Friends of the Metolius sponsors scenic walks

Friends of the Metolius (FOM) offers guided walks every Saturday from May 23 to September 5.

Last Saturday's walk took visitors to the secluded headwaters of Jack Creek. The various walks have designated meeting places in Camp Sherman, are led by volunteers, and are free. The schedule is on the Friends of the Metolius Web site, http://www.metoliusfriends.org and is also posted at the Camp Sherman Store.

Guide Kent Gill led the group, a baker's dozen, from Black Butte School down the 1216 road to a right onto Forest Road 12, a left onto 1230 road, across a small bridge to a left onto a dirt road to Jack Creek. The total distance is a little over four miles, and signs provide clear directions.

Day parking permits were available on site for $5 per day.

Gill, a former teacher and former president of the Sierra Club, started the walk with a discussion of local plant life. Peck's penstemon, named after a botanist, is a beautiful and rare plant which grows in a variety of colors. We were fortunate to see the pink and lilac colored varieties. While other penstemon occur elsewhere in the world, Peck's grows solely in the Sisters Deschutes Forest area in the vicinity of Black Butte and the Metolius.

Because Peck's have such a limited range, the FOM took Black Butte School students out several years ago to count the individual plants to help determine if a controlled burn affected their survival. They counted nearly 800 plants.

The walk to the head of the creek is enhanced with bird song and the sounds of rushing water. At one time, Gill pointed out, you could take a shorter walk straight to Jack Creek. Later, the Forest Service thought hikers should have a more relaxed and scenic route following the natural curves of the creek rather than cutting through the woods. A gate now blocks the shorter path.

The longer walk is well worth it and provides a view of the island created by a fork in the stream that you might otherwise miss.

The path was bordered with yarrow and snowbrush with its glossy leaves, and horkelia, which are generally found in the same areas as Peck's penstemon.

Gill proceeded with a fire-tolerance lesson showing hikers the thicker bark of the ponderosa pines and Douglas firs in contrast to the thinner-barked white firs. FOM works to protect the trees, clearing duff, bark and other debris that falls off a tree, from select areas of the forest.

The stroll down trails and across bridges led to an area of Jack Creek where flower gardens grow on fallen logs. Moss-covered hemlock tree roots appeared to float on the surface of the water, creating a waterfall effect as water flowed underneath. It looks like a scene from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Gill pointed out some older trees near the bridge; a little piece of ancient forest he called it, while advising hikers to watch their step over some missing logs on the bridge.

FOM has been involved with many key projects this year, including weed eradication of yellow flag iris, ribbon grass, and spotted knapweed. FOM, along with Central Oregon Land Watch, had a key role in defending the Metolius lands against resort development.

Later this fall there will be another Friends of the Forest Day in conjunction with the National Forest Foundation. FOM will also be applying for a grant to work on the trails and some other projects.