Recent Hikes

December 29, 2013 Mileage Mike Step Creek 10.1 miles 2,250 feet gained

This was the last hike of the year for us. This is a great hike from Reehers camp south on the Gales Creek trail! We had originally intended to hike the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad, but it is so overgrown in this area that we ended up turning around. So instead, we hiked up past Bell Camp Rd, and turned around only when we needed to get back before sunset...

December 28, 2013 Father Guido Sarducci Cougar Rock 4.6 miles 1,750 feet gained

There are a few steep tricky sections where I was glad I had on the micro spikes.

December 28, 2013 Allison Log Pond Lake 7 miles 0 feet gained

A cloudy, muddy romp on Sauvie Island. They are currently working on some trail restoration and churning up some foul-smelling muck that adds 2 pounds to your shoes. Saw three eagles (one juvenile), a sea lion, mergansers, geese, a variety of sparrows, and a bold spotted towhee. Lots of active hunting right now, so it sounds a bit like a war zone with the gu...

December 27, 2013 Jen Crescent Lake 4.5 miles 500 feet gained

Brought a friend and the kids to this amazing wonderland. The area is huge, the views dramatic, and the whole place is covered with thick soft bright green moss. We counted at least 6 vision quest pits.

December 27, 2013 Roman Angels Rest 4.6 miles 1,500 feet gained

Quick training hike. No crowds. Time up 0:53

December 26, 2013 Nat Turner City of Portland Reservoir Number 5 2.4 miles 500 feet gained

Maps and Course notes for free at the Mazamas Website. Check it out. http://www.mazamas.org/

December 26, 2013 Karl Mount Defiance 12.5 miles 5,250 feet gained

Most awesome way possible to work off all those holiday treats! Allison and I climbed a vertical mile up to the highest point in the Columbia River Gorge, even though last night's (delicious) lasagna was weighing me down like a boat anchor, and enjoyed the wonders of an temperature inversion and magnificent views in all directions. Along the way, we walked a...

December 26, 2013 Allison Warren Creek Falls 12.5 miles 5,000 feet gained

Up, up, and away - out of the fog and into the sunshine! 71 degrees and sunny on the top of Mt. Defiance, a great place to stop for peanut butter and jellies and some Christmas cookies. No snow or ice until about 4300'. A constant ice sheet above made us happy that we brought microspikes. Warren Lake was completely frozen - perfect for ice skating had we hau...

December 25, 2013 Jen Doane Point 4 miles 250 feet gained

Out for a romp with the dog we are babysitting. Might have been her first real hike. She was a boundless bundle of joy.

December 25, 2013 JM Rocky Butte 2.5 miles 0 feet gained

Hike along the east side above and below the cliffs past many homeless camps and piles and piles of garbage. It's a real shame that it's like that, I wish parks would fund a cleanup or something. The trail sort of faded at the southern end at a homeless campsite so I bushwhacked straight up the butte to the road and back to the car. I'll have to look at the ...

December 25, 2013 Mileage Mike Campground: Government Mineral Springs 8.6 miles 750 feet gained

It was on the cool side but a nice holiday hike! We only saw two couples the entire day. We were trying to get to the Big Hollow trail from the Dry Creek TH, but got stopped by some water crossings that we didn't want to make on such a cold day. This is a very nice, and fairly level, forest hike with many opportunities to visit Big Hollow Creek.

December 25, 2013 Father Guido Sarducci Rattlesnake Mountain 10 miles 3,000 feet gained

Hiked to all 3 ledges and the East Peak. Very little snow @ the summit.

December 24, 2013 Mileage Mike Tootle 7.7 miles 750 feet gained

The road to this hike was glazed over by the freezing fog, and at about 2500ft there was ice all over the road! We wore our micro-spikes for the entire hike as the trail was very slippery and we didn't want to risk slipping. We didn't actually know where Kalama Falls was located, so we kept taking trails that we thought led to it. However, they only led to t...

December 22, 2013 Chris Garfield Peak 6 miles 1,250 feet gained

A little snowshoeing around the rim trail. Went up toward Garfield Peak and then a little in the other direction. The far side seemed to have little snow, but the lodge side had a bit.

December 22, 2013 Jen Powell Butte 6 miles 250 feet gained

The main parking lot is closed, so I approached via the Springwater Trail from the east. Only saw one other person in the park on a Sunday!

December 22, 2013 Mileage Mike Sherrard Point 7.8 miles 1,500 feet gained

Went with my wife and son on this short hike. We decided to hike east on Larch Mt. Road and cut-in to the Larch Mt. trail. We headed north towards Multnomah Falls, and were glad to see Laura (Spitfire) hiking up to Larch Mt! We stopped and talked for a while, and then resumed hiking north until we bumped into her husband Rick, and stopped to talk with him a ...

