A Guide to Hiking Tumalo Mountain

Here in Bend, we're pretty spoiled when it comes to opportunities for outdoor recreation. Situated perfectly at the base of the East Cascades, just north of Crater Lake and east of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, Bend truly is an adventure playground. And with so many options at our fingertips, it can be difficult to decide how to spend your playtime! That's why we'll be bringing you a guide to outdoor activities that range in difficulty, time, and type of recreation. This week we're starting with a quick hike that is short in time but offers a high reward of views: Tumalo Mountain. 

An easy 21-mi drive west of Bend via the Cascade Lakes Highway, Tumalo Mountain is accessible year-round. An ideal snowshoe excursion in winter turns to a short but steep hike in the summer. The spectacular views are available year-round on a clear day: the Three Sisters and Broken top to the west, Mt. Bachelor and Mt. Thielson to the south, and Paulina Peak and Newberry Crater to the east. Getting to the trailhead is easy: follow the CLH due west until you see Mt. Bachelor on your left. The entrance to the Dutchman Flat parking lot will be on your right, and the trailhead is at the west end of the lot. Parking requires either an annual Northwest Forest Pass or a $5 day-use pass in the summer. 

Vital Statistics:
•  Distance: 3.9mi
•  Trail Type: Out-and-back
•  Tumalo Mountain elevation: 7,779'
•  Elevation Gain: 1429'
•  Average Hike Time: 1.5 hours
•  Gear Required: None
•  Kid friendly
•  Dog friendly

Trail description: 
This hike is relatively short but surprisingly steep, especially in the first 1/2 mile where you'll run into 5 switchbacks. Making your way through the Hemlock and Pine forest, you'll see gorgeous greens overhead. Once you're past the switchbacks, you'll come to a meadow that is home to a vibrant array of Lupine, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers at your feet. Hike another mile up the trail and you'll come to the last stretch of trail, which is lined in red volcanic rocks to keep hikers on-trail and off the fragile ecosystem underfoot. At the top of the summit, enjoy sweeping vistas of the surrounding Cascades and Badlands. 

Whether you're heading out to hike this fun and fast trail to catch sunset in the evening after work, or taking a leisurely stroll up the summit on a weekend, this hike is sure to please even the most experienced adventurer! 

Les Stroud Summer 2018

No food, no shelter, no fresh water, no tools... No camera crew. One man - alone in the wilderness. With his signature black humor and candid on-camera style, Les Stroud documents his struggles as he overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles in real survival situations. We are so fortunate to have Les Stroud in Bend next June, and even luckier to be able to host two incredible tours with Survivorman himself. 

So, who is Survivorman and what does he do? Les Stroud is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker, and musician with a passion for exploring, learning, and teaching about the outdoors. A Toronto native, he graduated from Fanshawe College with a degree in Music Industry Arts. After a short career behind the scenes in the music industry, Stroud became a full-time wilderness guide, survival instructor and musician based in Hunstville, Ontario. 

On his self-filmed show, Survivorman, Stroud uses his survival skills and knowledge to survive for up to 10 days alone, in a remote location, with little to no supplies until being rescued. Finding food, water, and materials to make fire and shelter pose the main challenges of each episode. 

Stroud's "5 W's of Survival" are often referenced, and we think this is a pretty good list for anyone who will be spending time outdoors! Know before you go:

Weather: Climate and temperature of the area will let you know what kind of shelter you need.

Wood: How much wood is around for both fire and shelter?

Wigglies: Spiders, scorpions, snakes, anything that can bite you or poison you.

Widowmakers: Rocks, trees, large animals, anything that can fall on you or attack you. 

Water: Where will you get water, how will you obtain it, how will you store it?

All of this information and more will be discussed during both of our extraordinary tours running on Friday June 8. On our morning kayak adventure, we will be heading up the west flank of Newberry Volcano, and paddling across the caldera lake to meet Stroud at a remote and brilliant site. Once we've made it to the location, Stroud will delight us with delightful music and compelling stories of his exotic travels. 

