Information Blocks

Suggested Citation: Kerr, Andy. 2000. Oregon Desert Guide: 70 Hikes. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. pp. 19-20.

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In the information block at the beginning of each area description you'll find:

1. The name of the area and proposed protective classification

2. A summary "teaser" about the area

3. A county location and distance and direction from the nearest town

4. The area's size in square miles (and acres)

5. A description of terrain (not a particular exploration—see below)

6. Elevation range of the area (not a particular exploration—see below)

7. The managing agency (usually, but not always, a district of BLM)

8. The current agency wilderness status (not shown for proposed special management areas other than wilderness—national conservation areas, national monuments, and national wildlife refuges—please see wilderness proposals that overlap such areas)

9. The appropriate (usually BLM recreation) map

10. The narrative

After the narratives come the recommended explorations. The seventy-one explorations in this book are usually more than hikes on any well-defined route. The instructions are detailed enough to get you there and back, but the reader is encouraged not just to hike some route, but to explore a region. Another information block tells:

1. The exploration name

2. What to expect

3. The distance (either a round trip or loop total)

4. The elevation range for the exploration

5. Drinking water information

6. Best times to visit

7. The USGS 7.5' quad map(s) covering the exploration

8. The Oregon Official State Map starting point

9. The narrative

This book uses distinct terms to describe a hiking course:

Cross-country. No path, except perhaps game paths.

Way. A two-track travel course caused by the passage of four-wheeled motorized vehicles.

Path. A single tread made by the passage of humans, wildlife, or livestock.

Route. A suggested course of cross-country travel.

Trail. A course of pedestrian travel constructed and maintained by humans

Exroad. It was a road, but now it is not, either by governmental or natural action.

The suffix erly is often added to compass direction points, not to be majorly annoying, but to clarify the general, not exact, direction. Travel by foot rarely fits into just four or eight directions.

Acreage numbers are approximate and subject to change because of refinement of measurement and/or revision of boundaries.

Below are some suggestions and matters to keep in mind as you visit the areas described.

Keep this book with you. Don't leave it at home or on the dashboard (if you do, please put it face up so others can see it).