12.5 miles of hiking • 5250' elevation gain •
Most awesome way possible to work off all those holiday treats! Allison and I climbed a vertical mile up to the highest point in the Columbia River Gorge, even though last night's (delicious) lasagna was weighing me down like a boat anchor, and enjoyed the wonders of an temperature inversion and magnificent views in all directions. Along the way, we walked across a very frozen Warren Lake at about 3700', and needed microSpikes to easily navigate a good bit of glaze ice. But at the summit, we enjoyed 71°F sunshine with our viewtastic lunch! (I actually picked up a bit of a sunburn!) We completed the loop down the nearly featureless Defiance trail, getting back down to river level just as the sun was setting on Dog. Great day!!!
