December 27, 2020 9 miles 250 feet gained
Chasing sunshine. Fog throughout the Dalles but opened up at the river.
Sarah Johnson
Email updates
Subscribe to Sarah's hikes
Hikes by Sarah Johnson in 2020
December 20, 2020 3 miles 500 feet gained
Rainy day among old growth and an empty trail.
December 6, 2020 4 miles 1,000 feet gained
November 29, 2020 3.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Meandered, but didn't go to the summit. Just felt like getting out in the sun and exploring, counting this as a birthday hike since I can't get out tomorrow. Will go back and explore more when the trail is less slick and I don't have a dog with me and a one armed boyfriend to worry about falling off the cliff edges.
November 28, 2020 4.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Just a quick spooky day in the woods. Still didn't make it out much past the first viewpoint on the ridge, we were in a cloud all day but the ridge was snow free. My partner was having difficulty on the scrambly sections with his dominant arm currently in a cast/sling. I was okay with where we stopped, but one of these days I would like to get further on thi...
November 15, 2020 9 miles 2,000 feet gained
With an iffy weather forecast, we didn't want to stray far from Portland. We opted to try out the McIntyre Ridge Trail from near 26. (I wasn't sure if my Prius could get to the other two trailheads.) It was absolutely deserted (and thankfully no target shooters, though eventually we did hear some shooting going on, but I'm not sure where they were.) I had ne...
October 31 to November 1, 2020 13.5 miles 3,000 feet gained 1 night
Secluded day, only ran into two groups of trail runners the entire loop. When I want a reminder how small and insignificant I am, I visit Mt St Helen's to be in awe of what nature if capable of. Always amazing to see an ever changing landscape. Hunting season is definitely gearing up, saw multiple camps set up near the trailhead. Elk season starting soon. Be...
October 30, 2020 7 miles 0 feet gained
I was supposed to be on vacation this week, but couldn't afford a trip. Instead, I just took today off and took a nice flat stroll on Sauvie. It was nice to not be at work and just enjoy the day.
October 25, 2020 4 miles 500 feet gained
With the passing of one of my oldest dearest friends to cancer earlier this month, I've been having a hard time motivating myself to get up and outside. Fuck cancer and this stupid year. Instead, I've been sleeping in on the weekends, then feeling guilty about not getting out, and have just managed to do short hikes in the afternoon. I'll get back out there ...
October 18, 2020 2.5 miles 1,000 feet gained
Quick hike up wind, slept in and didn’t want to drive far. Ran into a girl building a cairn in the archeological site, held back my anger and told her as nicely as I could muster, that she was damaging a fragile site and she needed to get out. It totally blew my mind when she said she didn’t know.
October 4, 2020 3.5 miles 500 feet gained
I decided to go back and conquer the trail I had previously turned around on due to my fear of the cliffs. Went the opposite way this time, and found it much more manageable. That, and I think my 5 day trip in the Olympics on the rugged Skyline Trail just made it seem easy in comparison. This trail has one fun scramble section, where the trail goes straight ...
October 3, 2020 3.5 miles 500 feet gained
Spent the weekend in central Oregon on a socially distant camping trip. We made our basecamp at Steelhead Falls Campground. Our driving time was long, and our hikes short and hot but it was worth it to finally spend some time with friends I hadn't hung out with since the pandemic began. The evenings were thankfully cool, and full of coyotes howling throughou...
September 27, 2020 7 miles 1,750 feet gained
Just a shorty up Hardy to avoid the crowds on Hamilton.
September 20, 2020 5.46 miles 1,250 feet gained
Just a quick early shorty to get outside. Wasn't entirely sure what all was open near Portland, so opted for something close and out of current fire areas. Went up the somewhat boring way to Larch, just to avoid people on silver star.
