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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2020)
B2 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020 OSU Extension Service | Clatsop County Watch the Hatch! Ron Baldwin The logging road to Bear Mountain. Bear Mountain: Summit is not what writer expected Continued from Page B1 source of information for aerial photos and ownership information is pacifi cwa. mapsifter.com , provided by the Pacifi c County Asses- sor’s O ffi ce. Most cultures have had a time in which mountains were perceived as being imbued with spirits. Over the years of peering at this silent sentinel I have come to sympathize with this concept so it was not without some trepidation that I approached the road head this spring. The logging road here deserves mention. It is not a new road but one that has been upgraded to haul out the logs that were harvested recently in the most effi - cient and expeditious man- ner. This is a road that was put here to stay. The road roughly paral- lels state Route 401 for the fi rst mile while gaining only a few feet in elevation until you come to the base of Bear Mountain. From this van- tage point it is easier to see the lay of the land and how the 1,014 foot mountain fi ts into the landscape. Both sides of the road have been logged recently. At the base of the mountain the road begins to ascend rapidly around the north side. Hemlocks, possibly 40 to 70 years old, stand straight on both sides. The road continues to wind upward around the steep slope in haunted-castle fashion until it approaches the top without a view, owing to the tree cover. As I approach, I’m treated to a chorus of screeching from a fl ock of shiny blue Steller’s jays, their black heads bobbing from every tree limb around. These birds don’t want me around. After a few minutes they calm down a bit and I start to look around. In a fl ash, the jays have gone. It becomes exceedingly quiet . The summit is not what I expected. There is no view. Like most hikers, I pre- fer a reward, but this time to no avail. Instead of the depression or caldera that I expected, the summit is a sharp, narrow ridge about 200 yards long. A clearing along the ridge affords a roadbed. Although things have prob- ably changed here in 60 mil- lion years or so, there is no indication that this has been a volcanic vent. I am disap- pointed, if not crestfallen that reality has not fulfi lled my hopeful imagination. At least the mystic powers could have come up with even a small castle and a few witches and hobgoblins. Ron Baldwin is a musi- cian, photographer and writer living in Chinook, Washington. Follow the OSU Extension Chick-Cam Expected hatch date is April 1 st , No Joke! but follow the live streaming chick-cam starting March 27 th to learn about egg hatching and the brooding of baby chicks. Fun for the entire family! www.extension.oregonstate.edu/Clatsop OSU Extension serves Clatsop County by offering 4-H youth development programs and expertise to assist with agriculture, gardening, forestry & natural resources, coastal natural hazards, marine management & fisheries, and water resources & community development. TO LEARN MORE, GIVE US A CALL, OR STOP BY Clatsop County Extension 2001 Marine Drive, Room 210 Astoria OR 97103 (503) 325-8573 Clatsop4HExtension OSU Extension Service educational programs, services, activities, and materials are available to all people. Health care is just the beginning. You deserve good health. That’s why Columbia Pacific CCO helps people in our communities get the comprehensive care they deserve from the Oregon Health Plan. But good health is more than health care. So we also work with local partners to increase access to fresh food, education and more. When you’re stronger, we are all stronger. Learn more at ColPacHealth.org/OHP or call 866-326-5722. OHP-CPC-19-056
