Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2018)
Wednesday, June 6, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Resident recounts scary Sisters deer encounter HIKE: Close-in hike offers a lot to see along creek Continued from page 14 By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Folks in Sisters delight in the sight of deer in town, crossing in a crosswalk or lounging on a green lawn. But those cute critters can be highly aggressive — espe- cially a doe protecting a new fawn — and downright terrifying. Ask Amy Abramson. Last Friday at about 10:45 a.m., the proprietor of Blue Burro Imports on Elm Street was walking with her dog before work in the woods where Pine Street and Forest Road 100 meet at the north end of town. She and her Corgi/Aussie mix Mango walk there maybe four or five times a week. On this day, they were confronted by a doe. “A mama deer was in probably, I don’t know, about 10 feet of us,” Abramson recalled. “The mama deer squared off with Mango and pretty much just chased her in circles.” The doe hit Mango at least three times, tumbling the small dog along the ground and trampling her. Amy lost sight of the dog in the sagebrush. “All of a sudden, every- thing stopped and then the mama deer came after me,” she said. For 15 minutes, the deer relentlessly came at Abramson, who became dis- oriented and couldn’t pin- point where she’d parked her car. “I was throwing rocks and sticks — anything I could grab I was throwing at her, and yelling at her,” she recalled. Amy caught sight of her car. “I bee-lined it for my car and she chased me to my car,” she said. For another 20 minutes, the deer stalked the area. “I couldn’t go back into the woods to see if Mango was OK,” she said. It turned out that Mango had taken off and headed to Amy’s shop. A neighboring businessperson called to tell her that Mango was at Blue Burro, and was, somehow, unhurt. Once she knew that Mango wasn’t hurt or killed, Abramson was able to drive off and head to work. Abramson couldn’t defin- itively explain the deer’s extremely aggressive behav- ior, but she believes there might have been a fawn bedded down in the area — though she did not see one. She wanted to let people know about the experience, because many people walk in areas that deer frequent in Sisters. Female deer have sharp hooves that can do a lot of damage. “I was terrified,” she said. “I was worried about my dog and I was worried about myself — I was worried about my safety and not get- ting hurt. She wouldn’t leave me alone.” the stream is quite appar- ent on this segment of the trail. Many streamside rocks are beautifully sculpted by the rock-and-silt-laden high water flows that occur with regularity. Multiple falls and rapids roar through narrowly carved cuts in the rock, or pass beneath log and debris jams that bear witness to the force and volume of more dramatic seasonal stream flows. As the trail continues south, it passes ground zero of the 2010 Rooster Rock Fire, which is believed to have been human-caused. Arrowleaf balsamroot, pen- stemons, and other wildflow- ers can be seen; although wildflowers are not an abun- dant highlight of this hike. The last stretch of trail terminates at the stream crossing for the Metolius- Windigo Trail, near a couple of dispersed camping sites that can be reached by a quar- ter-mile trail from the end of Road 880. This access point also creates the possibility of a car drop for a shuttle return, if a three-mile hike is all you are looking for. The trail offers dozens of great stopping places along the stream for lunch or con- templation. There are rock perches where long stretches of the creek can be seen tum- bling down from the moun- tains. From a few spots, the mountains themselves are visible; and there are many, many views of falls, rapids, and pools. The return hike is a differ- ent view of the same country, but there are new sights every step of the way for a total hike of about six miles. It’s great to have such a nice hike 23 so close to town. This trail is designated for foot traf- fic only: no horses or bikes. Another favorable attribute of this hike is that it is pretty close to being an all-season trail. To reach the northern trail- head, turn south off Highway 20 (Cascade Avenue) onto Elm Street, which becomes Three Creek Lake Road (also Forest Road 16) and con- tinue south for 4.2 miles to a small gravel parking lot on the right. The trailhead is just behind a locked gate. To reach the southern trailhead for a car shuttle and a three-mile hike, stay on Road 16 for a total of 7.3 miles and turn right at the Whychus Creek sign onto Road 1514 (good gravel), then 1.8 miles and right onto Road 880 (dirt) for two miles. There is a significant segment of burned-over forest along the 880 road. Welcome Rodeo Fans Don’t let an injury, ry, ng allergies or feeling wn! puny get you down! Did you know that your home could be two to five times, even up to 100 times, more polluted than outside air?! Your Care is here for you... after hours, every day ay and weekends too! ! Take $50 OFF the purchase of an AirScrubber through 6-30-18. Walk-in • Urgent Care Occupational Medicine CCB# 14008 541.549.1605 www.ponderosaheating.com 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl. Hwy. 126 to Redmond, 2 turns & you’re there! m (Near fairgrounds) YourCareMedical.com O- D X-R Father’s Day Finds ENRICHMENT CAMPS The g gif gifts th h a t ra d dads d ad a d s g o have! that rad gotta SPRD Earth Keepers (June 18 – August 20) OSU Stem Camp (July 10-11) Survival Camp (July 23-27) Jim Anderson Science Camp (July 16-20) Don’t let your dad get the blues! Treat him to tickets for the Sisters Rhythm and Brews! SPORTS CAMPS Basketball (June 18-20) UK Soccer (June 25-29 & August 13-17) Tennis (June 18-20, July 16-18 & July 30–Aug. 1) GNW XC (June 24-29) Football (August 6-8) Volleyball (August 6-9) Contact SPRD for information or to register: SistersRecreation.com • 541-549-2091 1750 W. Mckinney Butte Rd. SNO CAP MINI STORAGE Sisters Industrial Park 157 Sisters Park Dr. • 541-549-3575 www.SistersStorage.com • State-of-the-art Security Technology • Sizes from 5x5 to 12x40 • Individual Gate Codes • Long-term Discounts • On-site Manager August 3 & 4. Two nights of: John Mayall, Walter Trout, Shemekia Copeland, Hillstomp, Curtis Salgado, and many more! Sisters Rhythm and Brews Festival www.sistersrhythmandbrews.com Green M G Mountain t i BBQ G Grills ill Up to $100 off through 6/17/18. Wood-fi red pellet grills evenly circulate hardwood smoke throughout the grill. The smart control is programmable and monitors time and temperature. Pellets available in Apple, Gold, Fruitwood and Texas varieties. Yum! Aqua Hot Tubs | 413 W. Hood Ave. 541-790-9679 | www.aquahottub.com So many amazing fi nds when you take the time shop local!
