2020 Trips To Date
Paradise
15.5 miles of hiking • 3500' elevation gain •
Took the Paradise Park Trail #778 from Kiwanis Camp Rd. Although the trip is longer and in the forest, the trail has a very gentle grade and the miles go by fast. Lots of saprophytes along this trail. All the blowdown has been cleared. Only saw 2 people on the 6 1/2 mile out and back portion of this trip.
At Paradise Park, there were surprisingly few people. The flower fields fantastic and fragrant, bugs minimal. I climbed up alongside the Zigzag Canyon, stopping to look down at the waterfalls as I had lunch. Then I traversed over to Split Rock-fun navigating the drainages.
Gorgeous day.
August 4, 2020
1
Huffman and Siouxon Peaks
9.5 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Started at the airy Huffman Peak trailhead, off 6403. Big views from the get-go. Pleasant rambling, nice forest and shady sections. Berries starting to ripen. No humans. Great day in the Gifford!
July 28, 2020
Larch Mountain
9.5 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Biked up from the gate at MP 10, did the loop, plus a secret side trip. Saw zero people and as I was zooming downhill,I blasted my tunes, fun ride out!
July 21, 2020
3
Lost Lake drain hole and volcanic crater
3 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
There are so many Lost Lakes. This is the one just off highway 20 just west of Santiam Pass. It has a fascinating natural phenomenon. The lake actually drains INTO two lava tubes on the north side. I've been here three different times, with varying water levels. The first time was in 2015(first pic). Today you could see the lava tubes, but they didn't have the waterfall effect. After visiting the lake, I climbed up to the adjacent little volcano that abuts the highway. When I dropped into the forested crater, all sounds of the traffic disappeared and I felt like I had entered the "Land of the Lost". Was also attacked by huge swarms of wee beasties. Had to don the bug baffler which I carry with me June July and August for just such occasions.
July 18, 2020
3
Three Fingered Jack
13.5 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Easy five mile approach from Santiam Pass on the PCT. Then it is all up. Saw a few goats. Perfect weather with a kind breeze to beat off the heat. Moved efficiently with a party of four, but it somehow still took us 14 hrs. The climbing section was great, with three protected traverses(including "the crawl") and then a vertical climb to the summit block. Very little space on the airy summit. Fun rappel down. The sketchy approach to the summit ridge was intense requiring laser focus. I knew a young person who died coming down from the summit here in 2005, but I mostly kept it out of my mind while I was on that section.
July 17, 2020
2
Newton Creek Loop
7 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain •
It was our anniversary and the spouse took the day off to go hiking with me! Quite a few cars at the Elk Meadows TH for a Monday, so we went a bit further and started off in the nordic ski lot and then turned uphill on the Newton Creek Trail where it was very quiet. Beautiful day on the mountain. We especially enjoyed the Heather Canyon area on Clark Creek.
July 13, 2020
2
June Lake/Ape Canyon bike shuttle
11.5 miles of hiking • 2750' elevation gain •
Started off with 5 mile bike ride from June Lake to Ape Canyon TH. Threw bike in bushes and hiked up Ape Canyon to Loowit, and headed CW back to the June.
July 9, 2020
1
Elkhorns
39.5 miles of hiking • 9750' elevation gain • 4 nights
Fun tour of the Elkhorns, traveling most of the crest trail, with some side trips up the local peaks. We started from Pine Creek road for an easy car shuttle from Anthony Lakes.
Walked the four miles from end of pavement up the road to Pine Creek Reservoir where we spent the night. We had the place to ourselves( + the resident goats).
There is no trail from the Pine Creek Basin to the crest trail, but the cross country travel was delightful. After gaining the crest we dropped our packs and climbed up to Rock Creek Butte( no trail but easy walk up). We then backtracked south on the crest trail to the gorgeous Twin Lakes to camp on night two.
There were a few other human groups at Twin Lakes, and hundreds of goats who have become habituated to people visiting in the summer. It was enjoyable to watch them graze the hillsides, but not so fun shooing them away from camp.
Our third day involved a 13 mile hike along the crest trail and we turned off to camp at Summit Lake a mile to the east. Wow, that place is just gorgeous! Much bigger than we expected, and set in a dramatic bowl surrounded by granite peaks. It truly rivals Colchuck in beauty. There were several other parties at the lake, but we found an excellent lakeside campsite.
Day four was the funnest because we were in the granite territory and we scrambled up Mt Ruth (easy fun) and Mt Angell (dicey!). Spent last night camped along the Crawfish Basin trail.
Notes: 1) The northern half of the crest trail still has a lot of snow covering the tread. It was soft enough to travel on top of, but I wouldn't recommend trail runners. 2) Mosquitoes not too bad, appeared in the evening around the lakes, but we all had some tick visitors on this trip.
July 1 – July 5, 2020
2
Silver Star and Hidden Falls
13 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Did the loop and added on out and back to Hidden Falls from the Sturgeon Rock/Tarbell junction.
Not happy about more clearcuts on the Tarbell Trail.
Flowers going strong up there, with some nice beargrass fields too. No goats today.
June 24, 2020
Cape Falcon
4.5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Staying at the beach with family. Up early for a quick jaunt. Previous day very rainy, trail was terrible- roots mud and long stretches of standing water. Required lots of attention to footwork. Loved the big trees and when I reached the tip of the point, enjoyed watching numerous seabirds below including at least 20 pelicans.
Low tide. On the return trip I took a scramble trail adjacent to the waterfall down to Short Sand beach. Almost calamity slipping on the rocks of the last cliff band. Saved by clinging to spruce branch until I got my footing.
June 21, 2020
2
Too Spur-Ramona Loop
11.5 miles of hiking • 2750' elevation gain •
Great day but Hood never came out of the clouds. Feet got a little wet crossing the Muddy Fork.
June 17, 2020
1
Esau Canyon on John Day River
16 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain • 1 night
This is in the Cottonwood Canyon State Park. Met my pals at the TH. We hiked up past the Lost Corral and set up camp above the mouth of Esau Canyon, then went a-wandering the hills above. Saw some baby deers! They froze and were camoflaged very well. (Used zoom on my camera, didnt get too close) Love all the gorgeous basalt. Explored the Rattlesnake Canyon and falls too. Very cool.
Beautiful evening in camp, we hung out in the dark after dinner and listened to the birds and crickets. So nice to NOT be shivering at night and feel like you have to dive immediately into your tent-yay summer!
June 8 – June 9, 2020
3
Rooster Rock (Molalla) via High ridge Bike Shuttle
7.5 miles of hiking • 3750' elevation gain •
I drove up to the Rooster Rock TH and threw my bike in the bushes. Then drove down and started at the Old Bridge TH. I was expecting a ridge walk, but this was more of a "below the ridge walk", in the cool woods for several hours with just a few wildflower meadows and viewpoints along the way. Trail is very well maintained. It was a pleasant gradual uphill grade, just one steep section around mile 3. After 5 1/2 miles and over 3500 ft gain, I reached "Chicken Rock", which gives great views of Rooster Rock and other pinnacles, plus all the surrounding cascade mountains. Continued on the trail towards Pechuck, but ultimately decided to skip it this time. and just dropped down to the upper Rooster Rock TH. Zero humans. Fun bomber ride down the gravel road back to my car.
June 1, 2020
1
Donahue Creek on Larch Mountain
5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Well I heard the Larch area was open so I headed up to one of my favorite areas to wander. Had been avoiding this for a few years because of a massive clearcut around 2015 at the Palmer mill townsite. The young trees are now tall enough to obscure the carnage. Still some big trees and cool alder hallways around. The trails have been lightly trod in recent times.
May 28, 2020
3
South Matthieu Lake
16 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain • 2 nights
I've been wanting to do this bike/ski/climb trip for the past few years. Now have an adventure buddy who can rock all three.
Sunday: We put our skis in a kiddie trailer and slowly rode up McKenzie Pass from the gate. Stashed our bikes and trailer at Lava Camp Lake, and attempted to ski south on the PCT. Well it was a little too late this year for the skiing. The snow was patchy for the first couple miles until N Matthieu, then it was steeply forested. We hiked/postholed and carried our skis about as much as we skiied. After several hours navigating through the wilderness, we were very surprised to find three groups already camped at South Matthieu lake-including a family with barking dog and a fire near a "no campfires" sign. Grrr. Apparently there is an easier way in from the east via the Scott trail. Luckily everyone left the next day.
Well, the views looking south from our campsite were magnificent. The starry sky the first night was incredible, I saw the Milky Way and a satellite!
The next day we did a 10 mile tour through the lavalands. Our objective was Little Brother. We skiied until it started getting steep, then switched to our mtn boots, but the snow was soft and it was arduous. The beginning of our climb,but we were pretty fatigued. The morning was gorgeous, but the weather had turned by the time we reached Opie Dilldock Pass. We decided to climb Collier Cone instead and then suddenly the clouds just covered everything up and it started to rain. So we bailed, rats.
Skiing out of there the next day was also a challenge because going downhill on ice with a heavy pack through trees was beyond my skill level. The tree wells un-nerved me. After falling several times, I got this ominous feeling that an injury was looming, so I just carried them for rest of the return trip.
We dropped all of our gear near the road and went on a nice bike tour of the pass area before heading back down to the gate. Great adventure!
