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Hood River News, Saturday, July 4, 2015
A7
GORGE EXPLORER
Chinidere Mountain offers unmatched views
By BEN MITCHELL
News staff writer
Sports editor’s note: This is a summer adventure series that will run
periodically in the News, detailing a variety of ways to get outside and
enjoy what the Columbia River Gorge has to offer. This is a revival of a
previous summer column started by former sports editor Ben McCarty
in 2006.
Like many people who live here, or visit here, I love hiking in the
Gorge. As a native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York —
another area of the country renowned for its natural beauty — I was
exposed to similar natural elements growing up: Ithaca, N.Y., less
than an hour away from my hometown of Skaneateles, N.Y., has its
gorges. About two hours in the other direction are the Adirondack
Mountains. Both, however, pale in comparison to the gorges and
mountains out here in both breadth and beauty.
But unlike many other Gorge denizens, I’m not hardcore about my
hiking. I’ll probably never put on cramp-ons in my life and if I can’t
do the hike in a day, then I probably won’t do that either. I want to see
a great view, but I don’t want to spend a night in a tent to do it. Call
me crazy, but I’m a big fan of using toilets.
Anyway, I recently crossed off one of those accessible kinds of day-
hikes I’ve been wanting to do for a majority of the five years I’ve lived
out here: Chinidere Mountain, which I would argue has one of the
best, if not THE best effort-to-reward ratios when it comes to a view
hike in the Gorge.
Chinidere Mountain is located in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness
of the Mt. Hood National Forest, about 45-50 minutes southwest of
Hood River (depending on how you drive and what you get stuck be-
hind on your way up to the mountain). In addition to having an in-
credible, 360-degree-view at the mountain’s totally exposed, rocky
summit, the trail for Chinidere starts at Wahtum Lake, providing an
opportunity to cool off after your hike if you so choose. Bring a NW
Forest Pass so you can park at the trailhead.
The hike is an easy to moderate 1.8-mile climb (for a 28-year-old
male who’s in questionable physical condition), according to the Mt.
Hood National Forest’s website, or about 3.5 miles roundtrip. It took
me about two to two-and-a-half hours to do the hike, including plen-
ty of time for water breaks, gawking, taking photos, and hanging out
on the summit. There are a couple ways to reach the peak, all of
which seem to wrap around Wahtum Lake, so consult the Forest Ser-
vice’s website for both hiking and driving directions
(http://1.usa.gov/1NzrSBO), or other websites like oregonhikers.org,
or go analog with a guidebook. (I took the trail that heads right as
soon as you walk down the steps from the trailhead/campground to
the lake.)
Personally, I felt the drive was more strenuous than the climb, as
the U.S. Forest Service wisely cautions visitors that the final road
taking you to the trailhead (FS Road 13) is paved but narrow, with a
decent amount of traffic in the summer months. I’d add that rock fall,
blind corners, overgrown trees and bushes, and the occasional pit-
ting of the roadway can make it fairly sketchy at times for white-
knuckle drivers. Parking at the trailhead can be a bit tight on the
weekends as well.
Photo by Ben Mitchell
SUNLIGHT pierces the canopy of a Douglas fir forest on the way up to the
summit of Chinidere Mountain.
OUTDOOR
OUTDOOR
NEWS
NEWS
By
BUZZ RAMSEY
July Column:
Salmon fishing
hot at the
Columbia Mouth
Photo by Ben Mitchell
MT. HOOD looms large at the summit of Chinidere Mountain, which offers
great unobstructed of views of other peaks as well.
Starting at the shores of Wahtum Lake, the trail gradually ascends
through the hills that ring the body of water, with glimpses of the
lake visible through the trees. The trail is mostly hard-packed earth
that’s not quite big enough for two people to walk side-by-side. The
trail is broken up by tiny little brooks that quietly trickle on their
way down to the lake. Thick, almost jungle-like vegetation (sorry, I’m
no botanist) lines both sides of the path to Chinidere.
Eventually, the trail flattens out, passing through a forest of tall
Douglas firs, the forest floor of which is filled with the white flowers
of bear grass in late spring/early summer. In the last several hun-
dred feet of the hike, the trail’s incline starts to kick it up a few notch-
es, but a well-traveled talus slope soon signifies that the end of the
trail is near. On the final leg of the switchback, the trail turns you
around onto a wide ridge that serves as the mountain’s summit, and
wham, an unobstructed view of Mt. Hood is lined up perfectly with
the end of the trail.
