Applegater
Summer 2011 17
MY OPINION FROM BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR
Take a hike
By ChRis BRatt
“Word is spreading that the trail is
open.” Those are the words of Applegate
resident Jim Clover, one of the volunteer
leaders who has physically worked so
hard to reopen 18 miles of the Applegate’s
historic Sterling Mine Ditch Trail.
Clover, and other volunteers have
formed the nonprofit Siskiyou Upland
Trails Association (SUTA). The group was
organized by another Applegater, Hope
Robertson, who serves as president. The
organization’s goal is to eventually create
a dedicated community trails system that
goes from Jacksonville to Ashland over old
public logging roads, over other trails and
over easements through private lands. For
obvious reasons it is being called the “Jack-
Ash Trail.” The recently reopened 18 mile
Sterling Mine Ditch Trail will eventually
become an added loop to the proposed
much longer Jack-Ash Trail
I had the good sense to attend the
Ditch Trail’s Grand Reopening Event at
the Deming Gulch Trailhead (off Sterling
Creek Road) on June 4, 2011. There was
an outpouring of over 100 well-wishers,
hikers, equestrians and bicyclists. It
was a delight to see all the happy faces
and listen to the sincere comments by
many community and Bureau of Land
Management folks, expressing the joy of
working together on such a historic and
positive project.
Over the past couple of decades,
I had made a few attempts to breach
overgrown areas along parts of the Ditch
Trail. Each time I had to give it up because
I never could make it through the extensive
tangle of manzanita, deer brush and poison
oak. At that time, crawling on my hands
and knees was the only way one could
make any headway on many parts of this
unmaintained trail. Those wanderings of
mine usually resulted in a case of awful
poison oak. But, gratefully, that is no more,
unless you wander off the improved trail.
This rehabilitated trail is now
very beautiful, and ready to hike, bike or
horseback ride for family and friends. I’ve
already taken friends there to experience
this stunning area.
For those of you who like to hike
or ride on less rugged trails, this one gains
only 200 feet in elevation for the whole 18
miles. If you are into spending some time
looking at wildflowers and plants, hearing
and seeing numerous birds and passing
through many different amazing habitats,
F
or obvious reasons it is being
called the “Jack-ash trail.”
this is the recreation spot for you. It’s also
easy to get to one of the many trailheads
by car since they are all right here in the
Applegate and not far from paved roads.
Another nice feature is that the trail is
closed to all motorized use.
Let me say, reopening these 18
miles of what had become an overgrown
and unmaintained trail for years was quite
a collective and cooperative feat between
the community and the Bureau of Land
Management. The trail rehabilitation
project has been a lot more than a mere
physical accomplishment. This joint
project had an air of friendliness and
understanding that many of us in the
community believe can be carried over to
GRAPEs
Some sort of trellis system is
necessary to give the vines support. It’s
easiest to install the trellis before planting.
Fall is a good time for incorporating
organic matter into your soils. Till in
well-aged sawdust, compost, or manure.
Incorporate two to three cubic yards of
manure or compost into the whole planting
area. Adding it in the fall will ensure that it
will be well decomposed by planting time.
You’ll want to plant your grapes
in early spring as soon as you can work
the soil. But first you have to decide what
more controversial and complex projects
like timber sales and resource protections.
In fact, if the community and public
land managers can consider all forest
management activities, using restoration as
the number one priority, there would be a
lot less controversy over achieving federal
management goals.
Before you hit the trail, let me
tell you about some other local or regional
rambles.
Again, right here in the Applegate,
another group of individuals (with the help
of Siskiyou Upland Trails Association) have
formed the Applegate Trail Association
(ATA). These folks are working to
eventually extend trails (many already
in place) between Grants Pass and
Jacksonville. It will ultimately hook up
to the proposed Jack-Ash Trail between
Jacksonville and Ashland. The heart of
this specific non-motorized trail is within
an upland area north of Highway 238
and North Applegate Road known by
some locals as the Wellington Wildlands.
The first stage of this trail proposal is on
lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management and contains approximately
seven and a half miles of upland trail and
four miles of connecting routes to access
trailheads lower down in the valley. There
is an explanatory article on page one of
this issue of the Applegater about this new
trail proposal and how you can participate
in the volunteer work needed to help it
become established.
In case you didn’t know, there is
an official Oregon Coast Trail that traverses
382 miles from the mouth of the Columbia
River to the California border. It has
wonderful routes
along the ocean
and was deemed
“hikable” in
Chris Bratt
1998. There are
still more than 33 gaps, totaling 50 miles,
where hikers must use roads or other
transportation corridors not designed
with pedestrians in mind. But the trail is
expected to be fully connected by 2021.
Oregon State Parks officials have recently
released a draft of its so-called “Connection
Strategy Plan” to fill these gaps in the
Oregon Coast Trail. The plan, which
includes short-term and long-term fixes
to these 33 gaps in the trail, is available
online at: http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/
PLANS/index.shtml.
The final draft plan contains
detailed maps of these trail breaks for
interested people to check out and make
written comments on before Sept. 10,
2011. Even with the present obstacles,
this is a trail no one should miss visiting.
In these discomforting times, I
find it’s always good to take my dampened
spirits out for a hike. It gives me back the
energy and cheerfulness I need to continue
facing the real and irrational fears so
prevalent in our daily lives.
So I say, hit the trail. It might give
you a new perspective on the importance
of human aspirations like good jobs, health
care and wages that have already taken a
hike and fallen by the wayside.
I hope you’ll be blazing your own
trail on these and other issues. Don’t forget
to let me know.
Chris Bratt
541-846-6988
FROM PAGE 12
cultivar to buy. In western Oregon, most
varieties do well, but pick a variety that
meets the conditions in your landscape.
If you live in a cooler area, pick only
early to mid-season cultivars. The Oregon
State University Extension publication
“Growing Table Grapes, EC 1639” has
descriptions of about 40 different varieties,
most of which would perform well in our
area.
“Growing Table Grapes” also treats
all aspects of home table grape production
in much greater detail than this article.
You can download a copy at extension.
oregonstate.edu—click on “Publications”
and then search for “Growing Table
Grapes,” or stop by the Extension office
in Grants Pass or Central Point for a copy.
Bob Reynolds
Master Gardener™ Coordinator
Oregon State University
Extension Service
Jackson and Josephine Counties
Jackson - 541-776-7371
Josephine - 541-476-6613
robert.reynolds@oregonstate.edu
Instructor Chris Hubert leading a
grapevine management class.
