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

134 страница из 142

You turn onto the jeep track, which has been abandoned for so many years it is now just a wide trail, and ascend at a moderately steep grade, initially in a second-growth Douglas-fir forest with little in the way of views. At 1.1 miles is an unsigned junction. Go straight, and after a brief respite on level trail, resume going uphill. At 1.7 miles is another unsigned junction. You go straight again and soon notice a change in your surroundings. The lower-elevation forest thins rapidly and is replaced with brushy clearings and a scattering of perky higher-elevation Pacific silver firs. Views to the south of Oregon’s Larch Mountain and Mount Hood become more frequent. Another sign that you are gaining elevation is the presence of beargrass, a local harbinger of the 3000-foot elevation line.

The rocky trail continues going uphill, often rather steeply, as it makes its way up the west side of Silver Star Mountain’s southern ridge. Here the terrain becomes extremely scenic, as the trail crosses huge open slopes of talus fields, grasses, and scattered wildflowers. The views are superb and unobstructed. Most noteworthy are the colorful open slopes of Silver Star Mountain to the north and the ridge containing Pyramid Rock to the west. Bring binoculars to scan the open slopes in this area for deer, elk, and maybe even a black bear. The trail remains rocky but becomes less steep as it rounds the head of an impressive high basin.