Fire-rise on Ridgeline Trail

As the Oregon wild fires rage on at the end of July 2024, hiking safely becomes more and more challenging.

Add to those conditions my push for carbon karma ratios of 1 hour driving : 3 hours hiking, and finding a good hike is like a treasure hunt. I initially looked at Lawler MTB trail with only 1 hour carbon karma, but decided that Ridgeline trail offered similar experience and if I went early in dark – a different one! The upper sections of Lawler are also very close to the USFS fire closure area for Cottage Grove-Lane 1 fire.

The Hike

Wednesday, July 31 left the Spring Blvd Th at 05:00 (official sunrise = 06:01) with headlamp on went to Spencer top; down to S. Willamette th and back to Spencer top; down and over to Blanton Ridge th and back to Spencer top; and finally down and back to Spring Blvd. I returned to the car 12:45.

Trail conditions are harder than last time (early July) and trail-side vegetation dust-covered. I am not a fan of these gravel maintained trails in summer because they’re as hard as concrete. Humans were thick on the summit segment and oddly between Blanton and N. Willamette th.

Fire-rise

With all the fires, sunrise could not be normal. I hit the top of Baldy before official sunrise, and I changed the name to ‘Fire-Rise’.

At Spencer top the first couple times before the wind cleared out the smoke, the sky looking east toward the cascades was amazingly beautiful – in all the death and destruction way. Before the wind came, the smoke followed the rivers east to west into the valley … accelerated glacier moves.

Friends along the way

Birds were plentiful along the trail. Around 06:00, a Great Horned Owl chimed in (sounds). Ridgeline is home to Barred Owls, and this was the first time hearing a Great Horned.

A couple of youngish deer were eating near the trail and were not skittish at all – troublesome. They were fearless of humans. Then above the Spencer / Ridgeline intersection a small cotton-tail took a break on the trail; I had not seen rabbits up this high before (usually at the meadow-trailheads).

This spiderweb was 3D, but maybe not as well captured in the photo. As the sun hit the web strands, small prisms reflected around the web, like tiny jewels

Data Geek Corner

• Carbon Karma: 0.5 driving = 1.5 hours hiking objective
  • Actual: 7.33 hours moving
  • Bank: +5.83 hours
  • Cumulative 2024 = +36.6 hours
• Hike times: start 5:00 end 12:45 (rounded)
• Length: 21 miles
• Elevation gain: 34,382
• Pace: 21:42 min / mile, stopped time 15m:12s
• Weather: Sunny, 60-80 degrees
• Description: trekking poles, fast hike, typical long-distance gear kit, low mesh trail runners, Kumo 36 pack