Peak perspectives
There is an advantage to hiking in conditions that approximate the inside of a refrigerator, only with wind gusts and … Read more
In the land of the goats
As we watched mountain goats saunter across nearly sheer rock, frolic on snowdrifts and crop … Read more
Misplaced moose
Lone bull roams near ponds just east of Interstate 84 in Baker City
Kathryn Talada was looking for a couple of lost dogs Tuesday evening. What she found … Read more
Name game: Killamacue
A lake with the name “Killamacue” ought to have a compelling story. Or some sort … Read more
The same photo ... but different
I blame the sun. For an object 93 million miles away — a rather considerable … Read more
Where a River is Born
The Powder River is a modest stream, as streams go. Or, rather, flow. Along its … Read more
Surging Snowpack
Snowpacks aren’t built in a week. But they can get quite a lot deeper. A … Read more
Reprieve For Deer Herds
The south-facing slopes of sagebrush, gray-brown in a season better known for glittering white, are … Read more
Snowshoe With a View
Hikes should include a viewpoint. As with most proclamations which feature that most vexing of … Read more
Predicting Avalanches
Wallowa Avalanche Center’s newest weather station honors former director who died in a slide in 2016
A weather station high in the Wallowa Mountains that helps forecasters warn backcountry travelers about … Read more
The New Elk Master
NORTH POWDER — Dan Marvin stands beside a chest-high bale of alfalfa hay and gazes … Read more
Bonding and Blisters
Phil Reindl, 67, and his son Andy, 31, hiked the 24-mile Elkhorn Crest Trail in a single day
Dusk was descending on the Elkhorn Mountains and the father and son, their legs aching … Read more
A Meeting of Two Streams
I would never insult the intelligence of parents by suggesting there is a perfect place … Read more
Searching for signs of spring
There’s a certain sign I keep returning to, a sign that serves a purpose even … Read more
Wild tales (and tails)
ENTERPRISE — If anyone was born to his profession, it was Vic Coggins. The title … Read more
Beaver believer
If you want to watch beavers going about their dam-building business you can ... well … Read more
Elk in no hurry to reach feed sites
ying to tempt a herd of confused elk but so far his offer of alfalfa … Read more
Packing on the pounds
Biologists say the more food deer can gobble before heavy snow arrives, the better chance they have to survive a harsh winter
Deer don’t as a rule eat candy bars, although of course confectioners don’t add bitterbrush … Read more
Tougher trails
Rogel Music doesn’t mind getting his pickup truck stuck. In fact the Baker City man … Read more
Go with the flow
Mountain bikers will have another reason to gravitate to Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort next spring. … Read more
Back on the byway
We had a decision to make, and our lack of Dramamine was a major factor … Read more
Simply Spectacular
Van Patten Lake is not only beautiful, it’s accessible even for young hikers
Hiking inevitably involves compromise. Trouble is, you can’t negotiate with topography. You can’t swap a … Read more
Trail Rating Trouble
Trying to decide which hiking trail is my favorite seems to me a distasteful business. … Read more
Drift Differences
When I rounded the corner and my left front tire immediately sunk into a snowdrift … Read more
Calls Of The Wild
North Powder man handcrafts waterfowl and elk calls
NORTH POWDER — If not for the frozen saliva, Justus Gray might never have started … Read more
Bigfoot in the Blues?
Scot Violette, who lives in Baker City and grew up in Summerville, plans to search for the beast this summer in the northern Blue Mountains near Tollgate
There’s a plaster cast of a footprint on the wall of Scott Violette’s basement and … Read more
Focus on feeding
Mike Lattin of Richland has been leading a campaign to feed about 1,000 elk and more than 1,000 deer in snowbound eastern Baker County
Mike Lattin doesn’t want this spring’s soft breezes to spread the stench of animal carcasses … Read more
Gorging on the green
The combination of October rain and November warmth has resulted in a lush crop of green grass, a boon for big game animals as they prepare for winter
The green grass that has kept a bright bit of summer in your yard brings … Read more
First hunt memorable for Baker City girl, 12
When Emrie Osborn drew a special hunt antelope tag, she knew exactly what she needed … Read more
Backtrack? Bah Humbug!
Why it can be worth the extra effort to plot a hiking route with no repetition
I love to hike but I hate to backtrack. I think most hikers consider it … Read more
In Oregon’s biggest wild area, even the small parts sprawl
The Eagle Cap Wilderness is so big that even its small corners sprawl magnificently. The … Read more
A jewel in the rough (road)
The route to Pine Creek Reservoir near Baker City is technically a road, but I … Read more
Our Mountains as Measuring Sticks
One glance at a favorite peak can tell us much about the advance of spring
We expect much from our mountains, we who live sometimes literally in their shadows, and … Read more
