Hiking Pilot Rock. New Guidebook Fails.
Pacific Northwest Travelog 3
Ashland, OR. Saturday, 1 July 2017. 4pm.
Though we're committed to driving quite a distance today Corning, CA to Portland, OR- almost 500 miles- we decided to squeeze in at least one hike. To pick the right hike(s) we turned to a new guidebook we bought recently. In the past we've used a Foghorn Outdoors guide "Pacific Northwest Hiking". As I noted a few years ago, the writing in this book was badly marred by the authors' almost comical dislike of their fellow man. Well, there's a newer guide out now, with different authors. The impatience with humanity is gone, and the visual layout of the book is cleaner, too, so we decided to give it a try.
Pilot Rock is a basalt massif rising from a ridge above Ashland, OregonWe picked as our first hike of the day Pilot Rock in the Siskiyou Mountains above Ashland, OR. It's an ascent to a plug of volcanic basalt atop a ridge. The authors rated it 8/10 for scenery and 1/5 (easiest) for difficulty. It seemed like a good combination; we'd probably have time and energy for two such hikes!
Trouble with the new book started with getting to the trailhead. The directions were detailed but ultimately incorrect, leading us to the wrong trailhead. Once underway we found the trail both longer and more difficult than described. Even if the driving directions had led to the right place it still would have been a tougher trek than promised. With an ascent of several hundred feet at a 12% grade it's not "1 on a scale of 1-5" easy!
I also quibble with the authors' rating of this trail as 8/10 for beauty. Personally I'd give it a 9... and a 10 for those who can make it all the way to the top of the rocks. ...Which the authors inaccurately said required a technical climb. Once we got to the rocky massif we saw that it was merely scrambling- careful use of hands and feet but no technical skills or specialized equipment required. Sadly I were unprepared even for that, having not worn my boots or gloves or packed enough water, as I expected a significantly easier trail.
Looking up from halfway up the basalt cap. A passable route climbs through the crevice on the left.
So, the new guidebook is a fail so far. The driving directions are inaccurate and the trail descriptions are inaccurate. What else is a guidebook for? Well, this book did let us know this trail existed. We couldn't have picked it without that, and we really enjoyed the hike even if it was much tougher than we expected. It's just that if we use this guidebook again we'll have to accept that it is only the starting point for further research.
Ashland, OR. Saturday, 1 July 2017. 4pm.
Though we're committed to driving quite a distance today Corning, CA to Portland, OR- almost 500 miles- we decided to squeeze in at least one hike. To pick the right hike(s) we turned to a new guidebook we bought recently. In the past we've used a Foghorn Outdoors guide "Pacific Northwest Hiking". As I noted a few years ago, the writing in this book was badly marred by the authors' almost comical dislike of their fellow man. Well, there's a newer guide out now, with different authors. The impatience with humanity is gone, and the visual layout of the book is cleaner, too, so we decided to give it a try.
Pilot Rock is a basalt massif rising from a ridge above Ashland, OregonWe picked as our first hike of the day Pilot Rock in the Siskiyou Mountains above Ashland, OR. It's an ascent to a plug of volcanic basalt atop a ridge. The authors rated it 8/10 for scenery and 1/5 (easiest) for difficulty. It seemed like a good combination; we'd probably have time and energy for two such hikes!
Trouble with the new book started with getting to the trailhead. The directions were detailed but ultimately incorrect, leading us to the wrong trailhead. Once underway we found the trail both longer and more difficult than described. Even if the driving directions had led to the right place it still would have been a tougher trek than promised. With an ascent of several hundred feet at a 12% grade it's not "1 on a scale of 1-5" easy!
I also quibble with the authors' rating of this trail as 8/10 for beauty. Personally I'd give it a 9... and a 10 for those who can make it all the way to the top of the rocks. ...Which the authors inaccurately said required a technical climb. Once we got to the rocky massif we saw that it was merely scrambling- careful use of hands and feet but no technical skills or specialized equipment required. Sadly I were unprepared even for that, having not worn my boots or gloves or packed enough water, as I expected a significantly easier trail.
Looking up from halfway up the basalt cap. A passable route climbs through the crevice on the left.
So, the new guidebook is a fail so far. The driving directions are inaccurate and the trail descriptions are inaccurate. What else is a guidebook for? Well, this book did let us know this trail existed. We couldn't have picked it without that, and we really enjoyed the hike even if it was much tougher than we expected. It's just that if we use this guidebook again we'll have to accept that it is only the starting point for further research.