May 24 – May 26, 2020
1
Various trips during COVID times
63 miles of hiking • 9500' elevation gain •
I've been active, but was reluctant to post. Using this one for all the little local forays I did in Forest Park, Marquam trails, Tillamook Forest and such. Will post separate TRs for the more interesting trips.
Fri March 27, 2020. Maple Loop variation: 8miles, 1000 ft. 10 humans one dog. Forest perennials coming up. Violet and trillium blooming. Tread a bit messy. Moist day.
Monday March 30,2020 Gales Creek Trail, 5 miles 500ft eg. Rainy. Saw no-one. The Tillamook Forest is open for hiking!
Tuesday March 31, 2020 Urban hike-Mount Tabor, 5 miles 500ft, hundreds of people.
Friday April 3rd 8 miles 1500 eg, Gales Creek Story Burn loop. One pair of hikers. Delighted by skunk cabbage, snow at the top!
Sunday April 12th 7.5 miles, 900 gain, Step Creek Trail in Tillamook SF. After a couple hours of solitude, saw 8 people in last half mile near TH.
Tuesday April 14th 4.5 miles, 750 gain Marquam, Flicker and Warbler Loop also using Fairmont and Sherwood roads. Passed only 6 humans.
Saturday April 18th-Reeher’s Camp loop: Gales Creek trail to Bell Camp Road and logging road rambles around Round Top mountain-13.5 miles, 2500 ft. Plus I got a tick! One pair of runners at bottom.
Friday April 24th Council Crest Hike 3.5 miles, 750 ft Misty morning, passed 7 people 1 dog on trail, saw a few milling around on top.
Thursday April 30th-Forest Park Maple-Koenig loop 6.5 miles 750 eg. Saw 10 people on foot, 3 cyclists and one dog.
Tuesday May 19th- Just got NP swabbed for the 3rd time. Gave me a headache that the forest couldnt fix. Really nice to be back in green moist lush PDX! 2.5 miles 250 ft
May 18, 2020
1
Ancient Lake, WA
7.5 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Who doesn't love a waterfall in the desert? Spectacular area.
May 18, 2020
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1
Riverside State Park, Spokane
4 miles of hiking • 250' elevation gain •
The park had just reopened a few days before my visit. Started in the equestrian area and it really had a wild, abandoned feel to it. Biome similar to Bend, with Pondersa pine and open understory. This river feels like it's in the wilderness, rather than in the suburbs of a small city. Love the basalt formations here.
May 11, 2020
Blythe Lake, WA
3 miles of hiking • 250' elevation gain •
Enroute to a 2 week deployment in Spokane. My intention was to go to Potholes Coulee, but the map brought me to Potholes State Park. This is mostly an anglers boat ramp with very little hiking so after a frustrating lakeside wander, I headed to nearby Blythe Lake which was awesome! Followed a deer trail to a cool rim. Fun scrambly ridgewalk. Almost stepped on a rattler. Very dramatic.
May 5, 2020
1
Mill Creek Ridge
6 miles of hiking • 1250' elevation gain •
A bit creepy on the approach to TH. Hoping for some spring Morchellas. No morels but found an antler. Saw 2 cyclists, tons of elk sign, nice flowers and birds.
May 3, 2020
1
Pat's Cabin Canyon
8 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain • 1 night
Pat's Cabin Canyon is a BLM wilderness study area. Located just north of the Painted Hills Unit on Burnt Ranch Road. It is just beautiful. So dreamy wandering up and down here. You travel along an old road or in the canyon creek bed (dry). Too bad there isnt a year round water source up in the canyon, although I did see some seeps. I camped near the mouth at Bridge Creek. No-one around.
April 27 – April 28, 2020
Sutton Mountain
6.5 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain •
Escape to the high desert! Took the off trail route suggested by Barbara Bond in her 75 scrambles book. Had fun wandering the upper basalt layers of the Carroll Rim. Hedgehogs blooming on the summit. Looked down on the Painted Hills unit, which was closed.
April 26, 2020
1
Elk-Kings Traverse
10.5 miles of hiking • 3750' elevation gain •
Started early, ran the river trail and some of the traverse. Saw only 1 person on traverse, and then about 15 people and 7 dogs on the final 3 mile leg down Kings which is a brutal descent, don’t care for it at all.
April 20, 2020
Hanging Rock
9 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
You've all seen these cool pinnacles north of Smith Rock from the highway. This is within the Crooked River National Grassland. I started at the equestrian corrals just outside of the Henderson OHV. Wide open country for ridgetop ramblings, cool pinnacles and rock formations for scramblings, no-one around at all. Fun to look DOWN on Smith Rock.
April 7, 2020
3
Deschutes River: Mack's to Snake Box Canyon
12.5 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain • 1 night
Magificent! Love the high desert solitude. Basalt formations excellent. Watched bighorn graze the hillside across the river from my camp.
