In the Footsteps of the Kalapuya

                               ... a climb up Marys Peak in Oregon ~

If you want to solve a challenge in your life, I’ve read that it cannot be easily done on the level of the problem. What is needed is a higher perspective of things - a place where the overall picture can be seen without being bogged down by a lot of competing details. Even the hawk flies high above the landscape when searching for food. This raptor instinctively knows it can see much more from that higher vantage point than it can on ground level. Clearly the hawk’s success depends on seeing the bigger picture.

"At  the Woods Creek Trail Head, as I began my hike up to the summit of Marys Peak."  photo by Lee G. Young

Like the hawk, when I am in the midst of searching for greater “nourishment” in my life and needing a broader perspective of the issues that are currently challenging me, heading for higher ground is just what I need. I intuitively know that just climbing to the top of a mountain to see a broader view of the landscape helps to clear my confusion about my options and somehow empowers me with a confidence to make better choices in striving to fulfill my dreams.We people have always known this truth somehow - especially native indigenous people who have lived more closely in harmony with the natural world than we have in our manmade controlled environments. Inspired by this universal inner knowing, I headed for a mountain that was accessible to me, both in travel distance and in climbing difficulty, for my 10th hike of this blog - Marys Peak near Corvallis, Oregon.After about an hour’s drive from my home in Eugene, I arrived at the trail head on the north side of Marys Peak on Woods Creek Road. Hiking up the North Ridge Trail, I climbed up challenging switchbacks through a dense forest to the observation point, gaining an impressive 2000 feet in about 4 miles. That’s enough to bring one into the present moment and narrow one’s focus to the essentials - at least, it was for me! As I arrived at the clearing that gave me an expansive view of the Willamette Valley to the northwest, it was not so clear that I could see the Pacific Ocean, as the guide books suggested, but on this sunny and hazy day, I could still see miles of beautiful hills on the distant horizon.

"Nearing the summit of Marys Peak"  - photo by Lee G Young

My feelings of accomplishment, however, quickly wavered, after being elated by the inspiring vista, as I turned to face the hill that I still needed to hike to get to the summit. I thought of what I had read in the guide books, about the Kalapuya Indians who long ago made their way up to the top of Marys Peak summit in quest of a greater vision for their life. Having read that the mountain’s Kalapuya name was “Chateemanwi”, which means “place of spiritual power”, it seemed like an appropriate place for me to hike, given my own personal search that I was experiencing. So one step at a time, I made my way upward 300 feet more on that gravel path that spiraled to my destination on Marys Peak.

"Beautiful alpine rock garden at the summit." photo by Carol E Fairbanks

As my attention shifted from my weary feet to the magnificent view, I was greeted by a lovely array of colorful alpine wildflowers and a wrap-around view that brought to my mind the words of a favorite song, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.” I am not sure about that “spiritual power” that the Kalapuya claimed they experienced here, but it did feel like a bit of “heaven on earth” at the summit. At 4097 feet, the highest point in Oregon’s Coast Range, of which Marys Peak is part, I could see forests and cities and farms for miles and miles. Toward the east, to the northeast, and the southeast, it seemed as if I could see everywhere at once. With this experience of witnessing the incredible beauty at Marys Peak summit, it was no surprise, to read that the upper 924 acres above 3000 feet have been designated as a Scenic-Botanical-Special-Interest-Area (SBSIA) by the National Forest Service. It was certainly obvious to me, after hiking through the old growth Douglas Fir forest, and, at higher elevations, past the incredible stands of Old Noble Fir, and finally arriving at these stunning wildflowers at the summit, why this ecosystem needs protection - especially after viewing the patchwork of industrial forest lands below.

"At 4097 feet at Marys Peak summit."  photo by Carol E Fairbanks

Rather than seeing myself as separate from the natural world, as I do most of the time in my manmade, controlled world, I felt part of it all at the summit of this mountain. Maybe that’s what the impressive hiker of Colorado mountains, Hulda Crooks, meant when she said, “That’s where we build character - on a mountaintop.” On my trek up to Marys Peak, I didn’t have a dramatic vision quest, as the Kalapuya might have experienced, but I did gain more confidence in my ability to meet a challenge. And perhaps getting a clearer perspective of my inner resources of strength and grit, along with the expanded vision of my world, when doing this hike, was empowering for me. That experience is definitely a treasure I’ll always remember. In fact, it’s a treasure worth experiencing again and again - as I continue to “build character” on mountaintops.

"On the descent, contemplating my experience" - photo by Lee G Young