From May 20 through 25, 2000 we, (Ed and Helen), and three friends, (Don, Carol, and Laura), walked about 40 miles along the Rogue River in southern Oregon. Hiking trips like ours start at the Grave Creek Bridge on Galice Road, which winds 27 miles north of Grants Pass via Merlin. The trail then contours along the north side of the river ending at Foster Bar, which is 35 miles from Gold Beach on the Pacific Ocean. The lodges on the river and their distances from lodge to lodge are as shown on the diagram below. We stayed at five out of the seven lodges along the way, so we didn't have to carry food, (except lunch), or sleeping equipment. It was wonderful to get to a lodge, take a hot shower, enjoy a happy hour, a good dinner, and then have a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed. To make our trip even more enjoyable, we stayed at Morrison's Lodge on the Rogue River for two nights before beginning our trek. Morrison's is on Galice Road, not far from the trailhead. Meals at the lodge were marvelous, and served outside on a deck with an expansive view of the river. A serene and relaxing experience. On the intervening day we visited the Foris Winery, where we tasted and purchased some excellent Pinot Noir to take home. Then it was off to a wild animal rehabilitation center, where we saw the only bears, and mountain lions of the trip. The center only takes wild animals, and if possible returns them to the wild after they have recovered from whatever trauma brought them there. They have many birds as well as mammals, such as bobcats, lynxes, and foxes in addition to numerous bears and a few mountain lions. After enjoying watching a large bear dunk and splash in a shallow ranch watering trough swimming pool, we continued into Grants Pass for lunch and window shopping, camera batteries and extra film.

Day 1, May 20, 2000, Grave Creek Bridge to Black Bar Lodge, 10 miles, 6 hours.
In the morning, we drove to Rogue Wilderness's office in Merlin, Oregon. Merlin is a small town just a few miles north of Grants Pass. We were greeted by Bob and several other members of the company, who gave us our bag lunch for the day, and then last minute instructions about avoiding or shooing off bears and mountain lions. We bought some pepper spray cartridges to be used as a last resort on a bear or lion that wasn't scared off by noise, and two whistles to be used to announce our presence. We didn't see any bear or mountain lion at any time during the trip, but it's good to be prepared.
We boarded the Rogue Wilderness van after our light packs were fastened on top, and were transported to the trailhead at the Grave Creek Bridge. The river, which had been heading generally north from Grants Pass, makes a sharp left turn here and heads west. This trailhead is also a rafter's put-in spot, and many parties were loading rafts with supplies, and pushing off into the current. We shouldered our light packs, and started on the trail at about 10:20 a.m. The river canyon in this area is narrow and steep sided, with cliffs dropping to the water, so our trail climbed up to the top of the cliff on the north side. The trail then goes sometimes up and sometimes down, following the contours of the rock strata. The trail here is in very good condition, and three or four feet wide, so we felt at ease even though we were walking right along a ledge carved out of the cliff. Our views of the river were excellent, and it was fun to watch rafters go through several rapids, screaming, yelling and then laughing with relief after a successful transit. We didn't see anyone attempting Rainie Falls, which is one of the few class five rapids on the river. Rafters usually walk around, and float the boat down a fish ladder on the north side, keeping it under control with lines to shore. This section of the trail has very few trees, so it was hot. The temperature was already in the 80s when we started out, and was climbing.
After a few miles, the trail entered sparse woods, which gave us some shade, but it was still a very hot walk.
In addition to the lodges, the river has numerous camps set up by the BLM, (Bureau of Land Management), which administers the area. The camps even have outhouses, but no fireplaces. Fires within 400 feet of the river must be built in a fire box, and all the ashes carried out. We stopped at the Whiskey Creek camp for lunch and a short rest. For entertainment, we watched a river rafting party come ashore and set up a buffet table with sandwich fixings, and a large cooler full of soft drinks.
After lunch, we went a short distance up a side trail to the Whiskey Creek cabin, built in the gold rush days. The cabin is in remarkably good shape: the roof and walls are intact, glass is still in the windows, and many of the old tools are still lying around. The cabin could be used as a shelter in bad weather. We turned back to continue on the river trail, and noticed that it was getting hotter all the time. The thermometer on my pack read 87 degrees. I was perspiring so much that sweat was dripping onto my glasses, and my tee shirt was soaked. You can never tell what the weather is going to do in Oregon. The previous week, it had been rainy and cold.
At about 4:30 p.m. we reached the junction with the trail down to Black Bar Lodge, our first destination. The trail down was steep and narrow, but we made it all the way with no difficulties. Our trail is on the north side of the river; Black Bar Lodge is on the south side. To get across the river, you have to attract the attention of someone at the lodge, and they have to row one of their rafts across to get you. About half way down the slope, I stopped at a small clearing where I would be visible,and blew my whistle and waved. Someone down by the rafts waved back, pushed an inflatable raft out into the stream, and was waiting for us by the time we got to the waters edge.
Once to the lodge, we were greeted with large pitchers of lemonade and iced tea, with lots of ice cubes. We all felt re-hydrated after several glassfuls, and then were directed to our rooms by our hostess. We took three of the rustic cabins for the five of us, each with comfortable single beds, a small bathroom, and stall shower. We met about 5:30 in our cabin for a glass of wine, and then went to dinner about 6:00 p.m. The dining room was actually crowded, with four more hikers and a large rafting party of about 14, including two boatmen. Dinner was served family style, with many bowls to be passed around containing turkey, beef enchiladas, potatoes, vegetables, salads, and home-made rolls. All well cooked and delicious. After dessert, we made arrangements with one of the boatmen to take us across the river at about 8 a.m. the next day, and toddled off to bed. We were all tired enough after our 10 mile day, that we didn't even try to read in bed. Electricity at the lodge is provided by a diesel generator that is turned off at 10 p.m., so there was no noise during the night except wind rustling the leaves of the trees, and the distant water falls and rapids on the river. Black Bar has dirt road access, but it takes a four-wheel-drive vehicle and is 50 miles from Grants Pass.

