Recent Hikes

February 28, 2015 Mountainkat Table Mountain 9.78 miles 1,500 feet gained

This was a nice leg stretcher to the falls under Greenleaf Falls. The sign at the falls called it Cave Falls.

February 28 to March 1, 2015 Kyle Meyer Tanner Butte 20 miles 4,500 feet gained 1 night

An out-and-back via the Tanner Butte Rail from Eagle Creek. It was absolutely lovely out until we got to the top of the Butte—an inch of snow, strong winds, and an overnight low in the 20s made the night up high somewhat miserable. So pretty, though.

February 28, 2015 Rich Cascade Head 7 miles 1,250 feet gained

February 28, 2015 Roman Ice House Lake 4 miles 1,750 feet gained

(due to FS opposing hikers in that locale I don't want to name it online) Did a short loop on less-used trails with Don's map in hand, found a nice spot and read book for couple of hours. I was able to follow new path all the way up, but then got a little lost on familiar way down, bushwhacked half way then was able to pick the thread with the help of flashl...

February 28, 2015 Rhonda Denman Falls 6.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Had a great family day. Did a casual loop hike from Wonderland Trail and around Ramparts Ridge. Then spend rest of afternoon seeing the sights up to Paradise.

February 28, 2015 Mileage Mike West Fork Porter Creek 10.1 miles 1,250 feet gained

Beautiful day for hiking, so we headed up to Capitol State Forest in the Porter Creek Campground area. When we arrived there was a large group of people filming a video, and they said it was for an Amazon movie. The whole thing was quite strange and one of them told me I couldn't take pictures. Everything about this spelled amateur, and we started the hike A...

February 27, 2015 Megan Coopey Falls 5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Friday morning solo hike.

February 26, 2015 Chris Dollar Mountain 5 miles 1,000 feet gained

February 26, 2015 Jim North Siouxon Creek 11.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

North Siouxon Creek seemed like a perfect rainy day hike to shake off 9 straight days at work. Still suffering from the lingering effects of an annoying cold, I was looking for a place not too steep and not too long. Eventually, I plan to figure out a loop option connecting this trail with the Huffman Peak trail but I wasn't feeling it today. About 2.5 miles...

February 24, 2015 scotty Smith Creek 8.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

February 24, 2015 Karl Rock Lake 14.5 miles 2,750 feet gained

Seeing a change in weather coming soon, it was entirely worth taking a vacation day to go hit up Jefferson Park in February! The conditions could not have been better. We chose the most direct route possible, from the Whitewater trailhead. It was clear, driving up the access road, that the windstorm earlier this week had done some damage. But we had no issue...

February 24, 2015 Roman Bald Mountain Ridge 6 miles 750 feet gained

Hiked with my grandmother to a place I never thought I'll be able to show her, because she only visits us in winter. But this winter is "a bit" unusual and we not only made it to Top Spur Trailhead, but only saw one patch of snow off trail the entire day. The trail was in notably good shape, pretty much clear of blowdown (I expected some after Sunday's winds...

February 23, 2015 Stacey Tuolumne Grove 2 miles 500 feet gained

Quick hike down to Tuolumne Grove.

February 22, 2015 Chris Grants Pass Peak 2.5 miles 750 feet gained

February 22, 2015 B-Dog Newcastle Hills 3 miles 500 feet gained

Went out with Mayumi and my good friend L-Train and his daughter. She just turned 2 years old and this was her first time hiking all by herself. She made it 1.5 miles and then we had to carry a sack of potatoes back to the car =). She passed out while we were eating lunch and didn't wake back up until we got to the car. Looking forward to some more trips wit...

February 22, 2015 Mountainkat Gunsight Butte 8.51 miles 2,000 feet gained

We hiked from the Gumjuwac trailhead up to the saddle. We had previously been to Lookout Mountain, so we headed for Gunsight Butte. We did not encounter snow until the saddle. We were able to follow the trail for a bit after that, but we lost it in snow once we reached the snag area. At that point, we moved cross country up the ridge, but GPS said we were cl...

February 22, 2015 Megan Lindsey Pond 7 miles 3,000 feet gained

February trip up Dog. 2/2 so far in the quest to climb Dog Mtn every month this year!

February 22, 2015 Stacey Lower Yosemite Fall 14.7 miles 4,500 feet gained

When we originally planned what is turning into an annual Yosemite trip, we were hoping to spend the weekend skiing out of Badger Pass. The weather this year had other ideas, so we hiked up to a nearly snowless Sentinal Dome. We started at Yosemite Valley Lodge, traversing the meadow on one of the boardwalks, then passing the Valley Chapel on the way to the ...

