2018 Trips To Date
Pyramid Peak, MRNP
19 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain • 1 night
Started out at Longmire and took the Wonderland to Indian Henry, then headed up above Mirror Lakes. Rather buggy between 3500-5000 ft, but once in the alpine area, it was really nice.However, the whole area is very smoky/hazy. The meadows between Mirror Lakes and Pyramid Peak are lovely. Just need a cross country permit to camp there,I was the only one. Pyramid Peak has a trail all the way to the top, but the final few hundred ft are sketchy with loose rock. Saw some goats. Got to see some great meteor blazes too! Got an idea from the internet to take Fisher's Hornpipe Creek back down to the Wonderland. Kinda dumb. Took 3 hrs to cover 1.5 miles, but at least I didnt have to go back the way I came.
August 13 – August 14, 2018
2
Goat Lake/Royal Basin Loop, Olympics
17 miles of hiking • 5000' elevation gain • 1 night
This was a (mostly) fun solo adventure. I started at 5pm at the Upper Dungeness TH and hiked in to the junction with Royal Creek and set up camp. Next day I hiked up the Dungeness to the super steep Goat Lake trail.
Saw a bear!
Swam in a gorgeous alpine lake! Took a nap next to a gorgeous alpine lake!
After lounging over an hour at the lake, I scrambled up above the lake and had fun goofing around on the bits of snowfield and nice grippy pillow basalt. Then I went over the other side down into Royal Basin-this part of the trip was sketchy and brutal ending with a nightmarish bushwack through soggy willow thicket. Last two easy miles out by headlamp. I'm pooped!
August 6 – August 7, 2018
1
Buckhorn Peak, Olympics
14 miles of hiking • 4750' elevation gain • 1 night
We started in the late afternoon and hiked up the Upper Big Quilcene. Set up camp in the meadows just below Marmot Pass. Beautiful sunset. Got up early the next morning to summit Buckhorn, then returned to camp, packed up and headed out. Very nice day.
August 5 – August 6, 2018
Hoyt Arboretum
4.5 miles of hiking • 500' elevation gain •
Trying to get a little am exercise before the oven turns on.
July 24, 2018
Second Mother Mountain, MRNP
7.7 miles of hiking • 3750' elevation gain • 1 night
What a great day of off trail rambling in alpine terrain. Alternating travel between rock, snow and meadows kept it interesting. Saw one goat and lots of marmots.
July 18 – July 19, 2018
1
Loch Coruisk and Spar Cave, Isle of Skye
5.5 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Our last day in Skye: an introduction to the Black Cuillins. This is where I would return for backpacking. Jagged ridges, high lonesome lochs. Best of all-no sheeps! Makes a big difference in the botanical diversity. The big gabbro slabs are so grippy and invite scrambling up the ridges. It was an overcast day, and my pictures do no justice to the ominous beauty of this place.
We took a boat across the bay,but many people walk it from Elgol going round Camasunary Bay, which is idyllic. We sat on massive boulders and dreamily sketched, and oops,we just missed the last boat back to Elgol. Luckily the boat company did not want to strand its customers, so we got picked up by a speedy RIB boat and blasted our way back to town.
WE thought we had timed the tide right to visit nearby Spar Cave. It was going out but the when we neared the cave entrance,the channel still had knee to thigh deep water, so we got to do some fun climbing along the edge! Spar is another term for limestone aka calcium carbonate. This cave is really an amazing feat of geology. It is located up a narrow sea canyon(called a geo), and inside is what looks like a frozen waterfall with a continuous thin layer of water cascading over it. It looks like ice, but the texture is not smooth- you can climb it. When you reach the top you find yourself in a chamber of macabre shapes and textures and an amazing color variety. On the other side is the mermaid pool and you can walk down to it. We were blown away. About the coolest place ever that you could take a 15 year old. Of course my camera battery died trying to figure out flash adjustments in side the cave, so the first two pictures were borrowed from the internet to give you an idea of what we saw inside.
July 7, 2018
1
The Hoe, Waterstein Head and Neist Point, Isle of Skye
16 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Two different hikes in the same area. Coastal cliffwalks overlooking "The Minch". One of these was solo and I had absolute solitude(except for the sheeps).
July 6, 2018
1
The Quirang Circuit, Isle of Skye Scotland
4.5 miles of hiking • 1250' elevation gain •
Absolutely spectacular loop hike.
July 5, 2018
The Quinag, Scottish Highlands
8 miles of hiking • 3500' elevation gain •
The Quinag(pronounced Coon-yak) is a Gaelic word for milk pail. We stared at this massive sky island for 3 days, and then climbed it! It was hot and there are no trees on this mountain. Magnificent views all around and fun ridgewalking on the top.
Never saw the milk pail resemblance, oh well.
July 3, 2018
2
Old Man of Stoer, Scotttish Highlands
5.2 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •
First hike on our trip to Scotland. Bonnie weather and crackin views!
July 2, 2018
1
Bluegrass Ridge bike shuttle
12.8 miles of hiking • 3500' elevation gain •
Can't recommend this trail. So much blowdown from 2009 fire. We started at Tamanawas and took it to Polallie to the Bluegrass Ridge trail. Took it south for the long slog over a million logs. At Elk Mtn,, we dived down 2000 feet of crazy bushwhacking,which would have been fun if we handt been crawling through blowdown for the previous 3 hours. The best part of the trip was walking out through the closed Robin hood campground, totally wiped out by a major flood of Newton Creek. That place is worth returning to for further exploration.
