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Hiking
“Boldly going where no chair has gone before” is the mantra for AdvenChair, the all-terrain wheelchair designed to allow everyone to visit wild places not necessarily on graded trails. Geoff Babb, the local inventor of the AdvenChair, and his team use Smith Rock State Park as a proving ground for that premise, each time pushing the envelope to make the chair more resilient to hiking trail challenges. This time the goal was the Burma Road summit, with a total elevation gain of 1156 feet.
To the delight of many misery seekers, Smith Rock’s Misery Ridge Trail barriers came down today. It’s been getting major trail reconstruction by a handful of volunteers assisting park staff since it closed to the public on March 23, along with the rest of the park due to COVID-19 restrictions on a state-wide order.
We took a stroll out to the Lower Gorge with John Rich, a long-time climbing aficionado of the Gorge Area, aka “Mayor of the Gorge.” We wanted to get his take on the proposed Oregon State Parks & Rec (OPRD) acquisition of 38 undeveloped acres to expand Smith Rock State Park there on both sides of the Crooked River.
Seeing those holiday calories already pile on and want a little motivation to deal with it later in a group setting? Or maybe the anticipated snowy conditions have you a bit skittish if you're new to the park? Take the free Smith Rock First Day Hike with a ranger on January 1, 2018, from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM. But hurry and sign up. It's limited to the first 35 who do so. By signing up you'll be notified if conditions are too severe and the hike gets canceled.
It's become a right-of-passage at Smith Rock State Park. Head across the bridge and straight up the "mountain" to the top of Misery Ridge. At times it looks like a giant conga line as hikers of all ages and fitness levels look for the quickest way up to the great views below, often unprepared.