On a clear day, the summit offers views of Hood, Adams, St. He-
lens, Rainier, Jefferson, Defiance, and probably plenty of other peaks
that sharper eyes than mine could identify. Looking north, you can
clearly make out the canyon of Eagle Creek and see straight down
into the Columbia River Gorge near where Bonneville Dam is (I high-
ly recommend bringing a pair of binoculars). Depending on the time
of year, a variety of wildflowers dot the summit as well. An eastern-
facing rock outcropping that lines up with Mt. Hood also provides
great photo ops or a place to sit for some existential musings.
Head back down the way you came, or hook up with another trail
that skirts the other side of Wahtum Lake. Wade in and cool off or
head back up the stairs to the trailhead for another adventure.
Kiteboarding 4 Cancer returns next weekend
Part endurance race, part festival, part
fundraiser, the 9th Annual Kiteboarding 4
Cancer (KB4C) presented by Patagonia is an
action-packed, feel-good event with a goal
that lifts everyone’s spirits: help young can-
cer survivors find hope and healing through
outdoor adventure.
Set for July 10-12, at the Hood River Water-
front, KB4C features something for every-
one, including live music, a pop-up art stu-
dio, local food carts, a beer garden hosted by
Full Sail Brewing Company, and of course,
lots of eye-catching kiteboarders showing off
their best moves. On Saturday, July 11, the
mighty Columbia River becomes the stage
for the KB4C Kite Derby, North America’s
largest amateur kiteboarding race, drawing
200 amateur and professional kiteboarders.
During the six-hour race, participants col-
lectively cover 200,000 miles and raise thou-
sands of dollars for cancer survivors by com-
pleting as many 3-mile laps as possible.
While most kiteboarding races are sprints,
KB4C is a test of endurance — not unlike the
battle with cancer that an estimated 14.5 mil-
lion Americans are facing, says race founder
and director, Tonia Farman.
“It’s a unique event that’s intentionally de-
signed to test people’s limits,” she says. “It’s
one of the most challenging kiteboarding
events in the country.”
Farman was inspired to launch KB4C in
2007 after her only sibling, Scott Farman,
died at age 19 from acute lymphocytic
leukemia. In 2007, KB4C raised $30,000. Last
year, it raised $112,000.
All proceeds from the event benefit Ath-
letes 4 Cancer, a nonprofit that offers week-
long adventure retreats for cancer survivors
ages 18 to 40. Through the process of learn-
ing adventures such as surfing, standup pad-
dle boarding, skiing and snowboarding, par-
ticipants gain the confidence and healing
they need to face life with, or after, cancer.
Thanks to events like KB4C, the camps are
free, other than airfare, for participants.
Nearly 400 people have attended the camps —
known as Camp Koru — since 2010. There
are currently 100 people on the waiting list.
KB4C offers many must-see-and-do mo-
ments, starting with the official start of the
Kite Derby on Saturday, July 11 at 10:15 a.m.
From the vantage point of the Hood River
waterfront, with traditional Japanese Taiko
drums roaring in the background, spectators
can watch as 200 kites launch into the sky
and take off across the Columbia River. To
sign up to volunteer, or make a donation, go
to: kiteboarding4cancer.org.
Event highlights:
Friday, July 10, 9 p.m.–midnight: Kickoff
Party at the Oak Street Pub (corner of
Fourth and Oak, Hood River, formerly known
as the British Pub). An all-ages party featur-
ing a DJ, fire dancers and more. Cost: $5 for
racers and volunteers, $12 for the public.
Saturday, July 11, 10:15 a.m.–4:15 p.m.: Kite
Derby staged at the Hood River waterfront.
North America’s largest amateur kiteboard-
ing race, event features 200 kiteboarders com-
pleting 3-mile laps across the Columbia River
over six hours.
Saturday, July 11, 10:15 a.m.–6 p.m.: Live
Entertainment. Experience performances
from One World Taiko (Japanese Taiko
Drums) Mosley Wotta, LoveBomb Go-Go,
Bonneville Power Trio and Smoke on the
Water.
Saturday, July 11, 10:15 a.m.–6:30 p.m.:
Boards of Hope Auction. Throughout the day,
bid on works of art created on recycled surf,
kite and other boards. Starting at 6:30 p.m.,
bid on live auction items, including adven-
ture and vacation packages.