Day 2 - Black Bar Lodge to Marial Lodge, 15 miles, 8 hours.
After too large a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, ham, cereal, and home- baked biscuits, with home-made blackberry jam, we put together our lunches from a wide selection of breads, cheese, lunch meats, apples and carrots, and waddled down to the raft. Our boatman, John, ferried us across, back to the north side. Up we went, dodging the poison oak, to rejoin the main trail. We stopped to catch our breath and readjust boots, and then started off along the trail at a relatively brisk pace. We had 15 miles to go today, so wanted to make as much distance as possible while it was still cool. Laura checked off our progress on her topographic map, rapid by rapid and turn by turn. We made very good mileage all morning. The trail was in fine condition, again in sparse forest, and had fewer up and down sections than the previous stretch. The scene was as beautiful as the day before, with even more wild flowers, including many "hen and chickens" succulents and many gold/brown wild iris, with beautiful veining in the petals. We lunched near Slide Creek, and hesitated near the property once owned by Zane Gray, who was an avid fisherman as well as author. The property is still owned by his family, and they have a caretaker live there most of the year. Our speed was somewhat slower after lunch, and about 3:30 p.m., we stopped at a creek and soaked our hot, tired feet in the icy water. This helped enormously, and made the last few miles more tolerable. The last mile to Marial Lodge was on a dirt road that skirts the old Rogue River Ranch. The ranch buildings have been restored and have been designated a national landmark under BLM administration. A caretaker offers tours. At this point we were way too tired to visit, and pushed on to Marial Lodge. The signing is poor on this last stretch, and we were about to think we had taken a wrong turn when we saw, by coming upon a simple, small sign by the road, that we were there. A large, friendly dog announced our arrival, and her barks were followed by greetings and ministrations by Pat Cameron, the proprietor. Here again, after many glasses of lemonade, we were given three comfortable, well appointed rooms for our party, all with modern private bath and lots of hot water.
After showers and foot care, we joined four other hikers for "happy hour" on the spacious deck, next to the dining room, where we had a great view of the river. The foursome had been with us at rustic Black Bar Lodge, and had preceeded us on the trail by about an hour. Happy hour was indeed happy, since we had just completed the tough day of our hike. From here to the end, the longest hike would be only six miles. It is amazing how one's perspective changes. Now, six miles seemed easy and a short hike!
After a tasty and plentiful dinner featuring spare ribs, we went off to our rooms and, after some minor rearranging of our backpacks, turned out the lights and went to sleep. We were really tired, and needed extra sleep to recover.
Marial Lodge uses a diesel generator for electric power, but would like to put in a small hydro-electric system on a nearby stream. That would be good for them, and for us. The water would just be used for power and then returned to the stream. Since they would not need their diesel generator, they could shut it down. Then there would be no chance of diesel spillage and no air pollution. I hope they can get a permit to install a small hydro plant.

