Sep
4
Salmon River Trash Update
Filed Under News
It’s past time for a Salmon River trash update.
I have found a willing partner, and representative of the USFS Zigzag Ranger Station, in Megan Hartmann who is the Community Steward Coordinator there. She can be contacted at the Zigzag Ranger Station (503) 622-3191 ext.677
She has provided the means for those that want to help to do just that. She has provided grabbers and trash bags for those of us that want to pitch in and help. The way I see it, this is a great excuse to walk along the Salmon River. Another location that needs our help is the Summit Meadow area. The areas most affected in these places are the dispersed use areas. These are mostly camp areas outside of the maintained camping areas.
If anyone in the community would like to be included in a litter patrol, please contact either Megan or myself, and we’ll coordinate a time.
I have included a few pictures of the last cleanup effort that was done. It was a beautiful day, and we were able to collect a considerable amount of littler. Pictured in the photos are Barbara White, a volunteer from Brightwood and Megan Hartmann from the Zigzag RS.
Aug
16
The Old Salmon River Trail is probably the most beautiful hikes that we have in our local area. It is easily accessible, and not a difficult hike to take. It travels through wonderful lush old growth red cedar and Douglas fir groves and past waterfalls of unrivaled beauty. It allows access to the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness and is often hiked the opposite direction from the trailhead at Kinzel Lake and the Hunchback Mountain trail. The Salmon River is host to native salmon and steelhead, and was designated a wild and scenic river in 1988.
Those of us that live close by, frequent the trail for those very reasons. We’re regulars, and are in love with the familiar old trail.
The Salmon River gorge has always been the wild side of the Salmon River Valley and the whole Welches area, especially back during the settlement era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Camping at the Welches Ranch included activities that centered on local exploration, such as hunting, fishing huckleberry picking and just plain hiking treks. The area was networked with trails at one time, but subsequent years of property division, and general lack of upkeep have reduced the system to just a few well travelled paths. The Salmon River gorge was for the hearty and adventurous.
The land in the upper Salmon River Valley, including the area near the trailhead, is administered by the National Forest Service. It’s public land. This allows people to pass the designated Green Canyons campground less than a mile down the road, and establish camp spots next to the road, around the trailhead and immediately next to the river. The USFS calls it a “dispersed camping area”. People also are able to establish very large gatherings of tents and dense concentrations of people. These areas are showing a terrible amount of wear and tear.
The forest floor is being reduced to dust, trees are being blazed by axes, garbage is being left in shocking amounts and areas of the forest are being used as toilets, as evidenced by piles of decomposing toilet paper. Huge fire rings show evidence of the forest being ravaged for fuel. Mattresses are being brought up for sleeping pads and are being left along the road. Beer cans and wine bottles are deposited in the bushes and along the river. It’s disgraceful, and is a daunting chore for the Forest Service staff that are trying to do it all with such limited resources.
Since traditional forest revenues have been stifled, the maintenance of trails and trailheads are supposed to be funded by trailhead passes, but many of these people are near, but not at the trailhead, and so aren’t even paying the trailhead fees. They are paying nothing, and costing much. And with fuel costing what it does, and our close proximity to such a densely populated area, our area will get used more than normal.
I had a brief conversation with a representative of the USFW from the Zigzag Ranger Station, and was told that their best approach at this point is reactionary, and because of the lack of staffing, they are depending on locals to sign up as USFWS volunteers and to clean up after these people. I plan on taking her up on it, and urge anyone else that hikes the trail to do the same. A work party every now and then is a great way to give back something to the wonderful area that we live in.
Please contact the Zigzag Ranger Station for details on how you can help.
Below are a few pictures that I took on an afternoon last week.
Jul
12
Sandy Mountain Festival
Filed Under Event
Summer’s here and so that means party time in Sandy, Oregon.
The Sandy Mountain Festival parade on Thursday was great. I was surprised at how long it was. Barring a couple of gaps, it had some terrific floats, antique/classic cars and hot rods, fire trucks and pretty girls on horses. It always does my heart good to go to a parade such as this one, as it reminds me of the days of old when I was a kid.
I helped out in the Mt Hood Chamber of Commerce booth on Friday night. We were selling hot dogs and chicken Caesar wraps. I was there with Carol, Doug and Terry… and a good time was had by all. 
Jul
7
Independence Day Walk
Filed Under Event
What great weather we’ve been having up here on The Mountain. After this last long cold winter, I think that we deserve it.
I spent the afternoon of the 4th walking to Ramona Falls. I wanted to check see the condition of the trail. The south side of the loop runs close to the Sandy River and several stretches were taken out by the floods. The good news is that the bridge is in and the trails have all be re-established and are in fine condition. Big props to the trail crew.
