Criterion Tract Above the Deschutes

Early Spring on the Criterion Tract above the Deschutes The Criterion Tract, managed by the BLM, sits on the high point bordering Highway 197 as it runs south to Redmond from the Columbia, extending down to the Deschutes River south of Maupin, an expanse of open, lonely terrain with far ranging views of the ColumbiaContinue reading “Criterion Tract Above the Deschutes”

Mapping the Timberline Trail

Mapping the Timberline Trail James Wilson An exploration of my personal journey leading to mapping the Timberline Trail around Mount Hood and forming Elevation Changes Cartographic Visit the Elevation Changes Cartographic Map Store follow /elevationchanges on instragram for updates and mountain photos My first encounter with the Timberline Trail was on a fall trip toContinue reading “Mapping the Timberline Trail”

To The Pinnacle

To The Pinnacle My goal for the the day was to trek up the Elk Cove Trail now that the road to access the trailhead has been reopened after having washed by the Eliot Branch and check on snow levels around the Timberline Trail. Starting near mid-day it was a warm slow trek up throughContinue reading “To The Pinnacle”

Utilizing Lidar in Mapping Trails

Using Lidar Data for Mapping Trails Lidar (light detecting and ranging) is a technology that uses lasers to reflect light off surfaces or objects to create digital three dimensional recreations them. It can model environments in stunning detail. The Oregon Department of Mineral Industries has a collection of high resolution Lidar data covering much ofContinue reading “Utilizing Lidar in Mapping Trails”

Coe Glacier as Winter Draws Near

Coe Glacier as Winter Draws Near With significant rain forecast for the northwest, I wanted to get back to the north side of Mt Hood to check out a few areas before more snow fell on the mountain. On this sunny morning at Cloud Cap Saddle, the outside temperatures were just a bit above freezingContinue reading “Coe Glacier as Winter Draws Near”

Stadter Buried Forest

Stadter Buried Forest and the Lost Creek Headwaters I learned a good lesson on this trip, and that is that my camera will pretend to take photos and only announce that the storage card is not there on the back view panel, which I never look through. So time to keep a spare SD cardContinue reading “Stadter Buried Forest”