{"id":1584,"date":"2011-01-30T07:55:30","date_gmt":"2011-01-30T14:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/?p=1584"},"modified":"2023-05-11T15:52:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T22:52:49","slug":"risky-hike-ostrich-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northerncaliforniahikingtrails.com\/blog\/2011\/01\/30\/risky-hike-ostrich-peak\/","title":{"rendered":"Ostrich Peak Hike: Why I Ran Down the Trail in Near Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"

I climbed Ostrich Peak on a late January day, a hike with 2400 feet of elevation gain over 3-4 miles. Ostrich Peak is one of the main mountains directly above Ashland in southern Oregon, where I’m currently housesitting<\/a> for my brother Eric and his wife Nancy.<\/p>\n

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Ostrich Peak and Ashland, Oregon. This pic is from late spring, not winter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2020 UPDATE: Ostrich Peak Trail\/Road Closed: Private Property<\/h2>\n

It turns out that Ostrich Peak and nearby areas are on private property. After many years of hassles and problems, the owners have reluctantly decided to block access to Ostrich Peak.<\/p>\n

And What Happened on Ostrich Peak?<\/h2>\n

Well, I got myself into a bit of a situation, and I had a decision to make. And I chose the higher risk option.<\/p>\n

Here’s What Happened on Ostrich Peak<\/h2>\n

I left Eric and Nancy’s house at 3:20 on a sunny afternoon, thinking it was too late to try to get to the top of Ostrich Peak, a hike I’d never done before. Just once I’d hiked a bit of the way, to a point just above a local outcrop called Acid Rocks. I did have rough directions to the summit given to me by my friend Niel.<\/p>\n

So as I kept climbing, I started wondering if I could actually make it to the summit and get to see those outstanding views Niel raved about. So I climbed fast and hard, with no breaks.<\/p>\n

I was also looking at the time, wondering if I could possibly make it to the top and down before it got too dark.<\/p>\n

Pertinent Factors<\/h2>\n

1. I wasn’t clear on the actual length of the trail to the top, or what the total elevation gain was.<\/p>\n

2. I had no water and only 4 Fig Newmans.<\/p>\n

3. The weather was clear and calm, with an afternoon high of about 44 in Ashland, but warmer temps at higher elevations due to a temperature inversion. The same pattern was predicted for the next several days.<\/p>\n

4. The trail was mostly dirt and\u00a0 just the right consistency for good traction: still moist from past rains, but not slick.<\/p>\n

5. My overall physical condition is fairly good right now. I have decent aerobic capacity, and my legs are used to climbing and being worked, in part from hiking and walking, but also from doing a lot of tai chi and related Chinese arts, and spending a bit of time doing strength training.<\/p>\n

6. I was wearing pants, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and a fleece pullover, and I had a stocking cap for my head. Cotton all the way, baby!<\/p>\n

7. I had no cell phone, and it was unlikely anyone would be on the trail that late. If I got injured, or didn’t make it down before dark, I’d have to spend the night out there, wearing just those cotton clothes.<\/p>\n

8. I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing.<\/p>\n

A Classic Situation…<\/h2>\n

The higher I climbed, the more I wanted to get to the top. The problem: I wasn’t sure how far it was to the top, and I wasn’t sure if I could get back to paved roads in upper Ashland before it was just too dark to see.<\/p>\n

So I set a turnaround time that would allow me to make it down comfortably to town. But I kept pushing that time later and later as I got closer and closer to the summit.<\/p>\n

My Decision<\/h2>\n

I finally set my turnaround time at 5:00 p.m., about 10 minutes before sunset. I felt I could run down the 4-plus miles of trail in twilight and just make it before it got too dark.<\/p>\n

Summitting Ostrich Peak<\/h2>\n

I summitted Ostrich Peak at 5:05. I spent two minutes taking in the brilliant orange glow to the southwest, and also the views of Mount Ashland, Grizzly Peak<\/a>, Mount McLoughlin, the Crater Lake rim, and other Oregon Cascades peaks as I quickly ate 3 of the 4 fig bars.<\/p>\n

Then I began my long descent, running fast with short steps. I soon got into a groove, going just fast enough that I had little chance of falling, and digging the full concentration I had to use to stay upright and avoid the occasional intruding branches. For some reason I had Willie Nelson’s version of “On the Sunny Side of the Street” playing in my head the whole time.<\/p>\n

Initially I had enough light, but the last mile or so was a bit tricky, especially in thick trees.\u00a0 I hit pavement at 6:05 p.m. and walked the last mile along quiet backstreets, admiring the sky full of star<\/a>s above and the lights of lower Ashland below.<\/p>\n

I got back to Eric and Nancy’s at 6:30, 3 hours and 20 minutes after I’d left. A hot shower relaxed my body and washed away the sweat. I ate a light dinner and went to bed early. My quads were a bit sore for a couple of days from the fast downhill, but overall I felt great.<\/p>\n

My Video from Ostrich Peak<\/h2>\n

I shot this video of Mount McLoughlin from the summit of Ostrich Peak in late spring of 2014.<\/p>\n