ONC Willamette

Newsletter Fall 2025

Winter will be coming. And the shelters don’t look like this until we get up there and fill ‘em up. It’s not all work though, just another excuse to get out in the woods with friends new and old.

There will be a number of opportunities to join in the fun. Some are scheduled, some are still being determined, and some will be impromptu as a nice day presents itself for us to get out there and get the trails ready for the season.

The Ray Benson wood stocking is a one day event with many hands as we join the Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile club to stock all four shelters at Santiam Pass (Brandenburg, Island Junction, North Blowout and the Roger Schmidt shelter in the parking lot). Snowmobile sawyers will buck logs into stove lengths. Two of our members will bring their log splitters. Our volunteers will feed rounds to the splitters, load split wood onto trucks and stack the wood at the shelters. Forest Service trucks help haul wood to the outlying shelters and the snowmobile club provides a barbecue lunch for all volunteers. Put Saturday, Oct. 4, on your calendar and let Jim Todd or Bob Young know you can join us.

As an added bonus, when our members register with Cascade Volunteers (https://cascadevols.org/volunteer/) they are eligible for perks like a one year Northwest Forest Pass for 16+ volunteer hours. Also, let us know if you would like to be on the list for contact as these opportunities develop. We can always use the extra hands on these outings! Here’s what’s coming up:

Reroute of Nash Potato trail: There is a short section of the trail we use for our annual Ray Benson to Little Nash traverse that has a steep drop through what was a clear cut years ago and it’s now overgrown with new trees making it difficult and potentially hazardous. The McKenzie ranger district will provide 2 new posts for this reroute and we will need to do some clearing and additional diamonds for the re-connections at the top and bottom. We can drive right to the reroute section.

Ray Benson trail clearing: Four of us scouted the North Loop and part of the Two Buttes Cutoff for work that needs done. The Salamander trail crew will set a date to bring in chainsaws after the fire danger restrictions are lifted. They will need help for swamping and brush removal and we need to do a lot of limb removal and put up new diamonds. Other trails still need to be hiked to assess work needed. Anyone can get out and do this at any time. Grab a friend and then send us a report.

Maxwell – Mt. View cabin and South Loop shelter wood stocking: The Detroit ranger district has this scheduled for Saturday Oct. 25 and Saturday Nov.8. We have a couple of our members lined up to provide their log splitters for the task.

Winter Recreation coordination meeting: October 16, 9am at Hoodoo Ski Lodge. This is always an informative and networking opportunity with Hoodoo, Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile club, Santiam Search and Rescue, Linn County Sheriffs, USFS, ONC, Old Santiam Ski Lodge, ODOT, and any interested participants to discuss winter recreation concerns and objective. It’s always good for us to have a couple of representatives there and we usually have the afternoon to pick up some extra task or just enjoy a hike while we’re up there.

Ski swaps: These are a great place to find serviceable equipment (and clothing) at discount prices and sell gear you are no longer using. Check our club’s webpage (https://oncwillamette.org/2025/07/17/upcoming-ski-swaps/) for links to Oregon ski swaps. Corvallis ski swap, Oct. 16-19, is the closest one, at the Benton County Fairgrounds. If you’re looking for new or new to you gear this is the best opportunity without going to Portland, Bend, or Eugene. I plan to go on Saturday to find replacements for my failed 3 pin boots or a good deal on Xplore boots and binding. If anyone would like to ride along give me a call – Bob Young

Join us if you can. Our trails always need some loving care and we all need a little conditioning to get ready for ski season so if you can spare a little time please give us a call or email and let us know you are willing to help out.

Jim Todd –    toddwac18@gmail.com       503-378-7003

Bob Young – arch.byoung@gmail.com 503-621-6626

Things to look forward to: