Another beautiful morning in the Willamette Valley; up around 5:30 AM to go meet Joe and get up into Opal Creek for one last major exploration of the Region. This time I had brought along my brother to show him what all the fuss was about here and why he must see it. The first stop was at a parking lot to meet up with Joe and then ride up with him to the Opal lot which is above the three pools swimming area which is always packed on the weekends and afternoons in the summer. Once there we set off at fast pace then stopped to do our first creek crossing since the bridge was out. This was a good photo op and then it was snack time. Though I greatly under calculate how many snacks to bring since we were going to be at it all day and between me and my brother we only had 3 muffins of which I brought them all. Then we were off again to go up Gold Creek and explore what it had to offer. This would include some frigid swimming and some scaling of small cliffs. This was fun and a new experience to add to what I had already done in the region. This though was still in the morning and Joe had an absolutely packed day planned as we then made our way back to the main trail all the way to its conclusion. Then back down, but to avoid another creek crossing we took a different and slightly longer loop to get to the other foot bridges in the region.  Once we had completed this hike we went on to go back to the regular spot to show my brother one of the best swimming spots in the state and since it is a one mile trek up a creek with no trails to it there are very people who ever go there. Once there we went swimming until the sun began to leave us. Then it was the several mile trek back to the vehicle. Now with now food and hunger setting in we couldn’t wait to get back to civilization. Once back in the city it was a stop by a fast food place to get our fix and go into a food coma after the days long and memorable trek.

Likability 9/10 you must do your research in this area to have a truly epic time. Although you can see a lot if just go here and are willing to hike a long way. 

A trip to celebrate my fathers 50th birthday it was quickly planned, but great no less. Anytime you get out of the city is awesome, and as I have talked about before I can't express the beauty of this place in the early and mid summer. We made the quick 2 mile hike in and the went about selecting a camping spot followed by burgers cooked on the Jetboil. Then some sun talking about hunting followed by a great nights sleep under the stars. Then we made our way out early the next morning. The most interesting part of the hike out was that the night before I woke up and it was incredibly warm for the mountains and still was in the morning. On our way out though the forest was incredibly cool; most likely due to snow melt and runoff just above us on Mount Jefferson. 

Likability: 8.5/10 Great trip with an even easier hike as I continued my training to return to Colorado in the Fall.

Grizzly Ridge was a great hike. It starts at the Pamalia Lake trailhead but instead of going left at the lake you go right. This hike was done during a Friday over the summer after work. Since I was so hungry I pushed a 3 mile plus an hour pace uphill through the gorgeous forest of the Western Cascades. Once we completed the hike to the lake we began the even steeper uphill climb to the backbone of Grizzly Ridge which is the next high point east of Mount Jefferson. This part of the hike was very arduous but it was doable with just a few breaks. At this time of year there may be some snow melt so there were some small waterfalls along the way. Then once on the top there was still some snow. Then we trekked around for a while until we found a campsite worthy of staying the night at that also had close by views of Mount Jefferson. While views of Pamalia Lake are blocked by the tree cover the views of Jefferson are more than enough to merit this hike to the crest of Grizzly Ridge. Then we settled in with views of Jefferson for dinner. Then I set up to take photos of the sunset that turned out great. Then we built a fire swapped stories and headed to bed. The next morning we awoke to another great day. Went back to the edge of the ridge too see if Jefferson was still there. Once we all snacked on granola bars we were headed back down to the parking lot. The sights on this trail are amazing and the pace was phenomenal in that we covered the 4 miles of hiking in a little less than an hour. This was a great trip and I was thankful I got to share it with my brother and my best friend.

Likability 10/10 I highly recommend this hike, but you have to buy the hiking permit in advance online. (Though that is completely worth it.) 

My first trip back from Oregon was to an area we had tried to go once before but had been rained out. This time it was a far different experience than before and ended up showing me a great new area to go that is within a reasonable driving distance to Salem, Oregon. Just 14 miles past Detroit Ranger Station out highway 22 is the turn off small green sign and then about 3 or 4 miles down the road is the stop. Then it is one of the easier hikes I have ever done. The hike itself was a beautiful 2 mile trek most along a creek, and you have great views of old growth forest. Once there you have great views of the surrounding summits although you cannot see mount Jefferson which the lake sits beneath. That can be seen from the Grizzly Peak trail.(For more info read my Grizzly Peak Post) Once at the lake we selected a spot along the lake. It was great although most spots around the lake restrict you from having a campfire. We set up camp and then dug into some MRE's we had packed along while not the best food there are certainly far worse options. Then it was off to bed for me. I awoke to awesome views of one of the nearby ridge peaks being covered with blown over clouds one of my favorite views in nature. We then leisurely packed up our camp and headed out on the easy trail. 

Likability 8.5/10 Great trip for how close it was and was dinged only for not having views of Jefferson and also no campfire at most sites around the lake. 

This was my post graduation trip. This would be my first venture into the Opal Creek area. The first part of our journey was to travel through the beautiful Oregon Western Cascade forest. Then we began a steep jaunt down to the campsite which was located about 100 yards below the trail and invisible to those on the trail. It was the perfect site to set up the four two man tents we had brought to sleep in. The space also had moss that acted as carpet so shoes around camp were not necessary. This was great because all of our boots were soaked from several creek crossing earlier in the day. Not only was the campsite perfect it was across the creak from the Bushey Brother's mines. We then settled in for the night and awoke with a plan to enter and explore as many mines as possible the next day there. All of which were different and mystifying at the same time. My favorite was the first though (the one in the video below); it was great getting to see an old tool box and have space enough that a truck could have been parked inside. All while knowing 2 men in the early 1900's had done all this with explosive and hand tools. We continued exploring mines until mid afternoon by then we decided to go explore Indian Flats. The Flats though were a huge disappointment compared to the sight we had seen earlier in the day. 6/10-6/12/2013

Likability 9.5/10 This region has so many amazing places to go. Especially if you don't mind wading up all creeks in the area.