December 21, 2013 Debbi Sullivan Gulch 6 miles 250 feet gained

December 21 to December 22, 2013 JM Sunset Beach 9 miles 1,250 feet gained 1 night

Attempted the traverse from Seaside to Indian Beach, but were dismayed to find that you cannot park overnight at either end of the trail. Since we were overnighting, we tempted fate by parking along the public road in Seaside. No problems. Lucky or legal? Spent the night @ hiker's camp on Tillamook Head. Drizzly day and eve and morn, but no real rain. No vie...

December 21, 2013 Mileage Mike Trout Creek Pond (historical) 11.2 miles 1,500 feet gained

We headed up Sedum Ridge and started from the Trout Creek Work Center parking lot. We were looking for the access to the Historic Stevenson Ridge Trail that we found on the garmin map but didn't know if it existed. The access to the trail wasn't obvious as there was brush growing where the trail started. We headed up this abandoned trail and on the way back ...

December 21, 2013 Allison Multnomah Falls Viewing Deck 16 miles 3,750 feet gained

A long foggy, wet hike on the shortest day of the year. Made a quick visit to the Christmas Ornament Trail and Nesika Lodge before climbing up Franklin Ridge and then back down to Oneonta.

December 21, 2013 Father Guido Sarducci Point Defiance 5.21 miles 1,000 feet gained

Due to a favorable tide was able to take the beach route

December 20, 2013 Jen Franklin Ridge 10 miles 2,250 feet gained

Bushwacked up for a long ridgewalk on Franklin Ridge from low down on the Oneonta trail. Fun scrambles.

December 19, 2013 Nat Turner Oneonta Falls 5.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

Fun Winter Lap. Up Horsetail over to Ponytail, then Triple, then back down through the tunnel for the lap.

December 19, 2013 Roman Coyote Wall 9.23 miles 2,500 feet gained

It was a good weather in the Eastern Gorge today (quite a contrast with areas closer west) - no rain, no fog, even a little sun and Mt. Hood views... Forgot camera for a change. Made a loop over recently decommissioned trail, then above Burns Farm and down along Coyote Wall.

December 19, 2013 Allison Tom Dick and Harry Mountain 7 miles 2,000 feet gained

My first time to Mirror Lake, which was frozen solid and covered in a paper thin layer of snow. Trail was ostensibly ice with a tiny bit of snow over it, making for some slippery conditions. Beautiful weather.

December 19, 2013 Karl Tom Dick and Harry Mountain 8 miles 2,000 feet gained

Did the classic Mirror Lake, up Tom Dick and Harry Mountain, and back down Ski Bowl loop today. First time ever in the winter. Wonderful day up there. But there was a very odd accumulation of ice, perhaps an inch thick, just under the snow. Finally put on microSpikes which aided greatly to the confidence of each step. Very little snow, for this late in the s...

December 16, 2013 Water (Matt) Devils Kitchen 6 miles 5,250 feet gained

not much to report. carried skis to top of triangle moraine and stashed them--soft snow never made an appearance as I went higher, much to my disappointment. fine (1cm?) rain crust atop all the mountain from crater rock level up. topped out in the old chute. carried skis back to top of palmer, slightly bruised ski-ego after the blue-ice slide 20ft from palme...

December 16, 2013 Elsie Lamberson Spur 10 miles 2,000 feet gained

Winter's happening.

December 15, 2013 Allison Little Herman Creek 8.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

A quick morning hike up to Indian Point. Dramatic weather on the point.

December 15, 2013 Chris Dollar Mountain 3 miles 1,000 feet gained

December 15, 2013 Mileage Mike Brock Creek 8.2 miles 750 feet gained

Very nice cloudy and foggy day in a less used location. My son went with us and wanted a somewhat shorter and easier hike, so this is a dependable hike with those qualities.

December 15, 2013 Father Guido Sarducci Point Defiance 4.5 miles 750 feet gained

December 14, 2013 Debbi Horsetail Falls 4.5 miles 750 feet gained

December 14, 2013 Karl Ridge Cut-Off 8.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Just an all-around excellent little workout hike! Spent most of the day in the clouds, but they cleared just enough to be highly dramatic while we were at Indian Point. From Herman Creek campground (about 9am), we went up Nick Eaton Way to the Ridge Cutoff Trail just below Pt 3152. That took us over to the Gorton Creek trail just about where the spur to Indi...

