Outdoors
Rec
B
Saturday, September 3, 2022
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Peaks, pines
and a panorama
Returning to Pole Creek Ridge
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Looking southeast, toward the Elkhorn Crest trail and peaks above Rock Creek, from Pole Creek Ridge.
I
peered down the gravel
road, a narrow slice
between the firs and
the occasional ponderosa
pine, and it struck me that at
long last I had managed to
misplace a once familiar path.
I wasn’t lost.
And by that I don’t mean, as
people sometimes do, that I truly
didn’t know where I was but was too
ashamed to admit it.
I could see multiple landmarks
through the windshield of our
Toyota FJ Cruiser, peaks I could
name with as much confi dence as
listing my own address or phone
number.
I knew I was on Pole Creek
Ridge, a prominent spur on the
west side of the Elkhorns north of
Sumpter.
I even knew what road I was
JAYSON
JACOBY
ON THE TRAIL
driving on — 5536.
What I couldn’t fi gure out is why
the road was descending.
To get to the trail, I recalled from
many previous visits, you have to
drive uphill pretty much the entire
way.
I pulled over — well, actually
I just stopped in the middle of the
road, which is too narrow to justify
the term “pulled over.”
I confessed to my wife, Lisa, that
I needed to consult a map — the
ultimate admission of navigational
incompetence.
Except the map tucked into the
pocket on the back of the passenger
seat didn’t include Pole Creek Ridge.
Or any place within about 10
miles, come to that.
Which made it about as useful as
toilet paper.
But bemused though I was, I
had little doubt that I had gone
IF YOU GO...
From Baker City, drive Highway 7 for 25 miles to the Sumpter junction. Drive through Sumpter
and, just after crossing Cracker Creek on a bridge, turn right (north) on the Cracker Creek Road.
Follow the road, which turns to well-graded gravel, for 2.4 miles. Just after crossing Cracker Creek
again, turn right onto Road 5536, which is marked by a sign for the Pole Creek Ridge trail.
Drive Road 5536 for about 2.6 miles to an intersection. Continue straight on Road 150 (Road 5536
heads downhill, to the right). Drive Road 150 north for about 0.3 of a mile, then turn right onto
Road 160 and continue for about 1.3 miles. Turn right onto Road 170 and follow it for about 0.6
miles. Road 200 heads steeply uphill to the right. The Elkhorn Crest trail is about 2.6 miles away,
the last 0.7 of a mile on a single-track trail.
astray in trying to reach the Pole
Creek Ridge trail. I turned around,
a maneuver that, due to the road’s
modest width, required about half a
dozen neck-straining jolts, fi rst for-
ward, then back. A 10-point turn,
basically.
When we got back to the junc-
tion of 5536 and its 150 spur I imme-
diately recognized that the former
road had lured me away from my
destination.
We made it the rest of the way
with no detours.
I remembered, as we bounced
along on the increasingly rough
roads, that the route has a pleasing
mathematical precision to it — from
the 150 road to the 160 and thence to
the 170.
(Pleasing to me, anyway, for
whom intervals of 10 is about as
large as my brain can comprehend.)
The Pole Creek Ridge trailhead is
more a concept than a reality.
There is no parking lot, no
wooden bulletin board with signs
reminding hikers to be careful with
fi res.
The “trail” for most of its length
is actually a road, or at least some-
thing resembling a road.
People ride 4-wheelers on it,
anyway.
See, Pole Creek/Page B6
Looking west from Pole Creek Ridge
to Windy Creek Peak, in the middle
foreground.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Forest Service urges Labor Day weekend visitors to be prepared
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — The U.S.
Forest Service is reminding
people planning to visit a national
forest during the Labor Day
weekend to be prepared for con-
ditions, including high to extreme
fi re danger.
Tips from the agency include:
• Fire: Weather conditions have
been hot, and forest vegetation is
very dry. It’s extremely important
that visitors follow any public use
restrictions in eff ect for the area
they are visiting, such as camp-
fi re bans. Ensure tow chains can’t
strike asphalt, rocks or dirt as you
drive, and don’t drive over dry
grass. Fireworks are prohibited on
National Forests.
• Navigation: In remote areas,
cell service may be unavailable.
If you’re relying on GPS navi-
gation, make sure area maps are
downloaded to your phone, or that
you’ll have reliable satellite access
when you are out of cell phone
range. Paper maps are also light-
weight and portable, and don’t
rely on batteries.
• Wilderness: Wilderness areas
are managed for minimal human
development, including motorized
vehicles and equipment. If you
plan to hike or camp in a wilder-
ness area, it will take longer for
help to fi nd you.
• Burned areas: As access is
restored to previously burned
areas, understand that these areas
will be at higher risk for hazards.
During rainy weather, burned
areas are at a higher risk for fl ash
fl ooding and landslides. Practice
“4 Steps for Safety” — look up
for damaged branches or leaning
trees, and look down for signs
of previous rock fall, trip haz-
ards and erosion. Look around to
maintain awareness of changing
weather conditions, including
those at higher elevations. In the
water, look below the surface for
fallen trees, rocks and debris,
which could strike or ensnare
boats and swimmers, or change
currents.
• Outdoor Essentials: Access
to water, food, shelter, and fi rst
aid are important for comfort,
but they are critical for survival
during an outdoor emergency.
Many outdoor educators rec-
ommend 10 outdoor essentials
that can help prevent a mishap
from becoming a crisis, and a
crisis from becoming a disaster.
Find the list at https://tinyurl.
com/2t6a4mp3.
• Be Bear Aware: Bears live
in the woods, but human-bear
encounters may be even more
likely at busy campgrounds,
especially if a bear has learned
to associate human activity and
food. Learn how to secure food
to discourage bear encounters
and what to do if you encounter
a bear at www.fs.usda.gov/visit/
know-before-you-go/bears.
Learn more about the 17
national forests and grasslands in
Washington and Oregon at https://
www.fs.usda.gov/r6.