February 12 – 15: Wild Rogue Backpack
for the Siskiyou Hiker
31 January 2016 | Marial, Ore. — Join us President’s Day Weekend (February 12 – 15) for a winter discovery of the Wild Rogue Wilderness.
This self-supported backpack is moderate, and the loop would be a little more difficult but with shorter miles. Participants need to have their own gear, but the Club does have some loaner gear. Email gabe@siskiyoumountainclub.org or call 541-708-2056 for more details and to sign up. Members only.
We’re going into the backpack with two plans to accommodate the snow level.
Plan A: Backpack the Wild Rogue Loop. If we experience a warming trend in the next couple of weeks and the snow melts from 4000′ level, we’ll backpack the 25 mile Wild Rogue Loop.
Plan B: Backpack the Rogue River Trail. If there is still snow at the higher reaches of the Wild Rogue Loop, we’ll hike the 40 mile Rogue River Trail.
Clay Hill Trail, February 2015
February 12 the van leaves Ashland, Ore. at 8:30am with rendezvous options in Medford, Grants Pass and Merlin. From there we’ll head to the respective trailhead and get to hiking.
February 13 – 14 we’ll be hiking the Wild Rogue. If we end up on the loop, you can expect a tough day on the 13th. If we end up on the Rogue River Trail, the first 23 miles is a little tougher than the remaining 18.
February 15 we’ll head home. If we end up on the loop, we’ll have a breezy morning hike out and will be back to town early to mid afternoon. In the event we hike the Rogue River Trail, we’ll be back a little later because of drive times.
Mule Creek Canyon, September 2015
We’re very, very excited for this winter trip in the Wild Rogue, no matter where the weather goes. We can’t wait to hit the trail and tell some stories around the campfire and show our members some secrets in the Wild Rogue.
Hanging Rock, February 2015
The trip is led by Siskiyou Mountain Club Executive Director and outdoor writer Gabriel Howe, who has been exploring the Wild Rogue for 25 years. Howe was a caretaker on the river since 2005, and in 2015 spearheaded a project to resuscitate the Wild Rogue Loop.