John Craig Memorial ski event returns

When John Templeton Craig set out from "Craig's Bridge" (now McKenzie Bridge) in December of 1877 to cross the Cascades, he had no idea that he was about to die or that, 135 years later, Nordic skiers would be massing at his grave to commemorate his ill-fated journey.

Craig was an Oregon pioneer in the truest sense of the word. He came to Oregon in 1852 and was a part of the Scott expedition in 1862 that ushered in a new era of travel between the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon. Although the Scott crossing of the Cascades was ostensibly a success, Craig would spend the next 10 years of his life seeking a better route.

Where others repeatedly failed, he finally succeeded in 1872, as president of The McKenzie Salt Springs and Deschutes Wagon Road Company, in completing a road over what is now McKenzie Pass. His historic road connected the Eugene area with what is now Sisters Country.

The route he chose crossed difficult lava fields but was several hundred feet lower in elevation than Scott Pass. With the establishment of the Camp Polk Post Office, Craig was granted the mail-carrying contract from Craig's Bridge to Camp Polk. His quest to faithfully deliver the Christmas mail would ultimately cost him his life.

In 1930, the Oregon Rural Letter Carriers Association erected a memorial to Craig at the site of his tomb atop McKenzie Pass. Four years later, the first John Craig Memorial Ski Race was held along the McKenzie Pass road. Over the years, the event has evolved, and the 2013 edition will have a slightly different flavor than its original format.

In a recent announcement, the Oregon Nordic Club (ONC), which sponsors the event, stated, "The mostly annual John Craig Ski Race has morphed this year into a non-competitive, cross-country ski tour up the McKenzie Pass." Due to a variety of concerns and constraints, the character of this year's event is billed as something more akin to a "fun run."

Organizers are hoping that the more casual nature of this year's event will encourage even more participation. The course this year is to begin, and end, at the McKenzie Highway snow gate, nine miles west of Sisters on Highway 242. It is tentatively hoped that the route will be groomed all the way to the Dee Wright Observatory at the summit of the pass. The total distance is 6.6 miles each way, with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet.

The event will take place next week, on Saturday, March 23, at 10 a.m. Registration is not required, although organizers are suggesting a donation to help defray the costs of snow grooming and an aid station, which will be set up at Windy Point, at about the halfway point of the course.

Organizers ask that participants park only on the right side of the highway approaching the snow gate, in order to allow for passage of emergency vehicles if necessary. Skiers are reminded to take responsibility for their own safety and to be properly equipped for the outing and for all weather conditions.

As in previous years, and weather permitting, the John Craig event will include an optional pilgrimage to Craig's final resting place. Craig was entombed near the site of his death, which is about two additional miles west of the highest point of the pass he pioneered. In the spring of 1878, his body was found in the cabin that had been constructed as an overnight shelter for the mail carrier; he was huddled in the fireplace ashes, where he had apparently sought warmth in his final moments.

The Oregon Nordic Club was founded in 1966 and has 10 chapters, including the Central Oregon Nordic Club (CONC), which is the immediate sponsor of the John Craig Memorial ski event. With an emphasis on ski touring and winter snow sports, the ONC was established to enhance and promote outdoor sports activities and an understanding of the values of outdoor recreation.

Locally, the CONC promotes youth programs, maintains ski trails, stocks ski shelters with firewood, and generally provides a social and organizational network for the area's Nordic skiers.

Following the March 23 memorial ski event, the CONC is sponsoring a potluck get-together and "story swap" in the Ponderosa Room of the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in Sisters. The event post-function will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. and is BYOB. All participants are invited to attend.

For further information visit the CONC website at www.onc.org/CONC-ONC.