Sarah Johnson

December 31, 2018 9 miles 250 feet gained

Last hike of the year! A pleasant, mostly flat stroll along the Deschutes River, starting at Deschutes River State Park. I wore my glacier glasses for the hike and my eyes still hurt from all the sunshine I soaked in today. The burn from this summer really has the area looking alive and green, as the hillsides are reawakening. We even ran into some wildflowe...

December 22, 2018 5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Short and sweet pretty little hike on the eastern Washington side of the gorge. I love this area, and seeing how the landscape changes as you drive out from Portland. The trail starts with a somewhat steep climb, with an option to check out the abandoned convict road when you hit the sign for the orchard. We peaked around the bend but a significant landslide...

December 16, 2018 5.7 miles 750 feet gained

With rain in the forecast but still wanting to get out, we decided to go for something easy and not far from Portland. Odd little hike, as parts of it are on road and right through grazing cows. (They seemed pretty docile, unlike the cows on the Fort to Sea Trail by the coast.) Shellburg Falls were easily accessible, while grand views of the other falls in t...

December 8, 2018 6 miles 1,500 feet gained

It was a winter wonderland in the gorge today - our curiosity bringing us to check out the fire damage to the newly reopened trail. Trail was mostly empty when we arrived around 9 am - but was bustling with incoming poor footwear choices as we rounded our way down to the Multnomah end. Microspikes used on the descent and we were glad to have them on slick tr...

November 24, 2018 3.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

Felt run down and was dealing with some pretty awful cramps on Saturday, but had promised to hike with my boyfriend and our friend Jason. Only made it part way up Hunchback Trail, when my dog broke her dewclaw and starting bleeding all over the place. I bandaged her up and made my way back down the trail, defeated. No views for me after climbing switchbacks ...

November 17, 2018 5 miles 750 feet gained

Woke up late so scrapped our original idea and decided to be kind to ourselves and just do something simple - first time seeing the gorge burn up close and personal. Short trip to dry creek falls.

November 10, 2018 10 miles 4,500 feet gained

This Mazama climb was initially scheduled for last weekend, but with a less than ideal forecast it was rescheduled for this weekend. This proved to be an excellent decision, as we had completely clear skies and an excellent view of the crater. The climb was lead by Matthew Sundling, with Trey Schutrumpf assisting. This climb was intended for beginners, with ...

November 3, 2018 9 miles 1,500 feet gained

Set out the day thinking the weather was going to be rainy and cold, but we were pleasantly surprised by a gorgeous day in the Gifford. Super pleasant hike, nothing to complain about other than the trash and toilet paper left behind. Mostly empty trail on a perfect fall day.

October 21, 2018 7.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

Depression hit hard recently, and my hiking/climbing derailed. I may not make my 52 hikes this year. Finally hit up a hike I previously ignored due to popularity. Solo hike with my dog, and the trail was pretty empty. Gorgeous fall colors.

September 23, 2018 14.5 miles 3,500 feet gained

Met up with local hiking guide author, Matt Reeder (Off The Beaten Trail, PDX Hiking 365, Majestic Mount Jefferson) and his friend Mike, at Joe's Donuts in Sandy on Sunday for an exploratory hike of Horseshoe Ridge/Cast Lake Loop near Mount Hood. He was wanting to do the loop for research on his next guide, so I asked if my boyfriend, dog, and I could tag al...

September 15, 2018 6.3 miles 750 feet gained

Took a few weekends off from hiking, got hit with a nasty cold. Decided to go for a leisurely stroll on the coast, hoping for doom and gloom in the rain. Not quite enough fog for my tastes, but still a fun day. It still boggles my mind that my dog will run through the rain and jump around in crashing waves in the ocean, but when it rains when she is home she...

September 1, 2018 6.8 miles 2,000 feet gained

Do not make the mistake of trying for the North trailhead to Silver Star. Nothing will make it up that road unless you are a very high clearance vehicle. Passenger vehicles head to the Grouse Vista trailhead. I was absolutely exhausted on Saturday. Friday night, the girls dragged me out to Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper in Ridgefield, WA. I ended up staying up...

August 15, 2018 5.5 miles 250 feet gained

On Wednesday after work, I decided to head out for an Adventurous Young Mazamas urban hike starting at the downtown REI. Matt Reeder (local hiking guide author and all around nice guy) hosted an evening of music trivia and visits to former and existing music venues in Portland. While my legs were a little sore from my climb the day before, gain on this was m...

August 14 to August 15, 2018 12 miles 4,250 feet gained 1 night

The pronunciation of this peak is questionable, I've read three different variations, "Aches", "Eye" and "Ikes." Mt. Aix is located in the William O. Douglas Wilderness, just outside of Mount Rainier National Park. I'm kind of partial to Aches, as it makes sense with the amount of elevation you gain right from the beginning. The drive out from Portland is st...

August 4, 2018 13 miles 3,000 feet gained

After a weekend off from hard hiking, my friend Tom from BCEP called out on facebook to see if anyone would like to join him for a somewhat strenuous, 13 mile hike by Mount St Helens. I responded, as did fellow Mazama member Prajwal (whom I met when he was our assistant during BCEP), and his partner Dan. I added my partner Zane to the mix (first time he has ...

