On May 12, Oregon Public Broadcasting’s popular Oregon Field Guide program travelled to the site of Warren Falls to film a story on the unique history of Warren Creek: the odd 1939 highway department project that silenced the falls, and the potential for restoring the falls to its former grandeur. This was the second trip [...]
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ category
“Warren Falls, we’re ready for your close-up…”
May 20, 2012Exploring Mitchell Point
May 5, 2012If you find yourself overwhelmed by the crowds at Angels Rest, Mitchell Point in the east end of the Gorge is terrific alternative that offers equally stunning views, without the circus atmosphere. Though the hike is just 2.6 miles round-trip, the elevation gain is around 1,000 vertical feet, thanks to an often steep path. But [...]
Parkdale Lava Flow Revealed
April 28, 2012The new LIDAR data viewer created by Oregon’s Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) offers a fascinating new look at familiar features in the Mount Hood region. This article focuses on the Parkdale Lava Flow, one of the formations where LIDAR offers an especially striking new look at the geologic story. Four sections of [...]
Yocum Ridge Waterfalls
March 31, 2012Scores of little-known waterfalls hide in Mount Hood’s backcountry. Some are towering glacial torrents, while others are quiet forest cascades, framed in moss and maple leaves. But when conditions are right, few rival the towering trio of waterfalls that mark peak snowmelt on the upper ramparts of Yocum Ridge. These waterfalls are unnamed and unmapped, [...]
Warren Falls Lives… Again?
March 28, 2012March 16 was a good day for Warren Falls: in the morning, the Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee (AC) allowed me time on their agenda for a second pitch to restore Warren Falls as part of the larger historic highway trail project. After the meeting, I visited Warren Falls and was able to capture [...]
Warren Falls Solutions
February 27, 2012The strange history of Warren Falls began shortly after completion of the Historic Columbia River Highway in the 1920s, when unruly Warren Creek repeatedly pushed debris against the modest new highway bridge that spanned the stream. Oregon highway engineers subsequently diverted the creek in 1939 through a bizarre tunnel that survives to this day. The [...]
Warren Falls Mystery… Solved!
January 31, 2012(Click here for a larger view) It was the summer of 1939, and Depression-era Americans were escaping the hard times with the theater releases of “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz”. In Europe, Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September of 1939 ignited World War II. Against the sweeping backdrop of this pivotal [...]
Proposal: Bridal Veil Canyon Trail
January 15, 2012It is an unfortunate reality that in the face of Oregon’s population doubling over the past half-century, our trail system has declined. The resulting crowding and overuse is evident on many of the trails that remain, especially on those fringing the rapidly growing Portland region. This trend is at odds with oft-stated public goals of [...]
Looking back at 2011… and toward 2012
December 31, 2011This is my third annual report on the WyEast Blog since kicking it off in November 2008. As in previous years, I posted new articles every couple of weeks in 2011. The most-read of 24 new articles in 2011 were: 1. Let’s clear the logjam at Oneonta Gorge (May 2011) 2. SOLVED: North Side Waterfall [...]
New Lidar Maps of Mount Hood
December 26, 2011The age of the microprocessor has ushered in a revolution in the fields of cartography and geosciences. After all, few could have imagined streaming Google Earth imagery over a worldwide web when the first air photos were being scanned and digitized in the 1980s. The latest innovation on the geo-data front promises still more detailed [...]
The Newton Clark Moraine
November 26, 2011Tucked on the remote east shoulder of Mount Hood is the Newton Clark Moraine, the largest glacial formation on the mountain, and one of its most prominent features. Yet this huge, snaking ridge remains one of Mount Hood’s least known and most mysterious landmarks. At over three miles in length, and rising as much as [...]
Columbia Gorge: The Fight for Paradise
November 18, 2011On November 17, OPB’s Oregon Field Guide aired a special 1-hour look at the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Act, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the legislation. The show provides a comprehensive look at the history of the Gorge Act, its friends and foes and some of the future challenges, including those never anticipated when the [...]
WyEast Blog has a new address!
November 14, 2011The WyEast Blog has a new, shorter URL as of today — www.wyeastblog.org — with the goal of making it easier to find, and to underscore the non-profit mission of the Mount Hood National Park Campaign. The old URL will continue to work indefinitely, but the new address will make it a little easier to [...]
Piggyback Plant
November 13, 2011Hike along any low-elevation stream in the Cascades and you’re likely to pass colonies of Tolmiea menziesii — more commonly known as the piggyback plant. These humble plants draw their common name from a unique habit of sprouting new plants on top of their leaves (reflected in other common names for the species, including “youth-on-age” [...]
2012 Mount Hood National Park Calendar
October 30, 2011Each year at about this time I assemble the Mount Hood National Park Scenic Calendar. The proceeds are modest, but do help support the Mount Hood National Park Campaign website and related project expenses. The main purpose is simply to promote the project, and make the case for the campaign with pictures. I’ve published the [...]
