Sunday, July 4, 2010

The Upper Umpqua Area

The Umpqua River begins in the Cascades north of Crater Lake.  There are 6 waterfalls within its upper drainage basin.  Yesterday I got to two of them.

Whitehorse Falls is set in a glen in the woods with a tent camping area and picnic area alongside.  It is wheelchair - accessible and is a cute little waterfall.

Further down the drainage basin is Toketee Falls.  This is a 0.4 mile hike on a path with a lot of steps.   The falls themselves are in two drops.  Most people seemed to focus on the main or lower, larger drop.

While I thought that was really nice, I was much more captivated by the upper drop, tucked back in a hollow in shadows and almost hidden from sight.

On the way back to the campground, there was a great view of Mt. Thielson.  Described as "the lightning rod of the Cascades, this basaltic remnant of a volcanic core is marked with streaks and trails from lightning strikes (or so the sign and photos at another viewpoint said).

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