July 28, 2018 3.8 miles 250 feet gained

Remember when I said I was going to do something easy and not do any climbing? Yeah, that backfired. Anyone who has followed social media this past two weeks knows how much of a overcrowded nightmare Lower Lewis River Falls was. I didn’t set out on my day intending to be part of a problem. I knew it was going to be hot, and I wanted to swim. I didn’t want to...

July 21 to July 22, 2018 12.4 miles 6,750 feet gained 1 night

After last week, I was really doubting myself, and wondering whether I could do another summit just one week later. So, naturally, I emailed my climb leader George, who was one of my BCEP instructors, asking him what pace he intended on taking. I was assured, "Don't worry Sarah, I take a slow pace on this one." So I figured, worst case scenario, I make it to...

July 14 to July 15, 2018 13 miles 5,000 feet gained 1 night

This was a hard climb for me, I don't do well with hot weather and elevation gain. Add to that our climbing party had two different speeds, one of which started out with way too fast of a pace for me. We left Portland Saturday morning around 7:30 am, stopping for breakfast near the Zigzag ranger station. I tried to fuel up but my stomach was in knots and I f...

July 7, 2018 11 miles 2,000 feet gained

Felt sluggish, fat, crampy, and my fingers felt like sausages today. Forced myself to get up and we headed out to Ape Canyon. It was a fairly gentle climb, dodging mountain bikers through an old growth forest spared by the Helen's blast. Views were spectacular today as the clouds lifted. It always amazes me seeing the power of our planet in person. Great hik...

June 30, 2018 8.3 miles 4,000 feet gained

What a trip! This exploratory Mazamas climb was lead by Mike Levis with assistant Walter Keutel. First off, if you do this climb, make sure you start a beer pool for afterwards, based on whenever someone utters the words, "Is this a trail?", "This looks like a trail..." or "This might be a trail." Perhaps even every time someone falls down or utters, "Are we...

June 23, 2018 8 miles 500 feet gained

A few friends of mine who are non hikers asked if I would take them on a hike. Each suggestion I made was turned down for being "too hard", a "death hike", too many people, more elevation gain than they could handle... So, I opted for something mostly flat, with enough of a danger element to be exciting for us. I've been on the route a few times, and it is o...

June 9, 2018 9 miles 1,500 feet gained

Rainy rainy day down the Clackamas. Felt guilty for not hiking last weekend so I thought I would head out and brave the rain for some solitude on the trail. Had originally planned on tackling Mount Defiance, but the thought of coming down something so steep in the rain just didn't sound safe. Especially not knowing how the gorge fire has affected the trail. ...

May 27, 2018 3.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

This was a Mazama's climb led by my former BCEP instructor from last year, George Shay, with Dirk Lakeman assisting. I was happy to see another familiar face on the climb team, with one of my assistants from BCEP Guy also on the climb. The rest of the team was very friendly, and many recent BCEP grads themselves. We took the heavily pot holed dirt road up to...

May 21, 2018 2.4 miles 250 feet gained

May 18, 2018 4.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

May 17, 2018 2.8 miles 750 feet gained

May 16, 2018 5.5 miles 500 feet gained

The road to this trailhead is BAD, we added an extra two miles to our hike because we could not reach the trailhead. 4WD only for the last mile. This trail was well marked with cairns, but the opportunity for exploring is awesome. Many different slot canyons in this area, being late in the day we opted for Spooky and Dry Creek Narrows. Peak a Boo looked a bi...

May 16, 2018 6 miles 500 feet gained

Slot canyons, hoodoos, crazy rock formations, oh my!

May 15, 2018 4 miles 250 feet gained

Let me be up front, driving a Prius in Grand Staircase-Escalante is not recommended. We ran into many roads we just could not travel down, many we shouldn't have but attempted anyway, and miles and miles of washboard roads. However, a careful driver can make it to many interesting places if you care not about the wear and tear on your vehicle. Prior to our t...

May 14, 2018 8.2 miles 1,500 feet gained

This hike was pure fun, a magical descent into the Hoodoos of Bryce, complete with David Bowie Magic Dance stuck in my head as I looked around at all the goblin castles. Starting at the North Campground, we had a convenient entry point in which to start. We ran into a few people going the opposite way at the start of the hike, but otherwise pretty much had t...

May 13, 2018 10.5 miles 2,250 feet gained

We rose early to try to beat the heat and the crowds into the park, and managed to find a parking spot at the Visitor Center to leave our car for the day. The parking area quickly filled up, and after a quick breakfast at a cafe, we got into line to wait for the shuttle. In the short time we were in line, the crowd grew, and we had our longest wait to board ...

May 12, 2018 4.3 miles 1,250 feet gained

At first, entering Zion in the afternoon was a little overwhelming. Crowds, cars, no parking. Once we figured out that we just needed to find a place to park anywhere in Springdale, and that the shuttle to the park and within the park was free, we were all set. We loaded up our daypacks and set out into the park. The shuttle system was efficient, we never ha...

