2011 Trips
Cooper Spur
7 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
One awesome hike with an amazing view of Mt Hoods Summit.
August 20, 2011
Johnston Ridge Observatory / Truman Trail
10 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain •
Went and checked out the North side of Mt St Helens for the first time. Got some great views of Spirit Lake as well as the crater.
August 19, 2011
1
Eagle Creek to Table Mountain
54 miles of hiking • 8500' elevation gain • 3 nights
Took a friend backpacking in the Gorge for a few days. Here's what we ended up doing:
Sunday - Got dropped off at Eagle Creek late Sunday night and hiked up to Tenas Camp.
Monday - Hiked from Tenas Camp up to Whatum Lake. Got stung by 6 or 7 bee's on the way up there. Saw the signs but didn't see the bee's coming so fast.
Tuesday - Left Whatum Lake on the PCT and went up Chinidere. Then decided to make the trek east to Rainy Lake. Once we got to Rainy Lake, we decided to push it and ended up all the way down at Herman Creek Campground for the night.
Wednesday - From Herman Creek Campground, we walked on in to Cascade Locks, stopped at Char Burger, then walked across the bridge of the gods to the PCT on the washington side. From there, are plan was to hike up to Gillette Lake and call it a night but we ended up getting there fairly early. So we pushed it up Heartbreak Ridge and got a nice view from the top of Table. Finally, we made our way back down to the resort and got picked up around 8PM.
August 14 – August 17, 2011
South Sister
12.5 miles of hiking • 5000' elevation gain •
Made it to the top of South Sister, one amazing view at the top! Had perfect weather to hang out on the summit it for a bit.
August 13, 2011
2
Triple Dog
21 miles of hiking • 8500' elevation gain •
Set out to do the quad dog today with Captain Defiance and Eric. Got three laps in and had to call it an early day due to something that came up. Still got a nice workout from it.
What's next?
July 30, 2011
1
Double Dog
15 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain •
Went out and did Dog Mountain twice with my girlfriend today. Figured I'd keep my "hikes with at least two D's" streak alive.
July 23, 2011
6
Triple Defiance Challenge
32.5 miles of hiking • 13500' elevation gain •
Set out at 4AM with Mayhem and CascadeHiker to attempt to climb Mt. Defiance three times. Took the Starvation trail up and got to the top around 7AM. We then took the same trail back down to the cars. After doing it once I already felt like I was done for the day but I managed to complete the second lap as well.
After doing Defiance twice every joint in my body was already on fire so I didn't have much faith in completing a third lap. But I figured it was worth a shot. The last time up we took the Defiance Trail for a change in scenery. I made it to 3,600 feet before I ran out of gas and couldn't go any further. The walk back down to the car was rough and I'm much more sore today than I was after doing the Triple D.
By far the hardest hike I've ever attempted.
July 2, 2011
2
Mount Mitchell
6 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Fun little hike with an amazing view of Mt St Helens, as well as Adams, Rainier, and Hood.
June 26, 2011
1
June 21, 2011
1
Wildwood Trail
30 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Been wanting to try this one for awhile. Got dropped off at the trailhead on Newberry Road at 5:30 am and started walking towards the Oregon Zoo. About 5 miles in, I started to notice a pattern...switchback, switchback, switchback, footbridge. That basically sums up the first 25 miles of the hike. Once I got to the Pittock Mansion I was able to get some great views and change in scenery. Going through the Hoyt Arboretum was pretty cool as well.
I tracked the hike with my GPS since I was curious to see what the total elevation gain was from the up and downs. Came in just over 2,000 feet over the course of 30 miles. Definitely a looooong hike. Took me 11 hours walking at a pretty quick pace.
June 16, 2011
2
Table Mountain
13 miles of hiking • 4000' elevation gain •
Finally made it up to the top of Table Mountain. Started at the Dick Thomas trailhead and took the West Trail up to the top, then came down the North side. We eventually hit the PCT and then bushwhacked are way up to the top of the mountain behind table, which has an elevation of 3,553 ft (name?). Came back down and then followed the PCT back to the Dick Thomas trail.
June 11, 2011
4
The Triple D
25 miles of hiking • 10250' elevation gain •
Ever since hearing about the Triple D (Devils Rest, Mt Defiance, Dog Mountain) I've wanted to attempt it so I decided to give it a shot today. Woke up early and drove to the Wahkeena Trailhead and started around 6:45. It was my first time hiking to Devil's Rest so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was a bit surprised when I reached the "summit" since I expected a bit more views. But the rocks are pretty cool and the hike was a nice climb.
