Lost Creek Lake North Shore Wednesday 1-7-26

Photos by Nanci and Steve

Ashland Hiking Home

Five hardy souls took on the day’s weather gamble, which began with a 40% chance of rain and climbed to 98% by 1:00. Given this forecast, we set out with the intention of possibly shortening the 9.5-mile hike if needed. Fortunately, the morning stayed dry, giving us the opportunity to admire the surroundings and enjoy the lake views.
Thanks to Barb’s keen observation, she raised the question, “Where did that long pile of rocks come from?” “The cobbles and gravels we observed are relatively recent deposits that overlie volcanic tuff and ash deposited roughly 30 million years ago. These gravels were laid down between 14,000 and 16,000 years ago as glaciers retreated from the High Cascades. Carried by the Rogue River, they were originally deposited as a wide, flat layer. Over the last 14,000 years, the river channel—where Lost Lake now lies—was carved out, eroding much of that original gravel bed.”

As we continued along the trail, conditions were generally decent: a few small downed trees, one short but steep slope of greasy mud, and a couple of wet, low stretches of trail—plus 16 wet wooden bridges to cross with care. By 11:30, we could actually feel the warmth of sunshine breaking through the partly cloudy skies.

Encouraged by the brighter sky, we voted to go the distance and stop at the usual bench for lunch. As we finished eating, we were teased by a brief spit of rain, which motivated us to start the return hike. Fortunately, that flirtatious moment didn’t develop into steady rain until about 2:00, when we were only two miles from the cars. In the end, we felt we had shared a mostly good-weather hike, capped off with a steady light rainy finish.

Nanci