Mount Bolivar

Mount Bolivar is a simple rocky peak that lies in southwest Oregon. Though simple, it is very complex when it comes to its boundary location. Mount Bolivar is not only the highest point in Coos County, but it also holds a controversial title of being the highest point on the Coast Range. Some claim the title belongs to Mary’s Peak near Corvallis. The dispute is NOT over which peak is the highest because Mount Bolivar wins that by just a few hundred feet. Mount Bolivar is 4,319 ft. while Mary’s Peak is 4,097 ft. The dispute is over Mount Bolivar’s geographic location. (Mount Bolivar is the distant peak in the center of the photo below)

Mount Bolivar lies within the northern boundaries of the Klamath Mountains, the southern boundaries of the Coast Range, and a portion of the peak lies within the northeastern boundaries of the beautiful Wild Rogue Wilderness, the BLM industrialized property, and the Siskiyou National Forest, and Siskiyou Mountains. How can one peak be in all ranges and zones you ask? All of these ranges merge, and even collide in this southern Oregon location. An easy way to illustrate the complicated topography is to take Neapolitan ice cream and cut a block out. The Chocolate will represent the Coast Range, The Strawberry will represent the Klamath Range, and the Vanilla will represent the convergent zone.

Take your finger, start in the center, and begin making circles. Let the circles get larger to where your chocolate and strawberry start to blend with the vanilla.

You have now created the unique landscape that makes up the southwestern corner of the state of Oregon.

Man made boundaries also complicate the dispute. Curry County is considered to be in the Klamath Mountain, Coos County is a part of the Coast Range. The boundary between the two ranges is the Rogue River. Mount Bolivar is in Coos County, and north of the Rogue. But Klamath geology is also in Coos County as well as Coast Range geology is in Curry County. Technically, Mount Bolivar doesn’t lie within either boundary of the Klamath or Coast…or the Siskiyou Range for that matter. It lies within a merge zone of these ranges…making the geology formations and plant life unique to the area, and rare to any other place. Now that the science lesson is over…let’s go enjoy the journey to Mount Bolivar...no matter where it may actually lie. My buddy Brian and his dog, Lakota, joined me on this trek. They are both from Montana. While they visited Oregon this last summer, my goal was to take them to as many places I could throughout Oregon. Mount Bolivar was just one of the many adventures. You'll see more of where we went in later BLOG entries.

The trek to the top of Mount Bolivar is only a 1.4-mile hike, but has an elevation gain of 1,160 feet. The trail, with several switchbacks, hikes you through a multiple array of vegetation. I’d like to say the hike was a piece of cake, but I would be lying. Brian, at 29, is very fit, and he could have run up the trail if he wanted too. But for me, I had to stop at almost every switchback and catch my breath. On these breaks, I’d photograph whatever was interesting, and near me. Brian was kind enough to wait for me on several occasions. The Mount Bolivar area is a plant lover’s paradise. The air was perfumed of that you’d smell if in the Cascades, and yet we were nowhere near the rugged range. Similar plants can be found here. Several summer blooming wild flowers were everywhere. Water loving trees like the Big Leaf Maple and the Douglas fir were found growing next to drought tolerant trees such as the Knobcone Pine, Incense Cedar and the Sugar Pine. The rain forest loving Sword Ferns and the Coastal Rhododendron were growing next to high-elevation Alpine Bear Grass, and the Scrub Oaks were seen next to Vine Maples. We even found several Ponderosa Pines mingling with the Western Hemlock. In the region surrounding Mount Bolivar, over 70% of the Oregon native species of plants and trees can be found here. There is no other place in Oregon where so many species survive in one place. In the summer 2005, this rare ecosystem was almost completely destroyed when lightning started the Blossom Fire. The fire burned 14,908 acres. Most of the south and east sides of Mount. Bolivar were burnt. But not all was lost. The Knobcone Pine, which grows throughout the lower reaches of Mount. Bolivar will easily reforest the chard land. So will the aggressive growing Manzanita that dominates the entire peak help in the natural recovery process. The last portion of the trail leaves the cool shade of the dense forest behind and walks out into a parched rocky garden full of color. The summit is arid and the plants are stunted, but the view is spectacular. Mount Bolivar rises to an impressive 4,319 Feet above sea level. The 360-degree view from the summit stretches from Mt. Shasta in the south to Mt. Hood in the north, but due to the fires ragging in California, our distance views were hazed over. The most impressive view from the summit was the steep scared canyons and the sharp ridges to the south that comprise the northern border of the Wild Rogue Wilderness area. The Mount. Bolivar summit’s geology is derived of the Coast Range, while nearby Saddle Peak and Diamond Peak's geology is that of the Klamath Mountains. (Saddle Peak is in the photo below...on the left, Diamond Peak is on the right) To the north and northeast, you see the work of BLM and the patches of clear-cut hillsides through the Coast Range. The Eden Valley lies directly below. To the east and southeast, one can see mile after mile of forested hills, ridges, and mountains that make up the Siskiyou Range and the Rogue Wilderness. The summit of Mount Bolivar once had a fire lookout tower, but like many other lookout summits, only cement foundations and remnants remain. Mount. Bolivar was named in honor of Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan-born liberator. Simon Bolivar was one of South America's greatest generals. His victories over the Spaniards won independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. He is called El Liberator (The Liberator) and the "George Washington of South America," (1783-1830). The country of Venezuela donated a bronze plaque to be placed on the peak named after their liberator. It reads; “The United States was the first to teach us the path to independence.”-Simon Bolivar Jamaica, 1815 The plaque was given to the people of Oregon in 1984. Mount Bolivar, in the upper left corner of the photo above, is an oasis, a peaceful island amongst a natural geologic merge zone and man-made boundaries. A place all its own.

