10.5 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
In the end, I guess my takeaway was, "okay, checked that one off!" I know a lot of folks really like this hike, and there are some compelling reasons to do so. But man, there are also a number of reasons it won't be on the "once a year rotation" schedule, too! For a place that's within walking distance (really!) of US-26, it takes forever to get to the trailhead. The trailhead itself seems to be a party pit, with numerous bonfire remains and countless shotgun shell casings trashing up the place. The "trail" begins as something used and abused by off-road vehicles. Blah, blah, blah..
Anyway, before too long, the tread becomes too steep in a couple places for the motorized cretins to continue. And all along it's going through an absolutely lovely forest that's thick with rhododendron floating over a carpet of oxalis. There are a couple of nice meadows a few miles in, one with a very nice view of Mount Hood. Beyond that, it's back in the forest again. The summit is a thicket of rhododendron. A little scrambling gets you to (mostly obscured) views of Hood, MSH, Rainier, and Adams.
The map offered on PortlandHikers field guide promises another viewpoint a bit past the summit, too. Well, we got to one where we actually could see the Hood, the three WA volcanoes, and Jefferson, but didn't really feel it merited the "viewpoint" moniker so we kept walking until we hit the Huckleberry Mountain trail. Bah! Heh... Back we go. This time deciding to try getting one decent "buddy shot" at the "viewpoint" on return.
Until this point, we'd been totally alone. On the way back, we ran into a variety of folks. I'd accidentally left my poles on the summit, so had to return there and found that a nice lady was going to turn them into the Ranger Station. Thankfully, I'd saved her the trouble. Met a couple with a dachshund in a messenger bag - he'd walked all the way to the summit, but was pooped out and appreciated the ride down. Met a big family at the first viewpoint. Met another pair of women a bit farther down. Then a total asshole on a dirt bike came roaring up the trail, tearing all to hell in the process. Man...
Anyway, the jeep was still intact at the TH on return. Only one other jeep was there. A few more cars had parked 1/4 mile down the rutted road. And still more a bit farther than that. So... Worth checking this one out/off, no doubt about that! But wow, really too bad the way this area is trashed by the locals. :-(
