Fall Equinox, Indian Heaven, WA (18-41)

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

East Crater Trail, 9/23/18 (Hike #53)

Indian Heaven is a landscape of lakes, cinder cones, forests and meadows in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest southwest of Mt Adams. The Pacific Crest Trail runs right through the center of the Wilderness on its northward path through southern Washington state. There are abundant wild huckleberries in late summer. By fall, the huckleberry and other foliage display a vibrant spectrum of bright colors – reds, oranges, fuchsias, magentas, yellows, yellow oranges and yellow greens that stand out in sharp contrast to the forest and lake greens and browns, and the sky blue.

Last fall the Indian Heaven Wilderness was closed due to the East Crater Fire that occurred at the same time as the Eagle Creek Fire, so we are back this year after a 2 year absence.

Today we hiked the East Crater Trail to Junction Lake in the center of the wilderness area, then completed a loop that passed several lakes and followed the Pacific Crest Trail back south to Junction Lake.

Red huckleberry bushes in the forest

Layers of color

Unnamed lake just east of East Crater – the burn from last year seen beyond and above.

Top of East Crater

Junction Lake

So much color in the meadows!

Ripe huckleberries

Amanita

Dropping down to Lemei Lake where we had our lunch:

Lunch view

The southbound section of the Pacific Crest trail was more forested, with views through the trees of a couple of bigger lakes.

Bear Lake

We passed Junction Lake again, then hiked back to the trailhead.

Huckleberry and spirea

Mountain Ash

Huckleberry stump

The last little lake on the trail out.

Our total for the day: 9.6 miles/1000 feet elevation.

Panther Creek Falls

We made a quick stop on our drive home at this massive waterfall complex – there are three creeks that tumble together into the main branch of Panther Creek.

Quilting

I went to the Northwest Quilt Expo in Portland and purchased some fabric for my next quilt project:

Late Summer Adventures Part 3 – Three Sisters, Oregon (18-40)

September 24, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Rest Day 9-14-2018 Whychus River Overlook

I slowly walked the easy one mile loop (#51) and contemplated distant views of mountains and close up views of the high desert forest. My legs were not up for much more today. Dan hiked down to the river and wandered there for a bit.

Nearly flat trail through the Ponderosa forest

Looking down to Whychus Creek

Middle and North Sisters

Mt Washington, Pole Creek Fire forest

Rabbit brush

Manzanita

Manzanita bark

Manzanita leaves

“Little apples”

Ponderosa

Sage

Sky

Whychus Creek recovery team logo

Back in town I visited The Stitchin’ Post, a wonderful quilt store.

Window display

I bought a small package of Australian-themed fabric.

On a related note, we enjoyed having a Double Wedding Ring quilt on the bed in our lodge room.

Tam McArthur Rim 9-15-2018 (#52)

This trail provides another entrance point to the Three Sisters Wilderness, from the east toward Tam McArthur Rim along a ridge that leads toward Broken Top. We had hiked this trail in September two years ago on a clear day. Today we watched clouds cover the peaks, lifting occasionally for views. By the time we reached the top, a bitter wind was beginning to blow and the cloud cover was increasing. We didn’t stay long.

Tam McArthur Rim and Three Creek Lake as seen from the trail

Broken Top appears as we cross the upper plain

Almost to the top, with Little Three Creek Lake below

Middle and North Sisters from the End of Trail overlook

Broken Top and South Sister from the overlook

Closer view of the glaciers on Middle and North Sister

All three Sisters, with clouds

North view beyond Tam McArthur overlook. Pole Creek fire burn zone in the foreground; Black Butte beyond.

Late blooming lupine

Neon lichen

Lookback to our hike in September of 2016 to compare the views:

Middle and North Sisters, September 2018

In September 2016, on a clear day

We hiked about 5.5 miles/ 1200 feet today.

Back to Dee Wright/Mckenzie Pass at sunset

We took our last opportunity this year to spend a little time at the lava lands of Mckenzie Pass – and one of my favorite places in the world. Despite the cold wind we wanted to see the sunset. The Sisters were still covered in clouds, but as the lowering sun streamed in from under the western clouds, Black Crater lit up a bright, ethereal red orange that seemed magical. To the west, the streaky clouds glowed pink and gold.

Lenticular cloud over Mt Washington

Black Crater at 7:01 pm

Black Crater at 7:04 pm

Clouds continue to hide North and Middle Sisters

What North and Middle Sisters look like – from September 2016

Sunset colors to the west

A fitting end to our late summer adventures – back to Portland tomorrow.

Late Summer Adventures, Part 2 – Crater Lake and the Obsidian Trail (18-39)

September 24, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Crater Lake 9/12/2018

We left Boardman to drive to Sisters, Oregon for another few days of hiking. The webcams at Crater Lake National Park showed the smoke haze had mostly lifted, so we added a side trip to see Crater Lake.