Day 3 - Marial Lodge to Paradise Lodge, 4 miles, 3 hours
Leaving Marial Lodge after another delicious, but too large breakfast, we continued to the end of the road where the trail resumes. Downstream of Marial, the river passes through Mule Creek Canyon, a spectacular rocky gorge that must be very exciting to raft through. Since we only had about 4 miles to do today, we went slowly, enjoying the views of the river, and the easy trail. Despite our leisurely pace, we still arrived at Paradise Lodge before lunch. We sat outside at a picnic table near our cabin and enjoyed the lunch that Marial Lodge had prepared for us. Here at Paradise Lodge our group had its own 4 bedroom cabin, well appointed, with lots of space. In our room, Helen and I had a queen sized bed, two large couches, a large round table with chairs and a set of bunk beds. We had room for about 8 people! We enjoyed the luxury of the space, again showered off the trail grime, took naps and read books until hors douvres time in the main lodge building. Paradise Lodge has a bar, so we bought a bottle of local chardonnay, and the lodge provided dip and crackers. They also provided complementary wine with dinner, which was a welcome surprise. This time we were the only guests, so during dinner were able to talk at length with the proprietors about their lives running a lodge in the wilderness. Since Paradise Lodge has no road access, all supplies are brought in by boat, and all guests must arrive by boat, hike in, or land their airplane there. Paradise has its own grassy field used as an airport, complete with runway markers and a wind sock. Despite having napped in the afternoon, we were able to read in bed for only a short time before dropping off to sleep for the night.

Day 4 - Paradise Lodge to Clay Hill Lodge, 6 miles, 4 hours.
Since we had had a short hike the previous day, we weren't quite so hungry for breakfast, even though the food was especially well prepared. I still couldn't resist two slices of home-made bread along with my ham and eggs. The lodge provided a bag lunch for each of us, presented at check-out time.
Off on the trail, we could take our time again, with only six miles to go. We enjoyed seeing the rapids in Huggins Canyon and Brushy Bar. Today, we saw only a few rafters going by. Since we were moving much more slowly than the river, the rafters pass us by and complete the whole trip in two or three days to our five. We stopped for lunch at one of the camps by the river, and sat right on the rocky shore as several jet boats roared by. They got us a little wet, but I didn't mind the splashes of cold water. It was still hot; getting up into the 90s every afternoon.
We arrived at Clay Hill Lodge at about 2 p.m., and were shown to rooms upstairs in the main lodge building. We felt good enough to actually take some optional walks in the afternoon: Down to the river to admire the "dinosaur tree", and up slope behind the lodge to the vegetable and fruit growing areas. Dinner was again a delightful experience, featuring a chicken casserole, and preceeded by a happy hour with wine we had carried with us.