That afternoon, we will depart Bend and make our way to an ancient lava tube cave to explore the hidden underground world of these large cool caverns in a way that’s safe and fascinating! In small groups, our naturalist guides will interpret the geological formation and many historical uses for these wondrous caves. Both tours include tickets to Les Stroud's evening performance at the Tower Theatre on Saturday, June 9, 2018

A musical, storytelling, and video concert experience featuring original music and intimate stories woven together with beautiful video imagery; as inspiring as it is entertaining. Les Stroud is the only producer in the history of television to produce an internationally broadcast series entirely written, videotaped and hosted alone. Don't miss this magnificent opportunity to learn from the adventures of this seasoned Survivorman!

Photo from Les Stroud at the Tower Theatre April 2017

Eco-Friendly Habits for Sustainable Living

Our mission here at Wanderlust is to vibrantly share the natural and cultural history of the Central Oregon region to small groups of interested guests while touring via canoeing, kayaking, caving, volcano tours, snowshoeing, hiking and nature-based sightseeing. As naturalists and outdoor-enthusiasts, we enjoy learning about the environments we live in, and want to do our part to ensure they are preserved and sustained for many generations to come. 

In order to stay true to our mission, we've assembled a list of easy changes that, when added up, will make a big impact. If each of us adopted a handful of these positive habits, we could all work towards a lifestyle that is healthier both for ourselves and for the environments we are a part of! Better yet, share this list with your children while they're young and continue educating future generations on how to help our planet!

1. Kick the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs and opt for LED lightbulbs instead. For the same price as conventional bulbs, LED bulbs last for 50,000 hours. That's 42,000 hours more than fluorescent bulbs, and 48,000 hours more than incandescent! 

Photo: Bee's Wrap

2. Reusable water bottles and grocery bags are pretty standard around town. But have you committed to a reusable coffee or tea thermos yet? Your Hyrdroflask can double as a hot and cold saver! How about reusable food storage options? Check out this versatile and durable alternative to plastic wrap, called Bee's Wrap! You can find it in Bend at Market of Choice. Replace the BPA plastic Tupperware in your cupboard with products from Reuseit, which donates 1% of all sales to environmental advocacy nonprofit groups.

3. Cut your paper consumption by switching to cloth napkins, hand towels, and diapers. Save money, natural resources, and keep your skin soft with cloth alternatives. There's even a service in town called Baby Cakes Diaper Service that will deliver clean and folded diapers and pick up the dirties. 

4. We all know you can recycle paper, plastics, and some metals. In addition to these standard recyclables, we should also be recycling our ink cartridges, tires, motor oil, batteries, antifreeze, computer parts, propane tanks, microwaves and other appliances. Simply drop them off at one of the Deschutes County waste centers, listed here. 

5. Tired of tossing out stacks of catalogs? Cancel them! Each year, about 19 billion catalogs are mailed throughout the world. That's equivalent to 53 million trees! Unsubscribing from the junk mail is an awesome solution for everyday sustainable living. Try Catalog Choice - a free service that will help you weed through the mail you do and don't want. 

6. Bend is known for its support of all things local. Did you know buying local food not only cuts 17% of carbon emissions, but it also helps support our local farmers and growers. Both the Wednesday market in Brooks Alley and the Saturday market at Northwest Crossing are great options!

7. Your mom always told you to turn the lights off when you leave a room. And she wasn't wrong! In addition to being mindful about your light switches, think about picking up an eco-friendly solar charger. Solar energy is the cleanest form of energy, and because solar chargers don't require external electrical sources, they offer a wide freedom of movement - much loved by backpackers near and far!

8. Last but certainly not least is our favorite option - UNPLUG! Once all your electronics have been juiced up by your solar charger, remember to unplug electronics you aren't using. This will save up to 10% of your total electricity usage, which ultimately cuts your utility bills down. So unplug your electronics and head out into the great outdoors to absorb the wonders of the natural world we're working hard to preserve!