December 14, 2013 Roman Vancouver Lake 2.5 miles 0 feet gained

December 14, 2013 Mileage Mike Government Cove 10.5 miles 2,750 feet gained

Cloudy and coolish day but was a pleasure to hike in! Went with a friend and stopped to take pictures of Indian Point and Mt. Adams. We made it to a campsite just past a small stream/spring, which was just past the Deadwood Trail! Very enjoyable hike and am glad to have passed the 1000 mile mark for the year! We followed up this great hike with pizza!

December 13, 2013 Father Guido Sarducci Success Cleaver 3 miles 750 feet gained

Snow conditions were very icy.

December 13, 2013 Karl Bells Mountain 16 miles 3,250 feet gained

Decided that the misty-cloudy forecast called for a nice long walk in the woods. Hadn't ever explored much beyond the waterfalls areas at Moulton Falls county park before, so took a long ramble along the Bells Mountain Trail. Somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the area covered had been clearcut in the not too distant past. In fact, I wandered right through an ...

December 11, 2013 Allison Wiesendanger Falls 15 miles 3,250 feet gained

December 10, 2013 Nat Turner Clear Lake Butte 4.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

I have the Best Friends. They reserve the tower. Then they forget about it over the next 6 months. Then they call and say: Hey wanna go Sleep in the Tower next week? Yes Please. repeat 5x. Thanks Friends! FYI - Lookout now equipped with LED christmas lights, bring AA batts. Dance Party courtesy of Jawbone Jambox.

December 9, 2013 Allison North Falls 5 miles 500 feet gained

December 8, 2013 Nat Turner Gorge 7.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

Standard Fare. Attempted Wakeena Loop. Icy Creek was lovely. The slide above Multnomah is Dangerous. Totally doable, but cold/wet/trauma consequences and covered in ice. We retreated back up 1000' to Vista, and made that lil loop, then hit up Monument Viewpoint, the closed/overgrown/lost trail that leads to the ridge east of Lemmon's Viewpoint. Never been ou...

December 8, 2013 Water (Matt) Steel Cliff 6 miles 5,250 feet gained

only a few people on the mnt this day. the weather was whippin in the mid-morn but then it got progressively more beautiful, warm, clear, and windless! We skied 90% of the old chute--the top 50~ foot was too icy. Skied down west crater rim and stayed to the west of crater rock-never been down that side before. Old chute was powder on top of very rough ice (n...

December 8, 2013 Elsie 5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Ruins hikes around Ollanta, Peru. Trail was sketchy on the Pinkuylluna trail, so I didn't go the whole way. But still a good lung workout, huffing at 10,600'.

December 8, 2013 Mileage Mike Ice House Lake 10.6 miles 1,500 feet gained

We wanted to experience al the frozen falls/creeks in the gorge and so headed out to Dry Creek Falls. Although very very cold, we were dressed appropriately and had no warmth issues! I've never seen Dry Creek Falls look quite so amazingly beautiful during the winter season, and this type of hard freeze doesn't happen very often. I highly recommend visiting i...

December 7, 2013 Roman Wahkeena Falls 3 miles 1,000 feet gained

It's been more a photography day than hike day. Hit 6 spots in the Gorge (with warm-up breaks in the car in between) - Bridal Veil viewpoint, Latourell Falls, the caverns under Angels Rest, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls with a hike to about switchback 3 or 4, and Horsetail Falls with a hike to Ponytail. Was surprised the icy bridge at Multnomah was open.

December 7, 2013 Karl Vista Point 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Afternoon jaunt around the frozen waterfalls. Extremely cold, and pretty icy. Would seriously recommend traction for safety on this loop until the thaw hits. The area around the landslide (just below Wahkeena junction) is pretty gnarly.

December 7, 2013 Mileage Mike Alder Bluff 9.2 miles 750 feet gained

Beautifully bitter cold day, but we were dressed for it! More mountain bikers than I would have thought, and also saw three muzzleloader hunters. Great time, but now it's time to leave for the PH Meet-n-Deet! See you there, maybe.

December 6, 2013 Jen Devils Rest 6.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Wandering around in the woods in my favorite area on a snowy day. Explored a few side trails that I hadn't ventured on before. Was disturbed to see someone has marked the trees with paint. Does not look like logging plans, just someone making ugly orange trail markers on trees where the trail is quite obvious (it's mostly old roads out here!).

December 5, 2013 Allison Silver Star Mountain 8 miles 2,500 feet gained

A cold, snowy hike up Silver Star from Grouse Vista. Made a loop of it via Sturgeon Rock and the Tarbell Trail.