2008 MPG Tours & Long Weekends
The Marys Peak Group offers to members and others a variety of outings away from the Willamette Valley. Most tours fill up months in advance; thus you are encouraged to contact the leader early if one interests you. Space is limited on each outing. The cost to participate in an extended outing varies with the destination and activity.
Memorial Day Weekend Car Camping Trip.
Friday, May 23rd to Monday, May 26th, 2008.
MPG's Memorial weekend car-camp is on the southern Oregon coast, near Coos Bay.
Situated in one of the most scenic areas on the Oregon coast, Sunset Bay State Park features beautiful sandy beaches protected by towering sea cliffs.
We will hike at the park as well as inland, with visits to waterfalls in the dense coastal forest.
The cost to participate is $20 per person.
Contact leader: Tom Bucht .
Sawtooth Wilderness Backpack.
Friday, July 18th to Thursday, July 24th.
This backpack is in the beautiful Sawtooth Wilderness in Idaho. The plan is to drive (about 11 hours) to the trailhead (7,000') on Day 1.
Then backpack for 5 days, camping each night at one of a series of beautiful mountain lakes in the Sawtooth Mountains before returning home on Day 7.
Elevations range from 7,000' to 8,330'. The daily hike distances are 5-7 miles and the backpack is considered to be of easy-medium difficulty.
The backpack is for experienced people. Contact Bob Custer at
for more information.
Car Camp on Lewis River In Washington.
September 19, 20, 21, 2008.
We will set up camp at the Lower Falls group campsite in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southern Washington.
The campsite is set among large fir trees along the Lewis River. It is about a 3.5-hour drive from Corvallis.
The site is rated as a "10" because of its scenic location. Friday, after arrival, we will hike all or a portion of the Lewis River Trail,
which passes a number of waterfalls. Saturday, we will hike Mt. Mitchell (6.2 miles round trip, 2100' elevation gain) for the best viewpoint
of Mt. St. Helens Sunday we will pack up and hike one of the other area hikes (Ape Cave, Ape Canyon, more of the Lewis River Trail, etc.) before
heading home. Descriptions of the hikes are in Bill Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon.
Depending upon group interest we can split up into groups doing easier or more difficult hikes.
Contact Bob Custer at
for more information.
Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia River.
October 10, 11, 12, 2008. Astoria is one of Oregon's finest coastal destination areas.
We'll use a motel as our base and eat in restaurants, starting Friday evening through Sunday noon.
On Saturday, the plan is to walk the seven miles from Fort Clatsop to the sea.
Then on Sunday, we'll participate in the 10K (6.2-mile) Great Columbia Crossing walk/run that includes the 4.1-mile long Astoria-Megler Bridge spanning the Columbia River near its mouth. There will be a charge for participation in this walk/run.
For those not interested in the bridge-crossing event, there's plenty to see and do in this resort town.
Contact Barry Wulff at
New Mexico's Gila Wilderness Tour.
Sunday, October 26th to Saturday, November 1st, 2008.
The Gila Forest is tucked away in a remote corner of New Mexico.
The Gila's beauty lies in its diversity of rugged mountains, deep canyons, meadows, and semi-desert country.
Each day we'll explore a different area of this southwestern corner of the state.
Hikes will be of variable lengths and to a variety of places. $900 plus approx $400 airfare. (Trip now full, wait list only).
Contact leaders: Tom Bucht
or Barry Wulff.