High temperature alerts in Ashland, so the Friday Mods headed for the cooler temps of Greensprings Mountain. Sixteen were on the hike including 4 new hikers.
We started where the PCT crosses Old Hyatt Prairie Road and walked north on the PCT. We continued on the Greensprings Mt Loop Connector first, and then turned left to loop back on the PCT. First wildflower of the day was an impressive, reddish-brown Woodland Pinedrop. A few more species followed including the pink Oregon marshmallow.
We emerged from the forest to gaze across the valley from Soda Mountain and Pilot Rock to Mt. Ashland. There, we met two BLM rangers, Mike and Kyle, who told us about their project. Mike, an interpretative BLM ranger, pointed out the land bridge that we were viewing. This land bridge spans from Pilot Rock to the Siskiyou Crest on Mt. Ashland. Notably, this is the site of the planned wildlife crossing over I-5 near Exit 6. This wild-life friendly improvement will separate traffic from wildlife with the goal of providing a safe crossing for deer, birds and other species. Mike and Kyle (photographer) are working on an informative sign explaining the land bridge. The sign will be posted at the Greensprings TH parking area with the vault toilet.
BLM is also planning a short trail from the TH parking area to the PCT towards the Greensprings Loop. After talking with the BLM rangers, the group continued along the loop trail with a lunch break and then returned to our starting point. Total hike mileage, almost 4 miles, with about 400’ elevation change. Many hikers stopped afterwards for Tillamook ice cream at the Greensprings Inn.
George
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