Mountainkat

March 7, 2015 9.16 miles 3,500 feet gained

We hiked up to the top of Table Mountain from the Hot Springs. We went up and returned via the Heartbreak Ridge Trail. This is one of those hikes we had just never gotten around to doing, for whatever reason, so it was a first for us. It was interesting to see the landslide from the vantage of Table Mountain. We saw a good amount of people on the trail, more...

March 6, 2015 9.52 miles 1,500 feet gained

We hiked to Indian Racetrack from the PCT and up to Red Mountain. The trail had a few inches of snow, for the most part. There was some deeper snow on the higher parts of the trail up Red Mountain. However, there was basically no snow on the summit. The racetrack area had a bit of melting ice and was really soggy. We attempted to tread lightly in the area an...

March 1, 2015 11.92 miles 3,500 feet gained

We hiked toward Augspurger Mountain from the Dog Mountain Trailhead. Time limitations kept us from reaching the summit and the viewpoint on the other side. We estimated we were within 500 feet elevation and .5 mile or so from the summit before turning around. We enjoyed the views achieved after first cresting the ridge near the power lines. The trail appeare...

February 28, 2015 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 22, 2015 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 21, 2015 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 20, 2015 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 19, 2015 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 17, 2015 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 12.47 miles 750 feet gained

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

February 15, 2015 12.14 miles 3,250 feet gained

We hiked up to the old lookout site on Salmon Butte. No snow anywhere on the trail or at the summit. Great views of Mount Hood, the northern volcanoes, and Mt. Jefferson.

February 14, 2015 10.17 miles 1,000 feet gained

We hiked to lower twin lake, then to upper twin lake. Both lakes had a bit of ice on them. We then proceeded to Palmateer Point and then took the cut off trail to junction with the PCT and returned by the PCT. The only people we encountered were on the trail around the lower twin lake. There was no snow at Palmateer Butte and only a few small patches on the ...

February 8, 2015 8.93 miles 3,250 feet gained

We hiked up Gorton Creek Trail and dropped down on to Indian Point. It was windy and we witnessed some rock falling off the ridge, so we did not stay there long. We then cutover to the Nick Eaton Trail and returned to the trailhead.

January 31, 2015 9 miles 2,750 feet gained

We started at the equestrian trailhead and proceeded to Hardy Ridge, then up to Phlox Point. We saw a few people on Hardy Ridge, but no one at Phlox Point. It was quite windy and cold. A crow was entertaining itself by dropping something and swooping down to catch it over and over. Very neat to see. Some low lying clouds hovering over the Columbia added to t...

January 25, 2015 5.57 miles 0 feet gained

We hiked the trail along the bay and then cut over to the beach and returned back. A nice day at the coast with our old dog, who doesn't go hiking with us any longer.

January 21, 2015 7.61 miles 3,000 feet gained

This was a nice, quiet weekday hike to the lookout on Devil's Peak from the Cool Creek Trail. We encountered some snow within the last .5 mile of the summit.

January 1, 2015 5.6 miles 2,000 feet gained

We spent the new year holiday on the Olympic Peninsula. I hiked Mt. Walker on new year's day. There were many people on the trail that day.