Woodswalker

December 14, 2015 5.4 miles 1,250 feet gained

I wanted to get up in those nice falls on Multnomah Creek today. Winter creek just before the HIghwater trail junction turned me around. I was pretty sure it would. People crossed easily while I was there, but none of them with dry feet. It was just that inch and a half above boot top depth that decided me. Short hike but a great day.

December 1, 2015 4.4 miles 1,000 feet gained

I just had a few hours, so I did a walk to the Triple Falls bridge. The scenic highway was a sheet of ice and on the way back there was a bad rollover that had not been there that morning. It was sporadically icy so I got to use my microspikes a lot. Many beautiful icicles and a quiet day.

November 22, 2015 10 miles 1,750 feet gained

A friend invited me to go to Mt St Helen's with her yesterday, so off we went. The road up was icy in spots but fine. Just enough snow to make it beautiful. We parked at the Hummocks and road walked to The south Coldwater lake TH. As usual, beautiful views everywhere. We continued up towards Coldwater Peak and went about a mile beyond the junction with the t...

November 17, 2015 5 miles 750 feet gained

Went with a couple of friends I hadn't seen in awhile for a short hike. Masses of mushrooms, loads of green and even a few sunbreaks!! The downpour held off until we were back at the car. Still some visible snow on the surrounding hills. The Clackamas was pretty calm in places, but all the side creeks were muddy brown and flowing fast. Wonderful day.

November 10, 2015 9 miles 1,750 feet gained

Great day with a friend taking the back way into Bell creek from Larch mountain. Slow pace due to excessive mushroom gawking. Some truly astounding old growth. Great day but dense fog at the beginning and end of the hike, so no views, but there was a light dusting of frost/snow on the trees just before the top of Larch. Wonderful trip.

October 27, 2015 11.6 miles 2,250 feet gained

The parking lot was full when I pulled in but I only saw a few people on the trail. At 9 am on a Tuesday no less. Conferring with a women who pulled in right after me she diagnosed it as: OMG, last sunny day fever. I'm currently obsessed with the small pool filled remains of what I usually experience as rushing creeklets. The vine maple understory really sto...

October 21, 2015 15 miles 1,750 feet gained

Always one of my favorite hikes, especially after the crowds depart in the fall. The fall colors are mostly yellows and sporadic. But the maple leaves look really nice falling into the water. The salmon are still spawning. Apparently it's a larger than usual year. The understory of yellow trees was particularly nice above 7.5 mile camp. I only saw a few peop...

October 14, 2015 7 miles 0 feet gained

Nice slow hike to take in the views before the snow comes. Lots of great views. Larches in the distance were golden. No snow on trail and the Badger Lake fire is still smoking.

October 3, 2015 10.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Pretty quiet for a Sunday. Did a nice loop up from Frog lake sno-park, past Twin Lakes, and then up to Palmateer Point. You could see the fall colors very clearly on Barlow Butte. For the return I looped up to the PCT and came back down. I often think of the PCT as Hikers Highway! Not a lot of fall color, but the spots where there was color were outstanding.

September 28, 2015 11.07 miles 2,000 feet gained

Another wonderful day in the Badger Wilderness. A nice meander up and over Lookout Mt, over Gunsight Butte and back on the Bennett Pass Road to High Prairie. Beautiful views.

September 26, 2015 8 miles 2,000 feet gained

The cloud cover looked as though it wasn't going to live up to the forecast's promise of sunny skies. But twenty minutes into the hike it all cleared off. There was no sign at the trailhead, but the signage was excellent everywhere else on the hike. I didn't see a single person on the trail. I knew there were lots of folks up on the butte, so I enjoyed my so...

September 21, 2015 10.18 miles 1,750 feet gained

It had been a long time goal to see St Helen's Lake. Monday I finally made it, with sparkling skies and beautiful autumn colors. The views here are different and spectacular around every turn.

September 13, 2015 13.26 miles 3,000 feet gained

Due to intermittent car starting issues, which can't be diagnosed until it will occur for the mechanic, I am heading places that have reception, or people with phones or radios nearby. I thought Timberline would be crazy crowded, but it really wasn't except right around the lodge in the afternoon. The fall colors were stunning, crossing the Zigzag was ridicu...

September 7, 2015 11.5 miles 1,750 feet gained

Ponds and more ponds! Tarns, lakes galore as well. We took established trails for the first part of the day, then some version of the various older and unmaintained trails to get back. The PCT is great, but I really prefer the older trails though the meadows. The sun never fully emerged but it was out enough to make lots of great reflections in the water. Gr...

August 31, 2015 9.08 miles 2,250 feet gained

Searching for clear skies, the Badger Creek Wilderness sounded promising, so I set out to the east. I wanted to do a different section than I usually do. So I planned a loop from High Prairie, up Lookout Mt., down to Gumjuwac saddle, over Gunsight Butte down to Jean Lake and back to the trailhead by way of the Bennett Pass road. I ended up only going as far ...

