2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry Lake

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Guy
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by Guy » September 15th, 2012, 6:10 am

Assuming that my heel keeps progressing so that I can do short hikes, I hope to get up there in the next few weeks--it will be my first hike since my injury back in March
I hope you make it up there this year grannyhiker....
hiking log & photos.
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forestkeeper
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by forestkeeper » September 15th, 2012, 3:46 pm

:D :D :D What an AWESOME, AWESOME hike. I love Red Hill and can't wait to return!!!! I believe EP or Mayhem will do the trip report. There were a whole lot of people up there today, not many going towards the lake or red hill. If Splintercat needs me, I can do some brushouts up there before the snows begin falling. :D :D :D

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Eric Peterson
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by Eric Peterson » September 15th, 2012, 4:47 pm

Awesome meeting you ForestKeeper and hiking with you guys even if it was for just a short time! :)

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romann
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by romann » September 15th, 2012, 7:41 pm

The trail does take you through a sensitive meadow ... would need to be rerouted / adjusted. It would take a lot of effort to bring it up to modern standards.
Yeah, now they really need to close off all meadow trails like Paradise Park and Elk Cove, and reroute Timberline trail 1000 feet lower :|

It's interesting that FS seems to have problem with unofficial trails in some areas but not the others. For example some great and well-known trails on OR side of the Gorge you won't even think to be unofficial, and no one have a problem with that. On the other hand, there's a few awesome trails on WA side the local FS and BLM keeps closing; I don't even use these trails' names to not make them searchable on the internet.

The Old Vista Ridge Trail - now I really need to check it out for the first time!

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Splintercat
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by Splintercat » September 15th, 2012, 11:18 pm

It's a great fall hike, Roman - probably my favorite time to be up there. Lots of fall color with the huckleberries, and the low sun angle makes the afternoon light very nice for photography. The very best days? After an autumn dusting of snow on the upper elevations of the mountain... like this, from a few years ago:

Image

Image

These are from The Rockpile on one of the first trips in there, with Greg Lief. Very beautiful, green forests on the mountain's slopes in those days, but still an outstanding view for photogs!

Will, glad you enjoyed it up there! Lots of Portland Hikers involved in bringing this one back to life -- a true labor of love, and I know you can full understand what that takes, as a fellow trail steward!

Granny, I hope you heal up soon, too -- glad to hear you're on the mend!

Tom :)

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romann
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by romann » September 16th, 2012, 7:44 pm

Tom - these pictures look great and I can see why Vista Ridge got its name. Thanks for all your work on bringing this trail back to life.

I too plan to hit the trails just after the first snow, though sometimes it turns out full 20 inches rather than just 2 or 3 :o . Two Octobers ago I wanted to take a picture of still-unfrozen lake in Indian Heaven with fresh powder and got stuck trying to take a shortcut road - had to shovel my car out. I did get a small hike into the wilderness that day but didn't reach any lakes.

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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by Grannyhiker » November 11th, 2013, 8:23 pm

The Old Vista Ridge trail is listed in both the current Sullivan guidebook and Paul Gerald/One Speed's guidebook. both as options from the "New" Vista Ridge trail. And, of course, it's in the Portland Hikers' Field Guide. I haven't yet read Matt's new guidebook (I need to order it!). Thre's no way the USFS can censor it now!

Note that the maintenance (mostly removal of deadfall and brush) was done well before the enactment of the new wilderness area (so no environmental action statement was required, which would be required now) and while this trail was still listed in the MHNF trail inventory.

I'm not sure why the USFS has their knickers in a twist unless it's because they didn't discover the maintenance until after the Mt. Hood Wilderness Area expansion was enacted. The maintenance predates the wilderness area expansion by several years. This whole thing is rather ridiculous!

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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by mcds » October 21st, 2014, 10:40 am

Splintercat wrote: ... it's not illegal to maintain an established trail unless you're using power equipment in a wilderness area.
That's correct if the trail is a USFS system trail. For Mt Hood, here is a list. Otherwise, it's illegal and the USFS has successfully prosecuted work on non-system foot trails. The 'old vista ridge trail' is not a system trail, nor is it depicted on USFS's map of the Vista Ridge Trail as updated this on April 3rd of this year.
Splintercat wrote:So ... maintaining ... this trail is no different than ... the Tanner Cutoff or Moffett Creek trails in the Gorge, for example.
Big difference: Tanner Cutoff, Tanner Creek Trail and Moffet Creek Trail are (currently) system trails.

TKO ought to stop doing maintenance on that and other non-system trails, or be above board about it by posting trip reports regarding the trail work. TKO patrons deserve to know if their moneys/donations are supporting illegal activities.

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Splintercat
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by Splintercat » October 21st, 2014, 11:24 pm

Just to clarify, TKO has never done a project on this trail, mcds - nor any other project that wasn't sanctioned by the relevant land management agency. A full list of our stewardship projects for the past several years is posted on our website and updated regularly.

I can understand the confusion, however: a group of Portland Hikers that spent a day clipping brush along this trail in September 2007, and several folks from that trip did form what was to become TKO a few months later. The fact that a trail like this was being lost to official neglect was the part of the motivation to form an advocacy group.

Tom :-)

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miah66
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Re: 2012-09-06 Old Vista Ridge Trail to Owl Point and Perry

Post by miah66 » October 23rd, 2014, 3:25 pm

mcds wrote:TKO ought to stop doing maintenance on that and other non-system trails, or be above board about it by posting trip reports regarding the trail work. TKO patrons deserve to know if their moneys/donations are supporting illegal activities.
:evil:

these kind of comments (accusations) don't do anything positive. they're not helpful, they're not informative...are they are intended to be inflammatory? Because that is how they come across. I was sad to see T-roy ride his pride right off this website and it would be a shame if mcds went the same way. I value your input and the work you do, but the stuff coming across lately, it's beneath you.

my $0.02.
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