B
Friday, January 17, 2020
The Observer & Baker City Herald
If You Go...
Skiing Meacham Divide
Meacham Divide Nordic
area is accessed from
Summit Road exit 243
on Interstate 84, 18 miles
west from La Grande.
At the exit, travel 1.7
miles northeast on
Forest Service Road 31.
All-wheel drive vehicles
are generally required.
A Sno-park pass is
required. Recommended
donation: $7 per person.
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Mavis and
Whitfi eld
Hartz.
Swap your
wheels for
a pair of skis
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Winter is fi nally here and
it is time for some fun in
the snow. On a good snow
year, one of the most beau-
tiful places to play is the
Meacham Divide Nordic
Area. This article will focus
on a journey of incredible
vistas with a just short of
10-mile groomed Nordic ski
loop that contains an out and
back on the trail Loppet, with
side adventures on Quarry,
Tillicum and Butcher Loops.
Meacham Divide is one of
the larger groomed Nordic
areas in Oregon with 18
miles of delightful corduroy.
It is just 18 miles west of La
Grande and 1.7 miles north
off of I-84 on Summit Road,
the 243 Exit. Though the
road is plowed, it is not of
fi rst priority importance and
it might be one of the last
roads cleared after a snow
event and is best if tackled
with a vehicle built for winter
driving. It is in a Sno-Park
area, so make sure to bring
traction devices and a park-
ing permit.
Park at the Emily Sno-
Park and locate the begin-
ning of the track on the west
side of the
parking area.
To the right
of the path is
a collection
box. The Blue
Mountain Nordic Club is the
lovely group of volunteers,
based in La Grande, that
maintains and grooms this
gem. They request each user
donate a minimum $7 per
escapade to cover the costs
involved in keeping the Nor-
dic Area open and groomed.
Leave the parking area
on Loppet and enjoy an easy
rolling half-mile start to the
bottom of Moose Huff Hill.
This section is wonderful for
introducing new adventurers
to low angle snow sports, and
dogs are welcome. If snow-
shoeing is the mode of the
day, please stay to one side
of the grooming off of the set
twin ski track. This allows
the track to last longer and
other users the joy of smooth
skate and classic skiing. Re-
member as you are gearing
up, different snow conditions
provide more resistance
and work to cover the same
amount of distance. Do not
Hazel Hartz skis at Meacham Divide.
THE NEXT RIDE SKI
MAVIS HARTZ
give yourself a hard time if
your goal is 10 miles but you
have to stop after one due to
the extra work the snow has
provided for you.
Moose Huff Hill is the
steepest climb of the day
reaching over a 5% grade and
the end of the groom open to
dogs. Continue on Loppet to
the highest point of the route
at 4,280 feet before gliding
to the lowest point, with an
incredible view, Loppet Point.
Loppet Point, also called
Rock Spring, looks at
least 1,000 feet down into
Meacham Creek and the
Union Pacifi c Railroad.
Though the train is easy
to hear as it chugs along
and whistles at the passing
animals, it is diffi cult to spot
due to the numerous little
canyons and pure expanse.
Continue the amazing
spectacle by swinging around
Quarry Loop and if you are
lucky, gaze east to see the
Owsley Hogback.
Finish out Quarry Loop
and return to Loppet, keep-
ing an eye out for Tillicum
Loop as you work your way
back along Red Saddle huff-
ing and puffi ng to return to
the high point. Turn off onto
Tillicum Loop, an almost
two-mile open loop that
includes yet more incredible
landscapes. Enjoy the view
down Tillicum Creek and into
the distant Meacham Creek
drainage, this time to the
north, as the path undulates
at the perfect pitch to keep
a comfortable momentum
going on Nordic skis.
Ponder the naming of
Tillicum Creek, the Chinook
word loosely translated to
friend, and the idea that the
Chinook practiced head fl at-
tening that would leave the
forehead a status symbol for
all to see.
Tie back into Loppet
and look for Butcher Loop.
Butcher Loop is fewer than 2
miles of an open loop that vis-
its Butcher Point. The plunge
to Butcher Point will wake
up all but the most staunch
Nordic skier but the panora-
ma is worth it. Butcher Point
allows a fi nal and glorious
panorama that looks west
and down into Butcher Creek
and beyond. Continue back
onto Loppet and the waiting
Emily Sno-Park.
Along the way, there are
still a handful of other loops
such as Kansas, Pendleton
Plunge and Roller Coaster, if
your legs are still fresh and
more wandering is called for.
This area is run on the
dedication and funds of
volunteers. It is also at an
elevation that is prone to sig-
nifi cant snow gain and loss.
These two factors make it
important to check conditions
before making it the desti-
nation of the day. The Blue
Mountain Nordic Club posts
recent updates and grooming
schedules on its Facebook
page as well as its website,
onc.or/bmnordic
The Oregon Department
of Transportation has two
weather webcams on I-84
at Meacham, in the area
that can easily be seen on its
TripCheck website. Through
these, the traveler can learn
if there is enough snow for
the area to be open and if the
freeway is currently allowing
for travel.
