May 30, 2016 Karl 22 miles 4,500 feet gained
Just about as perfect as days come, spent with wonderful friends, up in the blast zone! Went up the Ape Canyon approach from the east, which offers a gently rolling climb through an old growth forest, beside a massive lahar, with some very nice volcano views along the way. As we were about to break out of the forest, an elk was startled just off-trail, and t...
May 30, 2016 Rhonda 21.5 miles 4,500 feet gained
Had a fantastic day with good trail friends. Took an all day stroll around the amazing Mount St. Helens. Doesn't get much better than this!
May 30, 2016 Woodswalker 8.4 miles 2,000 feet gained
It was a four volcanoe day! We took advantage of the sunshine to hike to Burnt Lake and above. Spring flowers are still going strong above 3600' and a few tiny snow patches just to make it more scenic. No bugs at all. We stopped at Burnt lake for a quick snack, again miraculously no bugs, and then headed up the trail.Since it was a holiday weekend and we wan...
May 30, 2016 Rich 12.5 miles 3,250 feet gained
May 29 to May 30, 2016 runandsew 12.5 miles 3,000 feet gained 1 night
Gnarly snow crossing nearing Gnarl Ridge. Beautiful, starry night.
May 29 to June 4, 2016 Eric Janson 85 miles 0 feet gained 6 nights
Susquehannock Trail Circuit Hike April 29 - May 6, 2016
May 29, 2016 Rhonda 8 miles 0 feet gained
Went up to Whitewater with the intention of seeing how far in we could get until it became mostly snow. Got as far as Whitewater creek. Snow started steadily in the talus fields right before the creek. There was on long section at mile 2.5ish that lasted about 1/8th to a 1/4 mile but then cleared out until the talus fields. The snow looked to be steady from ...
May 28 to May 31, 2016 Roman 19.5 miles 3,750 feet gained 3 nights
3 desert hikes, Painted Hills, and a small summit in Ochocos. Saw a little less than planned due to heat (20F above forecast!) but still had a great time revisiting old, and exploring new places.
May 28, 2016 Karl 12.5 miles 4,000 feet gained
Supposedly, according to the MHNF website, the road up to Cloud Cap was supposed to be open. We were actually rather happy to see the gate still locked just beyond the Cooper Spur Ski Area, as that meant we'd be virtually alone all day and the extra climbing was already part of our plan. We took the Polallie Ridge trail up to Tilly Jane; it had suffered a bi...
May 28, 2016 Rhonda 5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Had a quick trip up to Triangulation Peak. Patched of snow to content with mostly at beginning and then steadily at the end. Boca Cave was clear to get down to.
May 28, 2016 B-Dog 1 miles 1,250 feet gained
I heard that higher elevations had a chance for some fresh snow on Friday night. So I woke up early to check the web cams and sure enough there was some snow in the parking lot at Paradise. So I figured there had to be freshies up at Chinook Pass as well. I quickly packed my gear and grabbed Mindy since we would be hanging out in the Wenatchee Forest side of...
May 27 to May 28, 2016 Father Guido Sarducci 9 miles 9,500 feet gained 1 night
Five of us signed up with RMI to attempt this summit climb via the Disappontment Cleaver Route. The hike up to Muir was pea soup with limited visibility due to windy snowy conditions. Muir bunkhouse was full so we camped @ Muir. Very cold & windy. Left Muir @ 2AM under clear skies but cold & windy conditions. Crossed the Cowlitz Glacier & rested at Ingraham ...
May 27, 2016 pizza pal 3 miles 0 feet gained
May 25, 2016 Jim 4.5 miles 3,000 feet gained
First summit, second attempt. After a cold, windy night in the parking lot, we set out around 2am for the summit. The cloud level remained near the 6000' level the entire time which left the sky clear albeit in the low 20's by the time we reached the hogsback. We ended up taking the old chute route thru the 1 O'clock couloir. 50' or so from the top my iPhone...
May 25, 2016 helloworld 12 miles 5,750 feet gained
May 25, 2016 pizza pal 7.5 miles 0 feet gained
May 24, 2016 Karl 10 miles 1,500 feet gained
Skipped the very last conference session of the day, to go explore Point Defiance Park. What a gem! There's really something for everyone out here. Zoo, aquarium, historic trading fort, logging museum, rhododendron garden, rose garden, northwest natives garden, off-leash dog park, a beach, vistas over Puget Sound, and of course an extensive network of incred...
May 23, 2016 Karl 4.5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Had to travel to Tacoma for some business, and Swan Creek Park provided a perfect end-of-the-day getaway! Walked close to 5 miles up and down the creek, starting near the community gardens. The woods were thick and lush, green as could be, even supporting some really nice old-growth. The trail itself was like one of those kiddie roller coasters -- up and dow...
May 23, 2016 pizza pal 4.5 miles 0 feet gained
May 21, 2016 Roman 3.5 miles 250 feet gained
Didn't really want to drive far because of rain...
May 21, 2016 helloworld 10 miles 1,500 feet gained
May 21, 2016 Rich 21 miles 2,750 feet gained
May 20, 2016 Jim 4.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Despite the gloomy weather report, the skies were blue at paradise...should have been a great morning at the summit for those who went to the top. My plan was a "quick" up and back to Camp Muir but shortly past panoramic point I had a major crampon blow out. I'd had problems with it on MSH last week but thought it was fixed. Off to REI...
