Jewelle- acthually (sp) i don't have one. Do you any recomendations on brand / type? I normally just use his backpack ( it has 3 attachment points, so i don't think he could slip out of it) to secure the leash to.

Yes sir Jamey, I have your rechargable energizer battery sitting here on my kitchen table. Funny, I thought how inconsiderate people are now a days, you can pack it in but not out huh!!  He he!! No offense, I pick up a lot of people's leftovers. But, at least this battery has a home!! Let me know when you're out there next, I'll bring it for ya!!

SCtoPDX

I do actually. This brand called ruff wear. We use them at work for our big post op patients to help the walk, and for the dogs that have neck surgery. Has no pressure on the neck. But when fitted right, it will save his life.

http://www.ruffwear.com/

Great report, Jewelle -- nice scramble. You've got me motivated to get a look at this one.

Next time you're near Lemmon's Viewpoint on the Wahkeena ascent, be sure to look for the "lost" trail to the viewpoint above Wahkeena Falls. It's a short little trip and totally worth it.

-Robert

Robert,

Where abouts is it? Can't say I've seen one? I'm always game for "off trailing"!!

Robert, when you say "Lost Trail" are you referring to the one that switches back to Necktie Falls, going down a set of stairs past Armadillo Rock?  This is another one that confuses me.  I was informed that the falls at the top of Wahkeena is Necktie, and it clearly looks like one as it crosses over on itself, but the Gregory Plumb book labels the next falls above that as Necktie with a picture in the 4th edition.  Does anyone know this one for sure?  Was I misinformed again?

This is my version of Necktie - the one just above Wahkeena, from the "Lost Trail."

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And the Lord said, "Escape to the mountains." Gen. 19:17.

and here is my report and photos: 

the start of the "trail" :


ok, 1/10th mile from there, i went down to the top of ponytail:




then i went back up. i was hiking with my neighbor who is about fifty i think. he just joined this site. so he just glanced at the side trail to the falls (which im not kidding is a 50 degree angled slope) and waited for me at the junction. when i got back up he had gotten a head start, so i ran up the hill to catch up. then i passed him, and took this picture trying to show how steep it was:


since i was definetly going at a faster pace than him, i decided to take more pictures of the really steep trail:


after a while, about .3 mile from the junction with the trail to the top of ponytail falls, i reached the junction with the trail to the arch.  my neighbor was way down there (i could see him slowly make his way up the trail, probably a hundred feet below me), so i took a break and took some pictures of the huge trees up there. then, on a snag to the left of the trail, i noticed something carved in the bark. this is your clue too turn left on the side trail to the arch. the thing carved in the snag looks like this:



though at first glance you cant see any trail, there is one. just keep looking, as its very faint. i have found an error in the fieldguide page about the hike; it says that the side trail too the arch is .2 mile long, but it is more like 100 yards or so. you can even see the arch from the trail if you really look.

at the end of that 100 yards, the trail  climbs up a slope and then opens you up to this amazing scene;











the top of the arch:


we took each others pictures inside the arch. this is me, and you can see how windy it was up there. i had to stand wierdly for support, and the wind totally filled up my pants.


we found a geocache up at the top of the arch and signed it as we both have an account with geocache.com.  on the way down, it took me about twenty minutes, and he took it much slower than me, so i waited behind ponytail falls. 

some quotes from the hike:

my neighbor tim, "...next time im choosing the hike..."  me, " that was the most amazing awesome experience of my life" and " this is my new favorite hike"

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jamey pyles

I think they are Necktie (the lower larger portion) and little necktie (the upper smaller portion) respectively. I've read conflicting reports about that as well though. See photo link below.

http://portlandhikers.org/photos/alexandersupertramp/images/28851/original.aspx

Here's a link to Steve's Field Guide entry to the top of Wahkeena Falls, which I included on my last trip report up to Devil's Rest. This is the short, unmaintained trail that at one time was an official trail of some sort, since there are (steep) steps cut into one section of the rock and chain-link fencing at the lower end of the viewpoint. I didn't get photos because my camera card was full, and this was a last-minute diversion.

I understand that Wahkeena Falls is in fact several falls, but at least from my vantage (and I'm not the type to stick my toes over the edge of a steep cliff just to feel the wind in my trousers) I could barely see the top of the falls at all. I just had the sensation that something very steep was... right.... there. I don't think either one of Steve's photos on his Field Guide entry is from the stub end of the trail, so it's definitely a place to drop in and grab a few shots. However, I also wouldn't want this location to become too advertised, because the trail is not maintained and not for tourists. But if you have a spare 30 minutes at the bottom of the Wahkeena Canyon, it's a good place to get your boots and sticks a little workout.

You can also barely make out the viewpoint from the bottom of Wahkeena Falls, but you probably have to know where you're looking.

The "Monument View Point" trail departs up where the top-of-Wahkeena trail starts heading down (both just beyond Lemmon's Viewpoint). I also tried to bushwhack my way up Monument but decided that the route was too unclear for soloing on the day. I'll want to go back and see that one again. As far as I can tell, it's barely documented.

-Robert

Well Robert, it sounds like fun to me. I hate when I find something cool and can't continue because I'm alone. I'll have to look it up next time I'm there. We need to write up a book about all the unmaintained, lost, spur trails we come across!!

I put my pictures on another thread of missing photos - both Upper & Lower Necktie.

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And the Lord said, "Escape to the mountains." Gen. 19:17.

You can walk down to the top of Wahkeena, Jewelle, no sweat, and you might have more motivation than me to work your way up the Monument Viewpoint Trail. But it's always worth reading this forum/wiki to learn about the better bushwhacks and lost routes out there. We'll get 'em. The next weekend is never more than five days from right now.

Nice photos, Jamey -- you schooled your poor 50-year-old neighbor (whom I sympathize with), and in sneakers! Good job.



-Robert

what is the monument view point?

ohh, and i forgot to tell, but i actually ran into some people on the way back down from the arch.  we stopped and said hello, and told them about the arch.  they said that they were going to do a loop of  this trail up the ridge, then back down another trail on the other side of horsetail creek.  they called it a name, which i totally forgot. they said that it lead down the other side of the drainage and led to the top of ponytail falls. does anybody know what this trail is???

robert, i always do hikes with my tennis shoes, never had hiking boots in my life

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jamey pyles

Hey Jamey-  The folks you met might have been on the Rock of Ages loop, which is an unmaintained trail that goes from Ponytail Falls to the Horsetail Falls trail (I think) and then back to the Oneonta Creek trail and then back via Triple Falls. There should be a Field Guide entry.

Jewelle and I are going to try to solve the mystery of the Monument Viewpoint Trail, so watch for a trip report.

Stick with the tennis shoes -- as long as your feet feel happy.

-- Robert

nope, i asked them if it was the oneonta trail they were going to return by, and they said it wasnt, somethin like billy russle trail or something like that. im not quite sure


EDIT:   the actual name of that trail was called a russ jolley trail,  which was revealed later in this thread by don

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jamey pyles