, those involved contended with rain, wind, blowdown, rock slides, mud slides blocking the approach road, and vandalized and stolen equipment.

Since the successful resurrection of the Cathedral Ridge trail, completed in 1997, our efforts in that area have survived the 2011 Dollar Lake fire and winter storms that brought down more trees on a regular basis. At completion and before the beginning of annual maintenance, the statistics that counted were as follows: 250 volunteers, 6,888 volunteer hours (705 alone by Stan Egbert), and $13,192 spent. This was without question the most ambitious trail building and maintenance project in Mazama history. Below are the sentiments of Ray Sheldon, in his own words, upon the end of the project.

It just didn't seem possible, but we had actually finished the trail construction. We were so sure that this moment wouldn't arrive in 1997 that we kept looking for something undone. But we weren't dreaming. This was the end of the trail. After five years and thousands of hours and dollars, the Mazama Trail was a reality.

What lies ahead for our trail? There will be annual work parties to maintain the trail. A trail guide with information on the Mazamas and a guide to plants along the trail is being developed. Depending on USFS funding and priorities, the spur road leading to the trailhead may need to be a part of our organization's maintenance plans. The Mazamas have a premier trail on Mt. Hood and we must insure it stays that way. Numerous comments have confirmed that the trail has been well received. The motion to construct a trail for public enjoyment was a fine thing that the Executive Council did in 1992. The hard work on the part of the members and friends gave the project the personal impact that mere financing could never accomplish. The trail was truly built with the spirit that has carried our organization into its second century. May that spirit be felt by all who hike Mazama Trail.