December 28, 2011 3 miles 250 feet gained
Likely I'll have no other time to hike this year, so night city walk was needed to reach my goal...
Roman
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Hikes by Roman in 2011
December 21, 2011 8 miles 1,500 feet gained
I don't know why but this summit always evades me, for different reasons. This time it was ice. It started at about 5000' and by 5300' an ice sheet was so strong my poles couldn't punch through it. Snowshoes did a great job on traction, but once I got to the steep part decided to play it safe. The ice made for wonderful sculptures though.
December 17, 2011 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
The original plan was to visit Johnston Ridge again, but my Subaru's alternator decided to die, and our Buick is only able to go to the Gorge. Oh well, Hamilton Mtn. hike is a good one - especially in a weather like this. 8.5 miles to go for my years' target...
December 11, 2011 3.5 miles 750 feet gained
Went with my dad to take a photo sunset from one of the points (my dad is professional photographer); if we knew the road is open all the way to Observatory if could be quite a snowshoe trip! It snowed lightly but it won't be much this time.
December 10, 2011 7.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Hiked with my dad on Gray Butte trail from seasonally closed Rd 5720 to a small summit overlooking Smith Rocks state park. Initially planned to include Smith Rocks in the loop but ended out taking more photos and slowing down the pace, and we didn't want to hike 1.5 hours in the dark. The weather was gorgeous, almost no wind. We took some freezing fog pictur...
December 6, 2011 3 miles 1,250 feet gained
I joined my dad on his day off; we took our snowshoes and got to Timberline Lodge without a pre-determined hike plan. We thought to get to Big Zigzag Canyon viewpoint and see if we wanted to continue from there. