18.8 miles of hiking • 4750' elevation gain •
Our original plan was a weekend Timberline 360 with an overnight stay at Timberline Lodge. Unfortunately, the mountain had other plans.
We started at Vista Ridge heading clockwise around Mt. Hood. Shortly after passing the Cooper Spur shelter, it started lightly hailing. That turned into sideways hail, snow, and thunderstorms as we crossed the exposed flanks of Mt. Hood between Cooper Spur and Lamberson Spur. After running / jogging the last couple miles before Lamberson Spur, we decided to bail out at the Elk Meadow TH. We arrived at Timberline Lodge completely drenched, despite wearing rain gear. Our weekend attempt at the Timberline Trail was over, as there just was not enough time for our waterlogged boots and packs to dry. Instead, we hiked to the Timberline Lodge Buffet before driving back to Vista Ridge to pick-up the car.
