Mt. Hood Wilderness: Cast Creek and Ramona Falls
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- Опубликовано: 11 фев 2025
- @WanderlustMAX Music by NaturesEye & Max Edmonds
Welcome to Wanderlust Max and to the Mount Hood Wilderness to experience the iconic Ramona Falls trail loop and explore the lesser-known Cast Creek wilderness trail
A new day dawns on the western slopes of Mt. Hood, opening the window to a wealth of possibilities for the wanderlusty. Welcome to Wanderlust Max.
After spending much of the night looping through campgrounds without vacancy on 4th of July weekend,
I managed to find an excellent site at McNeil Campground in close proximity to a network of trails affording ample opportunity to wander through the mountain wilderness only
As I set out for the day, I came across a man with a long grey beard and piercing blue eyes, which matched those of his dog. The man, claiming to be in his seventies, spoke to me, He introduced me to his dog, an Australian shepherd by the name of Amelia.
I told him I was simply exploring and didn’t have a particular destination in mind.
He spoke with a tone reserved for the wisest of sages , “Follow this trail to Lost Creek, look to the north and you’ll see ‘The Fisherman’s Trail’.
From there he recommended following the trail along the Sandy River, but I was in the mood to go up and
I set out for the day without a destination in mind. I came across a man with a long grey beard and piercing blue eyes which matched those of his dog. He asked me, “where are you off to today?” After explaining that I was just exploring the area, he spoke in a tone reserved for the wisest of sages: Follow this trail to Lost Creek, look to the north and you’ll see ‘The Fisherman’s Trail’.
I followed the fisherman’s trail for a spell, but the urge to climb a mountain was bubbling within me and I happened to be near the entrance to the Cast Creek Wilderness which intersects with the ZigZag Mountain Trail.
-When wandering in the wilderness, it’s appropriate to do some meditative forest bathing from time to time
After being teased for hours with tree-shrouded views along the hillside, I finally arrived at a direct viewpoint of the Mt Hood.
I am in the habit of carrying a stick or two when navigating back to camp in the evening hours. They allow me to make my presence known to wildlife and they just feel good in my hands.
-----------------DAY 2------------------------
I pulled up stakes and departed McNeil Campground for a short drive to the Ramona Falls trailhead.
I perched along the riverbank to observe the masses as they each applied their own unique tactic to traverse the river. Some people confidently walk across, some people scramble nervously. The dogs quickly stride across, while most people scootch along the log on their bums
Physical signs of a volcanic debris flow from over 200 years ago are evident where the trail is near the Sandy River.
The trails near the Sandy river are curiously satisfying to walk upon, as they are mostly composed of loose gravel, compact sand and muddy volcanic ash.
To take a break and sidestep the crowds, I took and side trail which led me to another fork of the Sandy River. I took the opportunity to practice glacial stream log crossing a without the judging eyes of dozens of onlookers.
The pioneers who named the Sandy River thought its milky color was caused by sand. In fact the stream carries glacial silt-rock powdered by the weight of Mount Hood's glaciers.
I turned a corner and towering over me were the last things I expected to see. Andesite cliffs,
Turns out you don’t have to go to the Andes to see Andesite cliffs, who would’ve thunk?
at an elevation of over 3,560 feet Ramona falls is about 120 feet (37 m) tall overall, consisting of a wall of cascades.[2]
Oregon Geographic Names says that John E. Mills, a US Forest Service employee, discovered and named the falls on August 8, 1933, while locating trail. He was courting his wife-to-be Ramona. How romantic, eh? Honey, I named an iconic waterfall after you, will you marry me now?
Geology:
Ramona falls is one of the most beloved waterfalls in the pacific northwest for good reason. I stood mystified by the grandeur of its spectacle for a good while. Ramona Falls has such a lovely shape because it cascades over the remnants of a columnar basalt lava flow. When basalt lava cools slowly enough, it fractures into a hexagonal pattern perpendicular to the cooling surface. Later erosion has broken these basalt columns into a stair-stepped honeycomb.
Thanks for watching Wanderlust Max and remember… Have fun out there, just Don’t mess around in glacial streams
www.oregon.com...
en.wikipedia.o...)
Your best video yet. I can tell you're enjoying making them! Good call on scootching; no shame on your log game, son.
Haha, thanks MG. I figure it’s better to be scoffed at for scootching than for tumbling awkwardly off a log into a raging lil river 😅
Beautiful Ramona falls, love the story too
Ramona Falls IS amazingly beautiful. I’d like to visit it again when it’s snowing up there. Thanks for the comment and for watching the video 😋
The view is very beautiful.... The waterfall is very beautiful...it is amazing.....
Surely this is a very cool place for camping....or just for hiking....
Yes, there are camp sites very close to Ramona Falls, but you'd have to carry all of your camping equipment over the log that crosses the river. Thanks for the comment, I love the Mount Hood area and its waterfalls. I checked out your channel; you do amazing work. I'm inspired by the beauty of the scenery in your videos.