May 10, 2018 2.2 miles 500 feet gained

Forgive me while I document all of the hikes from my vacation last week. I had been wanting to visit Owyhee, the lure of its isolation and remoteness intrigued me from the first moment I heard about it. However, being cursed with a Prius as my only vehicle, I had doubts I could make it out there. After a bit of research I found that the Leslie Gulch area is ...

May 6, 2018 17 miles 4,250 feet gained

This was probably one of the most grueling hikes I have done in recent memory. The closure of the trailhead at the Hot Springs resort makes this a very long trek indeed. Being my first time up to Table, I wasn't sure what to expect. Weather prediction from the night before called for showers all day, so we all dressed for what we thought would be a cooler ex...

April 28, 2018 10.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Decided to try to Catherine Creek/Coyote Wall Loop. Initially started out exploring and looking for the natural arch on a side trail. Went a little further than we wanted but the trail was pretty so nothing lost. Backtracked and went up the way we needed and took a little side trail to check out the "old stove". Turned around and continued on the old road he...

April 22, 2018 10.5 miles 4,000 feet gained

With a beautiful weather forecast and a planned trip to Seattle to see Front 242 Sunday evening, I decided to drive out early from Portland and find somewhere to hike. After a little research, I decided to knock off one of the more popular strenuous hikes near Seattle, Mailbox Peak. Since I was hiking solo, I opted for the "gentle" new way up, over the gruel...

April 15, 2018 9 miles 250 feet gained

Gloomy rainy trip down Swale Canyon today. I won't make the mistake of taking my dog down this trail again. I had heard reports of ticks, but I did not expect the onslaught of bloodthirsty beasts that I came across today. With the misty rain, we did not notice any ticks until we were around 4.5 miles down the trail, the rain had stopped and the dog was dry. ...

April 1, 2018 9.4 miles 2,250 feet gained

Newly "reopened" Wygant Trail, one of the few trails on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge not affected by the Eagle Creek Fire. This trail has seen some improvements from Trail Crews since the last time I was here, but it is pretty obvious they have not gotten to the whole trail. There is one spot part way up where you have to climb over a very lar...

March 25, 2018 8.8 miles 1,500 feet gained

First time out to one of Oregon's newest state parks. This hike is mostly off trail, and starts immediately UP from the parking lot at the Murtha Ranch Trailhead. The hike was lead by Mazama's hike leader Bill Stein. Going up we could see a faint trail where others had gone before us, but nothing that is an official trail. Once we reached the ridge crest, we...

March 10, 2018 11 miles 1,000 feet gained

This hike was recommended to me by local author of hiking guides, Matt Reeder, as being one of his favorite winter hikes. There was no lack of sunshine on the day I was there, and no lack of cows as the area is BLM land and an open range. Lily (my dog) and my pal Brooklyn joined for an all girls day on the trail. Not a soul out there, which was a refreshing ...

March 4, 2018 2 miles 250 feet gained

Just a quick stretch of the legs back when we had an unsuccessful attempt at reaching the Valley of the Giants. Pleasant place to visit, great for bird watchers.

March 4, 2018 1 miles 0 feet gained

This was an attempt to find the famed patch of old growth in the middle of logging country near the coast of Oregon. Huge Douglas-firs, with a few large western hemlocks, some trees up to 500 years old. The hike was lead by Mazamas hike leader Bill Stein, with Matt Reeder (local author of PDX Hiking 365 and 101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region.) ...

February 11, 2018 5.3 miles 1,500 feet gained

Past trip, still trying to catch up on my hikes so sorry for spamming the site as I knock these out. I love Saddle Mountain, and simultaneously hate it. The grating on the steep parts of the hike always make my footing feel a bit unsure. Chain link fence material has been put on a large part of this trail due to the lack of topsoil, but is in bad shape in ma...

February 10, 2018 7.8 miles 1,750 feet gained

Parked at ski bowl, which adds to the mileage of this hike. This hike was lead by my friend Kat (who was an assistant when I took BCEP), who is a new Mazama's hike leader, through meetup. Cold, clear day and a steady pace. Trail was hard packed and snowshoes were not needed. Also along was my fellow BCEP friend and Mountain Dog, Prasanna. (Who is now becomin...

January 31, 2018 6 miles 500 feet gained

Night hike through the ape caves. Worked a full day, and with a friend in town from Florida, we decided to take him out to Ape Caves because it was something we could do without daylight. Happened to be the night of a blood moon. Did both lower and upper, no other creatures or beings in site. Icy descent into the caves, and pretty slippery hike back on the h...

January 14, 2018 5.7 miles 1,250 feet gained

This hike was originally planned to be a snowshoe hike... well, we carried our snowshoes but we never actually unloaded them from our packs. An abnormally beautiful and clear day, we lucked out and had a completely unobstructed view of Rainier. While I was disappointed I didn't get to use my snowshoes due to an almost completely snow free trail, I can't comp...

January 7, 2018 3.7 miles 500 feet gained

Quick jaunt on a rainy day with my dog through the far end of Forest Park.