Super Science Circus
BY JAMES JOHNSTON
F UN
FOR THE
W HOLE F AMILY
Exploring Newton & Einstein in
Celebration of the World Year of Physics 2005
featuring
Dr. Stan
(UO Physics Dept)
& Rhys
Thomas
North Fork
Smith River Trail
Big payoff for a journey into the heart
of the Coast Range.
T
he timber industry likes to tell peo-
ple that the Oregon Coast Range is
the most productive timberland in
the world. To prove it, they logged practical-
ly all of it, and are growing billions of small,
fast-growing Douglas fir trees in short-rota-
tion plantations. Today there are tens of
thousands of miles of logging roads that
snake up and down the rugged ridges and
ravines of the Coast Range, past endless
miles of clearcuts.
An automobile trip to the few isolated
islands of old growth in this ocean of tree
farms can feel like an epic journey from
classical literature, like Aeneus descending
to the underworld in the Aeneid, or Marlow
traveling up the Congo River in Joseph
Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
The ultimate hero in the canon of epic
journeys is the person who can journey
through death and destruction and return.
The North Fork Smith River trail is flat out
one of the finest old-growth hikes in
Oregon, but it is not easy to get to. A map
and a stout heart are recommended.
Directions: Drive Highway 126 west
from Eugene for approximately 30 miles.
Take a left onto Siuslaw River Road at a
sign for “Whittaker Creek Recreation Area.”
Stay to the left at the intersection in just 20
yards, following signs for Whittaker Creek
and Clay Creek. Follow the Siuslaw River
upriver for 1.7 miles, and then take a right
over a bridge. Go 1.6 miles and turn left as
the road climbs steeply uphill.
Stay on this road, following signs for
Kentucky Falls. In 7.4 miles, take a sweep-
ing left turn; the road will turn to gravel. In
2.9 miles, take a sweeping turn to the right.
In 1.6 miles turn left. Go downhill on
pavement for 5.9 miles and find the trail-
head on your right.
A couple hundred yards down the
North Fork trail, the trail forks. The left
hand turn is a side loop that will take you
back to the main trail. Continuing straight
ahead, look for a gap in two large trees
next to an interpretive sign where the trail
bends off to the left. Through this gap is
the main trail.
In about 2.5 miles, the trail enters a
clearcut, which is a pretty good place to turn
around. The Forest Service intends for the
North Fork Smith River Trail to extend
another three miles and connect with the
spectacular Kentucky Falls trailhead, but
the trail is not maintained and almost
impossible to follow another half mile past
the clearcut. At any rate, you’ve outrun the
old-growth island, and you’re back in the
ocean of tree farms.
The big attraction of this trail is, of
course, the old growth — enormous
Douglas fir and western hemlock, lush
mosses and luxurious ground cover of
oxalis and wild ginger. Many of the shrubs
on the forest floor are in bloom this time of
year, as are the ghostly white trilliums,
crimson wild currant, dogwood, salmonber-
ry and much more.
Now all you have to do is find your
way back.
ew
THE WAIT IS OVER!
APRIL 28 ...
CHOW!
Eugene Weekly's Restaurant Guide
Chow! features reviews of
area eateries and a directory o
Eugene and Corvallis restaurants.
Ad reservation deadline is Friday, April 22nd by 5pm.
Contact Mark Frisbee 484-0519 ext. 12
JAMES JOHNSTON
(JuggleMania)
Pretty Silver Jewelry
Aromatherapy
Vases • Candles
Yoga Mats • Books
Cards • Journals
Saturday, April 30
Ruby Chasm
Doors open at 3pm a Show at 3:30pm
152 W 5th • Eugene
South Eugene H.S. Auditorium
344-4074
Info: 681-9662
M-Sa 10-6 • Sun 12-5
Early
Bird Camp
Sign-up
Days
April 21-22 • Noon-7pm
April 23 • 9am-Noon
Camps fill fast, so sign up early and
get your T-shirt and $10 discount off
each camp sessions, paid in full, on
Early Bird Sign-up Days.
Camps for ages 2 1/2 - 18!
Traditional to adventurous.
Sports, arts, daycamps and resident camps
M A K I N G
C A M P
F U N
S I N C E
1 8 5 1 !
EUGENE FAMILY YMCA
686-9622 • 2055 Patterson, Eugene • www.eugeneymca.org
It’s where your family belongs!
APRIL 21, 2005 35