Applegater., July 01, 2016, Page 23, Image 23

Applegater Summer 2016
Big news from
Applegate Trails Association
BY DIANA COOGLE
Even before the trails are in
place, Luke Ruediger and Josh Weber,
board members of the Applegate Trails
Association, have completed a thru-hike
on the ridge from Ashland to Grants Pass.
They are the first two people (at least in
common memory) to walk this route
with its rugged terrain, cross-country
challenges, and endless expanse of folds
and ravines, hillocks, and outcrops.
In mid-May the two intrepid
hikers started in downtown Ashland,
hiking on the route that will be the Jack-
Ash Trail (envisioned and proposed by
the Siskiyou Uplands Trail Association),
then onto the East ART (the eastern end
of the Applegate Ridge Trail, envisioned
and proposed by the Applegate Trails
Association), ending 80 miles from the
starting point at the Cathedral Hills trail
system at the south end of Grants Pass.
The hike itself was reason
enough to undertake this journey—
the views, the wildness, the
excitement of finding a trail—but
the trip especially appealed to Josh
because, he says, he wanted “to
imagine the hypothetical: what it Lunch at ATA’s 2015 Call of the Wild. Clockwise from
bottom left: David McClarnon, Alex Weinbrecht,
is like to have to walk from one unknown, Barbara Kostal, Josh Weber, Mike Kohn.
town to the next, as though a first
explorer, traversing the remote ridgelines understand the tangible benefits these
to see how the various towns and side trails represent,” Luke explained. “The
valleys connect.”
film will bring people to the trail and
T h e r e w e r e a l s o t w o l e s s encourage folks to get involved.”
hypothetical purposes. One was to
Videographer Tim Lewis met
scout the route in preparation for the Josh and Luke at several intervals on
eventual trail-building. The other was their journey to get footage of their
to create a promotional video to help experience and shots of the amazing
bring awareness to ATA’s trail-building scenery this long trail provides: beautiful
project. “We believed that seeing the forests, woodlands, and chaparral; long,
beauty and diversity of the trail would spectacular views across the mountains,
help the surrounding communities and diverse floral displays.
23
ATA extends many thanks
to all the people who donated to the
Kickstarter campaign to raise money for
the video. We’re excited about Tim’s work
and how well it documents what we’re
intending to do.
With the excitement of the hike now
behind us, ATA is turning its attention to
the next two big events: our second Call
of the Wild outdoor seminar at Cantrall
Buckley Park on Saturday, October 1.
Keep your eyes open for posters and
flyers announcing who will be leading
workshops, and keep your calendars
marked for the date. All attendees last
year loved the event, so we’re hoping to
make it even bigger this year.
The other big event, scheduled
for early fall, is the breaking of ground
for the East ART, the first section of
the Applegate Ridge Trail to be built.
Enormous excitement at ATA!
See our hike schedule at www.
applegatetrails.org. Join us on the trail!
Diana Coogle
dicoog@gmail.com
The Jack-Ash heads for the hills
BY JEFFREY JUDKINS
After several years of planning,
marking the proposed route, obtaining
easements for private land access,
and working through the detailed
environmental reviews required for a new
trail, the first phase of the Jack-Ash Trail
is finally becoming a reality.
Volunteers from the Siskiyou
Uplands Trail Association (SUTA) have
worked closely with the Medford Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) office to
fulfill the vision of a nonmotorized path
linking the trail systems of Jacksonville
and Ashland (hence the name “Jack-Ash”).
When completed, hikers, equestrians,
runners, and mountain bikers will be
able to travel more than 60 miles of
trails. The Jack-Ash crosses the ridges and
slopes of the mountains lined up on the
west side of the Rogue Valley between
Wagner Butte and Jacksonville, including
Bald Mountain, Point Mountain, and
Anderson Butte. Much of the route
will track the historic trail between the
fire lookouts on Anderson and Wagner
Buttes. The Jack-Ash will also connect to
both ends of the historic Sterling Mine
Ditch Trail, creating a giant loop in the
middle. Eventually it will also connect
to the future Applegate Ridge Trail,
which will continue the ridgetop journey
toward Grants Pass.
The first phase of the Jack-
Ash project (see map) involves the
construction of 4.7
miles of new trails,
l inki ng e xi s ti ng
BLM roads and
historic trails to
create a 36-mile
loop with the very
popular Sterling
Mine Ditch Trail
( a n o t h e r S U TA
project). The
proposed new
trail segments are
located on the upper
slopes of Anderson
Butte, running
down the slopes
toward the existing
Sterling Mine Ditch
trailhead at Grub
Gulch. It splits off
from the Grub Gulch access trail and
starts the trip toward Jacksonville by
connecting out to Griffin Lane. At the
other end, the trail will leave the ridgeline
and follow scenic Rush Creek Road to
connect to the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail
at the Little Applegate Trailhead. Access
to the Jack-Ash Trail will be possible
where the trail connects to existing
gravel roads, with future improvements
to several new parking areas, including
Section-line Gap. Trail work for the first
phase is planned to begin this fall.
ATA’s first-ever equestrian event
Saturday, June 4, is National Trails Day, and what
better way to spend it than on the back of a horse! The
Applegate Trails Association (ATA) is hosting its first-ever
trail ride on the beautiful East Fork-Four Creeks trails in
Williams, Oregon.
Four Creeks Trail weaves through forested Bureau of
ATA trail-ride leader
Land Management land with mild to moderate inclines,
Alex Weinbrecht
some rocky places (shoes or hoof boots suggested), and
four creek crossings. The trail often parallels Powell Creek, and there is a lovely section
lined with beautiful green ferns, giving the ride an almost ethereal feeling. This is a ride
of moderate difficulty.
Gather at the trailhead by 9 am for departure at 9:30 am sharp. Remember to bring
water and a snack. The ride should be finished between noon and 1 pm.
Applegate resident Alex Weinbrecht, leader of this ride, is an experienced trail guide.
Her trail horse Dakota is solid and knows her job! Alex joined ATA to help ensure that
all trails being developed are suitable for equestrian use. To RSVP and get directions to
the Four Creeks trailhead, please contact Alex at alex@applegatetrails.org.
The second phase of the project
will extend the trail on the northern and
southern ends to eventually connect
with the Ashland Watershed trail system
and enable connection to the Pacific
Crest Trail via Forest Road 22 to the
Jacksonville Woodlands trail system and
the Applegate Ridge Trail.
Jeffrey Judkins
drjjudkins@gmail.com