Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

This is a forum for trip reports that pre-date the Portland Hikers forum, trail photos from pre-digital era, or any other discussions that focus on trail history.
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Splintercat
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Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Splintercat » March 31st, 2011, 9:29 pm

Let's see... March 1985... well, I was on the way up to Eagle Creek with my good friend (and Best Man) David. Undoubtedly, we were listening to Tears for Fears "Songs from the Big Chair" on the nifty cassette deck in my ancient Toyota Corona (remember "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"..?) and discussing the wisdom of picking Sam Bowie in the NBA draft, now that he's injured... and thinking that whatshisname-Jordan guy we could have had is looking pretty good... okay, the time machine has been set in motion!

Here are some shots from that hike, starting with David somewhere along the trial -- I included this shot because he's drinking water from one of the side creeks in his Sierra Cup (bottom of the frame)... ah, the good 'ol days...

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A bit further along, we hit the familiar first set of cliffs, with the familiar spring deluge -- not much change, here, in 26 years to the month:

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Still further, David is sitting next to the bridge above 4 1/2 mile camp -- also pretty much the same as today:

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Just like THIS year, lots of snow up on Indian Mountain -- as viewed up the canyon:

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It took me a minute to figure out which falls this is -- and I believe it to be WyEast Falls. If there's a trail to it today (can't remember), there wasn't back then, but we were waterfall hunters (David appears in my 1981 Salmon River Gorge series, if you've seen those), so it makes sense that we would have scrambled up to the base. But when I looked at Bryan's excellent photos to ID this image, it strikes me that the large boulder at the base (left) has moved significantly in 26 years!

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The next photos are at the end of the hike, at Twister Falls -- which also hasn't changed much since then:

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..and the view looking down Twister Falls... and if you're wondering if that's my hiking partner perched on the cliff...

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...it is! I've enlarged a portion of the photo to show where David was standing... yikes! Young and foolish, that's what we were!

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But on the other hand, David was an accomplished gymnast, so if anyone could muscle his way back up to the trail from that spot, he could... nonetheless... WHAT were we THINKING..? :lol:

Final image -- another familiar view, with David marching back down the "Vertigo Mile" section just below Twister Falls:

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In those days of yore, there was no "lower parking" area to consider -- there weren't enough hikers to spill beyond what is now the "upper parking". But beyond the sheer numbers of hikers who have discovered this trail, not much else has changed. It's really a testament to the construction that this trail holds together so well, albeit with periodic repairs, especially in the first mile or so.

So... there's another installment of OLD SCHOOL HIKING! More to come...

-Tom :D

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romann
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by romann » March 31st, 2011, 11:44 pm

Great report Tom - keep them coming. I think the only way to see Eagle Creek not crowded these days is to pick a day right after a good ice storm, on top of 2 feet of snow, and when I-84 is closed :)

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Crusak
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Crusak » April 1st, 2011, 5:08 am

I think Eagle Creek was one of the first hikes my family did, back in the 80's when we moved to Oregon. I was absolutely amazed at the beauty of the canyon, and the way they carved that trail out of the stone. Thanks for sharing! Definitely brings back memories for me, too.
Jim's Hikes

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Charley
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Charley » April 1st, 2011, 9:14 am

I really enjoy these, Splintercat. One can especially appreciate these protected areas for their timelessness. Any photo of a developed place in Oregon from that long ago stands a serious chance of being unrecognizable!
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Don Nelsen » April 1st, 2011, 9:24 am

Tom, thanks for another blast-from-the-past! Neat that you documented your hikes so well even back then. You are really tempting me to start scanning my old pics.. Of course, in my case, some of them are black and white :)

Don
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Splintercat
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Splintercat » April 1st, 2011, 5:21 pm

Black and white is fine, Don... it's the ink-on-papyrus scrolls that starts to really date you..! :D

What Charley and Crusak said about the canyon is really true -- it's remarkably unchanged by time (and hordes of hikers), and that includes the trail, itself! Hard to believe that it will hit the century mark in about five years. I wonder if the USFS has any sort of celebration planned..?

-Tom

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Guy
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Guy » April 1st, 2011, 5:42 pm

Hey Tom not only did I first discover Eagle creek in 1985 but in '85 I was also the proud owner of a ('73) Toyota Corona.

It was indestructible and a much better car than it's more popular cousin the Corolla.

In Sept of 1986 we took it on a 6,000 mile plus trip around all the Western states & BC. had to bypass the heater core when a hose blew at the grand canyon but that was the only incident! I'm convinced someone is still driving it somewhere :) ...

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Here are a few more (quick & dirty scans) of my Western States odyssey!
hiking log & photos.
Ad monte summa aut mors

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Splintercat
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by Splintercat » April 1st, 2011, 9:01 pm

Ah... nice pics, Guy! Sort of a mirror image of our honeymoon trip in June 1984 through the desert Southwest -- nine states in 22 days! In the 1971 Toyota Corona, of course! Here's the old timer, Spring 1986, about six months before it was "retired" at 185,000 miles...

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We had constant overheating problems in the SW in 1984, and on one epic afternoon in Death Valley (at about 114 degrees) the dash got so hot it opened up like a volcanic fissure. We called it "Little Ubehebe" after that... also tore a hole in the muffler doing detours in flood-stricken Nevada on that trip, and had to bandage it with a plaster-cast kit and Mountain Dew cans... which made it street legal, but leaked an embarrassing farting noise through the patch. Ah, the travails of youth..!

:lol:

(BTW, that is an old-school metal Coleman thermos on the hood -- the kind with the handy cup hidden inside, under the lid... plus the little spigot...)

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DerWanderer
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by DerWanderer » April 2nd, 2011, 9:21 pm

Love the photos and reminiscences. I was about 6 mo. old in March '85; my family was always into hiking, and it didn't take me long to get on the trails. Some of my best childhood memories were made on backpacks in the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

I also have a Toyota story. Since I was a baby, my folks had an '85 Corolla, a nice car for a young family, painted in a pretty sky blue. The last 26 years have taken their toll on the car, but it's still kicking. The year I graduated from college, they got a newer car, and I inherited the Corolla. It's now at 265,000 miles, and I'm still driving it. Two years ago, I just about blew up the engine trying to get it to Timberline Lodge. Just in the last couple of months, I've driven it to Smith Rock SP. All it takes is a quart of oil, a willingness to hold up traffic on the uphill sections, and lots of praying.

When I have to replace it, I'll mourn its departure. Great, economical car.
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The Corolla parked at a trailhead.

HJG0989
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Re: Old School: Eagle Creek to Twister Falls - March 1985

Post by HJG0989 » April 3rd, 2011, 9:42 am

This is a great thread, thanks for the posts!
romann wrote:Great report Tom - keep them coming. I think the only way to see Eagle Creek not crowded these days is to pick a day right after a good ice storm, on top of 2 feet of snow, and when I-84 is closed :)
I went Christmas eve this past year and saw only two other hikers.

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