February 22, 2015 Debbi Balch Canyon 6.5 miles 0 feet gained

February 22, 2015 Roman Haystack Rock 6.5 miles 0 feet gained

The forecast said windy&cold everywhere but the coast, so that's where we went. No haze made for great visibility (wished I took my telephoto lens), and it did get pretty warm and pleasant. Got entertained watching someones drone practice, I am not sure if Haystack Rock was a good place choice for it but still, it was pretty cool to see.

February 22, 2015 Elsie Pika 7 miles 2,000 feet gained

Ranger Station road conditions report via phone said the road to Ape Canyon was clear and open - very much NOT so, given the gate that is blocking the way. Those plans were thwarted, so back up bacame a loop starting from marble mtn sno park: Swift Creek - worm flows 4800' climbing line - Loowit - June Lk - Pine Marten - Car. For the 50,000,001 cars at the l...

February 22, 2015 Mileage Mike Monroe Creek 9.4 miles 1,250 feet gained

Most of the time we don't see many people on these trails, but today was different. The great weather brought out some mountain bikers, hikers and a trail runner. It still only amounted to about a dozen people we saw for the entire day! We really enjoy this area and the hike around this mountain is very enjoyable. There were some muddy spots on the trail on ...

February 22, 2015 Father Guido Sarducci Sun Top 13 miles 3,500 feet gained

Excellent views. Clear enough to see some of the Olympic range.

February 21, 2015 Chris 4 miles 1,250 feet gained

February 21, 2015 Mountainkat Ruckel Creek 12.56 miles 4,500 feet gained

We hiked the Ruckel Creek Trail to the Benson Plateau and continued on to the 405A trail to the PCT junction, then returned back the same way. We enjoyed the quiet beauty of the plateau and Ruckel Creek. We saw a few people who were completing the loop from Ruckel Ridge.

February 21, 2015 BeaverDawg Cascade Head 4.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

Always a great hike with wonderful views both of the ocean and the Salmon River. The elk who reside on the head were out and about.

February 21, 2015 Stacey Columbia Rock 4 miles 1,000 feet gained

Late afternoon wanderings from Yosemite Valley Lodge. We took the loop trail around Lower Yosemite Falls and over to Camp 4. Then we hiked up the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail to Columbia Rock before returning to the Lodge.

February 21 to February 23, 2015 JM Coal Creek 21 miles 250 feet gained 2 nights

A perfect weekend for this trip to the Olympic coast. Very little wind, blue skies and lots of sunshine. Navigating around rocky headlands during low tide made for adventure, as did the slippery boardwalks from Ozette RS. We saw plenty of wildlife, from bald eagles, deer, starfish, harlequin ducks, anemones, kelp crabs, hermit crabs, racoons, etc. Sand Point...

February 21, 2015 Tree Spirit Little Creek 5 miles 1,250 feet gained

A gorgeous Oregon Coast day. Wildlife a'plenty including bald eagle, large herd of elk, ladybugs, and centipedes crossing our path (or us crossing theirs). Overlooking the Salmon River and the coastline from this vantage point is a great reminder of how small we are in this world, and how blessed we are to see such beautiful things in this lifetime.

February 21, 2015 Rhonda Grizzly Peak 12 miles 3,000 feet gained

Had planned to go to Pamelia Lake to Hunts Cove today but got waylaid by massive wind. The blow downs on the Hunts Cove trail covered the trail in so many places just at the beginning that we decided to backtrack and try Grizzly Peak instead. Grizzly Peak was the winner. There was debris about and some small blow downs but nothing like down at the lake. Hit ...

February 21, 2015 acorn woodpecker Loowit Falls 22.5 miles 5,500 feet gained

Started from Eagle Creek TH. From Fern Creek Bridge, left the trail up a narrow gulley to gain the ridge. Magnificent varying ridge hiking/scrambling/climbing with great views. Hit the Benson Plateau, joined with the PCT, and continued to Chinidere where we climbed the West Face. Blustery, but great views. Descended the trail and the cutoff down to Wahtum La...

February 21, 2015 Karl Lemei Rock 17.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Absolutely awesome day in Indian Heaven! FR65 is wide open (at least) all the way to Thomas Lake trailhead, which is where we began our hike. We left the trail about 2.5 miles in, near Rock Lake, and just traveled cross-country much of the rest of the day. Above 4700', the ground was almost entirely covered in snow, other than where the creeks were flowing o...

February 21, 2015 Pablo Mist Falls 6 miles 2,500 feet gained

A winter-long project to locate the shortest non-technical route to Devils Rest. Took 4 tries but I was able to navigate a gully reached from the 1st switchback on Wahkeena. The crux is a bit of exposed 3rd class scrambling to route around a slide falls on a seasonal creek. I took along an ice ax for protection and used it frequently. The route is fairly bru...

