September 6: Mt McLoughlin (p. 110 in 100 Hikes) - Meet at 7:00 AM

Hike canceled due to fires and smoke

TH: Take DIM to the end at Highway 140. Turn left (west) onto 140 for 1.9 miles to Fourmile Lake Road (FS 3661), turn right towards Fourmile Lake for 2.9 mi; then turn left on FS 3650 for 0.2 mi to TH parking lot; EDT: 90 minutes. Description: Up, up, up and more up all the way to the top; only the last 1.2 mile, 1,300 feet elevation gain portion is really steep. This is a demanding hike. Please bring enough water to stay hydrated (3+ liters). Hiking poles are useful on the descent of the upper mountain as we come down over the boulder field. Climbing to the summit is not mandatory, there are two nice lunch / turn around spots which make for a shorter hike.  Distance: 9.5 mi; elevation gain: 3,975 feet. Weather Forecast. RT mileage: about 90 miles.

September 13: Duck Lakes  Leave at 8:00 AM
TH: Down I-5 to the Fort Jones/Etna exit (Exit 773).  Follow SR 3 for 31 miles and turn right onto French Creek Road (between Etna and Callahan).  Follow this paved road for 6.8 miles and turn right onto dirt road FS 40N22 for 0.7 miles (following signs to Duck Lake/Payne Lake trailheads) to a right onto High C Road for 1.3 miles to the TH on the left. EDT: 90 minutes.  Description: At 26 acres, Big Duck Lake is the largest lake in the Russian Wilderness.  It is 27 feet deep and at 6,400 feet elevation.  Little Duck Lake is a gem of a lake up against a massive cirque. The trail is a combination of long ago abandoned logging roads and single track trails. Distance: 9 miles if we do both lakes. Elevation gain: 2,700'.  Weather forecast. RT mileage: 160 miles.

September 20: Porcupine Lake via the PCT  New Hike - Leave at 8:00 AM
TH: Take I-5 south to Exit 738, the Central Mount Shasta exit. Right on Hatchery Lane for 0.3 miles to a left on Old Stage Road for 0.3 miles. Straight on West A. Barr / NF 26 for 17 miles to the TH. (Note: there is a signed fork indicating Gumboot Lake in 0.5 miles to the left.  Continue to the right, climbing up the cirque that contains Gumboot Lakes.  The PCT Gumboot Trailhead and parking are located at the summit.)  EDT: 1:45  Description: We will follow the PCT for 5.6 miles north from Gumboot Saddle, traversing the Eddy Range just below its crest most of the way.  The route has spectacular views nearly the entire distance, including Mt. Shasta.  Distance:  11.5 miles, elevation gain 1,300 feet.  Weather Forecast. RT mileage: 180 miles. 

September 27: Aspen Butte from Clover Creek (page 126 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon):  NEW HIKE – Leave at 8:00 AM
TH:  Take DIM up to a right on Clover Creek Road just past milepost 28. Follow Clover Creek east for 5.6 miles to a left onto FR 3852.  Proceed 3.4 miles to the TH at the end of the road staying on the better gravel road and bearing left when in doubt.  See a map here.  Description: A beautiful trail up a creek, past a lake, and over ash fields to the rim of a giant caldera with a commanding view of Lake Harriette, the largest in the Mountain Lakers Wilderness.  We will be shooting to summit Aspen Butte, the highest point in this wilderness at 8,200 feet.  It is a partially collapsed caldera (much older than Crater Lake) with many of its walls collapsed.  It was created before the latest ice age and experienced considerable glaciation, unlike Crater, which is much newer and formed after the latest ice age.  EDT: 60 minutes, Distance: 10+ miles, Weather forecast.  RT 80 miles