On the trail to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove, in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Halfway down the steep, mist-speckled ravine our guide stopped to consult her map and compass once again.



Thickets of ferns stirred from a soft breeze. Hemlocks and Douglas firs, hundreds of feet high, formed the rainforest's vast and towering canopy.



We'd been hiking for close to 30 minutes, through a gantlet of green underbrush and fallen logs. Our destination was a terraced waterfall known as Devil's Staircase, a remote and scenic wonder hidden in the heart of the southern Oregon Coast Range.



There was just one problem now: We had wandered way off course. And we had only just begun what is, on a good day, a grueling 8-hour bushwhack out and back.

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Bushwhacking through the rainforest of the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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The five of us exchanged flustered glances. Sweat steamed from our bodies.



A tinge of panic set in.



That a group of moderately experienced hikers could wind up so disoriented in a short time is perhaps a testament to just how wild this section of woods remains. That, at its essence, is an alluring feature.



But it can also be a little frightening.

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Jason Gonzales, with Oregon Wild, attempts to navigate through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Nestled between the Smith and Umpqua Rivers, this area is one of the last — and largest — old growth forests left in the coastal mountains. It's home to bears, otters and spotted owls. Colossal trees flourish in the unruly, almost impenetrable landscape.



Conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts for years have pushed lawmakers in Congress to permanently protect this wildland area, which is named after its distinguished waterfall.



That prospect, which would prohibit logging, roads or any type of future development, is now the best it's been in a decade.



With the help of Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the 30,000-acre Devil's Staircase Wilderness is a part of a bipartisan public lands bill that the Senate is expected to vote on — and likely pass — next month.

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The Devil's Staircase is a terraced waterfall on Wassen Creek, which runs through one of the largest — and last — old-growth forests in the Oregon Coast Range. Unfortunately, our reporters did not make it there on a recent trip to the area. (Chandra LeGue/Oregon Wild)

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The proposed wilderness also has a longtime champion in the House, Democratic Rep. Peter Defazio, whose party is set to regain control of the lower legislative chamber for the first time since 2010.



"It is one of the last untouched places in Oregon," said Chandra LeGue, a field coordinator for advocacy group Oregon Wild. She invited reporters from The Oregonian/OregonLive to see for ourselves.



So on a recent drizzly Tuesday, my colleague Jamie Hale and I set off on a winding, scenic drive to an agreed-upon rendezvous roughly two hours southwest of Eugene.

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A massive clearcut stands in stark contrast to the forested hills of the Coast Range, found near the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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It didn't take long for us to get out of cell phone range and into the heart of Oregon's timber country. Views of clear cuts along the way served as reminders that logging continues to leave an indelible mark on the landscape.



Service roads overgrown with salmonberries took us the last few miles, which ended at an old logging spur. There we met LeGue and two of her Oregon Wild colleagues, Jason Gonzalez and Arran Robertson.



Only about a hundred people annually visit the Devil's Staircase waterfall, a section of Wassen Creek, we learned. A few hapless hikers each year spend a cold night in the woods after becoming lost.



There are no designated trails or pathways through the wilderness, nor any sign of human presence.

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A fallen leaf rests on a bed of green growth in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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LeGue had made the trek to the waterfall several times in the past, but had never before led an excursion there. The rest of us were eager first-time explorers.



Yet even with a detailed topographical map and a guide familiar with the dense and breathtaking landscape we quickly lost our way. Fortunately, we were able to retrace our steps.



By the time we managed to scramble back up a to the ridge we started on — huffing, puffing and taking in the sights — 90 minutes had passed. Now late morning, it seemed unlikely that we'd make it to the waterfall and back before dark.



So we decided to visit another popular destination of the proposed wilderness area, a stand of 400- to 500-year-old Douglas firs dubbed The Dark Grove. It is less of a slog and a well-traveled area by comparison. LeGue knew it well.

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Chandra LeGue and Jason Gonzales use all the tools at their disposal to navigate through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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To get there, we drove to another nearby logging road since reclaimed by the forest. We then followed a game trail about 2-miles as it dropped 1,000 feet down a winding ridge.



The rugged terrain was also stunning — and only slightly treacherous. We stepped carefully over exposed roots and maneuvered around toppled trees. Along the path, we encountered a variety of mushrooms, salamanders and snails.



In all likelihood, we were the only people within miles of this place. That realization startled me at first but later filled me with a joyful calm.

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On a game trail to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove, in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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After about two hours of slow and steady hiking we reached the Dark Grove and met its ancient inhabitants.



We craned our necks. We stared in silence.



The Devil's Staircase could wait.



-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

503-294-7632; skavanaugh@oregonian.com



See More Photos Below

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Jason Gonzales, with Oregon Wild, crosses a log on a trek through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range, to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Chandra LeGue, a field coordinator with Oregon Wild, leads a trek through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Jason Gonzales uses a topographical map to navigate through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Bushwhacking through the rain forest of the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Arran Robertson with Oregon Wild makes a trek through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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A large turkey tail mushroom grows beside the trunk of a tree in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Chandra LeGue, a field coordinator with Oregon Wild, holds a salamander she found in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Jason Gonzales, with Oregon Wild, ties a trail marker on a tree in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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A trail marker and moss hang from a tree branch in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Small growth pushes out of the dark rainforest floor of the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Arran Robertson with Oregon Wild wears a pair of gaiters to hike the wet trail to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove, in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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A snail shell rests among fir needles and ferns in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Thin branches are draped with moss and dripping wet, deep within the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. Oregon Wild campaign organizer Jason Gonzales is obscured on the other side. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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A spider hangs from its web in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Oregonian reporter Shane Dixon Kavanaugh crosses the forest on a trek through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range, to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Turkey tail mushrooms grow on the underside of a fallen log on the trail to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove, in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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On the game trail through the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range, to a patch of old-growth trees called the Dark Grove. (Jamie Hale/Staff)

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Blue sky and clouds pop out from the thick rain forest canopy in the proposed Devil's Staircase Wilderness in the Coast Range. (Jamie Hale/Staff)