After a brief delay due to road construction, Becca, Rachael, and I headed out Hwy 58 towards Oakridge, land of hazy winters and barn-based meth labs. A few miles of forest service roads later, we came upon our first waterfall of the afternoon. It was a multi-type falls, having plunge, segmented, and staircase elements.
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Now, all this flowing water had to come from somewhere, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. This last winter was rather wet for western Oregon, and the hills accumulated a fair snowpack. This snowpack was (sadly) not limited to ski areas. Several of the forest roads that diverged from the main road were covered in snow. At the juncture pictured below, there was really only one choice.
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Eventually, between the snow and the fallen trees, the road became impassable and we had to disembark.
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We didn't quite make it to the scheduled trailhead, so we had to hoof it up the "road" a ways, being careful to observe snow depth and other obstacles.
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At the first available turnoff, we decided to check the map and figure out exactly how much "snow shoeing" we had in front of us. The view at the turnoff was pretty good, actually.
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Further up the road, we located the (unmarked) trailhead and began our hike in earnest. I noticed some downed logs growing what appeared to be gummi candies. They were yellowish-orange, and springy to the touch. I resisted the urge for a human toxicity test. Another fungus reminded me of a glazed donut. It's funny what you see in things sometimes
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"Nurse logs" are old downed trees that provide nutrients and elevation to new seedlings. The forest circle of life continues.
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The dangers of the trail eventually led to ankle injuries that halted our progress. We will come back another day.