If you can't keep from treating our forests like a garbage dump, stay the hell out!

Garbage left behind atop Hawk Mt.

First of all, I am no tree hugging preservationist with nothing better to do but file a lawsuit when anyone lifts a chainsaw in the forest. I do not claim to be an environmentalist, although I do think common sense and decency play a part in any trip into our forests. I scoff at any mantra suggesting you leave the wilds in better condition than when you left. How is that possible? If the average Joe left the forest in the same condition as when he entered it would do fine. That is not to say that forests should not be managed for multiple uses – including logging! Industry does have its place in the woods! But that is for another post.

 

Along a 2.6 mile stretch of trail hugging the Salmon River in the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness, one can see some of the largest old growth trees in the state. At an elevation of around 1,600', this trail can be hiked any time of the year and is easily accessible. A paved road closely parallels the entire trail. Sunset magazine once said, "Though this nearly level trail winds along between road and river, you rarely see or hear traffic; you feel as though you're well away from civilization."

Stealthy predator makes hike along Salmon River one to remember

Cougar

The sound of a snapping twig alerted me to movement along Devil's Peak's forested slopes, with the Salmon River below. I spun around and peered through the darkness of the deep forest in early morning, focusing on two deer nervously wading through the fern laden forest floor. It was as if Mother Nature had snapped her fingers, directing my attention toward the jittery does and away from the grisly matters playing out in the small canyon below.

A little history along the Plaza Trail and a rock resembling a sheep's head?

Mt. Hood from Sheepshead Rock

Like so many trails in the old Cascades, this one is heavy on forest and light on views - until you reach the destination. Years ago, while hiking with a novice to trails on the western slopes of the Cascades, I was asked how I could enjoy a trail surrounded by forest, without the same views the higher Cascades offer. I told him it was like wine. You have to grow to appreciate a fine wine, just like you have to grow to appreciate a hike through the woods, with few or no views. Any likeness between wine and a trail is probably a stretch, but it must have worked. I didn't hear anymore of what the trail was missing for the remainder of the hike.

Summit views worth the mundane hike up West Zigzag Mt. Trail

Mt. Hood from West Zigzag Mt. with East Zigzag Mt. in the foreground

The West Zigzag Mountain Trail is one of those trails that just can't make up its mind. With a 1,180 foot elevation gain in 2.3 miles, a moderate grade would take a hiker from trailhead to summit. This trail, however, begins climbing steeply after a brief downhill stretch then levels out and even drops at a a steady incline for a significant section of the hike, before again climbing to the summit of West Zigzag Mountain. No matter how frustrating it can be to climb and give up elevation before climbing again, West Zigzag's summit views are well worth it.