February 21, 2015 Bosterson Loowit Falls 22.5 miles 5,500 feet gained

A full day's work in this unseasonable weather. Left upper EC parking lot at 7:30am, back to the car around 7:50pm. Not a speck of snow, brilliant ridge climbing. Went up the west face of Chinidere for bonus scramble points. Headlamps on at 4.5 mi bridge around 6:30pm.

February 21, 2015 Mileage Mike Frog Lake Campground 8.1 miles 1,000 feet gained

We decided to take advantage of minimal snow below 5000ft and try out the Twin Lakes Loop. There were about 8 cars in the Frog Lake parking lot. There were a few snow flakes falling when we started the hike and on the way back to the TH! Too bad this couldn't be a snowstorm dumping. This area has always been special to us and today wasn't any different. Very...

February 20, 2015 Mountainkat Campground: Government Mineral Springs 8.47 miles 1,250 feet gained

We hiked from the Trapper Creek Trailhead until just after the junction with the Sunshine Trail. There were a couple areas on the trail with large blow down. The bridge over Hidden Creek appeared to have been moved by water at some point and was angled and extremely slippery. We were the only car at trailhead at arrival and departure. This is such a beautifu...

February 20, 2015 scotty Eagle Creek Trail 12 miles 1,500 feet gained

February 20, 2015 acorn woodpecker Powell Butte 5.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

In the morning, went to Powell Butte for the Week 3 of the bird survey. Calm and mild conditions made for excellent sightings! Saw nearly nobody! The nettles are really coming up. Went out with the family in the afternoon around the Hoyt Arboretum for a nice stroll. Some of the magnolias are already close to bloom!

February 20, 2015 Jen Potato Butte 7 miles 1,750 feet gained

February 19, 2015 Mountainkat Smith Creek 9.95 miles 1,000 feet gained

I hiked solo on the Silver Falls Loop. I had never been there during winter, so it was nice to see the falls at this time of year. I proceeded from South Falls to North Falls, but I forgot about Upper North Falls on the other side of the road. I saw online that a portion of the Rim Trail had been closed in certain areas, so, in an effort to avoid the closure...

February 19, 2015 acorn woodpecker Carpenters Lake 4.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Took the kid to his namesake areas of Cedar Creek, Cedar Falls, and Cedar Mt. for his 1st birthday. Due to time constraints had to do an out and back on Cedar Mt. and turned short of the highest point. Close enough for me, though. Overcast, but mild. Slight passing showers and a bit windy on the ridges. Saw my first wildflowers of the season: Yellow Violets ...

February 19, 2015 Jen Devils Peak 5 miles 750 feet gained

February 19, 2015 Woodswalker Multnomah Falls 10 miles 2,250 feet gained

Curiosity led me to walk the Multnomah trail up to Multnomah Basin road and head west. I decided to make a loop by cutting over on the user path from the road over to the Devil' s rest trail. Went to just below the top and watched some rain clouds rolling in, then headed back down and detoured over to Wahkeena springs and down the Wahkeena trail to the newly...

February 18, 2015 Jen Sisi Butte 6 miles 1,500 feet gained

On my way to Breitenbush. Road 46 is open all the way to Detroit.

February 17, 2015 Mountainkat Warren Creek Falls 3.27 miles 1,000 feet gained

This was a short hike on a rainy day to enjoy the waterfalls on this loop hike.

February 16, 2015 Mike J Table Mountain 8.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

February 16, 2015 Mountainkat Moody Island 12.47 miles 750 feet gained

We walked the rail trail until just past the old rail car.

February 16, 2015 Mileage Mike Tam-A-Lau 9.2 miles 1,250 feet gained

Our last hiking day of this long weekend and we wanted to finished it with another great hike! We decided to head out to the Lake Billy Chinook area and hike the Tam-A-Lau trail. It was quite cold this morning and thankfully the trail to the mesa was frozen solid, even when we returned. Climbing up the wall of the canyon leads to ever more scenic views of La...

February 16, 2015 Rhonda Eruption 17.5 miles 4,250 feet gained

I headed out on a Saint Helens Lake Loop with a new hiking friend on Presidents Day. It was a beautiful, sunny day, even if the winds battered us all day long. We started at Hummocks and worked our way through the blast zone to JRO and past Harry's Ridge. We continued up to the Arch and around Coldwater Peak and finished the day on the Coldwater trail. We ha...

February 16, 2015 Elsie Coldwater Lake 12 miles 1,750 feet gained

Great day to be in the sun. Slightly jealous that I didn't do the other loop option Karl was out there doing this same day - views were left to be desired around Coldwater. Now I know!