Golden and Silver Falls

Golden and Silver Falls State Park along Glenn Creek, is a hidden gem in a lush green temperate rainforest nestled in an amphitheater of solid rock in the southern Oregon Coast Range. These two falls join together and create one of the largest tributaries to the East Fork of the Millicoma River. My mother and I took advantage of our regions lack of rain, in order to capture some remaining fall leaf color.

Falling an impressive 200 thundering feet, plus an additional 40 foot cascade through steep talus, Golden Falls is quite likely, the most impressive waterfall in the Coast Range.

Golden Falls was named in 1880, after Dr. Charles B. Golden, a Marshfield businessman. But the creek in which it flows is named Glenn Creek.

This creek is rich in lost history, and diverse in recreational activities.

In 1901, four of the homesteaders, in the Glenn Valley above Golden Falls, blasted the trail out of the rock bluff above the falls giving a right of way to Coos County.

The Pack Trail descended from the top of Golden Falls and crossed a boulder pile at the bottom of Silver Falls on a one lane wood bridge. What a scenic adventurous but scary ride that must have been.

From 1912 to 1916 an auto stage line ran daily through this route transporting cargo, and tourist enthusiast passengers between Allegany and Scottsburg. The road was used by the county until 1958, when the last of the original homesteaders moved out. Today, the bridge crossing is gone, but the blasted portion of the trail remains and can be walked by energetic hikers.

Neighboring Silver Falls, named after the creek in which it flows, is one of the best waterfalls in regards to its elegant poetic beauty and grandeur.

The creek plunges over a domelike protrusion of solid rock, and freefalls 150 feet. An additional 25-30 feet of cascade drops among large boulder’s before coming together at the bottom.

Golden Falls is the second, and Silver Falls is the third highest waterfalls in the Oregon Coast Range.

My mother and I enjoyed our autumn visit to these two beautiful falls... ...Actually, I have a "Muttly" crew that comes along on my travels as well. From left to right, I have Mocha - Maxx - Pynekone - Tyg. They love to get out and explore.

I would like to return to these falls during high water levels…just to see how big the water flow can get. I also want photograph an area along Glenn Creek named, “The Cascades”. There are no trails into this gorge and it was getting dark when we stopped to look at them. I will enter the results in a future blog.

Shore Acres Wave

Nature at its Best! If you want to witness the raw power of the ocean, stand in awe, capture nature at its best and be inspired, then you must visit Shore Acres State Park during or after a winter storm. There is NOTHING like it anywhere! When the conditions are just right, which requires a high surf, the right tide level, continual wave action, low wind, a sunny day, and hitting the offshore rocks in the right place at the right time, magic happens. The rugged cliffs of Shore Acres rise between 80 to 100 feet above the sea. From November through January it is not uncommon for storms to generate these incredible, powerful, earth shaking works of natural beauty. Crashing waves often tower 150 to 200 feet into the air, and can douse the Sitka Spruce forest 200 to 250 feet away. A Shore Acres Wave is an awesome display of power. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Shore Acres Wave came to life. What made this event so unique from any other wave event is, there was no storm hitting us. The high surf advisory was generated from storms that hammered southern California. It is rare to witness this event with 70 degree weather, and no wind. The day was very perfect. This photo illustrates the aggressive power behind the beauty. The "triangle rock" stands 80 feet. Ominous crashing waves devoured the rock shortly after I took this photo. (Look at the first photo again...on the right side of the photo, you can see spectators enjoying the majestic show.)