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Past Activity

Mt. June via Hardesty Mt. and return

  • Start date: 11/04/2017

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 11/04/2017

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

WEATHER UPDATE (THURSDAY EVENING): CURRENT FORECAST IS 45 DEGREES, 30% CHANCE OF RAIN, SNOW LEVEL OF 2500 FEET. THE MODELS DO NOT SHOW A LOT OF PRECIPITATION DURING THE HIKE; STILL, EXPECT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/SNOW SHOWERS/SOME RAIN. BE SURE TO BE PREPARED FOR COLD CONDITIONS AND WEAR WICKING MATERIAL TO DEAL WITH SWEAT. HARDESTY IS KNOWN FOR ITS MUDDY BOTTOM PART, AND OTHER TRAILS WILL BE SLICK, TOO. WALKING POLE(S) ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. AT THE MOMENT, THE HIKE IS STILL ON. IF THERE IS SIGNIFICANT SNOW, WE WILL PROBABLY END UP JUST DOING HARDESTY. This is a hike I’ve considered doing for a long time. It is Mt. Hardesty to just below the summit and taking the Sawtooth Ridge Trail by Sawtooth Rock over and up Mt. June. From there, it is back to Hardesty, to the summit and then back down. No, I am not doing Eula Ridge and Willamette Trail with this, although it crossed my mind. Be prepared for weather, but if there is significant rain or a low snow level (below 4000’) the hike will either be canceled or shortened to do Hardesty, which is still difficult enough. No Hardesty hike has a fast pace, but it will be important to keep moving steadily given the short daylight hours. If it is important for someone to do 20 miles, we can arrange that at the end by having that person walk part way up Goodman Creek Rd. Not sure where lunch will be; a lot depends upon the group and the weather.

  • Event Leader: Mike Smith

  • Event Leader Phone: 520-488-9569

  • Event Leader Email: mssq@comcast.net

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type: Mountain

  • Departure Location: Lane Community College, parking lot nearest stoplight

  • Rating: Difficult

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 50

  • Season: 2017

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required: Bring: 10 essentials, at least 2 and maybe 3 liters of water, since there is no water available,energy bars, enough food, good rain gear, spare shoes to change into (not at all recommended to wear on the trail), gloves, hat, poles, maybe neck warmer.

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 19.3

  • Member Fees: 1

  • Elevation Gain: 3700

  • Non-Member Fees: 5

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Six of us left early and were on the Hardesty trail at 8 am. with cloudy skies, calm wind, and temperatures in the 30s. We worked our way up to the snow level, just below Eula Ridge junction. Between Eula and the trail junction to Sawtooth Ridge, we encountered one stretch of snow on low hanging brush that got some of us a face full of the stuff. Still, the trail only had about an inch or two of snow, if that, and the woods were beautiful, with the ferns covered. We got on the Ridge trail and immediately descended, with the unease that we would be ascending that later when we were a lot more tired. We passed the junction to the trail leading to the Umpqua basin, then encountered bright sun by Sawtooth Rock. We passed Lost Creek trail and decided to try going up Mt. June as planned, although we were concerned that the steepness of the trail and the snow might make it impassable. Fortunately, there were remarkably few difficulties, and we ate lunch on the summit. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see the Cascades, although at times it looked like we might get lucky. Fortunately, the wind was calm. Unfortunately, we had to go back down and climb all the places we had descended.

After a lot of work, we took a brief break at Hardesty, seeing some mountain bike tracks that were headed towards Eula Ridge. (That must have been interesting.) We rapidly descended, encountering the first other people we had seen all day, and got back to the trailhead at 4:15. I had long wanted to see the whole Sawtooth trail. There are easier ways to see it, and the ridge is really nice. I was fortunate to have a strong group, all of whom hung in there, pushed themselves to do something very difficult, and had a good time while doing it.