Day 5 - Clay Hill Lodge to Illahe Lodge
With only 4 miles to hike to the lodge on this, our last hiking day, we lingered over an excellent breakfast and drank lots of coffee. We picked up our lunches, and then it was on with the packs and on to the trail. We rejoined the trail directly behind the lodge, and trudged on. Today we came upon many rock slides that had almost destroyed the trail, many tree falls partially blocking the trail, and a large area where so many trees had fallen that the trail was re-routed straight up the hill, across the top and down again to almost river level. The canyon was not so narrow now, and we were quite often away from the river, separated from it by a marshy area. In one of the low lying areas we encountered our first and only mosquitos. To now, we had not even put on any repellant. We arrived at Ilahe Lodge at about noon, and found the place deserted. Unfazed, we doffed our packs inside the living room, and had our lunch on an outside patio. We decided that we were really not at the end of the trail, so walked an additional mile to Foster Bar. The trail soon joined a road, paved this time, and we were back to cars, trucks and construction crews. They were working on a new bathroom building near the launching ramp and parking area. When we returned to Illahe Lodge, the staff was there and helped us find rooms upstairs in the lodge building, and also treated us to the usual lemonade and iced tea. We had our happy hour about 6 p.m., again with wine we had carried along. We were joined by Ernie Rutledge, the owner, who told us much of the history of the area. He especially talked about the time since the part of the river we had walked along was given a "Wild and Scenic River" designation. It seems that the rough draft of the Wild and Scenic River act was written in the Illahe Lodge dining room. We ate dinner at the very same table, feeling very happy that the beautiful river and trail would be preserved as wilderness. We were also very happy that the lodges along the route were kept intact as inholdings. This is one of only a few places in the USA where Inn-to-Inn hiking is possible. We decided that the experience was to be treasured; we had had a wonderful time.
Next morning, we had expected to be picked up at 10:00 a.m. for transport back to Merlin and our cars. Breakfast was very leisurely, amid much conversation. The driver from Rogue Wilderness suddenly appeared at 9. We hurriedly finished our packing, put our packs and ourselves in the waiting van, (our bag lunches were already inside the van),and we were back to our cars at 11:00. This gave Don and Carol plenty of time to get to the Medford Airport for their flight to Portland and then home to the east coast. Laura gave them a ride, and then spent several days enjoying Highway 1 along the Oregon and California coast before getting home. Helen and I went to a Bed & Breakfast in Ashland and enjoyed two plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. "The Man who Came to Dinner" was well done and very funny. "Henry V" was also very well done, and very good Shakespeare.

Logistics:
Outfitter: Rogue Wilderness, Inc. PO Box 1110, Merlin, OR 97532, 800-336-1647, E-mail: rwi@wildrogue.com, Web:wildrogue.com (Provided transportation to and from trailheads, made all reservations at lodges, and provided maps and friendly advice that made the trip go very smoothly).
Lodges:
Morrison's Lodge: 8500 Galice Road, Merlin, Or 97532, 800-826-1963, E-mail: info@morrisonslodge.com, Web:morrisonslodge.com
Black Bar Lodge:Arrange through Rogue Wilderness.
Marial Lodge: PO Box 1395, Grants Pass, OR 97528, 541-479-4923,x7718, or 541-474-2057.
Paradise Lodge: PO Box 456, Gold Beach, OR 97444, 800-525-2161 or 888-667-6483, Web: paradise-lodge.com
Clay Hill Lodge: 06373 Rogue River, Agness, OR 97406, 800-228-3198.
Ilahe Lodge: 37709 Agness-Illahe Road, Agness, OR 96406, 541-247-6111
Details:
Equipment: Day pack, clothing, toilet kit, water bottles, and first aid kit. Be prepared for rain, and both hot and cold weather. You just can't tell what you will get. Options: Camera & film, Maps, pepper spray, whistle, etc. See Chapters 4, 5, 7 and 9 of the Elderhiker Handbook.
All lodges provide three meals: dinner, breakfast and a bag lunch to take with you on the trail. It is not necessary to plan for or carry additional food. Do carry two filled quart size water bottles. If you want to refill water bottles at streams, you will need a filter or iodine tablets for purification.
All lodges have telephone or radiotelephone. Most do not receive TV, or even AM or FM radio. Celphones may not work in the river canyon.
Alcoholic Beverages: If you want any, you must carry it along yourself. Only Paradise Lodge has any available.
Medical Emergencies: You could be in serious trouble. Except at the lodges, evacuation or rescue is difficult and time consuming. Make sure your will is up to date before going on any wilderness excursion.

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