2B
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
Elkhorn
Continued from Page 1B
A hike along the Hoffer Lakes and
Crawfish Basin trails in the northern
Elkhorn Mountains offers the opportu-
nity to get an up-close look at this gra-
nitic rock formed in the basement of the
earth’s crust.
The trail begins at the boat ramp at
Anthony Lake Campground and skirts
several walk-in campsites. Soon, it
turns south and begins a moderate
climb alongside Parker Creek. A knee-
deep pool holds several skittery three-
inch trout. As the fish dart from shadow
to shadow, I glimpse a green marbled
pattern on their backs and bright red
lower fins edged in white: the identify-
ing marks of brook trout. Planted in An-
thony Lake for spring and summer an-
glers to catch, a few brook trout have mi-
grated up the creek and established a
naturally reproducing population of
small but hardy fish.
Exposed tree roots grasp the rising
trail like gnarled fingers. Stepping from
root to root, I rest my hand on the side of
a 10-foot granitic boulder. The feel of its
rough texture brings me to a sudden
stop. I run my fingers over its granular
surface and make a tactile connection
with a chain of volcanic islands that ex-
isted 170 million years ago in a subtrop-
ical sea. Back then, as North America
began to slowly move westward, it col-
lided with the arc of islands. The colli-
sion forced the oceanic crust beneath
the western edge of our continent and
created a mass of molten rock under the
continental crust. The hot rock cooled
very slowly, allowing large grains to
form. Subsequent crustal folding and
faulting tilted and lifted a huge portion
of this granitic rock from 8 miles below
the earth’s surface to rise as the Elkhorn
Mountains. Erosion exposed the slant-
ing peaks, ridges and boulders, includ-
ing the one I’m touching now. I give the
huge rock a friendly pat and move on.
A quarter-mile up the trail I find a
grassy glade fringing one side of the
shallow basin holding Hoffer Lakes. On
the opposite side, an enormous granitic
slab angles down steeply from Lees
Peak to the water’s edge. Subalpine firs
and whitebark pines cling to the narrow
slots of soil within cracks in the hard
surface. Leaving the main path, I slowly
circle the larger of the two lakes; dozens
of explorer’s gentians dot the shore,
their vivid indigo petals facing the sun.
Each bloom’s pleated cup closes up in
rainy weather to retain heat around the
flower’s reproductive structures. Usual-
ly, the last mountain wildflower to
bloom each year, gentians herald the
end of the growing season. Mountain
meadows save their best for last.
A sudden movement among the elec-
tric-blue blossoms catches my eye. I’ve
flushed a tiny Pacific tree frog from its
hiding place. Cradling this olive-sized
creature in my hand for a moment, I no-
tice the black eye stripe typical of its
species. Its dark throat tells me it’s a
male. His skin color is a gorgeous blend
of bright green and coppery brown. This
color pattern is only temporary, as these
frogs change color in response to envi-
Autumn color in Elkhorn Mountains. PHOTOS BY BOBBIE SNEAD/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
If you go
Directions: Drive I-84 north of Baker
City for 19 miles. Take the North Powder
Exit 285 and follow Anthony Lake signs
west for 21.3 miles to Anthony Lake
Campground. Follow signs to
boat-ramp and day-use parking.
Best months: August - October
Length: 6.4 miles round trip
Duration: 5 hours
Elevation gain: 900 feet
Age range; suitable for kids 10 years
old and up
ronmental conditions. Tomorrow my lit-
tle friend could be entirely brown or
green or a completely new palette of
earthy pigments.
Returning to the trail, I follow it as it
ascends a rocky hill and soon parallels a
linear meadow nearly a half-mile long.
Last spring it was an Elysian flower field
buzzing with pollinators; now dry seed-
pods rattle in the breeze. Soon the
meadow will rest in winter’s white si-
lence.
The trail joins a dirt road and switch-
backs up to an unnamed pass with a
sweeping view of the northern Elk-
horns. Van Patten Peak, Gunsight
Mountain, Angell Peak and Lees Peak
point their slabbed summits above the
surrounding ridges. Anthony and Hoffer
lakes pool below in basins scooped out
by long-vanished Pleistocene glaciers.
Storm-twisted whitebark pines clutch
Granite shows through in the Elkhorn Mountains.
the rocky soil, preventing it from wash-
ing downslope in spring runoff. My
mind drifts back to this morning and the
small brook trout finning in the clear
pool in Parker Creek. They have the te-
nacious old pines to thank for the clear
water that they call home.
Heading south along the Crawfish
Basin Trail, I soon round the end of the
ridge formed by the high peaks. Below
me the huge elk pasture called Crawfish
Meadow beckons, but I content myself
with sitting on a trailside boulder to gaze
down at the lush valley. An elk trail,
worn deep by the hooves of many gener-
ations, bisects the meadow as a narrow
creek makes slow, looping curls along
its southern edge. A granitic knob rises
from the valley floor like the tip of an
iceberg in a softly meadowed sea. I
reach down and touch the grainy rock
upon which I sit. Its journey began on a
subtropical island millions of years ago;
it traveled beneath North America and
now rests as one tiny bit of the high Elk-
horn Mountains. I wonder where it will
go next as it continues its passage
through time.
Bobbie Snead is a local naturalist
and nature educator. Follow her adven-
tures at nwnatureblog.com.
Miller
Continued from Page 1B
but the delivery is set for 1,200 half-pounders and 75
1-pound ‘bows.
Walling Pond is at 16th and McGilchrist streets,
with the parking area off 16th.
Coho counts still strong
This year through Oct. 15, more than 18,000 adult
coho “silver” salmon had gone through the fish ladders
at Willamette Falls at Oregon City heading upriver to
spawn, including a daily high of 983 on Oct. 2.
And a lot of those fish are heading up the North San-
tiam River with 238 counted at Upper and Lower Ben-
nett dams at Stayton Island through Oct. 10. For cur-
rent fish counts, go to: ODFW Willamette Falls Fish
Counts (state.or.us) or Upper and Lower Bennett
Dams Fish Counts | Oregon Department of Fish &
Wildlife (myodfw.com)
On those pages, you also can sign up for email alerts
for updated counts.
Good news for ocean anglers
Some of the temporary rules for halibut and bot-
tomfish that went into effect this year could be repeat-
ed for the 2022 seasons.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists
will be making the proposals at the November meeting
of the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Among those are allowing anglers to keep bottom-
dwelling rockfish during all-depth halibut fishing in
the offshore zones from the Columbia River south to
Humbug Mountain near Brookings, opening all-depth
halibut fishing seven days a week in May and/or Sep-
tember, and allowing a two-halibut daily bag limit be-
fore Labor Day.
Fishing days and limits were expanded this year be-
cause ocean conditions and pandemic concerns kept a
lot of anglers home during much of the spring season
and into the summer season.
You can chime in on the 2022 halibut or bottomfish
proposals, or make some of your own, during a virtual
(online) meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 27.
Links to the meeting, as well as an online survey,
will be available several days before the meeting at
ODFW
Sport
Pacific
Halibut
Management
(state.or.us)
Thought for the week: Which is the bigger downer:
Eating the last incredible tomato out of the garden af-
You can bag a bass similar to this largemouth at St Louis Ponds near Gervais as fish go into the big-eating
season during preparation for winter. HENRY MILLER / SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL
ter a successful growing season OR putting the camp-
ing gear away for the winter? Discuss among your-
selves.
Contact
Henry
MillerSJ@gmail.com
via
email
at
Henry