Timberline Trail Destruction

TIMBERLINE TRAIL DEVASTATION ABOVE MUDDY FORK

by James Wilson

Last September, over Labor Day weekend, the Pacific Northwest experienced an historic easterly windstorm that battered Oregon, driving devastating wildfires to surge through forests and communities across the state. At Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, a peak wind gust of 106 miles per hour was observed. All throughout the forests around the mountain the sustained winds felled trees, breaking them apart or tearing them loose from the earth, to scatter across the trails and roads throughout Mt. Hood National Forest.

The Timberline National Historic Trail #600 encircles Mt. Hood, and in 42 miles takes hikers on a spectacular route through alpine meadows of lupine and paintbrush, stands of old growth forest, across numerous creeks rushing down from glaciers, past waterfalls, and by historic stone structures. One of the areas most impacted by last fall’s storm was the section of the Timberline Trail between the crossing of the Muddy Fork and Yocum Ridge. This area is a nexus of locations popular with day hikers: Ramona Falls, the views along Bald Mountain, and the trail towards McNeil Point. The 1.5 mile section formerly went through large, shaded oldgrowth forest, gently hugging the contours of the slope.

In October of 2020 I returned to the trail after the storms to survey the damage. I had been through this area multiple times earlier in the summer on day long loops of the Timberline Trail, and this formerly pleasant section that would take 20–30 minutes took me over three hours to navigate. The windstorm shredded the old growth forest, snapping trees in half, ripping many out by the roots, scattering them across the forest like toothpicks. Long sections of the trail here are completely covered in stacks of trees, hundreds of feet of trail have been torn away by root wads spilling down the hillside. There is an incredible number of trees greater than 30 inches in diameter blocking the way. The vast extent of the damage is viewable on satellite imagery of the area taken one year apart.

Already this spring, there have been two search and rescue operations extracting hikers from the area. The extent of the trail

Above: panorama of Muddy Fork damage. Photo: James Wilson

damage is so unimaginable and out of the normal experience of hiking in a popular area that it is easy for uninformed hikers to continue to push onward, expecting the devastation to relent, pushing themselves to exhaustion or injury.

The positive news is that the closure of the trail will not impact the opportunity to encircle the mountain. A detour shortens the length of a loop by nearly 1.5 miles. If going clockwise, after crossing the Sandy River, hikers have the option of following the Pacific Crest Trail all the way to the Top Spur-Timberline-PCT junction west of Bald Mountain, or to head northeast to Ramona Falls and take the Ramona Falls Trail after the bridge northwest to rejoin the PCT north towards Bald Mountain.

It should be noted that there is shorter section of Timberline Trail heavily impacted by the storm on the north side of Bald Mountain, and hikers from either direction should utilize the signed cut-off trail crossing the narrow ridge east of the mountain, and only traverse the south side of Bald Mountain (where the iconic views are, anyway).

Hikers going counterclockwise should, from the Top SpurTimberline-PCT junction, take the PCT south and after the lower Muddy Fork crossing, stay on it until it rejoins the Timberline, or take the Ramona Falls Trail until it meets the Timberline going south.

More of Jim Wilson’s explorations, cartography, and photography can be found at elevationchanges.com

SHARE YOUR VACCINATION STORY

The View from the Other Side of the Needle

by Ardel Frick

Weaving her way through the maze of tables, the young woman headed toward my Station 47 sign, her masked face radiating apprehension. She sat down and turned her gaze slowly to take in the cavernous enormity and assembly-line precision of the Mass Vaccination Clinic at the Oregon Convention Center. Locking her eyes on mine, she said, “I will never forget this moment.”

In my day job, I am a nurse analyst defending high-dollar insurance denials. Desperately ill Covid-19 patients are transported to Portland to receive advanced technologies that replace deteriorating heart, lung, and kidney functions. Family members might be hospitalized elsewhere; perhaps close relatives have already died. Weeks in the Intensive Care Unit on life support could cost several million dollars. Some do not survive.

Fueled by these tragic stories, trading my evenings and days off to give vaccinations was an easy choice. Since January, I have worked 44 vaccination clinics, giving thousands of injections. Patients have sobbed, fainted, prayed, joked, danced, hyperventilated, overcome fears, been stoic, been emotional, bared fascinating tattoos, and conveyed effusive gratitude. I am driven by the hope that each shot will bring us closer to future adventures, a renewed sense of community, and a safer world. If there is one more sleeve to roll up, I’ll push through the exhaustion beause I, too, will never forget this moment.

If you have an interest in giving back to an organization that offers so much to its members, students, and partners—if you believe in supporting the many volunteers that give countless hours of their time year after year, please consider joining the pool of Executive Council candidates.

The Executive Council is our nine-member board of directors dedicated to guiding the organization and maintaining its legacy of preserving and protecting our wilderness. Every fall we elect three new members to the Council to serve three-year terms.

If you believe in our mission and want to help steer the Mazamas’ direction and you’ve been a member for at least three years, please consider running! Send an email to the Nominating Committee at nominating@mazamas.org, and we’ll get you all the information you need and answer any questions.

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EDUCATION ADVOCACY COMMUNITY BUILDING

What does it mean to join the Mazamas? As a member, you are part of one of the most respected mountaineering and outdoor organizations in the country. Our members are passionate outdoor individuals who are dedicated to our mission of inspiring everyone to love and protect the mountains. The Mazamas and its members work towards our mission through education, advocacy, and community building.

AS A MEMBER YOU WILL:

• Meet new friends who share your love of the outdoors. • Contribute towards scholarships that get underserved populations outdoors. • Enjoy discounted rates on Mazama activities and discounts at local outdoor retailers and gyms. • Receive our bi-monthly Mazama Bulletin magazine. • Join the American Alpine Club (AAC) at a reduced rate (once you join you will receive a code to use on the AAC website). • Gain full access to the world-class 5,000-volume

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