JM went hiking December 14, 2014 8 miles 3,250 feet gained

Indian Point from Herman Creek

2

Not too nice of a day up at Indian Point. It was quite amazing to see the wind in the gorge making Mist Falls flow UP on the drive out. Gorton Creek side of the loop was socked in and quite windy in places and cold. These same winds were pushing the fog in the gorge from the East (normally the other way around) and when you stood on the ridgetop, you would see a fog cloud traveling towards you from below at 50 mph and it would sock you in. Occasional breaks would allow you to see the river almost 3000' below, making it an insanely high and cool viewpoint. I'm gonna have to see this place in clear weather. Walking back on Nick Eaton with exposure to the West, it was calm (almost eerily in comparison to the East) and the sun broke through the gray. Back towards Portland was blue skies for miles! DOH!

Trail Talk

2 people have hearted this trip.

Karl · December 15, 2014

Really like that getaway! So your loop was clockwise? Never gone in that direction.

JM · December 15, 2014

Yes. I really liked the change from fierce, gray and cold on the less steep Gorton Creek side to sunny, calm and serene on the steeper Nick Eaton side. Those downhill switchbacks didn't bother me at all. By the way, have you noticed how completely WRONG the alignment is on the FS maps?

Karl · December 16, 2014

Heh, my experience with Nick Eaton doesn't lend me to think of "sunny, calm" anything! LOL... Hadn't ever noticed how far off the FS trails were, either. They are indeed much worse than normal in there, eh?

Roman · December 17, 2014

We could feel that wind on MSH. The gusts on Coldwater Lake would tear water off the waves and carry it a ways. Up on Johnston Ridge, we had to bail because it gusted 60-70 mph (it was hard just to stay on the feet)! I've never seen anything like this outside the usual windy spots in the Gorge, like Angels Rest or Vista House.