Cascade Head – It’s easier from the top

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Laurel

Oregon silverspot butterfly: protected and elusive.

In deference to the Oregon silverspot butterfly‘s breeding season, the easier trail to the highest viewpoint is closed from January 1- July 15. That’s why my friends and I took the trail from the seaside trailhead to about 550 feet on July 15. The upper trail opened the following day. Figures.

Ric and I took advantage of a pristine morning a week ago and set off to find the upper trail and perhaps spy a silverspot butterfly. The trail head is about 3 miles down a rough and narrow forest road halfway between Lincoln City and Neskowin. Luckily we did not meet any oncoming cars.

Arriving at the trailhead, three vehicles occupied four of the official parking spots. Yeah, four. According to a man doing maintenance on the trail, everyone else will park along the widening in the road and “it will be a real mess later,” he said. We set out briskly as there was a couple with two small children preparing to set out as well as well as the maintenance man with a weed whacker.

Ric near the top where trees give way to meadow. Trekking sticks not necessary.

The trail is nice: level, mostly woodland, peeks of the ocean to the south. The one mile to the viewpoint passed very quickly. Approaching the top, the trees parted and we found ourselves in a grassy meadow with wild flowers competing for our attention with unstoppable views of the Pacific Ocean. We encountered only one young woman, who had hiked up the way my friends and I had come a few days earlier. She passed far beyond the point we stopped at 550 feet, climbing an additional 700 to the upper view point. Not an easy-hiker. And she told us that afternoon she would be leading an outdoor program for youth as well. Damned kids.

Photo courtesy of the fit young woman we met on top.

We loitered at the top taking pictures and breathing the fine, fresh air, marveling that our house was really just the other side of the next headland. The only thing that would have been more perfect would have been a lovely rifugio serving espresso and pastries.

Returning, we encountered some families with toddlers, proving this really is an easy hike. It made us feel better that we also encountered younger people taking the easy path to the magnificent view. But we never saw a silverspot butterfly.

Click on any photo below for a slideshow with captions.

High meadow. Yes, that is Ric on the path.
Sun-dappled trail, level and easy.
The Salmon River estuary is below Cascade Head. It’s interesting to see it from above.
View south. Home is just beyond the next headland.
Digitalis, or foxglove, grows everywhere in the woods. Deer do not eat it or there would be none.
The trail head for the easy upper trail. Hart’s Cove is supposed to be a very challenging hike.
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Cascade Head the not-so-easy way

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Laurel

True friendships surmount time and distance. After almost five years abroad and having seen my stalwart group of female friends only fleetingly, I found it delightful to slip back into the cherished relationships like I was putting on a comfortable pair of slippers. This past weekend, six of us gathered for “Voyageurs Femmes at the Beach.” The group energy carried us up the not-so-easy trail to Cascade Head just north of our home in Lincoln City.

Cascade Head

Deb, me, Catherine, Diana, Gayle, and Carol, Le Voyageurs Femmes!

A bit of background. For you French speakers, Voyageurs Femmes must be making the backs of your necks crawl. I believe, with the little exposure to French that I have, that the real term is voyageuses, and that in itself indicates female explorers. Est-ce vrai? Maybe we could get by with Femmes Voyageurs? Nonetheless, our dear founder, Jonnie Martin, drew on her high-school French and named the group to signify interesting and intelligent women with careers, complicated lives, and many commitments who grab life with both hands and hang on tight for the journey. We started in 2003 with a small dinner now-and-then, and while members have come and gone, over the years a core group of eight to ten has managed to stay in touch and get together for dinners, brunches, and the occasional weekend fling. This was the first weekend I have been able to attend in six years.

Totem at the Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, located nearby.

Of course, the wine flowed and there was excellent food. As we live near the ocean and within spitting distance of great hiking trails, there was ample opportunity to wear off some calories and further bond on the trail. It is amazing what the group dynamic can do as we — with ages ranging from 60 to 79, and daily physical activity ranging from moderate to frenetic — tackled the Cascade Head Trail from sea level.

This is not an easy hike in the eyes of Project Easy Hiker. In our book, Walking in Italy’s Val Gardena, we rank hikes on a scale of 1 to 3. This, my friends, is a 4. Aerobically a bit challenging as one gains 270 feet in the first 2/10 of a mile but for my short legs the biggest challenge was the shallow root systems and the gigantic steps carved into the trail. It is a well-maintained trail, but still difficult footing as you need to watch every step and I had to haul my short self up over some pretty tough verticals. Thank goodness I had my trekking poles!

Once you get past the steps, the most treacherous tripper roots, and the steepest portion, it is a lovely trail with several bridges and a very rewarding viewpoint at just over 500 feet looking south along the Oregon Coast. (For the young and fit, an additional 700 feet of gain in about a mile is yours for the taking. That is definitely outside the guidelines of PEH.) We did 4.6 miles round trip. Basta!

Hardy hikers ascending the additional 700 feet to the upper viewpoint.

We lingered to enjoy the herd of elk far below us, chatting with a Nature Conservancy volunteer about the area. (It is private land, owned by the Nature Conservancy.) Other hikers reported being able to spot whales this bright, clear, calm day, but we were not so lucky.

Our area is crawling with elk. A dozen passed through our yard a few days ago. Here about 30 graze in peace far below the trail.

Descending, we were able to bail out at an intermediate path and walk down an access road (paved!) for a half-mile or so (an easy-hiker solution), avoiding the knee-poundingly steep descent involving tree roots and the steps built by Andre the Giant.

Soon Ric and I will scout out the reported easy hike from the top trailhead. This portion is closed until mid-July each year to protect the Silver Spot butterfly. It reopened Sunday — too late for the Femmes.

To my dear Voyageurs Femmes, thanks. It was a terrific weekend and I would never have done that lower trail without you! Alla prossima volta!

Looking south from Cascade Head along the Oregon Coast. Lincoln City is just beyond the next headland.

 

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