Karl went hiking May 29, 2015 26 miles 5,250 feet gained
Decided a little training hike was in order yesterday, after a few weeks off the trail, just to see if I could still get around. Ended up doing the Eagle-Tanner loop for the first time, and had my ass appropriately kicked! Who the heck turned up the heat??? Or maybe it was the humidity. Regardless, climbing 3000' after 10 miles up the Eagle Creek valley, as temps approached 80°, was one of the greater challenges I've taken on in awhile. Did I mention the humidity? Thunderboomers all around, and the air sticky thick with moisture. No breeze, either. Ah, well...
I was actually amazed at how few folks were along Eagle Creek! I didn't hit the trail until about 9:30, and there were fewer than a dozen cars at the trailhead. Only saw about a dozen folks by the time I'd gotten to Twister Falls, half of whom bailed at Punchbowl. And just a single human from that point on! Wow!!! Pretty amazing, considering the reputation of that trail. Of course, it also meant I "ate" a whole heckuva lot of spider webs, too. Small price, huh?
Pretty sure I've never been on Eagle Creek on such a sunny day, either. Made photographs a bit more challenging. Fair number of wildflowers in bloom. Up higher, the rhodies were just starting to pop, lots of avalanche lilies decorating the trailside, and Beargrass Alley is only a week or two away from peak! In the sunnier areas, the beargrass is pretty prolific, and the shadier areas should be likewise soon.
The Best View in the Gorge, atop Tanner Butte, was a bit subdued by the moisture-laden air. Three out of Five Volcanoes. Made me wonder why I struggled up that last 1/2-mile and 500' to the peak. But then, it'd be silly to walk this far and not tag the top, right?
Just a superb day in the woods, all in all! :-)
Trail Talk
Great capture of twister falls. That little rocky beach just above it is my new favorite lunch spot.
I still need to do this one! I want to do it in the reverse - climb Tanner first - is there a downside to that? Love the maidenhair, the cedars, and the Mt. Hood shots!
WW: Thanks! That falls is my most favorite of all, I think. And there were a couple gals already soaking up the goodness in that spot as I passed by. They were the last people I saw on the loop, with the exception of one guy at Big Cedar Spring.
MK: It's an awesome loop! And I'll tell ya, I thought a lot about which direction to take "next time." I only thought of two possible downsides to going CCW. The initial climb is much greater, as that first 1600' is almost unnoticeable along Eagle Creek, and you'd be ending the hike amongst the crowds. OTOH, you could get the nasty climb out of the way in the cool of the morning, rather than the heat of midday, and on a weekday the crowds just aren't that bad on EC. In the future, I think I'll go CCW during warmer weather, and CW in cooler weather. (Wasn't kidding about the self-inflicted ass-kicking getting up that backside without being acclimatized to summer yet!) I guess the only other thing to think about is your feet -- would they rather be on soft duff or hard basalt for miles 20-26?
Thank you - all good things to think about. I like getting the climb out of the way so, I think I will try it that way first. Hopefully, not on a high humidity day like you had. That sounds rough!
Honestly, yeah, it was. Despite drinking a liter of gatoraid en route, 3 liters of water while hiking, and a couple liters of other liquids on the way home, I weighed 8 pounds less than when I left in the morning! Nuts, huh? I don't think that climb up from EC would've been half as bad if my electrolytes weren't all out of balance.
Wow! That is nuts! Heat and humidity seem to really make things more challenging. Yeah, I will definitely try climbing Tanner first!
Seems I didn't learn my lesson! Attempted the Loowit 360 in conditions just as bad last Saturday. Oh man...
I am just catching up from the weekend, and just saw your posts. I'm glad you are ok, and that you had some people with you to help. How scary! I have felt quite overheated at MSH in the past, even in relatively normal summer conditions, and on a much shorter hike. That place gets hot!
Thanks, Kat! I honestly never felt in danger, though I may have scared a few of the others. We had an outstanding group, and it turned out that we had planned for all possible contingencies well enough that things just worked out. No regrets and lots of warm memories! :-)
You sure had an incredible, and incredibly loooong, "weekend" streak there! Wow, what fun!
That's great that you were all very prepared and that you ended up having a positive experience! I had a wake up call on that front a few months ago, after my feet went out from under me on a footbridge along the Trapper Creek trail. It wasn't raining and I failed to recognize the danger on that bridge, which had been moved and slanted from high water. I pretty much landed on my head, onto some large boulders. Luckily, my husband was with me at the time. I ended up with only some cuts and a fat lip, and I was very thankful I hadn't been knocked out or broken my nose or my neck. It was the first time anything like that happened for us, and we did some serious thinking about preparation for emergencies after that.
Yeah, the weekend was a good one! I have some time right now, and I am trying to make the best of some good hiking weather!