August 24, 2015 4.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

This was a hilarious hike. We wanted to end our trip with a stroll and possibly a swim in this low elevation lake. Due to not looking carefully at the map we found ourselves going very steeply up then sliding insanely steeply down and repeating until we found ourselves with 3/4 of a mile left to still make 800 feet of elevation gain. After trudging up throug...

August 23, 2015 14.54 miles 1,750 feet gained

Smokey day so I walked up mostly dry Walupt creek to a beautiful pond just before the PCT junction. Complete bird sanctuary, but the only one willing to pose was a Grey Jay. Refreshed myself back at Walupt lake and tried to get a few photos through the smoke.

August 22, 2015 10.92 miles 2,750 feet gained

Beautiful scenery despite the smoke. Lots of northbound PCTers at the lake and lots of backpackers.

August 21, 2015 12.24 miles 2,750 feet gained

Friday was the smoke free day so we went on a trail that promised amazing views and weren't disappointed. We were the only day hikers up there but it wasn't too busy except in the Jordan Basin- Goat Lake area where lots of people were heading in for the weekend. While we were up there the wind shifted and the plume of the Mt Adams fire started heading our wa...

August 16, 2015 9 miles 1,750 feet gained

Great day, Nice clear air surprisingly. Smokey east of the Cascades. We didn't do the whole loop having heard from backpackers, who heard from someone else that the South Fork Toutle trail was washed out. We later ran into hikers who had done the loop and said that there was a easily managed rockslide, passable by even the unadventurous. Still we were happy ...

August 15, 2015 5.76 miles 1,750 feet gained

Totally beautiful day with excellent views. The smoke didn't start making a haze until later in the day and then mostly eastish. The glacier actually looks a lot more broken up than when I was there a month ago.

August 12, 2015 8 miles 1,500 feet gained

With the heat I wanted to end my hike with a lake. So I headed east out I-84 to Lost Lake. On the way I saw a a huge smoke cloud which I later found out was the Cougar creek fire on S.E. Mt. Adams. The way up to the butte goes through some really nice forest. Lots of Rhodies and not a lot of dead tree. Surprisingly I was not seeing a ton of impact offtrail c...

July 28, 2015 6.05 miles 1,250 feet gained

Crystal clear day, perfect temperature and a great trailfriend all added to the delight of my first trip to Mt Adams. Even though the blooms are mostly done it was still amazingly beautiful. The park host at Mirror lake where we bought our permit let us know that mountain goats have been seen not to much above the Hellroaring viewpoint.No goats but it was st...

July 24, 2015 7.09 miles 250 feet gained

Wanted to have an easy stroll with maybe a swim.The wind was strong and the water was too cold, so no swim. But it was a totally awesome day nonetheless.

July 20, 2015 13.08 miles 2,750 feet gained

Very clear skies, still a few flowers and magnificent views. A bit of wandering above the Timberline trail. What more could you want. Fireweed is full on. There were a few biting bugs between Cove Creek and the Timberline trail. No problem if you were moving. We had a great time!

July 15, 2015 12.91 miles 2,250 feet gained

My first time up to Jefferson Park. Absolutely stunning. No bugs. Blue sky. Perfect temps.The flowers are mostly done but still a few nice patches. Saw quite a few people on the trail, but up at the actual lakes it was pretty quiet. Everyone seemed to disappear to their own little spots.

July 9, 2015 5.74 miles 1,750 feet gained

I decided to let my car do some of the elevation gain since it was a hot day so I drove up to the Cloud Cap trailhead. A young stag walked right up to me just as I started up the trail and things just got even better from there. The flowers are still going but a lot of the lupine are looking tired in places. The heat got to me at a certain point and I decide...

June 24, 2015 9.19 miles 1,750 feet gained

Great day in one of my favorite places. Fret creek is one of the few shady hikes in the Badger Creek Wilderness. We went up and caught the Divide trail from Lookout Mountain. Went a ways up the road the goes to Flag Point to a place we call Arch point. Then walked back down the gravel roads and a mile on the paved road to our car. We saw no one and only two ...

June 22, 2015 10.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Wild flower explosion day! Also lots of deer, birds and small tadpoles. I decided to see the flowers before the upcoming heat fried them. I headed up towards Umbrella Falls from the Elk Meadows trail and then continued onto the Timberline Trail over to Heather Canyon. Turned around there and from Umbrella falls area took the Sahalie Falls trail down to my ca...

June 14, 2015 9.1 miles 1,750 feet gained

Absolutely stunning day! The bear grass and avalanche lilies are completely amazing. The lilies are going to be done really soon though.No snow at all though except a few patches, none on trail. I took about a million pictures of curling bark as it sloughs off the burned trees. It was a friends belated birthday adventure so we had a fantastic picnic in Wyeas...

