for the Siskiyou Hiker
17 NOVEMBER 2019 | APPLEGATE, OR. — Cameron Meadows Trail #953 has two trailheads connected by a mile stretch of road, forming an (approximately) six mile loop. The trail from either end is steep, winding through primeval forests like those found throughout the Red Buttes Wilderness. At its precipice, the trail traverses a complex of meadows that explode with wildflowers in the summer. They exist there under the caste of Mt. Emily and a commanding ridge complex.
We’ve been working on the trail a lot this fall, and just yesterday volunteers finished work for the season.
“They had one last log to clear,” says executive director Gabriel Howe. “I could tell it was kind of a thorn in the side to them, so I said, go get it done.”
And they did just that, slicing and dicing through this white-fir with an antique crosscut saw, some wedges, a little ax power, and plenty of grit.
Calena Reeves is one of those volunteers with grit, and yesterday was her first time out with Siskiyou Mountain Club. She moved to the Rogue Valley a few years ago for college and graduated last June. She got a job at Jefferson Public Radio and was looking for outdoor opportunities. That’s how she landed on us. It was also her first time running a crosscut saw.
“The first go was difficult,” she says. “But the second time around it felt a lot more comfortable and pretty soon I was making progress.”
Calena was joined by a handful of volunteers who were determined to slay the massive log. “Everybody was humble and hard working, and I felt a lot of camaraderie.” She wants to go out again, “maybe on an overnight.”
“And the Red Buttes?” she asks rhetorically. “Absolutely gorgeous, so that was a special treat.” It was her first time visiting the 20,000 acre wilderness.
We’re leading a hike on the trail there next Friday, November 22. Carpools meet up at the Star Ranger Station at 10am. Just email karly@siskiyoumountainclub.org for details and to sign up.
To walk this signature day hike yourself, pick up the Red Buttes Wilderness Map from our map store. From Seattle Bar at the far south end of Applegate Lake, head south on Forest Road 1050 and make a hairpin right onto FSR 1040. Follow that all the way to the trailhead.
Always Leave No Trace. And long live the backwoods trails.
