19 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org TEXT THE LOST SURVEYOR hundreds if not thousands of man hours were required to bring this story to the many viewers of Oregon Field Guide. e lower end of the canyon is a slot canyon about 10 feet wide and nearly 100 feet high and draped in moss that even from a distance emits a so green glow inviting you into the canyon. e lower slot canyon leads upstream to the rst waterfall which has been named Jared Falls for a search and rescue team member who supported OPB on this story. Jared was a member of the “canyon crew” who explored this area on the OPB expedition and he was the rst to discover the cave under the falls that leads to the top. e canyon walls are very unstable and we were subject to rock fall the entire time we were there. Jared Falls is no exception with rocks nearly 30 feet high forming the falls. e opening on the right side of the photo is the cave entrance that traverses across the river behind the rocks and under the falls to an opening which emerges on the top le of the falls. e base of the falls was the furthest point that I was able to explore and was just a small taste of what the rest of the crew experienced. Upstream from Jared Falls is a rugged canyon system which contains numerous large waterfalls. e upper end of the canyon culminates at “Shangri-La” where two waterfalls, each nearly 100 feet in height, enter the canyon a short distance apart. Exploring the canyon requires mountaineering skills, special equipment and a proper safety plan. ere is no cell service and help will be many hours away so don’t do anything foolish. OPB’s expert “canyon crew” took three days to travel less than one half mile. eir eorts included rappelling several large waterfalls, navigating numerous log jams and dodging falling rock from the canyon walls. If you missed the episode of OFG which brought this area to life you can check it out on line at http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/ episodes/2709/. Also on this trip was the crew from Uncage the Soul productions who rappelled waterfalls and explored the inner gorge while capturing amazing footage. Uncage the Soul produced their own version of this adventure which oers a thought provoking message about exploring these locations and the impacts we can make upon the landscape by doing so. It is a great short video and I recommend you check it out as well at http://uncagethesoul.com. Look for Valhalla in the Documentary section. Editor’s note: I would recommend that you consider putting on a good pair of headphones, queue up any recording of Edvard Greig’s In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) on your stereo system, and watch the YouTube video of the OPB broadcast with the sound turned o on your television. is should transport you to the “right” frame of mind.
PLSO Issue 2, 2016 March/April
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