September 3 to September 7, 2020 53 miles 11,000 feet gained 4 nights
North Fork Quinault Trailhead (Parked at Irely Lakes Trailhead and road walked to the trailhead) Day 1 - North Fork Quinault to Trapper Shelter - 9.74 miles, +1,428 ft, -716 ft Day 2 - Trapper Shelter to Low Divide - 10.34 miles, +2,775 ft, -429 ft Day 3 - Low Divide to Lake Beauty - 8.37 miles, +2,607 ft, -1,469 ft Day 4 - Lake Beauty to Meadow past Kimta P...
August 23, 2020 4.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Just a nice, pleasant short day chasing waterfalls.
August 7 to August 9, 2020 27 miles 4,250 feet gained 2 nights
It has been getting harder and harder to find solitude in the outdoors, so I've been consulting my pal Matt Reeder's book often, Off the Beaten Trail. The final hike he describes, involved some off trail adventuring and plenty of mileage to reach, and so I chose Table Lake in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. I had secured my first actual requested day off sin...
August 1, 2020 6.5 miles 0 feet gained
Opted for an easy flat stroll along the beach today. Plenty of solitude once past the first mile. Made a second stop to tunnel beach (No solitude here, but it was not overcrowded and I was able to stay away from others) to play around looking for cool rocks. First time to the coast in months.
July 26, 2020 12 miles 1,250 feet gained
I've apparently earned a new trail name, “comfort optional” from the covid hiking crew for whenever I lead anything. I promised an easy-ish hike yesterday due to the heat but I am full of lies. Much fun log hopping, scrambling to off trail waterfalls and to cold swimming holes, and many many creek fords. Excellent day and the only hikers on the trail except ...
July 18 to July 19, 2020 20.5 miles 4,000 feet gained 1 night
Suffering through a dayhike wasn't enough last weekend, so I decided that with clear skies expected, I would try for round 2 but with a pack. Talked my partner into it, and we opted to bring the dog. I packed an extra sleeping bag for our pampered princess, and off we went. The Sandy crossing was once again okay, the dog easily followed us across on a log. W...
July 11, 2020 19 miles 3,750 feet gained
Covid hiking crew meets again. We felt like a challenge, so we opted for a hike that has been on my list for a long time. I somehow always felt intimidated by the mileage. Sandy crossing was pretty straightforward and easy. There may have been an easier spot, but we didn't waste time looking for one. We were probably one of the first to hit Ramona Falls, it ...
July 4 to July 5, 2020 10 miles 2,000 feet gained 1 night
Solitude. Not a single other person on this trail. Creepy eye found, and excellent scrambling rocks resembling humans and creatures. A great two days in the woods.
July 3, 2020 7 miles 2,000 feet gained
This hike has been incredibly popular lately, so I decided to try for a late night hike to get the dog away from Portland fireworks. We arrived at the trailhead around 6:30 pm, and headed on up. The weather was clear, until we reached the summit. The clouds came in, but I enjoyed my time up there anyway. Headlamped it down, but worth it for the solitude.
June 28, 2020 8.5 miles 3,000 feet gained
Table Mountain was our first choice yesterday, and we met at the trailhead at 7:30 am. The weather forecast was iffy, and we mulled over our choices in the rain. We wanted a 16/17 mile sufferfest, but being wet and cold for that long didn't sound like the best idea. The decision was made to drive a little further down the gorge, to see if we would find drier...
June 21, 2020 7 miles 2,000 feet gained
It was an interesting drive to the Thunder Mountain Trailhead. After leaving the Clackamas River area, we headed up forest service roads, winding our way up to the trailhead. Past trip reports stated the road being suitable for passenger vehicles, and it MOSTLY was. Lots of trees were down across the road, but luckily it looked like someone had recently gone...
June 7, 2020 8 miles 750 feet gained
Solitude and social distance hiking on a fine rainy day. It didn't end up being the sufferfest we anticipated. Picked a relatively obscure, flat hike expecting the rain to be terrible. Pleasantly surprised when the sun showed its face and we had to take off our sweaty rain layers. Road to trailhead is full of huge pot holes, not suitable for my prius. I park...
