Goodbye to a Favorite trail

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Cougar Canyon was always one of my favorite trails, not only was it challenging but it was close to my home.

The side roads in the Ochoco National Grasslands are closed in the winter to protect wildlife and to prevent erosion of the roads and trails. As a result I was anxiously waiting until April 1st so I could get out there and explore.

I set out from my home in Madras, Oregon with my friend Jim to Jeep our way up the canyon and film it for the Adventures of Oregonman Youtube channel.

It was a beautiful day and we were looking forward to getting out there and enjoying it.

The drive to the grasslands from Madras was beautiful and short, only about 10 miles. Once we were off the pavement the fun began. The roads were not too muddy as it has been pretty warm here lately and everything is green this time of year. What a perfect drive.

Soon we were at the turn off to Kettner Springs where we stopped to air down the tires. (this is a pretty rocky area)

once we got aired down to about 15psi, we were underway. On our way to the canyon entrance we were greeted with some spectacular views of the Cascade range.

You can easily see why this is one of my favorites.

At the entrance to the canyon everything was pretty much as expected. It is a very narrow, rocky canyon with very steep sides.

We began making our way up the trail through one obstacle then the next until we came to the steep narrow part where we began to see the result of the heavy rains and snow melt.

The trail was washed out to about 4-5 feet deep in places. We decided to continue as far as we could to see if it was still passable, but there were some pretty intense and narrow sections to negotiate.

Unfortunately we were forced to turn back a little further up the canyon when we came to a narrow spot that had been washed out to about 5 feet deep with a rock filled cattle trough washed into the middle of the trail. It was too steep to go around and too heavy to move with our winches and jeeps.

We stopped at a campsite on the way back out to air up the tires and enjoy a cold drink, disappointed that we couldn’t get through the canyon. It was still a great day and a fun trip.

Until next time…

To check out the video click the link below:

Foley Butte 2nd attempt

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Well it started out as a beautiful day, not at all like our first attempt where we got turned back by snow and ice and almost lost the drone to the wind. This time it was warm and calm. The kind of day where nothing could stop us, or so we thought.

We started out from Madras with a full tank and some snacks and we headed for the Ochoco National forest just north of Prineville, Oregon. Enjoying the sunshine as we turned onto McKay rd. and headed north into the mountains. We were trying to get up to Foley Butte for the second time in as many weeks, though this time we had sunshine and warm temps and we were taking the low road to avoid the majority of the snow along the ridge.

We were having a great time as we turned off the main road and started for the top. Patches of snow here and there but nothing serious. The previous weeks warm weather had done it’s job and we had little trouble making the vista.

It was on our way down that the adventure truly began. As we made our way north to the main road we encountered some snow drifts that had not melted yet and we were having fun driving through them and splashing through the puddles left by the melting snow. But when I came to the last and deepest of the snowy spots, I heard a banging noise from under my jeep. The kind of noise that you don’t want to hear when you are in the mountains in deep snow. Yep my front drive line had come off the transfer case and the caps from the universal joint had been transported to another dimension (forever lost). Well Damn!

I could still drive just not in 4WD. I had my friend Jim with me in his Jeep TJ and we both had winches and recovery gear so I knew I was not stranded, but there was another problem. There was a blue PU truck stuck in the middle of the road that we would have to rescue first before we could head down out of the snow.

So we set about getting unstuck from the snow drift we were both in, then getting the blue PU out so we could all get down.

Jim getting free so he can help me with my busted Jeep

Click below to view the whole video, and if you like these videos please hit the like and subscribe buttons.

Full video of our Foley Butte adventure

Exploring at Cline Butte OHV

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Jim and I set out today around noon from Three Rivers to explore the trails we had heard about near Sisters, Oregon. We took the dirt road to Sisters rather than going around the lake and though it was a little bumpy, it was a much nicer drive.

It was a little cold but mostly sunny, at least until we got to the area we were to explore. Then, of course we got some snow. Well it is Oregon in March.

When we did arrive at Cline Butte we were greeted by quite a crowd of people but since it is the only area open year around near here I should have expected it. Never the less we were there to explore and explore we did. Click on the video link below to come along for the ride.

As always thanks for watching….

Trout Creek Run (Early Season)

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The day started out nice enough. A little cold but sunny and a little windy. We were getting a late start as I often do when it’s cold out, We headed out about noon from my place in Madras, Oregon.

The Roads we were planning to travel on the first leg of the route were extremely muddy due to the recent rain and snow, so we decided to take the paved road to Ashwood, Oregon instead. We would still see plenty of mud on this trip.

As we headed out of town on HWY 97 we were enjoying the beautiful views of the high dessert, but soon the skies had turned gray and the wind had picked up reminding us that it is still winter in Oregon.

When we pulled into Ashwood it was starting to hail and as we left the pavement that hail was covering the road. The road was not frozen and so still muddy under the hail. As we continued up the valley heading south the mud was slick but no deep. That all changed when we passed the last ranch on the north end, at once the mud was slick and deep, and in spots sticky clay based mud. Now it’s time to engage the 4WD.

I don’t have many pictures of the mud as I needed both hands on the wheel to stay on the road, so you will have to trust me that it was fun.

After several miles of mud we got to the canyon along the creek which is a little rockier and with a few creek crossings.