June 8, 2015 10.93 miles 2,500 feet gained

Fantastic day! No bugs and lots of shade loving flowers in the woods. The flowers in the saddle were at peak bloom and the beargrass was blooming in patches from just below Burnt lake to the top. A little hazy but all five volcanoes were visible. Went a bit beyond the top but decided it was to hot to explore further.

May 25, 2015 12.9 miles 3,000 feet gained

Miraculously the sun cleared with just a few puffy clouds for drama. We parked at the Shellrock lake trailhead and did a counter clockwise loop up to Frazier around past Serene Lake and Cache meadows, back up to Frazier and down. Absolutely no snow, A few mosquitoes at the trailhead. A bit of Beargrass and lots of Trilliums. Great day.

May 15, 2015 8.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

Just a short hike with a good friend to take some flower shots.The Balsam is done down below but the various Buckwheats are going strong and we saw some things that neither of us had seen before.

May 9, 2015 11 miles 1,750 feet gained

Great day!! The mosquitoes are already out in full force in Indian Heaven.

May 4, 2015 6.24 miles 1,250 feet gained

Short jaunt to explore the area of the Ball Creek fire. Having watched it burn from Flag Point lookout I was amazed at how much survived and regrew. Balsam is about a week from peak, Lupines are full on and the area is still in the brief flush of spring green. Such great views everywhere. Because of the haze it was hard to capture all the amazing views.

May 3, 2015 14 miles 500 feet gained

Went with a group out to Swale Canyon. Perfect temps. The water is getting a bit low and the blooms seem a bit past peak, but still beautiful. Lots more art installations/altars than I expected. They were great.

April 27, 2015 14.2 miles 1,500 feet gained

I was a bit brain dead Monday, so I thought I would just go out to Eagle Creek. As usual I am always amazed by that place. Penstamen, rosy plectritus, valerian, all going strong. Lupines, lilies and Monkey flowers just starting.. Met some nice folks along the trail.

April 20, 2015 9.55 miles 1,750 feet gained

Couldn't resist one more trip. Balsam slightly past peak but still totally full on, now joined by lupines and phlox. We saw deer, a lizard and a rattlesnake,

April 16, 2015 8.44 miles 1,750 feet gained

I had the afternoon free and the landslide on the Oneonata trail is fixed, at least for now. I like to keep going up past Triple Falls and turn around just past the last bridge. Great day!

April 9, 2015 5.23 miles 1,250 feet gained

Slowest speed record ever!! Too many things to look at. Photo capture of the day was a Chocolate Lily and a rattlesnake. I went up the open meadow west of Catherine Creek over to Atwood road and then east to the old 4WD road which is where I saw the rattlesnake. Perfect day!

March 30, 2015 8.6 miles 2,250 feet gained

I decided to try and get one more sunshine hike in before the rains return. I took the west route up because it looked like it had more views and I was concerned that the clouds might roll in later. It was a yellow flower day. VIolets, Lomatiums, and Glacier lilies galore. With the brush and trees not leafed out there were lots of sneak peeks through the tre...

March 24, 2015 10.86 miles 1,750 feet gained

Beautiful sunny day out to the east. Walked around and through Horsethief Butte, then ambled east on the plateau. Lots of the smaller wildflowers are full on right now. Climbed down a convenient gully directly across from the new parking lot for the Crawford Oaks trailhead, Heading up to the Dalles Mountain ranch complex we saw tons of Balsam root not quite ...

March 19, 2015 8 miles 750 feet gained

Just a quick trip on a sunny day to see how the flowers were progressing. The answer is quickly!

March 9, 2015 4 miles 500 feet gained

A short hike in the gorge with a friend and a chance to look at the landslide that is about 1/2 mile north of Triple falls.

March 8, 2015 3.09 miles 1,250 feet gained

I did a loop heading up the Labyrinth Trail to Atwood road, east on Atwood road aways to Rowland ridge. Then angled back down catching the top of what Green trail maps is calling Little Maui trail. The flowers are just starting up. Pretty quiet day out there.

March 3, 2015 10.2 miles 1,000 feet gained

An easyish flu recovery hike today for me. Beautiful day and beautiful colors in the water and moss right now. Just a few flowers are starting to open.

February 19, 2015 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 15, 2015 9.6 miles 2,000 feet gained

Totally glorious day, views at every step and scarily small amounts of snow. We only saw a few patches on the back of Coldwater peak in the distance, besides what was on Adams and Helens. Nice views of Coldwater, Castle and Spirit Lakes. We went from the Hummocks trailhead up to the Loowit viewpoint.

February 12, 2015 5.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

Did a mini hike and went for a small loop up Tracey hill and over to Catherine creek and down. Grass widows are full on. especially lower.

January 30, 2015 9.1 miles 1,250 feet gained

Not much in the way of views as I seemed to be right at the leading edge of the clouds most of the day. Still a nice day in the woods.