12.5 miles of hiking • 4500' elevation gain •
Took advantage of the last day of summer with the classic loop through Paradise Park, up and over Mississippi Head, farther up to the top of the Palmer ski lift, then bombing back down to Timberline at full bore as long as slope was suitable for boot skiing/skating. Beautiful day on the mountain, but nasty smoke in all the valleys from the 36 Pit Fire near Estacada. (Wondered if we saw another new fire towards Mount Jefferson, as well?)
First time ever meeting more people up on Mississippi Head. This is generally an extremely solitary route. Paradise Park was relatively quiet. Did run into some extreme doofuses who'd built a campfire on the way up to PP! WTH? It was 75° out! I think we talked them into putting it out. Also dismantled another firering and scattered the store of gathered firewood beside it. (No fires allowed ANYTIME in this area - not just now during times of extreme fire danger.) Talked to some rescue folks who wondered if someone was stuck up on the the Steel Cliffs. Oh, and ran into an evac in progress, for a gal who'd badly sprained her ankle. Kind of a crazy people-day on the mountain, especially given how few we encountered.
