Old McKenzie Highway's closure opens the door to barefoot hike opportunity.

Byline: John Rezell The Register-Guard

Word drifted in along an autumn breeze that the Old McKenzie Highway had been closed for the season, the snow gate shut in anticipation of the first wintry storms on the way.

OK, maybe it wasn't an autumn breeze. Maybe it was an e-mail. Nonetheless, you need keep your eyes and ears open to possibilities.

Combine that knowledge with the realization we were having a very mild fall a few weeks back, and I heard opportunity calling.

I headed up to find the snow gate closed at the Youth Center Camp, just west of mile marker 62 - about four miles before Alder Springs Campground, where I started on my trek to the McKenzie Pass in the spring.

Often the second time on an adventure allows you the chance to explore a little more.

Two miles into the climb, I stopped at the Proxy Falls trailhead, which I passed by in the middle of the night in the spring. I had the chance to explore a little.

The map shows two falls along a 1.25-mile trail. Hmmmm. Perfect. Just what I had been looking for. I stashed my bike in the woods and prepared for a hike.

Not just any hike.

I've been waiting for an opportunity to rerun another memorable experience from last year - hiking barefoot.

My jaunt through the woods in my outing to Moolack Lake last year seemed to bring me closer to nature. With autumn cooling the earth down, it was time for a repeat performance.

Barefoot, I hit the trail.

It begins with a wonderfully soft carpet of fir needles, the kind of trail that makes hiking and biking in Oregon such a joy. But I knew that wouldn't last. I knew we were climbing into a lava field.

Still, the trail wasn't completely jagged rocks. It kept me awake, that's for sure, as I felt the profound difference between the soft floor of a forest and the rough edges of a lava field. This is exactly the connection I searched for.

Soon the forest overtook the lava fields again, with my soles sensing the gradual transition as my feet went from a constant stinging to that cold, soft cush.

When I paused for a moment and listened, the trees echoed with the roar of waterfalls.

I hit the sign that splits the trail toward the lower Proxy Falls, and took it.

The sound of water cascading down the mountainside seeped through the woods, almost surrounding me.

Suddenly, the forest curtain opened to my left, as the trail paralleled a huge downed tree. And, once again. WHACK! My jaw hit the ground.

Proxy Falls, in all its wonder.

I hiked down to get a refreshing blast of spray, and simply enjoyed the sights, knowing the chances of anyone else being anywhere near me was remote.

The icy water super-cooled my stinging feet, but that only magnified the wonder of the waterfalls.

Each step brought me a riveting experience, moving from soft fir needles to spongy, saturated moss; smooth water-polished stones to rough ragged rocks, gentle thick current to pellets of whitewater spray.

I took off my shirt and moved into the mist, feeling how quickly one could get chilled to the bone on a 40-degree day. My feet were cold, yes, but the whole experience felt exhilarating.

Once out of the water and back on the trail, my feet warmed back up, taking me back full circle, through the woods, over the lava flow, back to the trailhead.

Again the only thing for certain is that I'll do this again.

Sooner than later.

John Rezell, aka, Raz, can be reached at www.eugenemeraz.com.