Ted's Hiking World North Table Mountain
Ecological Reserve

“You must keep the land and air apart and sacred, as a place where one can
go to taste the wind that is sweetened by meadow flowers.”   – Chief Seattle

April 17, 2017

Gary has come up from Southern California to check out some Oregon waterfalls with me.  To begin the trip north, it isn't far out of the way to detour over here to Table Mountain.

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Getting started

Rain is threatening, so we have our rain gear in place.  Immediately we encounter a lot deep mud, but it shortly gives way to firmer ground and rock.

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There are some flowers in the meadow, which is good

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The Wild Ginger leaves are most interesting

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There are little streams everywhere

In no time at all we reach the first real waterfall.  It is necessary to start down Beatson Canyon a ways in order to get a photograph.

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Hollow Falls

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A lovely garden overlooks this waterfall

Despite the poor weather, Gary is liking this place a lot.  He is expecting Hobbits to appear at any moment.

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Hollow Falls from the other side

Taking off toward the north, we make our own path through the meadow.  I have not brought any sort of map, thinking that I already know my way around this place.  In absence of a real trail, it still is a bit confusing, however.

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I like those yellow guys

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Gary likes them, too

* Owl's Clover *
Round Heads

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The residents are unimpressed

In fact, we have passed close to several cows that haven't bothered to move at all, in contrast to my prior visit when they were running all over the place.

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Twin Ravine Falls #1

Just past these falls is a fence with a sign mandating us to stay on "the trail".  It is necessary to clamber around the edge of the fence, with only about a foot of room between the post and the edge of a cliff.  Once on the other side, there is a view of yet another waterfall:

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Twin Ravine Falls #2

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The fog makes this place look like something out of Jurassic Park

My 'keep heading north' strategy pays off; soon we actually do find the principal destination:

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Phantom Falls

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I had not previously noticed this nice plaque

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Starting back

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It begins to rain fairly heavily now.  The two-mile return route leaves us both drenched.

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Gary finds his own path


§: Of course, I would rather be here on a clear day; yet the rain added to the interest of the walk and provided plenty of water for the falls.

Scenery *
Difficulty *
Personality *
Solitude *
Weather *

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After the hike, Gary and I proceeded northward, stopping at Dunsmuir to visit an advertised local attraction:

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Hedge Creek Falls, 50' *
Adjacent to the falls

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