Total time for Devils Rest was 1 hour and 58 minutes.
I started the Mt Defiance hike around 8:45 and took the Mt Defiance trail up. About a mile in I thought for sure I was going to tip over. It's one steep climb and feels like it's never going to end. I was very surprised at how much snow has melted since I was last up there. Most of the talus fields are no longer covered so it was a little easier finding my way up to the top. However, some of the rocks have a blanket of snow over them and I kept falling through to the rocks (not good for the ankles). After climbing for 2 hours and 44 minutes, I finally reached the summit!
Unfortunately I got a bit lost coming back down since it was hard to retrace my steps. I ended up on a different talus field and had to use my map and GPS to find the way back. I ended up connecting up with the trail a ways down the ridge and it added a little bit of distance. Once I hit the trail and got below the snow line I started to jog for awhile since it actually felt better on my knees than walking.
Total time for Mt Defiance was 4 hours and 41 minutes.
Next stop, Dog Mountain. At this point my legs were already feeling a bit sore but I knew I could force myself up this one. I elected to take the more difficult trail up since it's shorter. Once I got to the meadow I was amazed at all the flowers. It changed a ton since last Friday. It was super windy up there today and for the first time ever I got to the summit and didn't see a soul. I didn't get a view other than a massive cloud. It felt like it was about 45 degrees up there so I decided to get my ass back down to the car.
Total time for Dog Mountain was 2 hours and 28 minutes.
Overall, the whole thing took 9 hours and 7 minutes to complete. It was by far the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. Totally recommend giving it a shot sometime!
June 7, 2011
2
Silver Star Grand Tour
15 miles of hiking • 5250' elevation gain •
Hiked this with the Mazamas. They call it the Silver Star Grand Tour, which I can easily say is my favorite hike so far. We started off at the Starway Trailhead, then followed an unofficial trail that's being developed by the guy who lead the hike. It took us across a creek crossing and up an extremely steep talus field. We eventually hit the Silver Star parking lot and then followed one of the main trails up to the summit.
From there, we made our way down Silver Star and then connected up with the trail that leads to Little Baldy. We didn't go up to the summit of Little Baldy due to snow so we went around it. Next stop was the top of Bluff Mountain. There were some amazing views from Bluff Mountain. The trail from there was pretty snow covered, so we ended up coming down the North Ridge of Bluff Mountain, which was very steep and rocky (and also a ton of fun!). We eventually hit a road that we followed down to the creek, where we had to do a tough stream crossing. Tried using garbage bags over our shoes but no luck, all of our shoes were soaked. A few people fell in since the current was so strong from the creek being really high due to snow melt.
Overall, it was an amazing hike. I'm definitely sore today...
June 3, 2011
Dog Mountain
6.5 miles of hiking • 2750' elevation gain •
Decided to head out to Dog today to see if I could beat my time from my last trip report. Since I missed my goal of getting to the top in under an hour, I decided to push it a bit harder today. I tried to jog as much of the trail as I could but by the time I got to the top I thought I was going to vomit. Luckily I managed to hit my goal. After a short break I started back down the less difficult trail. Since I didn't bring my poles this time I could definitely feel it in my knees. The trail was also really muddy so there was a few times where I couldn't stop and thought I was going to run into a tree.
I cut about 20 minutes off my previous time but I had absolutely no energy to try the second trip. Not sure if I can do much better than this but we'll see in a few weeks.
Times:
- Up: 57 Minutes ("More Difficult Trail")
- Break: 8 Minutes
- Down: 28 Minutes ("Less Difficult Trail")
- Total Time: 1 Hour, 33 Minutes
June 2, 2011
2
Elk and King's Mountain Loop
11.5 miles of hiking • 4000' elevation gain •
Did one of the hikes on my to-do list today. Went up Elk first, then looped around to the King's Mountain summit. Finished off by walking the trail that runs along the highway back to the Elk Creek Campground.
There's some pretty steep terrain between the two mountains but it was a lot of fun. There's a small amount of snow left on the road but other than that it's melted out. However, it was trying really hard to snow today.
Overall this is one of my favorite hikes so far, with some great views and some fun rock scrambling.
May 27, 2011
Aldrich Butte to Table Mountain
6 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Started at the Aldrich Butte trailhead with the goal of making it up to the top of Table Mountain. After hitting the Heartbreak Ridge Trail, we started on our way up but realized it was already getting late. Plus the weather wasn't that great considering it was windy and raining fairly hard so we decided to head back and call it a day.
