The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 34
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Fire disrupts PCT treks
Highway tangle…
By Stuart Ehr Correspondent
A fuel truck and a pickup truck got tangled up on Highway 20 east of Sisters on Friday, August 16. The crash closed the highway and snarled traffic for hours — but it could have been much worse. There was no fuel spill and the occupants of the vehicles were OK. PHOTO BY ROB BELL
One of the great thru-hikes of the world, the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), has been a monumental challenge for the class of 2024. This is the time of year that thru-hikers from around the world and all 50 states arrive in Sisters, either hiking northbound (NOBO) from the Mexican border, or southbound (SOBO) from the Canadian border, and attempt to hike a continuous footpath from one national border to the other. A journey of 2,650 miles, or 6.2 million steps if you prefer. Sisters is where NOBOs and SOBOs See HIKERS on page 12
Project to protect wildlife Rider marks a lifetime on the trail moves to next phase By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
The Highway 20 corridor between Sisters and Suttle Lake is a diverse landscape dotted with vast stands of ponderosa pines, leafy aspens, horse camps, a butte, bucolic meadows, and wildlife. Anywhere from 350 to 600 mule deer and elk are killed annually along the
stretch from collisions with vehicles. That’s about 90 for every mile of the corridor we learned from Cidney Bowman, wildlife passage coordinator for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). In discussing the issue with The Nugget Bowman elaborated: See WILDLIFE on page 15
Predicted water shortage evaporates By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
The back of an intensely warm July seems to have been broken —and hay, alfalfa and orchard grass growers in Sisters Country are breathing a sigh of relief. While their water supply has been reduced to 70 percent as of August 12, that’s an improvement over
Inside...
last year. Given the spate of hot weeks it was a surprise to Jim Williams, Water and Hydro Manager for Three Sisters Irrigation District. The District supplies water to 185 users with 7,572 acres. Williams told The Nugget: “Last year this time I’m thinking we were already down to 50 percent, See WATER on page 16
“A perfect day for my birthday!” Gerry Jimerson proclaimed on Saturday, August 17, as she stood next to Sam, who had just taken her on a nine-mile trail ride out of Sisters Cow Camp. A day in the saddle and an afternoon relaxing with friends at Sisters Cow Camp is as fitting a celebration of a 91st birthday as it is possible to have for a woman who has spent her life in the saddle — and decades maintaining trails and camps in Sisters Country. Jimerson has taken the lead on maintaining Sisters Cow Camp southwest of Sisters off Forest Road 15 for 35 years. She’s a three-decade star volunteer with the local chapter of Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET). A trail addition established out of the camp in 2012 was named Jimerson Loop in honor of all the work she and her late husband Don put in on the trails and at the camp. The work isn’t exactly glamorous. In addition to helping friends restore corrals, Gerry steps up seven
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Gerry Jimerson with Sam, celebrating her 91st birthday with a trail ride out of Sisters Cow Camp. days or so to clean up the “potty house.” “Somebody had to do it,” she said with a grin. “I just fell into it.” That kind of see-a-needfill-a-need ethic comes directly out of her upbringing on a ranch in Huasna Valley, California. “My dad (was) a rancher,” Jimerson recalled. “My first horse was named Fanny. I had her before I was born. I did boy things, because I was a girl and my dad had me.”
Hard work and time in the saddle have been the hallmarks of Jimerson’s long life ever since. She attributes her longevity and spry good health to those elements. “I don’t smoke. I never drank,” she said. “I worked hard all my life. So I guess that’s it. I can still get on a pony.” While living in Norco, California, she took up horse training. As with her work See JIMERSON on page 19
Letters/Weather................ 2 Of a Certain Age................. 6 Trailgrams......................... 9 Entertainment.................. 11 Crossword . ......................21 Meetings........................... 3 Obituaries..........................7 Announcements................10 Scottie Wisdom & Faith..... 17 Classifieds.................. 22-23