Saturday, May 06, 2006
This was our last walk for this trip, and it was much the same as the previous walk, with one significant difference. The upward incline increased by about a percentage point. The entire walk was a steeper climb, taking us to new heights never achieved on our previous west coast project. This made for higher views, cooler air, and sorer shins.
Half a mile from the start we could look up to our left and see Rooster Rock protruding from the top of a high peak. To our right, the South Santiam River fell further and further below the road until it faded from sight behind forested slopes. Six miles along we talked to a forest ranger from Sweet Home who was patrolling the highway. He had seen Joe’s Z car at the end, and asked us straight off if it was ours. He just wanted to know what was going on in his territory.
We finished at a sign that read, “Sevenmile Camp.” By the map, we would start our next trip with 20 miles to go to reach Santiam Pass, 30 miles to Black Butte Ranch.
