Wednesday, November 4, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon THANKSGIVING: Event will be mostly on a to-go basis Proxy Falls is an excellent fall hike By Craig F. Eisenbeis Correspondent Continued from page 3 Seher said the volunteers are looking into the possibil- ity of offering some limited, appropriately distanced seat- ing in the large church fel- lowship room. That seating would likely be in <pods= and provided for groups with particular needs. She said that everyone will miss the hours of cama- raderie provided by past gatherings. <That is going to put a dent in it, because that was a big portion of it 4 the abil- ity to get people together, the fellowship,= she said. Regardless, providing a Thanksgiving meal to people who otherwise would go without remains an impor- tant mission for Sisters. Seher said that the one food donation item that remains is pumpkin pies. Those interested in donat- ing may do so through the day before Thanksgiving. Contact Seher at 541-390-4597. That is going to put a dent in it, because that [the camaraderie] was a big portion of it — the ability to get people together, the fellowship. — Jennifer Seher As we wait to see if the predicted La Niña actually comes to pass, I feel like the mountains are crying <Last Call= for hiking. So, we decided to take one last (maybe) trip over McKenzie Pass this year while we still had a favorable weather win- dow. We selected Proxy Falls but then thought maybe we9d make more of a trip out of it and do the whole Santiam- McKenzie loop, so we added a couple of other stops along the way. So, even though it9s only about a 27-mile trip to Proxy Falls, we managed to make it into about a 90-mile cir- cuit, stopping at Fish Lake and Sahalie Falls along the way. Fish Lake, of course, is empty this time of year, so we got out and explored some of the lake bottom. I can remember kayaking here in the spring and look- ing down through the clear water as I glided above the submerged, but well-defined, trail tracing its way along the bottom of the shallow lake. This time, we walked it. At Sahalie Falls, there are plenty of trails to choose from, but we just made a brief stop to admire the falls. It seemed to take longer than I remembered to get to the McKenzie Highway turnoff. The junction, after all, is on the other side of Belknap Springs. When we arrived at the Proxy Falls Trailhead, it was obvious that we weren9t the only ones to have that idea for a Saturday hike. There were 15 cars already there, and parking was limited. Signs told us that this is a fee area; but, after I deployed my Golden Access Pass, we saw that there was a notice exempting passes this year. Kiosk directions suggest a counterclockwise pattern of travel on this loop trail in order to minimize contact with other hikers 3 an excel- lent idea in this COVID year, but not one that was univer- sally adhered to. Probably fewer than half the hikers were using masks, but we were occasionally thanked by other hikers for using ours. The entire loop trail is only about a mile, exclusive of the additional spur trails to the two falls themselves. However, as short hikes go, this one could be consid- ered a little more difficult than some. The first part of the hike passes through and over one of the McKenzie9s trademark lava flows, neces- sitating some scrambling and awkward footing along the way. Fall colors are past their peak, now, but were still in F or all your fall t h g i r s d e e n t c e proj ! s r e t s i S n i e r e h Lumber • Hardware • Paint Fencing & Decking • Doors & Windows OUR DINING ROOM IS NOW OPEN! 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This is ad sponsored b by The N Nugget gget Ne Newspaper. spaper PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS Lower Proxy Falls tumbles into a glacial valley off a short loop trail west of McKenzie Pass. evidence during our visit this past weekend. When the trail plunges into the dense forest, huge old-growth Douglas firs dominate the forest but also shelter hemlock, Pacific yew, and western red cedar. Salal, sword ferns, rhododendrons, lichens, and thick green moss that completely covers much See PROXY FALLS on page 17 I S OPEN FOR BROWSING! JOIN US FOR VIRTUAL AUTHOR EVENTS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 • 2PM AIMEE NEZHUKUMATATHIL (World of Wonders) in conversation with ANDREW KRIVAK, (The Bear) THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 • 6:30PM JESS WALTER (The Cold Millions) in conversation with SARAH VOWELL, (Lafayette in the Somewhat United States) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 • 6:30PM CASSANDRA TATE, (Unsettled Ground) in conversation with JANE KIRKPATRICK, (Something Worth Doing) WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 • 6:30PM PAM HOUSTON and AMY IRVINE discuss their new book, Air Mail THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 • 4PM ROXANE GAY, (Untamed State) in conversation with OKEY NDIBE, (Arrows of Rain) TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24 • 6:30PM DAVID JOY presents When These Mountains Burn Go to paulinaspringsbooks.com to view details and to register. 541-549-0866 • 252 W. Hood Ave., Sisters