Outdoors
B1
Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
OUTDOOR RECREATION
Headed out ‘just for fun’
Adventure Map details Opal Creek, Mount Jefferson trails in detail
The new Adventure Map showcases the Detroit area east of Salem. PHOTO COURTESY OF SALEM SUMMIT COMPANY
ZACH URNESS
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
The most popular area for out-
door recreation near Salem has fi-
nally gotten the Adventure Map
treatment.
The latest edition of the recrea-
tion-focused maps features the De-
troit Lake, Mount Jefferson and
Opal Creek areas, along with less-
er-known spots in between.
It was a natural move for Adven-
ture Map owner Scott Rapp, who’s
been based in Salem since 1997.
Previously, he created the special-
ized maps for places such as Mount
Hood and Central Oregon.
“The reason I wanted to focus on
this area was because it’s where I
grew up hiking and backpacking
and where I go with my family just
for fun,” Rapp said.
“I’m not sure what took us so
long; we just put a lot of time and
research into it.”
Adventure Maps are similar to a
U.S. Forest Service map, except
that trails and recreation opportu-
nities are the focus, instead of log-
ging roads.
“We use stylistic tricks so the
trails really pop off the page,”
Rapp said. “The roads don’t disap-
pear, but they’re not the primary
focus. Instead, it’s clear where the
best hiking and mountain biking
routes are.”
The maps also feature mileage
distances between points, allowing
hikers to know exactly how far
they’ll be traveling on a given hike.
There’s also descriptions of each
route.
“It’s a map and trail guide in
one,” Rapp said.
The latest map showcases the
Detroit Lake region, including pop-
ular areas such as the Opal Creek
and Mount Jefferson wilderness
areas.
But the map also details trail
systems in less-visited spots, such
as the Bull of the Woods Wilderness
and Olallie Lake Scenic Area. Both
areas are often small and difficult
Scott Rapp publishes Adventure Maps specifically designed to highlight recreation. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL
“Of course we’re going to show the popular areas that everyone wants to go.
But we also point out other cool areas people might not know about.”
SCOTT RAPP, ADVENTURE MAP OWNER
to read on Forest Service maps but
are flushed out in better detail on
the Adventure Map.
“Of course we’re going to show
the popular areas that everyone
wants to go,” Rapp said. “But we
also point out other cool areas peo-
ple might not know about.”
Adventure Maps can be pur-
chased online or at local gear shops
such as Salem Summit Company
for around $12.
Zach Urness has been an out-
doors writer, photographer and
videographer in Oregon for nine
years. He is the author of the book
“Hiking Southern Oregon” and can
be reached at zurness@Statesman-
Journal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find
him on Twitter at @ZachsORout-
doors.
These illogical angler
tips get the thumbs up
OUTDOORS
HENRY MILLER
This column is all
thumbs, as in rule of
thumb.
A rule of thumb, for the
uninformed, is loosely de-
fined as an estimation or
prediction based on previous experience
and unhinged from such things as
proven facts or reliable measurements.
An example would be that the rule of
thumb for calculating the weight of a
fish is about 2 pounds more than a certi-
fied scale actually would read.
One variable involves who’s telling
the fish story. The guesstimate also is at-
tenuated by the number of witnesses to
the catch.
The predictive part of this rule of
thumb is that you return to the same spot
on the same day the following year re-
gardless of water levels or flows and oth-
er factors such as tides and water tem-
peratures.
Because if you were truly rational,
would you also be an angler?
Not likely.
Fishing rules of thumb often are tied
to holidays or events, as in the cryptic
question, would you like a little herring
to go with that chardonnay?
This is a rule of thumb that posits that
herring fishing on Yaquina Bay picks up
around the time of the annual Newport
Wine and Seafood Festival.
It’s Feb. 22-25 in 2018, by the way.
Hey, catching herring in late Febru-
ary worked for two years running back
in the early ‘90s, so it has been a rule of
thumb ever since, despite repeated
(mostly) lack of evidence for the suc-
cessful application.
Herring, apparently, are not signifi-
cantly enticed to engage in romantic liai-
See TIPS, Page 2B
Winter-run steelhead fishing generally kicks off on Thanksgiving at the coast, but the weather
and river flows can range from bluebird and perfect to awful and blown out, sometimes both
on the same day. HENRY MILLER/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL