Late November on the DRT: Dillon to Aspen to Benham

On the day before Thanksgiving, after nearly a week of rain and snow, the sun finally came out. I decided to go back to the Deschutes River Trail at Dillon Falls and walk the river to see what I could see. Who knows how much longer I'll be able to get out to this section of river this winter?

I arrived at Dillon Falls at 12:30, hoping to get the sun mainly at my back. I started downstream thinking to go to Lava Island, but by the time I reached Aspen, I decided to turn around and head back upstream to see Benham Falls one last time this year. While the first part of the walk was an amble with lots of long stops for photography, the second half was a hustle to get up to Benham and back to the truck by 4:30. Days are short this time of year.

It had warmed to 36 degrees when I arrived, meaning that exposed parts of the trail were slippery and muddy. Fortunately, there were no long slogs through the mud. On my way back to the truck, after the sun had gone behind the trees, the trail was in much better shape, having refrozen.

When I went past the marshy area just north of the Slough boat ramp, I heard a bizarre quacking sound, clearly a duck call and not something to be heard come from the mouth of any duck. As I worked my way around the wet area, I could see small ducks walking on the ice and floating in the small areas of open water. By the time I returned, the open areas had refrozen.

I used the tree cover to get as close as possible to a flock of Green-winged Teal, but still I was more than 75 yards distant, a stretch for even my big lens, especially without a tripod. Moving around to the south side of the slough, I started stalking my way through the underbrush towards a natural blind much closer to the water. I had not gone but about ten steps towards the water when I discovered the source of the duck call, a hunter dressed in camouflage warning me off.

I moved along, but would later hear his shotgun go off four times. I'm pretty certain that discharging a weapon that close to a trail is verboten, but it was a good reminder that I should invest in some blaze orange for my hikes in the various hunting seasons.

Steam or Mist Above Dillon Falls

Dillon Falls with Mist Frozen on Boulders

Frozen Mist on Boulders

How Cool Are These Icicles?

Color on Creeping Oregon Grape

Stairs Down from Dillon Falls

Lava Across the River

Frost on Tall Oregon Grape

Fitting Image from Aspen Day Use Area
Aspen Leaves on Bracken

Frost on Greenleaf Manzanita

Mt. Bachelor from Dillon Falls

Yellow Green Willow Twigs; Copper Alder Twigs

A Placid Area on the Deschutes

Green-Winged Teal on the Ice

Still Life: Prince of Pine and Downed Ponderosa

Benham Falls at Dusk

Frost on a Fir

Parting Shot: Deschutes Nearing Sundown