A scene from KS Wild's hike in the Siskiyou Crest (photo from KS Wild).
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Here’s another dispatch from the KS Wild crew, hiking from
the Oregon Caves
to Mt.Ashland
to campaign for the proposed Siskiyou
Crest National
Monument. See this blog post and this blog
post for more information and their previous posts. See www.siskiyoucrest.org for more info on
the crest. Note the invitation to camp with them Wednesday night.
The team of conservationists,
videographers, naturalists, outdoors enthusiasts and photographers backpacking
across the proposed Siskiyou
Crest National
Monument have entered the
third and final leg of their journey. Videos from days 4 and 5 are now posted
at siskiyoucrest.org.
A public reception gathering/potluck bbq/campout on August 12 will start with a
press conference at 4 p.m. at the Grouse Gap Shelter along Forest Road 20 on
the Siskiyou Crest behind Mt. Ashland, about a half an hour drive from the town
of Ashland. This campout is timed to occur at the height of the Perseid meteor
shower.
The second leg of the journey followed the Pacific Crest National Recreation
Trail from Cook and Green Pass below the Red Buttes Wilderness to Alex Hole at the
edge of the Condrey Mountain Inventoried Roadless Area.
“The Condrey Mountain Roadless Area is an undeclared
wilderness filled with juicy primeval forest, huge old trees, lush wildflower
meadows and epic wildlife habitat. It is an amazing and important wild area and
it deserves the strongest kind of protection,” said Stephanie Tidwell,
Executive Director of KS Wild, after witnessing the views across the glacial
cirque of Alex Hole to the Upper Applegate and
beyond.
The group is on track after numerous unexpected setbacks associated with
backcountry travel, including multiple flat tires delaying resupply vehicles
and injured ankles sending members of the team home early. From waking in a
wildflower filled meadow to the sight of the sun rising over the glaciers of
Mt. Shasta, to watching a herd of wild elk cross through roadless forest
thousands of feet below, the crew of hikers are exhilarated and inspired by
what they have seen.
“Sun burnt and sore, there is a unanimous feeling of conviction in our group
that the Siskiyou Crest is an exceptional landscape of primary importance for
permanent protection,” said Laurel Sutherlin, Grassroots Organizer for KS Wild.
The public is invited to join the trek on the final night, Wednesday, August 12
at the Grouse Gap Shelter along Forest
Road 20 on the Siskiyou Crest behind Mt. Ashland.
A potluck will begin at 5pm to celebrate the trek and the proposed National
Monument. The public is encouraged to spend the night camping on the Crest to
view the Perseid meteor shower.
