Jefferson Park
Published on 8/22/2018
Jefferson Park, August 10 - 12, 2018
Jefferson Park is as beautiful as ever, as our group of Chemeketan and Obsidian backpackers discovered. Last year’s fire burned all of the Whitewater Trail, from the parking lot to the Pacific Crest Trail, but stopped there, leaving alpine meadows and lakes intact. The Whitewater route is so damaged that it is unlikely to open until August 2019. With that shortcut closed, we hiked the South Breitenbush Trail. It’s completely unburned, but is a mile longer, gains an extra 1000 feet of elevation, and has a 4-mile stretch where the trailbed is full of loose rocks. Surprisingly, Jeff Park is still very crowded, especially on weekends. The online campsite reservation system has been discontinued, apparently forever, so there is an afternoon scramble to secure one of the 30 approved sites marked by a post. We occupied 4 sites on different sides of Bays Lake, went swimming, and had a grand time. Leader Bill Sullivan was joined by Salem Chemeketan members Linda Parker and Larry Vuylsteke; Eugene Obsidian members Scott Hovis, Ben Brown, Rebecca Eastwood, and Sue Wolling; and guests Janell Sorensen, Ian Sullivan, Marissa Evans, and Debbie Bauer.