I like to go up the Ramona Creek side of the loop, although I know others that like to save that stretch as a reward on their way back. It’s a bit longer of a leg and so the climb (1000′) seems less noticeable. There were a few areas that still had some patches of snow, although nothing that was in the way at all. It just seems odd to have snow in July.
Here are a few pictures from the hike.
Jun
16
Does Not Play Well With Others
Filed Under Opinion
I feel compelled to write about a web site that I discovered while researching the work of our local Villages at Mt Hood board of directors. I hesitate to even mention its URL as it is nothing more than a negative, hateful and maliciously slanted and biased take on the work that the Villages at Mt Hood board of directors are doing in their attempt to help our community.
I’m much like most folks from The Mountain, in that I didn’t go to any of the meetings and only read about their work through articles written in the local paper, the Mountain Times. I eventually did an internet search query for “Villages at Mt Hood” and came across the aforementioned web site at the top of the list. I was at first intrigued as it seemed to be a source for additional information concerning the Villages at Mt Hood, but after further readings found that it was nothing more than one person’s bitter ranting and twisting of facts to show the Villages Board in a very negative light.
What could the person’s motivation for being so adamantly bitter toward the board? Could it be that this person, in their claim of some sort of hidden agenda held by the Villages Board, is revealing that they too have their own agenda? An agenda that was obviously contrary to popular opinion and existing county rules and regulation?
After some inquiry, fact finding and my recent participation in the form of meeting attendance, that it appears to be the case. According to their web site this person claims to have been a part of the original formation of the “Clackamas County Complete Community”, now known as The Villages at Mt. Hood, but bailed when things weren’t going in this person’s way. Perhaps this person feels that they possess the all knowing wisdom and vision for our community, if the local citizenry likes it or not? Perhaps - but it is more likely that the pet projects and the direction that this person held for our community was not the direction that the majority participants of our community representative board saw as ideal for the community.
It is my opinion that this person has some issues, primarily the lack of willingness to participate, other than to be a heckler as evidenced by the obvious negativity of their writing, and even, perhaps an anger management problem. This is the kind of person that, when we were children, would have a fit when things didn’t go their way, would get angry and take their toys and go home. Then would lob rocks over the fence at the other children that are playing nicely.
If this person really is concerned about the community, and not their own projects or hidden agendas, then they would participate in a positive manner, and go along with the wishes of the legitimate form of local government that is in place, if it goes their way or not.
I also fault the Villages at Mt Hood board of directors for allowing this person to go unchallenged in their claims, by not embracing 21st century technology and information dissemination techniques, primarily in the form of an up to date web site with all meeting minutes, board elections, announcements and project progress reports. There would be no need for rebuttal if the facts are presented in a simple web site. This lack of a legitimate web site dedicated just to the Villages at Mt. Hood information is what allows a dissenting web site to go unchallenged.
If the board of directors for “The Villages” are concerned about community participation, and spreading the truth about their work their first priority should be to build a web site and make their presence known on the internet.
Until then, they will be the unshielded target for the lances and arrows of anyone that doesn’t want to play fair.
Jun
15
Welcome to my Web Site
Filed Under News
Hello, I’m glad that you’ve found my web site.
This is a project, among many projects, and so will be addressed when time allows, or according to the importance of the information that needs to be spread among neighbors. I hope that this will grow into a comprehensive web site with any information that any visitor might have come for.
Please do keep in mind that this is not an official news source and because of that you may see my opinion in regard to a situation up here in “The Mountain” that I might feel passionate about. This is my soapbox, so to speak, but I don’t plan on making it a repository for rants, although there, no doubt, will include a couple. Nobody likes to read negative all the time, so I’ll try to keep it light.
A part of the motivation that has driven me to create this blog is my peripheral involvement in the happenings of the local community. Chamber of Commerce, Villages at Mt. Hood, County Tourism Development etc. It seemed that I, and most of the folks that I know, were just hearing about what is happening up here the month after it happens by reading the Mountain Times. I was tired of not knowing what was happening in a timely manner, and so started to go to a meeting or two.
I recognize that many that are involved in our community and who are working to improve our area are very busy people and I have felt for some time that I, and others on The Mountain, were not getting the information that would help our understanding of their work in an easy and convenient place. Minutes to meetings should be available to all of us, not just those of us that have the time to go to these meetings. Another purpose of this web site will be a repository for public documents such as minutes and special projects that I receive.
And so, I suppose this gives you an idea of this web sites purpose. Please don’t hesitate to get involved, be it by passing information to me to post, or perhaps by adding a comment to one of my posts. Tell your friends, and check back often.