We had been to Crater Lake about 20 years ago, but our visit that summer was early in the season and there was too much snow to do much more than admire the view from the one small area that was accessible. It has been a goal to return and hike down to the lake, take the boat to Wizard Island, and hike to the many viewpoints around the lake. We were foiled again this year by the extremely bad air quality that was present during the time we had planned, but at least we got to see the views on a nearly clear day and admire the absolutely blue water.

Discovery Point – first view of the lake and a sign showing what Mt Mazama looked like before the eruption and collapse that created Crater Lake.

Close view of Llao Rock; Mt Thielson in the distance.

Wizard Island

South view to Garfield Peak

Wizard Island and Mt Scott beyond

Crater at the top of Wizard Island

The tropical blue water in the shallows around Wizard Island

Obsidian Trail 9/13/2018

We have stayed in Sisters, Oregon several times, but have yet to explore all of the trails in the area. This was our first time to hike in the Obsidian Area of the Three Sisters Wilderness (#50) (12 miles, 2000 feet).

The first few miles are through forest, including part of the 2017 Milli Fire burn zone.

Obsidian trail

Bear Grass and huckleberry foliage

Sims Butte through the Milli burn zone

At about 3.5 miles, the trail ascends over and through a lava flow, with views to the Obsidian Cliff and to North and Middle Sisters – though today the Sisters were hiding in clouds.

Trail up the lava flow

Obsidian Cliff with burned forest above

Trail through the flow

White Branch Creek on the other side

The trail continues up through forest, meadows and past interesting rock formations.

Middle Sister in the clouds

Late summer pasque flower meadow with Obsidian Cliffs beyond

Next we reached Obsidian Falls.

Beyond the falls is a high basin with a spring and a pond between a craggy cliff and an Obsidian flow.

A bubbling spring at the base of the cliff

Another spring

A pond

Dan photographing the Obsidian flow

Obsidian flow

Closer view of the obsidian

obsidian

conchoidal fracture

Over the dividing ridge is another pond.

We continued around the loop to cloud obscured views of North and Middle Sister, a good view of the Little Brother, and a view down to Glacier Creek.

The Little Brother

Glacier Creek, cloud obscured Sisters

The Little Brother

The trail descends to Sunshine Meadow along White Branch Creek.

Mt Washington and the Belknap Craters from the trail

Huckleberry lined path to Sunshine Meadow

The last magenta paintbrush in Sunshine Meadow

and an obscured view of the Sisters

We continued down the Glacial Way, back over the lava flow

Lava flow ahead

Clearest view of the day of Middle and North Sisters

Fall colors

Collier Cone – a future destination.

and back through the burn zone to the trailhead,

which, after twelve miles for the day, I was very glad to see.

Sparse but welcome wildflowers today:

Pearly everlasting

Magenta paintbrush

So much lupine foliage! This place must be purple in bloom season.

Bramble leaf

Pasque flower seed head

Bramble

Dee Wright Observatory

We had to drive over Makenzie Pass to return to the town of Sisters at the end of the day, so we stopped for a quick overview:

Dee Wright Observatory

Belknap Craters and Mt Washington to the north.

Cloud covered North and Middle Sisters to the south.

Late Summer Adventures Part 1 – Redwoods and Beaches (18-38)

September 20, 2018 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We were looking forward to a long planned trip to Crater Lake and Mt Lassen, but with forest fires and smoke in those areas, we rescheduled to Brookings and Sisters, keeping one of our Ashland days in the mix.

Ashland, Oregon 9/8/2018

It was smoky/hazy when we arrived in Ashland. We walked around downtown, including a stop at Websters, the yarn store, and a walk through Lithia Park. We had an early dinner at one of the restaurants along Lithia Creek, then saw the play ‘Snow In Midsummer’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The story was a modernized Chinese tale about a woman who had been wronged and was seeking justice. Very well done and thought provoking regarding harm that descends through generations.

The pond in Lithia Park, Ashland, Oregon

Darlingtonia, Redwoods and Whaleshead Beach 9/9/2018

The way to the southern Oregon Coast is through the redwood forests of Northern California. We stopped at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, first at the botanical trail where we viewed the Darlingtonia bog:

Darlingtonia are carnivorous pitcher plants – they eat insects. This bog is one of the rare preserves for these plants.

Next we took a short hike (#47) through Stout Grove along the middle fork of the Smith River.

Then we drove north on Hwy 101 back into Oregon to our lodgings near Whales Head Beach. After dinner we took a long walk on the beach as the tide ebbed.

Whalehead Island from the beach

View south

Ebb tide sand patterns

Wind ripples

Boy Scout Tree Redwood Trail and Point St George, CA 9/10/2018

We saw a rainbow at Rainbow Rock while driving south this morning:

Rainbow over Rainbow Rock

Zoom in view of Rainbow Rock folds

We drove south into Jedediah Smith State Park again to hike the Boy Scout Tree Trail (#48). The forest is lined with oxalis and fern and it is awe inspiring to walk among these very tall, old beautiful trees.

