Part II Wild Outdoor Studio 9/2020: Fort Rock Rocks!
Old Homestead Compound at Cabin Lake Campground
Can you imagine homesteading here? How does it sound to you to wake up at the edge of the forest, greeting the morning sun rising over the expanse of a vast ancient lake-bed? This is some thirsty territory, would the seasonal water make this too tricky a location to thrive? Just so happens, this spot has been desirable enough that inhabitants of this region figured out how to make it work for over ten thousand years!
A hazy Fort rock at the horizon line in the middle of the picture.
We camped near that abandoned homestead in the shady arbor of Ponderosa Pines in contrast to the desert next door. Bats snatched the bugs off the front of the truck as we were bedding down and the stars in the sky were way more plentiful than the bugs, thankfully. Coffee and the morning sun were hot and direct as we meandered onto the ancient lake bed to visit an unusual geologic feature. The sky was blue but the haze of the fires shrouded Fort Rock in the distance.
What in the world would make this shape in rock?
It’s common knowledge that Oregon’s landscapes are shaped and sculpted by the results of millions of years of volcanic activity. First hand, it’s exciting to experience such an eloquent remnant of one of these explosive stories. How a volcano could just pop up in the middle of a lake is hard to wrap your head around but that’s the very scenario here. Can you picture lava forcing its way up through the earth’s crust and stacking itself in picturesque sculptural artistic form? If that sounds like entertainment, grab your popcorn.
The walls of Fort Rock are eroded, but otherwise well preserved ‘hyaloclastite’ reaching towards the sky in magnificent form. I would love to brag that I knew that rock distinction before visiting, but alas, the info was in my Roadside Geology of Oregon Book by Marli B. Miller (a must have for all geology nerds!). She explains this tuff ring volcano was created by what amounts to ‘hot, wet, clay-rich mud that is full of glass fragments’ stacking in well layered deposits.
Unwittingly, I proved Marli’s point by tripping on the trail and sliding down on one leg. In addition to the impressive acrobatics, I opened up a large area of skin on my leg on those aforementioned glass fragments. This is sharp and dangerous ground! So why did I fall down? Because the trails go up fairly steeply to meet the inside floor of the crater, a good 40 feet above the valley floor. The valley floor was once filled with a Pliocene era inland sea that contains over 30 hydrovolcanic land forms that make up an impressive maar field that Fort Rock is a part of.
Visible layers of the hyaloclastite under Steve’s feet and the valley below in the distant background.
Once inside, it’s easy to see why people would want to camp and settle here with plenty of room for horses, livestock, wagons, or an entire village. The formation is approximately 4,400 feet in diameter with plenty of elbow room inside even including its inner rock features. This natural fortress is out in the open so one could see any approaching party below easily. Because it sits higher than the surrounding valley, ascending about 200 feet, it would be easy defend. The high walls and interior formations provide shade all day long, even at high noon and welcome shelter from the wind.
Lily and Steve cooling off in the shade while the sun blazes around them.
Sitting here, you could easily imagine the bustle of a settlement and visualize a day in the life at Fort Rock. The region was such a good location that the oldest human artifacts found in North America were found nearby dated at around 14,000 ago. Another nearby cave revealed many pairs of sage sandals, dating around 10,000 years ago, that may have been used in trade and were made well enough to last until discovered in recent years. From native people to pioneers, these walls protected and witnessed countless lives sustained among them.
Strangely, amid all the volcanic majesty and human history, my favorite part is seeing the stepped water levels of the ancient lake still showing at the sides of Fort Rock. This is where the waters lapped at the edges of the lava formations at their bubbling birth while the lake was in its prime. Over time, the lake slowly receded until its extinction leaving these footprints as a poignant reminder of where an ancient lake was replaced by a desert.
We needed to get down the road as the smoke was catching up to us. In the next installment, we unknowingly drive right towards a newly ignited fire and make a dash to safe camping and amazing terrain. Stay tuned!
