Well, we did it. Retired on December 5th and moved to Southern Oregon on December 14th. After loading the truck, we stayed an extra night in Portland to attend the Meet & Deet on the 13th - we really enjoyed the whole event and the chance to meet some PH icons in person (you know who you are) . But after a flurry of unpacking stuff and messing with the house we needed a break. This whole area is pretty new to us, so we thought we'd start with one of the easy local favorites - Roxy Ann Peak in Prescott Park. We started in fog but broke out of the low clouds that were filling the Rogue Valley just before reaching the TH.
It was quite a frothy soup of clouds down below us,
but we spent our whole hike above the clouds, with a view of Mt. Ashland in the distance (on the left).
The road/trail system is straightforward and took us up through groves of oaks and madrones to Ponderosa pines at the summit.
From the peak's SE ridge, we got a killer view of Mt. McLoughlin to the E (on our "to do" list for a late Spring snow climb).
We could also look S to Grizzly Peak (arrow), which we'd hiked earlier this year (Grizzly 2014),
and to Pilot Rock (arrow) which we got snowed off of last May!
The Loved One attempted to part the clouds,
but gave that up in favor of attention seeking behavior.
We stopped for a snack at the North Overlook,
then headed back on the Ponderosa Trail, which gave us a good view of Grayback (arrow), which we'd hiked last summer (Grayback 2014).
And then we were done.
Good leg stretch (5 mi RT, 700' EG) with great views - a nice break from unpacking boxes!
Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
- weathercrazy
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Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Beautiful shots! All of them!
Tyler Mode
http://www.naturespixpdx.com
http://www.naturespixpdx.com
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Wonderful way to unwind! Loved the distant shot of McLoughlin. So fun to spend a bit of time with both you and The Loved One last Saturday! What a great new adventure you have before you.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...
Back on the trail, again...
- goingrouge
- Posts: 61
- Joined: May 21st, 2012, 8:28 pm
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
McLoughlin is Oregon's Unknown Volcano, in my opinion. It can only be spied from an Interstate coming down into Gold Hill/Medford, so basically 95% of the people do not even know it is there. It is a rather beautiful Prominence, being rather pointy and symmetrical from many vistas. Otherwise it is mostly seen only from high elevations, across lakes, and some of the larger valleys, like from W Medford/Jacksonville.
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Love the shots of Mt McLoughlin. Need to get down there sometime. Thanks for sharing and good luck in your new spot. Happy Retirement!
Thanks,
Mike J
Mike J
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Bruce, you ditched us! Congrats on retirement!
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Can't wait to see the TR for the McLaughlin climb. a beautiful volcano (with the worst mosquitoes ever)
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Thanks but we plan to stay active with PH, so expect some TRs from exotic "southern" locales. Might even try contributing to the Field Guide now that there's a box for "Southern Oregon."Bosterson wrote:Bruce, you ditched us! Congrats on retirement!
Re: Roxy Ann Peak (S Oregon) 18-Dec-2014
Agree - for a 9,495' peak, with a great shape, it's under-appreciated. I climbed it once in my pre-PH days just to finish climbing all the 9000'+ volcanos. But that day the summit (and only the summit) was stuck in a cloud, so I got no views. We'll try again on what better be a totally bluebird day in the Spring.goingrouge wrote:McLoughlin is Oregon's Unknown Volcano, in my opinion. It can only be spied from an Interstate coming down into Gold Hill/Medford, so basically 95% of the people do not even know it is there. It is a rather beautiful Prominence, being rather pointy and symmetrical from many vistas. Otherwise it is mostly seen only from high elevations, across lakes, and some of the larger valleys, like from W Medford/Jacksonville.