Trapper Creek Wilderness September 2022

Sep 13

Falls Creek Falls

A triple falls adjacent to Trapper Creek Wilderness

I am blessed to live near several designated wilderness areas in both Oregon and Washington. Up until two years ago, when I when invited to go on a conditioning hike with a friend, I was totally unaware that Trapper Creek Wilderness was a mere hour and a half drive from home. It is located in Skamania County in the southern Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It encompasses 5,963 acres and protects nearly all of the Trapper Creek drainage and provides critical anadromous fish habitat in the Wind River watershed. The Wind River used to have a significant summer steelhead run and after years of closures it is now open occasionally under “emergency” regulations when numbers allow for a limited catch and release fishery.

I took several day hikes from my base at the edge of the wilderness. I was stunned at the size of the old growth Douglas fir, hemlock and western red cedar. The steep slopes and difficult terrain obviously saved these monarchs from the saw.

Victum

This 500 year old veteran did not survive the 2020 Big Hollow Fire but will make room for and nourish the next generation.

What was most interesting was the fire mosaic resulting from the 2020 Big Hollow Fire that burned adjacent to the wilderness and slopped over its eastern boundary. Some of the ancient trees survived some did not. You can see that over time the berries and bushes that now have access to the sun will overrun and obliterate the trail and support the increase in the deer and elk populations. Elsewhere on my over 20 miles of travel you can see the signs of earlier fires and renewal.

It was a fun hike in a beautiful area and I can see myself visiting again in the near future.