Sixteen of us departed Ashland and Phoenix for the Deming Gulch TH on the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail System. We left Ashland and Phoenix in the thick fog that’s been hanging around the Rogue Valley for days. Thankfully, by the time we reached Sterling Creek Road, we’d moved beyond it. We enjoyed a cold sunny day trekking along the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail. Right away we were struck by the many “GI deposits” left by dogs, horses, and bears—lots of it. So, we dubbed this the “poop trail” for the day. Much of the hike was in the shade, but there were nice patches open to the sunlight and some with beautiful views of mountains to the west. After a few miles we finally found a rare spot with logs along the trail for sitting to enjoy our lunches and camaraderie.
We reflected on the legacy of the late Carol Ingleson, who led hikes out of Medford on Wednesdays, unrelated to the AHG. She joined our Friday Moderate Hikes in her later years. Carol was beloved by scores of hikers in the region. She began leading hikes for the Sierra Club then she and Carol Walker started their own. When she passed away, her family gave some of her ashes to a fellow hiker, one of ours, Lynn. We had a moment of reflection about Carol, sharing a few anecdotes. Lynn sprinkled a share of her ashes along this trail, one Carol had enjoyed for decades. Lynn shared the card associated with Carol’s ashes: “Those we love don’t go away; they walk beside us every day.” So, we really were a group of 17 with Carol walking beside us.
After lunch, we headed back the same way to the TH. Again, we enjoyed the open areas for views of the mountain range and focused especially on three adjacent mountains appearing roughly the same shape and height, standing tall and proud. Our creative Alison dubbed them “The Three Brothers”, inspired by and complimenting the “Three Sisters” in central Oregon. These three brother mountains are Burton Butte, Mount Baldy, and Ben Johnson Mountain. They are flanked by their buddies, Jim Mee Mountain to the south and Pennington Butte to the north. We paid homage to our “Peak Finders.” We enjoyed listening to a variety of birds in the area (pileated woodpecker, pacific wren, raven, and scrub jays), and various mushrooms commonly found in these areas, this time of year. Finally, at a road crossing on the trail, we spotted perched on a rock some old hiking boots hosting a good share of moss. We hiked 6 miles with 80’ elevation gain. A flat, meandering hike.
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