May 18, 2016 pizza pal 6.8 miles 0 feet gained
May 18, 2016 runandsew 8 miles 1,250 feet gained
I got stuck and couldn't make it to the top of the first spot. Oh, so close, but I sat for an hour while Charles headed up.
May 16, 2016 runandsew 5.5 miles 1,000 feet gained
University Falls with Kevin and Charles.
May 14, 2016 Rhonda 3 miles 750 feet gained
Did some rock climbing out at Smith Rock State Park this weekend for the first time. Only did a few miles of hiking into and out of the spots where my group climbed.
May 14, 2016 Father Guido Sarducci 7.54 miles 3,750 feet gained
The last 1/2 mile is snow covered and fairly steep. You may be able to negotiate the summer route but the majority of people were heading straight up the snow field to the summit. I put on crampons but they were not absolutely necessary just made the accent and especially the descent easier. There were 2 pretty good glissade chutes on the way down which were...
May 13, 2016 Karl 17 miles 6,000 feet gained
Awesome day with good friends, exploring some new spots and some old favorites. Started with the Cook-Augspurger Traverse (CAT, eh?), which was entirely unexplored territory for all of us. The route up Cook was exceedingly easy to follow, and provided some spectacular vistas and wonderful meadows full of wildflowers. Fun to taking photos of balsamroot with t...
May 12 to May 14, 2016 Roman 17.36 miles 3,250 feet gained 2 nights
Had Friday off, so headed to Twin Lakes right after work on Thursday; camped at Upper Twin for 2 nights. Had no real plans for Friday - explored rock viewpoint east of the lake (only partial view of Mt. Hood), headed over to Palmateer Point (again Hood was partly covered with trees, but open views in other directions, nice place to visit), then went to PCT a...
May 11, 2016 pizza pal 3.52 miles 0 feet gained
May 11, 2016 runandsew 5.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Beautiful couple of hours in the Gorge mid-week.
May 10, 2016 Rhonda 4.5 miles 750 feet gained
Did a short 4.75 mile trip around part of Silver Falls after work to relieve stress. It's my go to close to home spot for those times that I don't have much time.
May 9, 2016 Jim 10 miles 5,750 feet gained
Managed to squeeze in a trip before the snowpack completely disappeared. Windy, mostly cloudy with no views of Adams or Hood but tons of fun glissading.
May 8, 2016 Stacey 5.5 miles 2,250 feet gained
Early morning on Dog Mountain
May 8, 2016 Rhonda 11.5 miles 6,000 feet gained
I got the opportunity to climb Mount St. Helen's via the worm flows route (not my favorite but wasn't so bad this round) on Mother's day and jumped on it. Talk about crazy busy, but in all honesty it was so much fun that the crowds didn't bother me for once. Day started off cloudy and drizzly but as you can tell from the pictures, once we broke through the c...
May 8 to May 9, 2016 runandsew 8 miles 3,000 feet gained 1 night
We handed out candy to all moms (three) on our hike up on Mother's Day and dog treats to two dogs. EXTREME sustained wind at the shelter. The shelter on the Timberline Trail is full of snow, but it may have been better to sleep on the snow inside rather than have our tents pelted with sand and wind. Gorgeous morning!
May 8, 2016 Woodswalker 11 miles 3,500 feet gained
Fortunately the weather people were wrong! Started at Hot Springs parking lot and slowly made it to the top. Lots of wild flowers and views. Looped around north of the summit on the North Table trail to the Pct, to descend for some variety. Perfect timing for the phlox.
May 7, 2016 BeaverDawg 8.5 miles 0 feet gained
May 7, 2016 Roman 6.7 miles 1,000 feet gained
Hiked to Junction Lake, via Thomas and Rock Lake. Road melted out, but trail 100% under snow past Eunice Lake viewpoint, was fun with crampons. Small washout on 1st picture is ~1.7 mi from the trailhead, had to pass it on the shoulder.
May 7, 2016 Ola 5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Would not do again. Loose rocks and no view at top
May 7, 2016 Ola 5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Would not do again. Loose rocks and no view at top
May 7, 2016 Rich 17.5 miles 4,250 feet gained
May 7, 2016 Outside + Stuff 8 miles 3,750 feet gained
A bit of slushy snow at the top. No spikes needed, but trekking poles might help.
May 7, 2016 Father Guido Sarducci 12.16 miles 4,250 feet gained
Solid snow from Camp Mystery to the pass. I put on crampons due the snows consistency but it was possible to assend without. The trail to Buckhorn was pretty much melted out but we chose to climb the ridge to the south to get better views of Warrier Peak & Mt. Constance. We then glissade a good 100 yards down from the ridge to the main trail.
May 7, 2016 B-Dog 6 miles 3,250 feet gained
My buddy Larry finally had a kid free weekend and the weather / conditions seemed right for a trip to the Oly's !!!! Larry has done some hiking, but he has never truly climbed a mountain. I figured this one would be a great introduction into the alpine world. The views were killer as always and the goats were out in full force. Had another standoff with one ...
May 6, 2016 Jim 5.5 miles 2,750 feet gained
May 6, 2016 B-Dog 4 miles 2,500 feet gained
Headed up to Alpental with Russ & TAH Friday after work. We timed it just right. Sunset summit and beers in the parking lot before a headlamp was needed. I skinned most of the way before my skins go to wet and stopped sticking. Had to carry my skis the last few hundred feet. I skied the bowl, but the snow was pretty sticky lower down. The pollen is really ba...
May 5, 2016 pizza pal 16.5 miles 0 feet gained
this completes all 31 miles of the Klickitat Trail
