Redwic - Aug 10, 2015 10:34 pm Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2015
Nicer than I expected
Redwic
As far as Oregon chosspiles go (and there are many of them), this is one of my favorites. With only a couple of hours' sleep at the rest area east of Oakridge, I arrived at the trailhead at dawn. The trail hiking went fast both ways. Rockpile Lake looked dried up (although I did not explore) but Marie Lake was gorgeous. I thought the off-trail approach was straightforward but I could see how novices might get off-track in the forest. Not as bad in that regard as the upper slopes of Mount McLoughlin, however. Once I reached the southern false summit, I really enjoyed the beauty of the mountain and its surrounding views. Don't believe the hype about the ridge "scrambling" as I only scrambled one time (and only because I wanted to), and all scrambling sections could be easily avoided. Heck, I saw prints from skateboarder shoes in the rocky sand, if that is any indication. It only took five hours roundtrip (three up, two down), giving me a comfortable time cushion for me to reach my next destination of the day: Yamsay Mountain. Yes, a Diamond/Yamsay road trip one-day slam. The things that crazy prominencians do.
Redwic - Aug 10, 2015 10:34 pm Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2015
Nicer than I expectedRedwic
As far as Oregon chosspiles go (and there are many of them), this is one of my favorites. With only a couple of hours' sleep at the rest area east of Oakridge, I arrived at the trailhead at dawn. The trail hiking went fast both ways. Rockpile Lake looked dried up (although I did not explore) but Marie Lake was gorgeous. I thought the off-trail approach was straightforward but I could see how novices might get off-track in the forest. Not as bad in that regard as the upper slopes of Mount McLoughlin, however. Once I reached the southern false summit, I really enjoyed the beauty of the mountain and its surrounding views. Don't believe the hype about the ridge "scrambling" as I only scrambled one time (and only because I wanted to), and all scrambling sections could be easily avoided. Heck, I saw prints from skateboarder shoes in the rocky sand, if that is any indication. It only took five hours roundtrip (three up, two down), giving me a comfortable time cushion for me to reach my next destination of the day: Yamsay Mountain. Yes, a Diamond/Yamsay road trip one-day slam. The things that crazy prominencians do.