May 31, 2020 8 miles 3,250 feet gained
We may not have had views, but I'll take a spooky misty day anytime. No regrets, except for achy legs since I haven't been doing much for gain lately.
May 25, 2020 3 miles 500 feet gained
I didn't research Scout Camp hike enough, I had just glanced at a BLM brochure online and decided upon it. Had I read more, I would have started left instead of right. Instead, I started right, down a terrifying skinny trail with steep dropoffs, where one wrong move would make one tumble into the canyon. I couldn't enjoy myself as my partner refused to leash...
May 24, 2020 4 miles 250 feet gained
Goth in the ground. As (kind of) expected, busy at the beginning. I will never understand why people make such a pain in the ass drive just to do a short section and leave. Either way, barely a soul past the first crack. We had to skip some sections that we found too hard to scramble with the dog.
May 23, 2020 5 miles 250 feet gained
Our only plan last weekend was to hit up a forest road and find a place to disperse camp away from others. We ended up near Newberry Crater, so we hit up a few short hikes to waste time until dinner. Obsidian flow was still snow covered, so what crowds were around basically walked up the steps and turned around. The only spot I felt uncomfortable was walking...
May 17, 2020 10.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Confusing mess of logging roads, but we made it using a mix of written directions and looking at gaia. Beautiful hike, everything was green and the trail was mostly empty. Glad to see the Gifford open up for recreation, though still limited. Be sure to predownload map of the area before going as googlemaps is not reliable to find the trailhead in my opinion.
May 15, 2020 3 miles 0 feet gained
May 10, 2020 10.5 miles 1,750 feet gained
Not another soul on the trail except for us.
May 3, 2020 12 miles 1,250 feet gained
April 26, 2020 9.5 miles 500 feet gained
April 19, 2020 4 miles 250 feet gained
My partner works for Trackers teaching outdoor school (well, he's now teaching outdoor school online!) so we had access to their gated private site, BREC in Sandy Oregon. None of us had hiked in forever due to everything being shut down, so we gathered up our roommate and took a stroll. I've mostly been getting my outdoor fix through long bike rides (and I'm...
March 16, 2020 8 miles 500 feet gained
A lot changed in the world between this hike and my last. Faced with uncertainty whether we should hike together or not, a few of us decided we could still practice social distancing on the trail. With one ankle injury among us, we opted for the flatness of the Deschutes. It was a gorgeous day - snow juxtaposed with spring blossoms. We all had heavy hearts b...
March 8, 2020 9.3 miles 1,000 feet gained
The trailhead for this is about a mile south of the Clackamas River Trail. Quiet, low key day enjoying some old growth along a gentle trail. Went off trail to get closer to the Creek and almost took out a friend when I climbed out over a boulder. Note to self - more distance between friends when bushwhacking. It could have been bad, but luckily no one was ha...
February 24, 2020 11 miles 2,500 feet gained
It was a super moody day in the gorge, our 11 mile hike contained pouring rain, raging wind, hail, and periods of blue skies and sunshine. Our last glimpse of sunshine gave us a double rainbow, before the rain gods decided we needed another drenching for our last mile and a half out.
February 16, 2020 8 miles 1,250 feet gained
Sunshine and waterfalls with some mountain dogs.
February 9, 2020 5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Woke up late, so opted for a quick little ass kicker (Wind.) Felt guilty for not doing enough and decided to pop over to Wahclella, even though I almost had to headlamp it out. Nice day to get out and go my own pace, just me and my dog Lily.
February 2, 2020 7 miles 1,750 feet gained
Choose your own adventure path kind of day.
January 19, 2020 5 miles 500 feet gained
Recent snow made this much harder than it should have been. I had snowshoes and my partner did not - so we turned around when we reached the actual trailhead because he couldn't keep up post holing and his shoes were too wet. It was a good workout so not a wasted day.
January 1, 2020 5 miles 1,500 feet gained