One of these days, I'm going to make it up to the top of Table :)
May 25, 2011
3
Mt St Helens
12 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain •
Went up St Helens today and had a blast. We made it to the top without using any snowshoes but the snow was pretty deep at the top. Weather turned out to be great and had a nice view of the crater as well as Mt. Rainier at the top.
Despite hiking in the snow all day, I was amazed at how HOT it was up there. It actually felt like the middle of summer up there. The sun was fricken brutal even though I kept putting on sunscreen. Have a nice burn on my neck where I must have missed a spot but other than that I'm feeling great.
PS. I posted a full report on my blog.
May 21, 2011
Saddle Mountain
5.5 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain •
Finally got out to the coast to try Saddle Mountain. Great hike with some amazing views of the ocean. Could see Hood, St Helens, Adams, and Rainier as well.
May 19, 2011
5
Dog Mountain (x2)
14 miles of hiking • 5500' elevation gain •
I've got Mt St Helens planned for this Sunday so I thought I would beat myself up one last time. Decided to do Dog Mountain twice and as quickly as possible. The first time up I took the more difficult trail, which isn't very scenic but a tad shorter. I was shooting for an hour up but missed it by 6 minutes. Took the less difficult trail down (I basically threw myself down the hill) and managed to get the first trip done in just under 2 hours.
The second time up, I reversed it and got it done in just under 2.5 hours. The second time was a lot of fun since I met up with a lot of the people I saw at the top on my first trip.
I feel pretty beat up after the hike but that was the point. Saw a bunch of flowers along the first viewpoint but not much at the top. They're just starting to pop out so I have a feeling it might take a few weeks yet.
I'm posting my exact times below since I plan on doing this again in the summer (in hopes of beating my old times).
First Trip
- Up: 1 Hour, 6 Minutes ("More Difficult Trail")
- Break: 13 Minutes
- Down: 38 Minutes ("Less Difficult Trail")
- Total Time: 1 Hour, 57 Minutes
Second Trip
- Up: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes ("Less Difficult Trail")
- Break: 20 Minutes
- Down: 45 Minutes ("More Difficult Trail")
- Total Time: 2 Hours, 22 Minutes
Total Round Trip: 4 Hours, 19 Minutes
Time for a beer...
May 17, 2011
4
Mt Defiance
14 miles of hiking • 5000' elevation gain •
Hiked up Starvation Ridge and came down the Mt Defiance trail. Hit pretty heavy snow around 3800 feet so we snowshoed the rest of the way. The snow is still up to the fence at the Radio towers.
After doing Ruckel Ridge yesterday, I can definitely say this hike is quite a bit easier. But it does have one heck of an elevation gain.
May 14, 2011
Ruckel Ridge to Eagle Creek
16 miles of hiking • 4000' elevation gain •
Went up the Ruckel Ridge trail, across the Benson plateau to Camp Smokey, and then down to Eagle Creek. Still plenty of snow on the plateau so I snowshoed that section.
BY FAR the hardest hike I've done in my life...
May 13, 2011
Cook Hill
9 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Hiked up Cook Hill today, which is Dog Mountain's slightly taller neighbor to the East. Despite the overcast weather you could see a bit of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. Very fun trail but it required moving a lot of branches since it's not used very often.
May 10, 2011
Larch Mountain
13 miles of hiking • 3250' elevation gain •
Tried to hike up to Larch Mountain from Multnomah Falls but didn't quite make it. At around 3300 feet we decided to turn around. It was snowing pretty hard and the visibility wasn't so great. Figured there wouldn't be a view at the top anyway. There's definitely a fair amount of snow left and I can imagine there's a lot more as you get up towards the top.
Will be attempting it again soon...
May 8, 2011
Eagle Creek
11 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Did a quick day hike along Eagle Creek. We went just passed the 4.5 mile bridge and stopped for lunch before turning back. Also went down and checked out Punchbowl Falls.
May 7, 2011
Hamilton Mountain Loop
10 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Perfect weather for a hike so I went and did the Hamilton Mountain Loop again. Much different than the last time when it was snowing at the top. Explored a few of the Equestrian trails as well but didn't find anything interesting.
May 4, 2011
Catherine Creek / Coyote Wall
8 miles of hiking • 1750' elevation gain •
Great day for a hike up to Coyote Wall. Had a nice picnic at the top with a great view of Mt. Hood. Tons of sunburn!
