Trip Report

In March 2019 the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Area was created by act of Congress, and signed by Donald Trump. This was a big victory for Oregon conservationists, because it protects the largest remaining tract of old growth forest in the coast range, more than 30,000 acres. But unlike other wilderness areas in our state, this one has no developed trailheads or maintained trails, and the Siuslaw National Forest has no plans to build any. The result is something Obsidians may have thought they knew but have not really experienced: a true forest wilderness, hands and knees in the dirt, leaves and thorns in the face. In this wilderness area there are no photogenic vistas, no campsites with fire rings and tent sites, and the "trails" are deceptive because any opening in the brush brings relief, but the track might be due to elk rather than humans. For this trip we tried to follow a GPS track made on a previous Obsidians trip in 2017, a loop of about 5 miles, but the track was not a trail and was difficult to repeat. We spent more than five hours in the forest. Salmonberry, Devil's club, elderberry, alder, and blackberry contribute to the dense understory, and at many points we were forced to crawl through it. Sword ferns were easier to pass through but conceal a forest floor where no footing is secure. Large logs disintegrate under the weight of your boot, branches break off when you grasp them for support. Here we saw the forest as a place of decomposition and humus. The Devil's Staircase waterfall has been adopted as a scenic eponym for the wilderness, but it is a red herring, for Wassen Creek scarcely holds enough water to make a spectacle. The marvel of this place is that it humbles, even mock's the human sense of aesthetics in nature. It's impossible to stand back and put the scene at a comfortable distance for beauty. Seven obsidians kept close together, kept their patience and emerged with a fresh appreciation for Oregon forests.