Rocky Top, Central Cascades, Oregon

Early fall colors highlight the ripening of berries in the high country above 4500 feet. On the western side of the Cascades the clouds hang low and deliver moisture to a sea of trees. Rocky Top lies at the end of a long gravel road that is rarely traversed except for hunters of bears and mushrooms. A short hike up brings you through mountain meadows (rare in the Cascades) to this fin of volcanic basalt that erupts from the forest. Further up, a summit is trashed with debris from an old cell tower, but this lonely outpost off the main trail seems rarely visited. Wildlife sightings on the way up to the ridge: Sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, Pika, Blue Grouse, Mountain Quail, Red Fox