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A16 Outdoors wallowa.com March 15, 2017 Wallowa County Chieftain Devil’s Gulch: A respite from snow and rain By Tim Trainor Wallowa County Chieftain If this long, snowy win- ter has you feeling cooped up and your favorite trails are still covered by piles of snow, you could do worse than stretching those hibernating hiking mus- cles in Devil’s Gulch. Though relatively unre- markable, the trail is centrally located between Joseph and Imnaha and offers an interest- ing collision of alpine and des- ert landscapes, as well as the opportunity to see lots of wild- life in the winter and spring. But perhaps the best part: It’s warm and dry and has been snow-free for weeks. Accessing the property couldn’t be easier, as the trail- head is located right off the Imnaha Highway. If traveling from Joseph, look on your right for a large pullout and a small footbridge crossing Lit- tle Sheep Creek. If you come to the Bear Gulch Road you’ve gone too far. The lightly used trail, lo- cated on the 3,500-acre Clear Lake Ridge Preserve, begins there. The Nature Conservan- cy land is open to the public, but comes with rules such as no motorized vehicles, no camping, no bear or bird hunt- ing, and deer and elk hunting during rifle season only. There have been recent upgrades to the trailhead but not so much to the trail itself. That trail begins by fol- lowing and occasionally crossing the mostly-dry creek bed, which has a decent vol- ume of water in some places and then goes completely dry in others as the stream disappears underground. The trail pushes up the gulch through some undergrowth and quickly comes to an old, abandoned bunkhouse located next to a mossy spring. Bear claw marks scrape across the old shack, and bear scat was scattered up and down the trail on a recent visit. So, too, was elk and deer droppings, and a fellow trail walker said he spotted 30 head of elk on a Photo courtesy E. Van Blaricom The pine siskin is the smallest member of the finch family that appears locally. Pine siskin: small,mighty BIRD- WATCHING Staff photo by Tim Trainor An old bunkhouse located along a mossy spring in a desert canyon, is one of the many incongruities experienced when walking along Devil’s Gulch. recent walk through the area. The incongruities of the land are the most interesting part of the hike, with a few pondero- sa pines trying to grow in the hard ground, and there’s even a grove or two of aspen trees — bear claw marks show clearly all the way up a few of the trunks. There are lots of volcanic rock outcroppings up Devil’s Ridge and there’s even some volcanic ash along the trail, in addition to lots of classic wind-swept grasses and sagebrush. An unidenti- fiable hawklet cried out for a meal from one of the rocky overhangs, and mom later vis- ited with one. The trail is accessible for hikers of all skill levels, though a few easy rock hops are necessary to keep your feet dry. It would be excellent place to walk leashed dogs. Breathable long sleeves and long pants are recommend- ed as defense against a few thorny thickets. That aside, hikers can walk for miles and notice the country changing slowly from the hot desert where you left your car into Staff photo by Tim Trainor Most of the Devil’s Gulch trail, located between Joseph and Imnaha on Nature Conservancy property, is unspectacular. But the gulch is warm and snow-less, and both people and wild animals can be found there in early spring. the cool foothills where you sadly decide to turn around. In between there are nu- merous side gulches and ridg- es for exploring, and places where the shed hunting could be excellent this year — any ungulate who could make their way to this small gulch had it much better than their brethren high in the Eagle Caps. In general, Devil’s Gulch isn’t the most interesting trail in the world, but it gets more interesting with each and ev- ery step. And it offers a place to work up a sweat outdoors in February and March in Thank You The Rotary Club of Wallowa County wishes to thank the following businesses, agencies, and individuals for their help in making its March 7, 2017 Shadow Day another huge success. Through their cooperative efforts, 49 high school juniors were able to explore a career of interest. Schools Enterprise High School, Joseph Charter School, Wallowa High School, BHF Alternative Education Center Businesses/Agencies Amy Zahm - Accupuncture • Barbara Parker - Photography • Bill Ables - Pilot/Aviation • Bob Webb - Music Production Butterfield Ranch • Carman Ranch • Department of Youth Services • Devco Engineering • Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic Enterprise Animal Hospital • Enterprise Police Department • Fishtrap - Journalism • Greg Bales - Concrete/Masonry Kasha Tippett - Hair Stylist • KWVR • Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife • Outlaw Motor Sports Randy/Dustin James Red Rooster • Safeway • Schaffeld Dentistry • Shala Kassahn - Hair Stylist • Shelley Curtiss - Art/Sculpture Stangel Industries • Tim Newton - Computer Programming • Main Street Motors • Wallowa County ESD Technology Dept. Wallowa County Sheriff • Winding Waters Clinic • Winding Waters River Expeditions • Wallowa Memorial Hospital Drivers Amy Hansford • Annette Christofferson • Blake Carlsen • Bob Crawford • Dave Flynn Diana Wortman • Diane Daggett • Dick Burch • Gretchen Piper • John McColgan Karen Patton • Marilyn Dalton • Mike Koloski • Saralyn Johnson • Sherri Kilgore Wallowa County HEALTH LINE 519 W. North Street, Enterprise 541.426.3413 Mon-Thurs 9 to Noon/1-5pm; Fri. 9-1 Specializing in Anti-Aging Skin Therapy Customized Facials Waxing Services, Brow Sculpting Body Polish-Back Facials High-Perfomance Products 541-398-0759 | Located @ beecrowbee 01 Main Joseph Keycode Entry Weight Room • Cardio Women’s Circuit • Tanning 202 W. Main, Enterprise 541-426-0313 Wallowa County. That by it- self makes it worth a try. ■ Tim Trainor is interim editor of the Chieftain. EH Van Blaricom The pine siskin is the smallest member of the finch family that always comes to our bird feeders. They are just a little over 4 inch- es long but they are rather feisty and won’t let larger birds push them around. Their natural food seems to be thistle seeds, but once they discover the sunflower seeds at your feeder, they sometimes are the most nu- merous, with the possible exception of house finches. These birds can be found from the treeline in Canada all the way down to Baja, California and they usually winter in northeastern Mex- ico. They nest in groups where their nests are only a few feet apart out on the out- er limbs of coniferous trees. Their nests are lined with pine needles and horse hair and they hatch two broods per season of three or four chicks. The females do all of the incubating but the males help to feed their young. Most pine siskins live in Western Oregon, but they are sometimes quite numer- ous right here in Wallowa County. They also love bird- baths and we used to watch them splashing around in large groups. Even though they are not very colorful like the goldfinches, they are fun to watch as they are quite active. When nesting season is over they gather in large flocks and move about searching for food and once they discover your bird feed- ers, they will stay around until extreme weather drives them to warmer climates down south. So what they lack in pretty plumage, they make up for in their friendly behavior. ■ E.H. Van Blaricom resides in Joseph. BARGAINS MONTH of the While supplies last. 49 99 6-Cu.-Ft. Steel Wheelbarrow Seamless metal tray. Pneumatic wheel with 2-ply tire. T 588 683 25 M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Sale 01/31/2014 Sale Ends 3/31/2017 Sale ends ends 01/31/2013 ®