The garry oak poem of Ruckel Creek & Ridge

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June 18, 1998

The garry oak poem of Ruckel Creek & Ridge

By KAREN SYKES
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Every foot of Oregon's Ruckel Creek Trail is a poem. On clear days there are calendar-shot views down to the Columbia River, across the Gorge to mounts Adams and St. Helens.

On rainy days, the neon green of mosses and grumpy shapes of garry oak will more than satisfy a thirsty spirit.

The curious garry oak is seen all along the trail and is especially prevalent at higher elevations, where it is draped with Old Man's Beard.

The Ruckel Creek Trail is an excellent destination for the naturalist or photographer. We counted more than 50 kinds of wildflowers when we were there in late May. The trail can be hiked all year, although you will encounter snow in winter on 4,000-foot Benson Plateau, about four miles in.

The experienced eye will recognize many flowers, but we saw some we usually don't, such as wild cucumber, a creeping vine with wispy tendrils wrapping themselves tenaciously around rocks and small trees.

We also found the shy Calypso orchid, a complex, highly evolved plant named after the mythological sea nymph Calypso, who kept Odysseus on her island. The name connotes concealment. Look for it in quiet, shady places, not on open slopes.

You might want to devote a whole weekend to exploring this area. It is a strenuous hike, but a hike too pretty to hurry through. At higher elevations you'll cross hanging meadows scented with flowers, and the views will call for breaks, whether you need to catch your breath or not.

Strong, experienced hikers with route-finding skills and maps can make an interesting loop by returning to the parking lot via the Ruckel Ridge Trail. Some portions of the ridge trail are steep and exposed, and new hikers might find it harrowing. It is definitely not recommended for children.

One section is aptly named "The Catwalk" -- you may wish you had nine lives if you attempt it in tennis shoes on a rainy day.

General location of Ruckel Creek Trail detail:

Walk up the road to the Eagle Creek Campground and turn left on the signed Columbia Gorge Trail No. 400. The Ruckel Creek Trail follows the Columbia Gorge Trail along the fence next to the campground before descending to a large clearing and a road that is being worked on and may be muddy.

Follow the road for about a quarter mile, to where it joins with a section of the original Columbia River Highway. Cross Ruckel Creek on a pretty bridge. Just beyond the bridge is the signed trailhead.

The trail climbs a short distance beside the creek before switchbacking to a power-line tower. Ruckel Ridge can be seen to the south on clear days. The trail continues to switchback to the lip of a large, rocky bowl lined with small, moss-covered rocks. Ancient cliffs rise to the left.

The trail then climbs in and out of the forest, and on clear days there are views of the Columbia, the Bridge of the Gods and Mount Adams. The trail crosses several hanging meadows, the largest reached at about three miles.

The trail continues climbing through pockets of forest, then crosses a rocky area before leveling off and continuing another 1.3 miles to the Pacific Crest Trail and Benson Plateau.

If you are returning via Ruckel Ridge, that trail is a short distance beyond the Rudolph Spur Trail. It was signed several years ago, but I did not see the sign on my most recent visit. The ridge trail might be signed and the route might be flagged; if in doubt, go back the way you came.