On saturday 5/3 Eliza and I set out to explore Warren creek up to the falls mentioned by GXC in an earlier post. Pretty much a typical Gorge schwack up to the falls at the 1200 ft level. There are a few obstacles, the worst of which, is finding a way around the 15ft falls right below the main falls. We ended up stemming up a chimney to the right of that falls. Probably goes at 5.4 climbing for 10-12 feet. Consequence of a fall is not to bad. Total round trip time was around 6 hours. It didn’t look like there was a way around this falls, and rapelling it is definitely feasible, but would take some work and maybe two ropes.  We took several stops for pictures along the way. I’m having trouble with this site’s photo uploader (the infamous primary filegroup full error, which is also why this is so late in being posted) so I’m linking to the pictures from another site:

The 15fter:

 http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738298

The main falls:

http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738296

After that we headed over to Ruckel creek to see the falls there and camped below the 3^rd falls up Saturday night. We hiked up to the 4^th falls in the morning. Some perspectives on that:

http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738314

http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738304

I followed Zach’s footsteps above the 4^th falls, or did he follow mine? Probably neither. Up to the east side and then up a small cliff and then followed and game trail across an exposed section of mossy rock and then climbed up through tress from there. I continued up stream for about a quarter mile and then headed back up east to the magic game trail that seems to contour that whole part of the canyon.

Then we headed down to the 2^nd falls up. We came to a spot where the creek went into a small gorge and sought to bypass that on the east, but it was no good, so we headed up to Indian pits from there, and then back down. The 2nd falls up was my favorite, probably because of the numerous photo ops:

http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738305

http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/image/96738306

There's also a way around this falls up and to the left, we explored up there a bit until obstacles forced us back down.

We headed back up to Indian pits and chilled in the sun for awhile. Then we headed over to try for the falls on Munra creek, but only made it to the 4th up from the trail before we were too tired to enjoy ourselves any longer.

A good weekend. Still plenty of adventure to be had in this small area (with gigantic relief). Thanks for the Beta GXC. Poison ivy and oak is out, we're both still itching from it a week later, hehe.  

P.S. I deleted the photos of the moffet creek trip off this site to make space, but they can be found here: http://www.pbase.com/siracusan/mccordmoffet_creek_trip

Lovely photos. Thanks for the report.

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“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.”
~John Hope Franklin

that is one awesome falls!  (the big one on warren) wow,  it looks rather peaceful!

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jamey pyles

    Great shots… that Ruckell area is awesome isn't…

I was just at Lindsay Falls yesterday so I am curious to hear about warren creek, maybe send me an email about your route.


Jamie

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When going back makes sense, you are going ahead.
- Wendell Berry

Great report, JoeMtn - that's the first I've seen of the Warren Creek waterfalls. Did you say that you'd seen photos of them before? Also, did you GPS these? Nice photos!

Tom

The route was pretty simple: Started at starvation creek TH, then hiked past warren  and around above the hole in the wall falls on trail. Then just started up Warren. Going is pretty good all the way up to where the seasonal comes in from the east. Just past that there are 3-4 obstacles that aren't too bad, except for the last one, which was the 5.4 stemmin/boulder problem past the 15fter. I didn't GPS it, but it's right at about the 1200ft level. I hadn't seen photos of it before, GXC just mentioned it on a post.

I'm pretty positive there are more falls above this one, mostly because the terrain above it, from what you can see almost has to contain a second teir a hunred feet or so back from the top of this one, but you just can't see it. Getting to those would probably be technical and certainly finding a rapell in or around this one somewhere would be difficult also.

The ampitheatre on this one is gigantic, I may post a vertical picture that I stitched of it. The cliffs surrounding this falls go up probably another 200 feet on both sides. It reminds me of the large falls on Moffet, in a way, except the ampitheatre is more open on this one.

Also, the Seasonal almost surely has falls on it too, but the flow is small. It would be worth checking out sometime.  

I definitely agree on the possibilities for this canyon - I'm just not buff enough to attempt it. I've been expecting the canyoneers to do this one from Warren Lake back down to the highway. So far, they've done the section from the trail through Hole-in-the-Wall Falls, but your photos ought to stir some interest!

Thanks for the great pics!

Tom

Thank you very much for posting the trip report and photos!

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Greg Lief
LiefPhotos.com
OregonWildflowers.org

Joe,

   LOL...I believe I did follow your footsteps above the large falls on Ruckel.  I was wondering who that was...the mossy/muddy footsteps up that gully had me scratching my head.  I knew someone had been up it, but don't know many who'd do it (thought maybe it was that mysterious GTX).  And by the way, was it you guys that climbed up the small side waterfall to get above the middle Ruckel falls? 

   I went up Ruckel again Sunday afternoon, and down climbed that to get to the falls at twilight, and saw someones imprints climbing up it!  (I was a bit sketched out by that!)  I should have suspected you guys!  Great report as usual Joe.  Are we still up for the entire Warren drainage in August?

   I'm planning on Moffett in June.  I've changed my plans however and have decided to make it a Tanner/Moffett loop.  I'm going head up Pipe Organ Alley, follow the stream up to the Moffett trail, over to Moffett, and follow your path down!  I am wondering...did you guys leave any slings up there from your rappells?

-Zach

P.S. - Doesn't that upper falls on Ruckel have a creepy feel?  On Sunday I spent some more time investigating the area, and was blown away by the number of animal bones and skull fragments, etc... all over the place.  I also found an old plastic tea cup in a cubby hole in the cedar tree as well as a section of vertebrae.  Creepy!!!  Unlike GTX, I'm not sure I'd like to meet up with whoever spent all that time there.  When you really look around, it is very spooky - if only the cliffs had ears.

chameleon:

P.S. - Doesn't that upper falls on Ruckel have a creepy feel?  On Sunday I spent some more time investigating the area, and was blown away by the number of animal bones and skull fragments, etc... all over the place.  I also found an old plastic tea cup in a cubby hole in the cedar tree as well as a section of vertebrae.  Creepy!!!  Unlike GTX, I'm not sure I'd like to meet up with whoever spent all that time there.  When you really look around, it is very spooky - if only the cliffs had ears.

I got that sense when we went up there last April. It's almost like a graveyard of sorts...far creepier than anywhere else I've been in Oregon. Not only are there lots of animal bones, the amphitheater is boxed in and the brush thick, which makes it sort of feel like somebody or something's lair. And of course, it's always a good idea to avoid lairs...

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Photos: http://mattisnotfrench.smugmug.com/
Facebook: add me! (Matt Reeder, Portland State University)