May 1, 2011
Elevator Shaft / Nesika Lodge / Franklin Ridge
13 miles of hiking • 2750' elevation gain •
Went up the elevator shaft for the first time, fun climb! Then made our way over to the Nesika Lodge and Franklin Ridge. Finished by connecting to the Larch Mountain Trail.
April 26, 2011
Smith Rock State Park
6 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain • 1 night
After hiking back to our car along the Deschutes River on Friday, we decided to take a road trip down towards Bend. Decided to camp at one of the parks near Smith Rock State Park and did some hiking in the park today. It's an amazing park and fun climb to the top of the rocks. Some great views of the Cascades.
April 22 – April 23, 2011
Deschutes River Hike
24 miles of hiking • 1500' elevation gain • 1 night
Wanted a change of scenery so we went and hiked the Deschutes River. It's an awesome hike even though the majority of it is along a road / old railroad. The scenery is very cool, much different than the other hikes I've been doing.
We hiked in 9 miles and setup camp. I then did a 6 mile side hike to the top of Rattlesnake Grade. Not much for views at the top other than green fields in every direction. Friday we hiked the 9 miles back out to the car.
Fun time.
April 21 – April 22, 2011
Nesmith Point - Take 2
11 miles of hiking • 3750' elevation gain •
After going up to Nesmith on Wednesday without snowshoes I decided to go back and try it again today. I turned around at 3800 feet on Wednesday since the tape marking the trail ended but after making it up there today I realized I actually made it to the top! I just didn't see the Nesmith Point sign that was smashed into the tree. Then again, it was snowing like crazy on Wednesday unlike today when you could actually see a view from the point.
I must say, it was a lot easier bringing snowshoes since there is still quit a bit of snow at the top. Want to see how much the snow changed in 4 days? Check out this video I took on Nesmith Point on Wednesday:
A lot more snow than there was today. The two tree trunk "stools" up there were covered in snow but today they were completely exposed.
Also, big thanks to whoever hung my blue pack cover on the tree branch. It fell of my bag on Wednesday and I was able to get it back today.
April 16, 2011
Ape Cave Snowshoe
6 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Went snowshoeing in the Ape Cave area. Also checked out the cave, pretty awesome!
April 15, 2011
Nesmith Point
11 miles of hiking • 3750' elevation gain •
Tried to hike up to Nesmith Point for the first time. Went great until I hit 2500 feet and then hit a bit of snow. Once I hit the first lookout area around 2900 feet it got to 2-3 feet deep in spots. Luckily someone had marked off the trail so it was pretty easy to follow it even though you couldn't see it. I ended up turning around at 3750 feet since the tape ended and it was snowing like hell. Didn't want to get lost so I decided to head back down.
Maybe next time. One heck of a workout that's for sure!
After looking over my GPS log, looks like I was only 150 ft short of the top. Ahhh!
April 12, 2011
Eagle Creek Backpack Trip
17 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain • 1 night
Hiked from the camp host parking lot up to 7 1/2 mile camp. Also went and checked out the punch bowl side hike. Great hike!
April 8 – April 9, 2011
PCT Around Table Mountain
13 miles of hiking • 3500' elevation gain •
Hiked from the resort up and around Table Mountain on the PCT.
April 2, 2011
Dog Mountain Loop
7.5 miles of hiking • 3000' elevation gain •
Did a conditioning hike with my full pack. Great loop, definitely step heading up the "most difficult" trail towards the summit.
March 31, 2011
Hamilton Mountain Loop
9 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Hiked up the front of Hamilton Mountain and came down along the backside. Snowed really hard at the top when we got there. Other than that it was a great hike.
March 26, 2011
Munra Point
7.5 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Amazing hike up to Munra Point. Actually had some sun and views. Very steep but worth the climb. The trail is unmaintained but didn't have any issues finding our way up.
March 19, 2011
Forest Park
11 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Did an 11 mile section of Forest Park. Very, very muddy!
March 16, 2011
Cape Lookout
10 miles of hiking • 1000' elevation gain • 2 nights
Camped out at Cape Lookout State Park. Did the 10 mile hike out to the viewpoint on the cape and then back down to the campground.
March 4 – March 6, 2011
Dog Mountain
7 miles of hiking • 2750' elevation gain •
Hiked up Dog Mountain and found a bunch of snow. Did the less difficult trail up and the more difficult trail down.
February 19, 2011
Pittock Mansion in Forest Park
5 miles of hiking • 750' elevation gain •
Hikes from Lower Macleay Park (I think) up to Pittock Mansion in Forest Park.
February 14, 2011
View trips from: 2012