Sunday, July 12, 10 a.m.: The Never-Ever
Windsurfed-Before Race. This race is open to
people who have never windsurfed. After a
quick 30-minute clinic, participants will take
to the water for a beginner slalom course
race.
File photo by Adam Lapierre
KITEBOARDERS cruise along the Columbia River during last year’s Kiteboarding 4 Cancers event, which featured over 150 participants and raised over
$150,000. The annual event returns next weekend, running from July 10-12.
A flooding tide, calm ocean and lack of
boat traffic made the sometimes rough
water between the jetties seem mystical-
ly calm as our boat skimmed the salty
surface heading west. As we turned
northward from the Columbia River bar
the mist-filled air began to illuminate
from the sun, signaling the new day. We
had left our port in the black of night
heading where we knew thousands,
maybe hundreds of thousands, of
salmon would be schooling.
We didn’t have to parallel the main-
land long before the sea birds gave away
the baits’ location. We knew hungry
salmon would be amongst them, feeding.
We hooked up within seconds after our
lines hit the water. These were big
strong fighting fish that melted line
from our reels and put excited grins on
our faces. We were limited before the
day really began, for most people.
This memorable fishing adventure
may be realized again during the season
that is now open off the mouth of the
Columbia River. This summer’s outlook
for ocean salmon angling appears excel-
lent again this year. The season from
Cape Falcon (near Manzanita) north to
Leadbetter Point, which encompasses
the ocean where the Columbia River’s
returning salmon stage, opened June 13
and will remain open until September
30, or until a quota of 79,400 fin-clipped
coho (over 16 inches) and 15,000 chinook
(any chinook over 24 inches, fin-clipped
or not) are caught. The daily sport limit
is two salmon of which only one can be
a chinook.
Most anglers reach the ocean between
Cape Falcon and Leadbetter Point by
launching at one of the ports (Ilwaco,
Hammond, Warrenton, Astoria or Chi-
nook) inside the Columbia River mouth.
If you do this remember that you must
pass through the “Columbia River Con-
trol Zone” (closed to angling) to reach
open water. The Control Zone extends
from the north-south line at Buoy 10 out
to Buoy 4 (Red), north to Buoy 7 (Green),
to the North Jetty.
During the first hour of light is when
the catching of ocean salmon is best,
with most of the fish located in the top
15 to 20 feet of water. After this time pe-
riod has passed, the coho may linger
near the surface while chinook descend
into the water column. If you want to
target the larger chinook, you will have
to get your bait down to them.
Once they leave the surface, king
salmon will normally be found from 60
to 90 feet down. You can deep mooch or
troll your herring rigged six feet behind
a Fish Flash attractor and trolling
sinker or diver, like a Delta or Deep Six.
Of course downriggers are the ultimate
device for controlling the exact depth of
your bait.
If this year is like recent ones, the
bulk of the coho will be located just
south of the Columbia mouth’s red buoy
line over water that is 90 to 180 feet deep.
The red buoys mark the south side of
the Columbia River channel and extend
well out into the ocean. If you have GPS
mapping or a chart (ocean map) this
area will be found from Buoy 2 west.
All coho must have their adipose fin
missing in order to qualify as a keeper.
The adipose fin is the small fin located
between the fish’s dorsal and tail-fin.
Even inexperienced anglers should be
able to identify fish missing this fin be-
fore attempting to net it. Don’t net a
coho and then look to see if you can
keep him. If you catch a wild coho, cut
your leader near the hook or take the
hook out without removing the fish
from the water. More than anything else,
this will increase the survival of fish
which hold the seeds to recover our na-
tive runs.
Since the majority of chinook spend
their lives foraging off British Colum-
bia and in the Gulf of Alaska (many
coho do also) they will stage north of the
Columbia mouth before passing the bar.
The chinook numbers will increase
daily until they begin to leave saltwater
and begin their migration up the Co-
lumbia in mid to late August.
As mentioned above, the daily limit in
the ocean management zone extending
from Cape Falcon to Leadbetter Point is
two salmon per day (no more than one
can be a chinook.) You can identify chi-
nook by the large oval spots on their
backs, along with their heftier builds
and all black inside their lower mouth.
Remember, the best bite will be the first
hour of daylight, so if you want a “big-
boy” you should leave the dock before
the day begins for most people.