March 22 – March 23, 2020
3
Timberline Lodge via West Leg
5.5 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Well since the ski area was closed we decided to just take over the slopes, ha ha! It was surreal to be traversing the slopes on this bluebird day with no-one around and the chairlifts stilled.
I rented BC Nordic skis that weren't so great on the 3 hour long trip upwards on the stiff, sometimes icy surface of West Leg Road, but they sure helped me carve some turns on the way down via the Glade and Alpine runs. The Timberline Ski Area and Wyeast Lodge are closed, but we were surprised to find that Timberline Lodge (and dining room) itself was still open.... with guests.
I only counted the uphill mileage.
March 17, 2020
2
March 15, 2020
1
Gorge wanderings
7 miles of hiking • 2500' elevation gain •
Whacked a lot of bushes today. Stick in the eye, attacked by pricker bush, and a sharp scree rock pierced my favorite hiking pants. Excellent fun!
March 11, 2020
Tryon
5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Very pretty spring morning. Only a few trilliums blooming today, but lots of indian plum. In some areas there was a continuous carpet of waterleaf. In most of the other areas, the evil ivy rules.
March 3, 2020
1
February 29, 2020
2
West of The Rest
7.5 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Started out with a ridiculous bushwack, but then spent hours wandering the woods in my favorite go to wonderland. Didnt see anyone.
February 25, 2020
1
White River
7 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •
Ski/snowshoe combo up to the critter cam. No good animal pictures this time, but a banner day to be out on the mountain!
February 18, 2020
1
Oldman Pass
7 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Last class with the students-a ski tour inside a snowglobe!
February 16, 2020
1
Willow Prairie Cabin
8 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
We rented this extremely rustic cabin for the night. Fun ski in. Had some issues with the woodstove and got a few facefulls of dust and smoke. Next day, my asthma was terrible.
In the morning, we skiied east to a landing area at 5300 ft. I was short of breath and having trouble keeping up with my fast moving friends. I sent them onward to climb Mt Mcloughlin and I slowly followed behind. They successfully summitted, but I turned back at the "South Tip".
February 13, 2020
February 4, 2020
1
Deschutes River Bike Trip
1 miles of hiking • 250' elevation gain •
This was a 33 mile bike trip, but I did stop and hike up the Harris Canyon and another gully. Wanted to log it here just so I could post some pictures! It was so very beautiful. The best part is between mp 10 and 13- such excellent basalt formations, pinnacles and caves, all inviting exploration.
I want to go back soon and camp. Hard to travel across a scree field in bike cleats.
January 30, 2020
1
Birch/Holman/Wildwood Loop
4 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Struggling with my asthma and SAD. Got a good fix up from the forest. Found an interesting rogue trail,with art. Pretty soaked.
January 28, 2020
1
Pocket Creek
6 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Helping out with Mazamas Nordic Ski School, assisting with the same class I took 5 years ago! It was slow going for our novice skiiers, but I did get a good little workout in when I had to accompany some folks out early, up and down the same road twice.
January 26, 2020
2
Larch Mountain
12 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain •
Starting from about MP 9 on Larch Mountain Road(where they stopped plowing). Grueling uphill grind through heavy wet snow. Was pleased to have mild winds and some views under the cloud deck at the summit. Totally gassed afterward.
January 20, 2020
1
Lower Macleay to Collins Sanctuary
6 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Another exploration of our wonderful urban trails. I forgot how gorgeous Balch Creek Canyon is, very quiet in the morning,and then extremely crowded in the afternoon on return. Instead of going up to Pittock Mansion, I looped the Audobon trails. The Collins Sanctuary was delightful. Looks so pretty with NO IVY!
January 19, 2020
1
Markham loop
4 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Variation on the last trip, just wanted to explore more of this trail system. Trails are quieter than Forest Park, but the ivy is frightening in some areas.
January 16, 2020
1
Who needs an umbrella when you have trees?
4 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Did a loop with the Marquam, flicker and Towhee trails. How lucky are we to have such wonderful trails right in town? Dreary moods begone!
January 11, 2020
1
Tolinda Trail-Forest Park
3.5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
New trail to me-connects lower part of Germantown Rd to Leif Ericson drive. Evidence of old homesite. Muddy and slippery fun.
January 6, 2020
Tanque Verde Ridge, Saguaro NP
18 miles of hiking • 5250' elevation gain • 1 night
A challenging trip in the desert to start the year. Went up Tanque Verde Ridge to camp at Juniper Basin, 6000 ft where there was some crusty snow. We set up camp then climbed Tanque Verde Peak. Sun went down and temps plummeted. Cold night in the tent, need to fix that situation.
January 2 – January 3, 2020
2
Cactus Forest -Saguaro National Park
4.5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
On vacation with family. First foray into the desert, scouting out next trip.
Lovely day.
January 1, 2020
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