#9 Cathedral Hills, Grants Pass, Oregon

Hike #9  Cathedral Hills Outback Loop, Grants Pass, Oregon
#52HikeChallenge

Date:  March 10, 2020
Distance: 3.5ish Miles
Weather: Sunny and warm
Type: Trail System
Company: Solo Hike

Reflections:  This was the first week on my new schedule and I found myself with a glorious and sunny Tuesday afternoon and no work. So there I was with a whole afternoon and nothing to do.  What to do, what to do? I had options of course.  I could do the dishes.  Paint the bathroom wall. Clean out my laundry room.  Fix the vacuum. Go grocery shopping.  You get the idea. Since I had just gotten home from a weekend trip--the list of things that needed attention was long!  Or, I could go HIKING!  Well, if you know me at all by now--you can guess which route I took!  HIKING baby!  Of course!
I checked out all my options and decided to try something new. I typically go east past Glide, north around Eugene, or west to the coast.  I really haven't gone south much. In fact, I have only gone south once--and that was to Table Rock. So for this day--- south it was!  Grants Pass here I come!  Similar to Eugene, Grants Pass has a pretty established trail system right in town. Unlike Eugene--it's a bit more rugged (although still close to town).
Even after making the decision to go hiking and driving all the way to Grants Pass (an hour away) this hike almost didn't happen. One of the first things I saw when I got to the trail was a sign that read, "Safety Concerns: Ticks, poison oak, rattlesnakes, slips and falls in wet conditions and steep slopes."  Why must there always be snakes!  SNAKES!!  Given the choice between snow and snakes, I would take snow every time! And I seriously dislike snow!  To be fair, I did, for a moment, consider calling it off.  It was a pretty drive--wouldn't have been a total waste of an afternoon!  But after a momentary panic, I rationalized that it was March and probably not warm enough yet for the snakes to be hanging out.  Of course I was cautious, stayed on the trails, and kept my eyes peeled! Definitely makes for a more "aware" hike!
I have to say, this was a fun trail.  It is a shared trail so I had to watch out for bikes and sidestep a whole lot of horse poop! But it was pretty, quiet, and extremely peaceful. It was a good reminder that if you want to be on a trail out in nature---you have to remember that you are, in fact, in the wild!  If that means that a bee--or a couple of them--choose to follow you through most of the trail then you just have to accept it and let them buzz about!  It also means that if you stop at the top of a ridge to take in the views and a deep cleansing breath--you might swallow a bug.  It could happen. I am not saying it did happen--I am just saying it could and you should be prepared. Things to be aware of in the wild!
I really liked the trees on this trail. It is so interesting how different areas of the state have completely different trees. The weird twisty red trees in this area were so cool. Sculpted by the wind and elements--they were like treasures just waiting to be discovered! I don't know what kind of trees they were--in the deep, dark, recesses of my mind I seem to recall Sue or Jennifer referring to them as manzanita trees when we went to Table Rock,  but I could totally be making that up!  It's hard to say for sure. Whatever they are--- they made me smile and couple of times I actually laughed out loud as I walked around a corner and stumbled on a new sculpture. 
Another cool thing about this hike was that I got to walk along the ridge line.  I felt like I was on top of the world--looking down on creation. A couple of years ago I went to a lecture series and listened to Dr. Carloni talk about the local Native American tribes that lived here, how they managed fire, migrated between seasonal homes, and traveled.  He talked about the way they traveled along the ridges, above the tree line so that they had a clear view of the area below (or so I assume).  It was such an interesting talk filled with fascinating little tidbits and I was seriously intrigued by the whole thing.  In fact, I am pretty sure I have bored everyone I know with my own feeble attempt at re-sharing the stories. I tend to get i completely and totally wrong--but the passion and appreciation is real! On this hike...I got to follow in their footsteps--literally! And it was cool. Really cool!  So glad I chose hiking over what I "should" have done. Remember--never ever "should" on yourself!
Side note, you may have noticed by now that there were no waterfalls on this hike. Not a one! But I didn't even mind!  Sometimes all you need is a quiet trail, some trees, and time to get lost in your thoughts! No destination. No end game. No sight at the end of the trail. Just the hike. The journey. The moments. To wrap this up with another of my favorite John Muir quotes---"and into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul."  I couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Muir.