Kalmiopsis

I've loved the name, the plant and the Wilderness ever since I first met them in the mid-70's while living at Coos Bay, Oregon. Trips to Vulcan Lake, and to parts of the Wilderness, cemented my love affair with this part of the world that survived the great Flood. The Kalmiopsis is on the western end of the Siskiyou mountain range, which runs at right angle to all the other West Coast ranges [Cascade, Coast, Sierras . . .] Somehow it managed to avoid the destruction that befell most of the flora in North America, and there's an incredible array of pre-historic plants is this range, including the carniverous Darlingtonia. And then there's the rocks . . . Triassic, Jurassic, and more modern stuff from the last hundred-million years.

My family fell in love with it too, after a night camping at Red Prairie. In the morning, we were in brilliant sunshine, above a layer of cotton-ball clouds that obscured the lower peaks, valleys and Pacific Ocean. What a rush! And then swimming in the crystal-clear lake.

The nearby Rogue River, and Ilahee, and Agness, and the Siskiyou National Forest in general, provided some of my best experiences and memories. I suppose nothing beats my first Oregon wilderness experience, when Randy Kehoe and Father Andy and perhaps a few more went into the Three Sisters Wilderness in '67, and got caught in a horrific September storm. The huge pumice rocks we used to anchor our tents got blown away with the tents and tarps, and we still had to climb the Middle next day. But I digress . . .


Kevin Gibson and I used to take groups of kids into the Siskiyou for a day trip to a spot on top of Hanging Rock. We got a paid day out of the office and in the forest, and the kids got their breath taken away by suddenly sitting on top of the world with sheer drops on three sides. I hope it was as fun and memorable for them as it was refreshing and fun for us.

Here's Jason Wood and George Jenkins IV on top of a nearby rock, looking down on Eden Valley: I don't live in Coos Bay anymore, but I still love wilderness hiking. Albany, Oregon is pretty central for lots of wilderness in the Cascades. I still enjoy taking kids to high places.