We hiked Lower Table Rock today. Lower Table Rock and Upper Table Rock, across the valley, used to be one mesa, but over the millennia, wind and water have eroded the softer basalt between what is now the two mesas. They appear to be the same elevation to me, so I’m not really sure why one is Lower and the other Upper. Could be because of their orientation on the map. All I know is Lower Table Rock is VERY high, by my hiking standards, and considered a more challenging hike than Upper Table Rock. I was beginning to think we’d never reach the top, especially after the steep switchbacks toward the end of the climb. And then, once we reached the mesa top, we had another mile to go to the far side to get views of the Rogue River and Medford down below. Good hike!
The challenge–Lower Table Rock
into the brush
Yikes!
curly-boughed oaks
peeling madrona trees
What kind of tree is this? Love the red bark, but it doesn’t seem to be peeling like the madronas.
We made it to the top! Now just another mile to go….
The reward–views of the Rogue River.