The Applegater

Applegater Winter 2022 1 WINTER 2022 Volume 15, No. 4 Serving Jackson and Josephine Counties — Circulation: 13,000 Applegate Valley Community Newsmagazine Celebrating Years Photo by Linda Kappen • applegater.org ~28~ Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Permit #125 Medford OR ECRWSSEDDM Local Postal Customer ISSUE HOLIDAY - ARTS See BACKCOUNTRY SHELTERS, page 5 You can travel back in time by visiting, or staying in, one of the historic shelters still standing in the high country on National Forest lands on the Siskiyou Crest. Some historic shelters can be accessed by vehicle via backcountry dirt roads, while others are more remote and only accessible on foot. For some, you can even hike from shelter to shelter along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). If you visit even a few of these backcountry shelters, you will not only experience a piece of local history, but will also get to know off-the- beaten-path areas, a diversity of habitats, and sweeping views of the region along the way. Some great backcountry shelters are featured below, from east to west. T h e Gro u s e Ga p Sh e l t e r, b u i l t around 1970, is one of the more modern When Joanna Davis decided to sell the Applegate Lodge, she promised to sell it to someone who would continue its legacy: the lodge as "a sanctuary for the community." So she didn't sell it to the first person with the $2,900,000 asking price. She interviewed potential buyers. When Anna and Mike Eastman showed up, she sold it. " We hit it off from the start," she says. "ey had the right energy and customer- service attitude. at they were a part of the community was important to me." Mike and Anna grew up in the Rogue Valley. Though they have traveled extensively in connection with Mike's job in tech, including a three-year stay in Santiago, Chile, they live in Medford now, where they are raising their two children, four-year-old Addy and one- year-old Avery. ey know the Applegate, the Applegater, the wineries. Mike's sister got married at the Applegate Lodge. e real estate deal is due to close on December 1, but Anna and Mike are already excited about becoming the new owners. ey see this purchase as a new journey for them. They admire what Joanna has created and want to follow Agreement reached to sell Applegate Lodge BY DIANA COOGLE in her footsteps by keeping the lodge a community center. "We have no intention of changing that," Anna says, immediately killing the rumor that they are firing everybody and starting over. ey want to employ local residents and source food from local farmers. ey will continue to have local musicians play at dinner. ey will still host nonprofit events, such as Voices of the Applegate concerts and Applegater thank-you-volunteers parties, Mike Eastman, holding Avery, and Anna Eastman, holding Addy. See APPLEGATE LODGE, page 20. Explore backcountry shelters on the Siskiyou Crest BY SUZIE SAVOIE Donomore Cabin west of Dutchman Peak was built in 1935. Photo: Suzie Savoie. backcountry shelters on the Siskiyou Crest. It was and is used as a picnic and camping area in the summer, as a stopping point for PCT thru-hikers, and as a snow shelter for cross-country skiers and snowshoers in winter. e rustic covered pavilion is enclosed on two sides and has a central wood-burning fireplace. The Grouse Gap shelter is easily accessed via a short spur road off Forest Service Road 20 and has great views of Mount Ashland above and Mount Shasta in the distance. ere is one picnic table, a vault toilet, and good parking. West of Grouse Gap Shelter is Wrangle Camp, just off of Road 20. Wrangle Camp includes a shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, several picnic tables, a rustic kitchen area, and a cabin built by the Soil Conservation Service in the 1930s. Tent sites, fire pits, and a vault toilet are also available, but no drinking water. The camp is located next to a flower-filled meadow with access to the PCT and Big Red Mountain close by. e Dutchman Peak Lookout is not open for public use, since it is still an active fire lookout, but you can park at the gate on the access road and walk to the lookout to see the historic structure and take in the astounding views. Built in Don't think twice — give twice Donate to the Applegater now and NewsMatch doubles your gift We at the Applegater always count on you—articles you see here are written by Applegaters about the Applegate, for Applegater readers. It's only possible to collect, print and distribute the Applegater thanks to your support. From now until the end of the year, we get to count your donations twice over! at's thanks to the annual NewsMatch campaign. As members of the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Applegater sees donations received by December 31 doubled as part of a national matching- gift campaign benefiting nonprofit news groups across the nation. Don't think twice—give twice. Make a donation by New Year's Eve so your donation will be doubled. You can do so online at applegater.org, or mail a check (dated no later than December 31, 2022) to PO Box 14, Jacksonville, OR 97530. Two times not enough times? How about multiplying your gift 12 times over? When you start a monthly pledge in December, NewsMatch matches the full-year value of your monthly donation. If you sign up to give, say, $10 per month, NewsMatch will send the Applegater $120. To make such a pledge, just find the "Donate" button on our home page at applegater.org and choose the "Make this a monthly donation" option. However you choose to give, the Applegater is grateful for your support. We do what we do for you, and only continue to appear in your mailbox because of you. Thank you!

• Cover