Crossing Trout Creek

After that we were in the Ochoco National Forest, and snow. The snow started out only a couple of inches, but as we climbed toward the McKay summit it quickly tuned to a couple feet deep. Ofcourse with three jeeps (two YJ’s and a TJ) we knew we would be able to make it over even if we had to fight for it.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen as the snow was not yet melted and refrozen, We drove right through it and up to and over the summit. Once on the south side of the summit we encountered other vehicles. Up to this point we had the whole place to ourselves. Maybe the others knew better or had more sense then us. Either way it was a great adventure in beautiful country with good friends.

Click on the link below for the highlights video.

As always, thanks for checking in and have a great day!

Finally Fall, now comes the rain.

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I have been looking forward to fall since last winter, Don’t get me wrong I love summer as much as the next person, but the majority of my foraging is done when the rains start. I have already collected my Huckleberries and choke cherries, I have made fireweed jelly and elderberry syrup and now it is time to find mushrooms.

I have a few spots that I frequent to search for mushrooms and the rains have finally come so off I go. The drive to Mt. Hood was quiet as the rain was sprinkling on the windshield, just quiet conversation with my wife Pam and anticipation of what we hoped to find when we got there.

We cheked a few spots that we had found while hunting last year and came up with a few good finds. Even though it is only September, there are already Chanterelles and Corals coming up. We even found some Chicken of the woods and even a few fried chicken mushrooms, not bad for late september.

Now to get out the dehydrator and preserve these for winter. I have a few recipes I am wanting to try and I will let you know how they turn out. It seems we are off to a good start so if the weather continues to cooperate we should have a good stock for winter.

As always be safe in the woods and when foraging wild mushrooms make double sure what you have before consuming them.

Fireweed Jelly, Good Medicine

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Fireweed is a widely distributed plant that grows thoughout the Northwest and Canada. It has many uses of which my personal favorite has to be fireweed jelly. This will be our focus here.

I set out to check on the Huckleberries to see if they were ripe in the area that I harvest near Mt. Hood, but as we were driving through the forest I noticed the fireweed patches everywhere were in full bloom. I had a couple extra baskets in the jeep so we stopped and collected approx. 8 cups of flower petals for jelly.

Note that fireweed flowers are very delicate and must be processed right away as they will not last even overnight once harvested.

once harvested the flowers are put into boiling water then removed from heat and left to steep overnight. once strained I had 2 quarts of fireweed tea. From this the jelly making can begin.

To the flower tea we added 4tbls lemon juice, 2tsp butter, 7oz. pectin, 12cups sugar. Quanities can be adjusted to taste. then simmer for 5 mins while stirring, then bottle. We got 16+ half pints from this recipe.

boil the jars in a double boiler once filled for about 10 mins. then allow to cool.

Special thanks to Cindy Thijs for sharing her recipe with us.

what you will end up with is a lovely purple jelly to enjoy and share with friends.

Just to touch on the benefits of Fireweed as Medicine, Fireweed is known for the follwing benefits:

Credits to zliving for benefit information.

Footprints in the forest

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It was Sunday afternoon and we were deer hunting near the headwaters of the Warm Springs river.(Mt. Hood national forest).

We had been exploring logging roads in the Jeep for a while and decided to go to the water as it was getting late in the day. Maybe find some deer going to water. We walked into an area we had hunted before, but there was very little sign of deer activity.

We found a lot of elk tracks and signs, but no deer signs, at least no fresh ones. We were on the way back to the Jeep when a track caught Allen’s eye.

It seemed so out of place that he took a picture to show me, get a second opinion I guess.

When I saw the picture later that night I was intrigued. I made a plan to check it out the next day.

After hunting the morning near camp, we headed back to checkout the track more closely. This is what we found.

There were 5 good tracks in very poor soil and moss. We could make out toes without claws in the first track. I put my wallet next to it for size reference. The stride was 3 1/2 to 4 feet and moving through the trees, so not running. Anyway, here they are. See what you think.

Pain Killer from the back yard

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Prickly Lettuce, Milk Weed, Milk Thistle, Lactica Seriola there are many names for this common plant and most of us are all too familiar with it. We pull it up, mow it down and spray it with poison and still it comes back year after year, but do we really know it?

 

Wild lettuce comes in many forms with Prickly Lettuce being one of the most common in my area. I waged war on it year after year and it proved to be a real headache, little did I know it was also the cure for that headache and many other aches and pains.

Using wild lettuce for a pain killer couldn’t be easier and it works astonishingly well.

I use it as a tincture mostly, because it has a great shelf life and is super easy to make.
Sure there are other ways to use it and even to make it more powerful, but I will start with the easiest way first.

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  1. Collect the leaves from the plant and wash them.
  2. Lightly chop then into small pieces and allow air dry.
  3. Place then in a canning jar filling 1/3 to 1/2 way to the top.
  4. Fill the jar with 100 proof vodka leaving a small amount of air at the top.
  5. Seal the jar and place in a cool place to steep for approx 4 weeks. Shake every few days. (Don’t forget to date the jar so you know when it’s done)
  6. Strain the resulting Tincture and bottle for later use.

Dosage: up to 1ml for adults. as needed for pain.

This is great for treating headache, toothache, muscle aches arthritis pain, etc…

So now you know, Leave a small patch of weeds in the garden for medicinal purposes.