Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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Turn left (uphill) on the narrow Bells Mountain Trail, and begin exercising those thighs as you tackle a solid uphill grade. In the next 1.6 miles the trail gains about 1000 feet in an uneven but often moderately steep ascent with numerous switchbacks and twisting turns. Several gullies and seasonal creeks along the way are spanned by wooden plank bridges, which help to keep things interesting. The forest is also attractive, although not particularly varied being dominated by second-growth Douglas firs and red alders. Sword fern is so abundant on the forest floor it crowds out virtually all other plants. At 2.1 miles the main climbing ends where you hit the end of a logging spur road at a small clear-cut. Although the surroundings are a bit unsightly, the opening provides excellent views to the north over the East Fork Lewis River valley to Mt. St. Helens, mantled in snow for most of the year. This viewpoint is a reasonable turnaround point for those seeking a shorter hike.

Those continuing south on the Bells Mountain Trail will find the next section of gentle ups and downs to be easy walking. Sadly, it is not very attractive, because the area is dominated by clear-cuts. Seemingly every tree is either already cut or assigned for harvest in the near future. On the plus side the clear-cuts provide nice southeasterly views of Silver Star Mountain. When you reenter the forest, you soon encounter a second problem, ATVs. Although officially prohibited on the Bells Mountain Trail, the riders of these noisy intruders either haven’t gotten the message or simply don’t care. One of the many problems the machines cause is confusion, as unmarked bike trails sprout up and lead off to various unknown destinations. At the first of these junctions you should veer left, and then just 0.15 mile later go straight where another ATV trail cuts directly across your path. Don’t be surprised if more of these unmarked ATV trails spring up in the future. There would be much less confusion if it were easy to distinguish your foot trail from those made by ATVs. Unfortunately, the ATVs muck up the works even more by riding on the Bells Mountain Trail itself. The result is not just confusion but a sloppy mess of muddy trails, erosion, and torn up tread.