Petersen

My doctor is a contrarian.

For my annual physical he prescribes not an array of pills or a vortex of procedures.

He prescribes hiking the Mottet/Sinks Trail.

OK, he doesn’t write a prescription. He says I might like this trail.

I shock him by taking his advice.

Doc is retiring later this month, reassured that at least some patients follow his advice to get exercise — and not eat junk.

Packing a Twinkie, I jump in the car and head for the Blue Mountains. Just kidding! For real, I pack everything but the kitchen sink — in case I get cornered by Bigfoot and have to stay the night — and drive to the trailhead southeast of Jubilee Lake.

Sinks Trail climbs five miles. Following a historic route over the Blues, the trail has an average grade of 5%. Even the steepest grade, 15%, is mild by Blues standards.

I park the car at the gate and hike up Forest Service Road 6307. Around the first corner, on my left, is the trailhead.

It’s a blazing August day (OK, an average August day). Soon, though, I am hiking through a sea of cool ferns. In the shade of old growth forest, I watch for The Sink, which might be a good place to spot swamp critters.

The trail rises from 3,500 to 4,700 feet elevation. The first stretch is steepest but not formidable. All told, the trail requires 1,229 feet of climbing — and only 50 feet of descending.

A favorite of mountain bikers, the trail is well maintained and easy to navigate. On this Wednesday I see nobody on a ridge as views unfold of The Sink.

The best time of year to hike the trail is June through October. Early in the season, wildflower blooms erupt: coneflowers, false solomon seal, Canada thistle, trilliums, Indian paintbrush.

By late August, the flowers are mostly fried.

Chattering squirrels, undaunted by the heat, use fallen logs as race tracks.

Soon I am in an avenue of giants. Massive ponderosa pine soar.

Sinks is the minivan of trails — great for the whole family: Mild grade. No dropoffs or ball-bearing footing. Easy hiking.

I pass a swamp of chest-high ferns. Quiet prevails, broken only by the occasional jet in a rush to some distant city.

The heat intensifies. Dappled sunshine provides little relief. Mother Nature’s air conditioning seems broken.

The trail climbs to Jubilee Lake, but I stop short of this jewel of the Blues. After a lunch break, and 15 minutes contemplating weird woods sounds, I turn around and retrace my steps, noticing now that coyote and elk have shared the path.

So have horses, I reckon, as I dodge evidence.

Sinks Trail is easy walking — and doctor recommended.

As always, leave only footprints and take only pictures. Whether in town or on the trail, try to leave your surroundings better than you found them.

If You Go

From Tollgate on Highway 204, follow Forest Service Road 64 for 10.5 miles. Turn right on Forest Service Road 63. Drive 5.5 miles and turn left to stay on 63 going toward Elgin. In another mile you’ll see a sign for Sinks Trail. Park by the gate. From Elgin: Look up “Sinks Trail” on the Umatilla National Forest website for directions and lower elevation access.