Dwarfed by trees

The Boy Scout Tree

Late Oxalis bloom

The undersides of the oxalis leaves are this beautiful red violet color.

After our hike, we drove to the coast just north of Crescent City, to Point St George, where the tide was receding and we had a chance to explore the tide pools.

Redwood flotsam

sea anemones

clam, anemones

snails

snail trails

Boardman Corridor Beaches 9/11/2018

We spent the day exploring the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, a series of viewpoints, short trails and beaches along the southern Oregon coast north of Brookings.

Arch Rock

Natural Bridges

Whalehead Island

We took a longer hike at Cape Ferrelo (#49),

and another low tide beach walk at sunset at Lone Ranch Beach.

Knitting

I made progress on the back panel of the Ivy Lace Cardigan while traveling:

Cloud Cap and Timberline Trail, Mt Hood, Oregon (18-37)

September 5, 2018 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

Eliot East Moraine and Timberline Trail High Point 8/31/18 (Hike#46)

We have hiked here a few times. This is our first time taking the Eliot East Moraine trail along the crest of the moraine.

Once up the steep sandy ascent to the crest of the moraine, there is a fabulous view to the Eliot Glacier, and the glacial valley below, the entire way to the Cloud Cap Shelter.

Mt Hood and the Eliot Glacier

Looking east to the high desert

I enjoy zooming in on the textures, crevasses, and steep edges of the Eliot Glacier and the rocky exposed top of Mt Hood in late summer.

The moraine trail joins the Timberline Trail near Cloud Cap Shelter:

Approaching Cloud Cap Shelter.

Cloud Cap Shelter; Cooper Spur and Mt Hood beyond.

After visiting the Cloud Cap Shelter we continued south on the Timberline trail, up and down the wrinkles of the mountains’ flank, to the 7300’ high point of the trail. Clouds intermittently floated across the top of Mt Hood. We could see the faraway peaks of Mt Adams, Rainier and Jefferson above the blanket of clouds in the distance.

The only snowfield we crossed this year.

North view to Mts Rainier and Adams

South view to Mt Jefferson, Lamberson Butte and the Timberline Trail continuing south.

By the time we retraced our steps north, the clouds had diminished.

Cloud Cap Shelter again.

The high desert beyond the clouds

We saw a marmot on the Eliot Moraine, and a blue bird on the Timberline Trail.

marmot

blue bird on the rock, Mt Adams beyond

Not many flowers.

Tiny lupine

Aster

Pink monkeyflower

yarrow

buckwheat

goldenweed

The rusty, red and yellow fall hues are beginning to color the vegetation on the rocky alpine slopes.

6 miles, 1600 feet.

Lookback:

I like to review my photos from previous hikes to compare conditions. There was a lot more snow during our hike a month earlier last year.

Mt Hood from Timberline trail, August 31, 2018

Mt Hood from Timberline trail, July 28, 2017

And a lot more flowers, and a better view of the distant mountains last year.

August 31, 2018

July 28, 2017 – lupine, Mt St Helens, Rainier and Adams

CRAFTING

I cast on another round washcloth, and I have been swatching the Song yarn, trying decide what to make with it.

We walked through the Art In The Pearl street fair on Labor Day and admired the beautiful artwork. This piece, by artist Kathy Ross, I found especially inspiring.

Kathy Ross, artist, Art in the Pearl, Portland, Oregon, September 2018

Margaret Quilts

Quilting, Knitting, Hiking

Month: September 2018

Fall Equinox, Indian Heaven, WA (18-41)

East Crater Trail, 9/23/18 (Hike #53)

Panther Creek Falls

Quilting

Late Summer Adventures Part 3 – Three Sisters, Oregon (18-40)

Rest Day 9-14-2018 Whychus River Overlook

Tam McArthur Rim 9-15-2018 (#52)

Back to Dee Wright/Mckenzie Pass at sunset

Late Summer Adventures, Part 2 – Crater Lake and the Obsidian Trail (18-39)

Crater Lake 9/12/2018

Obsidian Trail 9/13/2018

Dee Wright Observatory

Late Summer Adventures Part 1 – Redwoods and Beaches (18-38)

Ashland, Oregon 9/8/2018

Darlingtonia, Redwoods and Whaleshead Beach 9/9/2018

Boy Scout Tree Redwood Trail and Point St George, CA 9/10/2018

Boardman Corridor Beaches 9/11/2018

Knitting

Cloud Cap and Timberline Trail, Mt Hood, Oregon (18-37)

Eliot East Moraine and Timberline Trail High Point 8/31/18 (Hike#46)

Lookback:

CRAFTING