As with most experiences
worth the time and effort, no
one will be there to save you
and it might be best to travel
with a buddy. Make sure to
wear or carry multiple layers
of clothing, extra food and
water, materials to make a
fi re and some way to commu-
nicate with the outside world.
Tell a responsible individual
where you are heading and
when you should be back,
making sure to check in upon
returning. Follow the Blue
Mountain Nordic Club’s brief
list of rules to preserve the
track for others and pick up
your dog poop. If by chance
you feel that the area needs
more love and maintenance
than it is receiving, the club
is always looking for more
capital and volunteers and
can be reached through the
routes previously listed.
Hunting season over? No problem: It’s the show season
After all the hunting seasons
are closed what’s a guy to do? Sit
around and drink lattés and get
fat? No! The show season is upon
us, so get out and hit some of the
outdoor shows.
I like going to outdoor shows for
a lot of reasons, besides the obvious
reason that it’s usually cold and the
weather is miserable by then and
I’m bored stiff. Here’s a few other
reasons that I enjoy them.
A buddy told me that to get your
product
into Cabela’s, you have to
BASE CAMP
let them list it on the internet sales
TOM CLAYCOMB
for two years. Then if it does good,
they’ll offer it in the store. Gee, you
be a busy month for me. The fi rst
could have a great product and go
week I had two seminars at the
broke before you ever got to put it
Dallas Safari Club Convention and in front of a customer. That’s where
Expo, Jan. 20-24 is the SHOT Show shows have helped jumpstart
which is the largest outdoor show
many struggling little companies.
in the world (I’ll write an article on So you’re likely to see gear you’ve
that show in the near future) and
never seen before. That’s where I
I’ll have three seminars there, and met SneakyHunter BootLamps.
SEMINARS
on Feb. 6 the Safari Club Interna-
I love hitting the shows and
tional Convention in Reno kicks off GEAR
attending the seminars. Every
Then in addition to all the new
and I’ll have four seminars there.
seminar that I’ve ever attended I’ve So I’ll be swamped.
products discussed above, there’ll
learned something. And the bigger
also be a lot of booths with old gear.
NEW GEAR
the show, usually the better the
By old I don’t mean dated, but
If you are in need of new gear, hit what you will fi nd in the stores.
speakers. Although I must throw
the shows. Many times manufactur- There may be show specials. For
out a disclaimer. Sometimes at
smaller shows you’ll have a gung-ho ers will have booths set up and be
instance, if you’re in the market for
offering show specials. Plus, you’ll
young local guy and he’ll share
a backpack this may be a good spot
see a lot of new gear not offered
everything that he knows and not
to fi nd one.
hold back like some of the older
BUT please! Look around. People
in the big box stores. I see a lot of
dogs do.
drive me nuts with their impulsive
creative hunters/fi shermen who
And of course in January and
invented little knickknacks and are shopping habits. I remember one
year I had eight seminars at a show.
February I’ll be conducting a lot of trying to make a go of it. You’ll see
seminars at the shows. January will gear you’ve never seen before.
A buddy of mine worked for Blacks
Creek Guide Gear, which is one of
the top backpack companies in the
country and they had a booth in
back. I don’t know how many people
I saw who walked in the front
door and walked straight to the
fi rst booth and bought a backpack.
I know for sure that Robert had
much better packs in back. Look
around before you buy.
and $25,000 on a bad deal.
And to get even deeper, you need
to determine if their set-up is for
you. You need to be honest with
yourself. What is your main goal?
To some people it is important that
they are back to the lodge by dusk
and served a great dinner cooked
by a chef. And to sit around the
proverbial camp fi re and drink until
midnight.
GUIDES
To other outdoorsmen the whole
If you’ve been wanting to hire a
objective is to hit it hardcore and be
guide to hunt/fi sh this is a great
successful. Different guides special-
place to meet them. At the Boise
ize in different fl avors. Make sure
show I see some of the guides that I you pick the right fl avor or you’ll be
know from up in Alaska.
disappointed.
And if you want to go on an exotic
Be crystal clear on what is
safari, SCI and DSC are the two
provided and what isn’t. Do they
shows to hit. You can sign up for all handle the shipping back of your
manner of big game, bird hunting
trophies? Get all of the necessary
or fi shing adventures. It’s almost
tags etc. etc.? There can be a lot
painful to walk the aisles and see
of hidden costs that they take for
all of the cool hunts they are offer-
granted that you never knew about.
ing if you’re on a peon salary.
And you even have a gun show
Most of the time you can tell by
in La Grande in February. I always
talking to a guide if he is any good fi nd stuff I can’t live without at
or not. But for sure, check referenc- every gun show I hit. Don’t you? Let
es. You don’t want to waste 10 days the shows begin!