OREGON LAVA CAST FOREST ADVENTURE? LET’S GO

The Lava Cast Forest in Oregon is not for the weak of heart.

I say this based on the traffic I encountered on the way in and on the way out.

One car sat in the parking lot when we arrived, one car showed up as we left.

Suspicious? Not much, but you never know.

If you plan on going to Central Oregon in the winter, you might be planning a snow trip.

You know all about know snow trips? The one where you pack warm and go to the snow instead of waiting for it to come to you?

Some people avoid the cold and snow with a vengeance. These folks are called Snow Birds.

I saw a flock of them heading south a few years back during my Big Drive from Portland to New Mexico.

I pulled into a rest stop in Idaho and it was swarmed by old people limping to the bathroom.

It was a shock until I remembered I was old and limpy after driving a long stretch, just not as old and limpy as the rest.

The Lava Cast Forest would not have appealed to them; it barely appealed to me at the beginning.

We were in Sun River with no snow. So far so good.

I like looking at snow in the far distance, the further the better.

 

Lava Cast Forest?

I’d never heard of it, but once I did I wanted to see it so I could say, “No big deal.”

Except I’d be wrong. It was a very big deal.

We had the directions out of Sun River: Take Century Drive under Hwy97 and keep going.

The drive started with no snow on a one lane logging road that quickly turned snowy and deep.

I had what I call trepidation on an unfamiliar rode with the ground snow rising.

From NBC News:

A family that got stuck on a remote road for days, leading to the death of the father who hiked out for help, made the fateful decision to turn onto a logging road in the belief it would lead out of the snow, the victim’s wife has told authorities.

The Kim family, on the way home to San Francisco from a Thanksgiving trip, took the wrong turn Nov. 25 while on a backcountry route through the Siskiyou National Forest. James Kim, 35, died of exposure after setting out Dec. 2 to find help. His wife, Kati Kim, and their two young girls were found Dec. 4 by a helicopter pilot.

 

I remember the Kim family story, the Donor Party story, and the Oregon Episcopal story.

Why do I remember snow disasters? For safety purposes. I’m ready turn back at the first sign of warning, and the rising road snow looked like a warming.

But we continued.

 

Out In The Lava Field

Nine miles later we parked the car next to the only other car in the lot just as an older couple walked out of the forest.

They were a good sign.

Me: How is it out there?

Them: It’s a mile loop and not too bad.

If I didn’t turn back on the road, I was sure we’d walk out a hundred yards, come back, and call it good.

I didn’t even bother changing my shoes and tromped out in my Romeo skis.

My wife had her walking sticks and took off ahead of me. I lagged back figuring she’d give up sooner than later.

But she didn’t, so I hustled after her.

The snow on the ground covered the trail, but the couple who’d just finished had left footprints to follow.

We came out of the tree line to find a huge lava flow with dark stone peaking out of the snow.

And a lava cast forest. Look, there’s a stump hole, let’s turn around.

But no, there were more and more. By the time we’d finished oogling the holes in the lava we were halfway around the loop.

Onward.

This is when I wished I’d changed shoes.

The trail dipped down with sharp rocks on one side, a ten foot cliff on the other.

I had decisions to make, like which side should I plan to fall on to avoid diving on the rocks or going off the cliff.

My smooth sole Romeos felt like they were ready to slip, so I side-stepped like a Winter Olympian after a ski jump.

Just like that.

With my cat-like reflexes ready to react, I navigated my way down. Meow.

 

The Lesson Learned

One of the joys of Oregon is cruising old logging roads in the mountains.

It’s also one of the dangers.

If you go out far enough and can’t get back, then what?

A recent outing made me aware of who to call in an emergency.

I got caught up in my own death march and didn’t have back-up when my call didn’t go through.

I almost called 9-1-1 on myself.

Who do you call nine miles out if you need help, if you don’t have a signal?

 

Me: I could carry you out.

Wife: I’d have to leave you to find help.

 

At least she didn’t say she’d roast me for a Donner Party dinner.

 

PS:

A few hours in the wilderness sharpens the senses. The lava cast forest showed how new lava won’t support plant growth until it breaks down to the vital nutrients trees need to thrive.

 

PSS:

The picture in this section comes from the vantage point of an older lava bank boundary looking at the new flow with an island in the middle. New being 7000 years ago.

We were on the kind of surface that covers other planets. We left with a feeling of big adventure in the outback.

One car arrived while we ate lunch on the tailgate.

 

Me: It’s a mile loop that starts here and comes out there. We just finished.

Guy: You walked it in those shoes?