OUTDOORS & REC
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
MEADOW
Continued from Page B1
The road is also a pop-
ular route for snowmobiles,
and the machines, over the
course of the winter, com-
press the snow so thor-
oughly that, by mid April,
the surface is nearly as fi rm
as concrete, except frozen
and a bit slippery.
In each of the previous
fi ve years, snowshoes
were superfl uous on this
solid surface. It’s not an
easy stroll, to be sure. The
round trip distance varies
depending on how far up
the canyon the snow has
receded, but it’s never been
less than six miles — we
walked about seven and a
half miles this year — and
the elevation gain is about
1,100 feet. But despite the
lingering snow the hike, in
the previous fi ve years, was
little diff erent from walking
on bare ground.
Not in 2022.
On the morning of Sat-
urday, April 16, three
inches of snow accumulated
in Baker City. We fi gured it
would be deeper still in the
mountains.
It was.
Hence the snowshoes.
The moderate grades,
which are scarcely notice-
able when you’re walking
atop the snow, seem gru-
eling when you’re wearing
snowshoes and plunging
through half a foot of
slightly congealed slop with
each step.
Within a mile I was
wheezing, and I could feel
the initial drops of sweat
making their way down my
back.
Then there was the epi-
sode with the snowshoe.
But it was still a fi ne
morning in the mountains,
as most mornings there are.
A light snow was falling
when we started but it
stopped not long after. The
temperature was in the low
30s — almost too warm
IF YOU GO ...
From the railroad tracks in Haines:
• Drive west on Anthony Lakes
Highway for 1.7 miles to the fi rst
major corner. Turn left onto Poca-
hontas Road, then stay right, after
about two-tenths of a mile, on
South Rock Creek Lane.
• Follow paved South Rock Creek
Lane for about 3.7 miles, then con-
tinue into the mountains when the
road turns to well-graded gravel.
• Continue on gravel for about 2
miles to a Forest Service sign for
Killamacue trailhead and Rock
Creek Lake trailhead. The road
becomes a dirt track here, suitable
for four-wheel drive, high-clear-
for strenuous work but not
unpleasant.
The latest in our recent
caravan of spring cold
fronts was sweeping
through that morning and
although the winds were
gentle along the road, we
could see, on the ridges
above, swirls of snow pro-
pelled by the westerly gusts.
When we got to the
measuring station at
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022
9.5 inches on the day I was
there, April 21, had more.
Curiously, the fi rst year
I made the trip — 2017
— followed the snow-
iest winter, in the region’s
valleys, in more than two
decades. Yet the mountain
snowpack that winter wasn’t
as bountiful as the valleys’
deep drifts would suggest.
On April 22, 2017, the water
content at Eilertson was
3.1 inches.
The most distinct dif-
ference, though, revealed
by photographs from the
six years, wasn’t snow on
the ground.
Eilertson the snow wasn’t
It was snow on the trees.
far below the lower rail of
There wasn’t any in the
the fence. Only in 2019 was photos from 2017-21.
the snow deeper.
The 2022 images,
Later in the day I
though, depict a decid-
checked the offi cial record
edly wintry scene, the
— Snotels beam their data
trees laden with snow
every hour by radio sig-
and the peaks of the Elk-
nals, thence to a website
horns, which seemed almost
— and the water content in etched against the blue sky
the snow, in the hour that
in the previous fi ve Aprils,
included our visit, was 3.8
were cloaked in cold fog
inches. Only 2019, with
and snow squalls.
ance vehicles. Snowdrifts likely will
continue to block the road, at some
point below Eilertson Meadow, for
at least a few more weeks.
• From the Forest Service sign,
the Killamacue Lake trailhead is 2
miles, and Eilertson Meadow 3.5
miles. The Snotel is just east of
the meadow, on the south side of
the road
•The Rock Creek Road is a public
route. However, it passes through
private land near the Killamacue
Lake trailhead, and at Eilertson
Meadow, so stick to the road.
Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative
owns the property at Eilertson
Meadow, including the cabin at the
meadow’s eastern edge.
We snacked on pretzels
and cheese curds and choco-
late chip cookies. I loitered,
on the childish belief that a
cavalcade of snow machines
would roar past while we
waited, packing the snow
into the unyielding surface
I had come to expect along
Rock Creek in April.
But the only sound
was the wind, soughing
through the pines and
spruces and tamaracks,
the latter looking as for-
lorn as only that deciduous
conifer can look before its
yearly crop of new needles
erupts, painting the slopes
with a green that exists on
no palette.
We enlivened the hike
back to the rig by discussing
the restaurants where we
might indulge our caloric
defi cit that evening, a sort of
fever dream.
No burger tastes
better than the one you
daydream about while
trudging through the
implacable snow.
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103 Announcements
by Stella Wilder
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022
YOUR BIRTHDAY by Stella Wilder
Born today, you are both a student of tradi-
tion and a proponent of the new, one who isn’t
limited in any way by the way things should be
or how they have been in the past, while
always moving forward into a future that
encourages the creation of that which is
untried and quite challenging. You are always
keenly interested in the ways you are con-
nected with the world and other people in it.
SUNDAY, APRIL 24
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- You may
sense the difference in the way you do certain
things today, but that’s what sets you apart.
Trust your methods!
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You are see-
ing things through a lens that distorts them
ever so slightly at this time. Making a judg-
ment call today may be somewhat risky.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- You can
SATURDAY, APRIL 23,2022
profit from another’s losses today -- but only
for a moment. You must be ready to abandon
your position very soon.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Self-awareness is
on the rise today, and you suspect that now is
the time to make that decision you’ve been
putting off. Who can help you?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You may feel
disconnected from a friend or loved one at
this time, but this gives you a rare chance to
reflect honestly on the relationship.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Your own
independence is very important to you, and
today it may be threatened by someone who
doesn’t understand what you have to lose.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You must
follow your own path today, or choose a dif-
ferent destination altogether. You’ll have time
to give a key issue the consideration it
deserves.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- It’s
time to mount an official search for something
that’s been missing for far too long. The trick
is to let someone else make the plan.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You’ll
have much more energy in the beginning of
the day than usual, perhaps, and you’ll want to
get things done quickly and efficiently.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- You will
surely benefit from a kind of “second sight”
today, as you anticipate certain important
developments with uncanny accuracy.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You’ll be
inspired to do something quite unusual dur-
ing the latter portion of the day. The risk of
failure may be smaller than you think.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You must
take your own decision-making seriously
today, or no one else will -- and it’s important
that you be taken seriously at this time.
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104 Community
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VFW POST 460
Every 1st and 3rd Thursday
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Corner of Main at Birch in Union
Baker County United
“freedom rallies”
3rd Thursday each month
6 p.m. at the Sunridge
1 Sunridge Lane.
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Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
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Starting May 7th - 2PM
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Tuesday at 12:00 PM
Sunrige Inn Restaurant
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For more information call:
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of Baker City
Meets every Monday
Noon - 1 PM
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POWDER RIVER
SPORTSMAN’S CLUB
Meets 1st Tuesday
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114 Group Meetings
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