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Starvation Creek LbNA #5049

Owner:Funhog
Plant date:Aug 1, 2003
Location:
City:Cascade Locks
County:Hood River
State:Oregon
Boxes:5
Found by: Mystic Dreamer (5)
Last found:Sep 6, 2006
Status:FFFFFFF
Last edited:Mar 15, 2016


In December 1884 a westbound train headed for Portland rounded a bend and plowed into a twenty five foot wall of snow. Passengers were paid $3 per day to shovel snow and local residents from Hood River and Cascade Locks skied in with food and other supplies. No one starved during the nearly three week stranding but the name Starvation Creek stuck. Hopefully, you won’t go hungry on this hike. The 3.5 mile loop is steep in places with lots of ups and downs. Good shoes will help a lot with the loose dirt and gravel.

To the trailhead: Take I-84 about ten miles east of Cascade Locks to exit 55, Starvation Creek Trailhead. Park here and walk back towards the Wrong Way/Do Not Enter signs for the off ramp. The trail heads west along the freeway.

To the letterboxes: In about a quarter mile you will reach a trail junction. Go left, up, up, up. Go right at the next junction. Right after the first creek crossing, you will see a triple trunked tree and a fallen log. Where the vertical meets the horizontal the first letterbox is hidden behind rock and wood.

Continue on the trail across the second creek. Just after rounding the next switchback you will see a small side trail on the left. Go up about ten steps and you will find the second letterbox on your left behind bark and stone.

Head on down the main trail, keeping right at the next junction. At Hole-in-the-Wall Falls you will cross a wooden footbridge. Continue on the trail watching for a mossy boulder on your left. The third letterbox is nestled underneath hidden behind a loose rock.

The next two boxes were added to this series on January 2, 2006. Proceed onward, passing something you will find familiar. At the far end of a wooden fence on your right, you will find a small upstream trail. Take this to a humongous boulder on the right. Look for the fourth box beneath its edge where the little ferns grow, hidden behind loose rocks.

Back on the historic trail, head in the direction of the wind, por favor. Shortly past the ebony gates, you will receive a warning on the right. On your left is a small hill. Make your way to its top and look there for a six-trunked oak. The fifth box hides beneath a rock at its base. Beware poison oak!

NOTE: Please do not enter this box into any database. Contact me directly to report on its status.©