June 19, 2018
Forest Park
9 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Cool, early morning wanderings. The understory is SO BUSHED OUT right now.
June 16, 2018
June 13, 2018
1
June 12, 2018
Douglas Trail
8.5 miles of hiking • 1250' elevation gain •
Started at the Eagle Creek end and went up to Wildcat. First two miles of trail are overgrown, wearing shorts, shins pulped.
June 6, 2018
South Sister
15.5 miles of hiking • 5250' elevation gain • 1 night
Did S Sister on a Mazama Climb. Gorgeous day. Also included in the mileage is the little hike I did the night before around Devil's Lake to Devil's Garden which is a magical area with pictographs, marmots and pikas!
June 3 – June 4, 2018
May 24, 2018
Mt Hood Campout
7.5 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain • 1 night
Took the kids camping. The Clear Creek campground is a gem, just 7 well spaced spots, very quiet. Although I usually avoid campgrounds like the plague, this is where the trailhead is, and it was so inviting, we decided to stay! Did the Camas Prairie Loop hike, and the next day we visited Mill Creek Buttes, east of Surveyor's Ridge.
May 19 – May 20, 2018
Cooper Spur
10.2 miles of hiking • 3250' elevation gain •
Gorgeous day, we were the only ones up there! Road to Cloud Cap still gated. Snow appeared around the Tilly Jane Campground ~5700 ft.
May 16, 2018
Apron Falls
8 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Had fun in the magical forest around Duncan Creek. I continued upstream beyond RailcarFalls and found myself in a maze of Weyerhauser logging roads.Tedious wandering through clearcuts and monoculture reprod, what a sad juxtaposition to the fairyland I had departed! Ended up on the backside of Archer and came down the powerline.
May 11, 2018
Coldwater Peak
16 miles of hiking • 4500' elevation gain •
Long day but conditions were perfect. Last time we were stymied by the snowfield above St Helens Lake. This time we brought Ice axe and crampons. Only used the former. Snow very soft.
May 8, 2018
May 6, 2018
Forest Park-Maple Trail Loop
8 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •
New bridge in Saltzman Canyon!
April 26, 2018
Clackamas River-bike shuttle
8 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain •
Beautiful day. This is the perfect bike shuttle, uphill on foot via trail, downstream along the road by bike.
April 24, 2018
April 23, 2018
April 18, 2018
Lyle Cherry Orchard and Rattlesnake Falls
8.5 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Escaped the rain. Flowers coming on strong!
April 10, 2018
April 7, 2018
Spring Break in Joshua Tree
20 miles of hiking • 2500' elevation gain •
Family Trip to LA and our first time to Joshua Tree NP. Had fun climbing, hiking and running in the desert.
March 30, 2018
March 20, 2018
March 15, 2018
March 14, 2018
1
Cat Creek meander
6.5 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Quiet day up there, flowers emerging, ticks are jumping, and poison oak is waking up!
March 7, 2018
February 21, 2018
2
Sisters Backcountry
18 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
We attempted to do the traverse from Dutchman Flat to Three Creeks, but had to start in a snow storm, temp in the low teens, visibility poor. After 3 miles and 3 hours of breaking trail in knee deep powder, we knew we were not going to make the first hut before nightfall. We turned back and regrouped at a hotel.
The next day the hut owners gave us a snowmobile ride up to Three Creek Lake and we got to spend the night at the second hut. Fun skiing around that area, and the ski out the next day was mighty fine!
February 19, 2018
MSH
9 miles of hiking • 4500' elevation gain •
Gorgeous day, tons of people on the mountain, including many skiers, snowboarders and dogs! Seemed like a tourist trail and quite a few plodders not very well prepared. Above 6000 feet the temp dropped and snow was very icy, crampons needed.
At 7000 ft we saw a scary accident. A fellow tried to glissade a very steep and icy section, he quickly lost control and made no attempt to self arrest. He hit the rocks, ice axe flying through the air, and tumbled down into the adjacent gully. He raised his hand after a minute, and a group went to his rescue, I don't know what kind of injuries he sustained. We were all shaken witnessing this. Had two folks who had no previous crampon/ice axe experience. We decided to turn around and make our leisurely way down the mountain. Got quite a few good glissades in the softer snow at lower elevation.
February 10, 2018
Archer
3.5 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain •
We have an exchange student from Germany who recently joined our family. I wanted to show him the gorge.
January 28, 2018
2
Fish Lake Guard Station
8 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain •
We rented some Forest Service cabins at this historic site on the Santiam Wagon Road. Has been around for 100 years as a waypoint for pack trains. Really delightful cabin with a great porch overlooking the lake. First two days were rainy, had to drive further up to Santiam Pass to get some snow action. On the third day we woke to a magical new layer of snow all around us flocking the forest and muffling the air. Fish Lake sits on a holey lava bed and drains in the summer to become a meadow. Hiked and skiied all around the area, complete solitude.
January 25, 2018
1
Sedum Ridge via PCT
12 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Trying to reach the special spot. Haven't made it yet.
January 16, 2018
January 14, 2018
Sedum Ridge Trail
8 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain •
First hike of the year! Did not hit persistent snow until 2600 ft.
January 8, 2018
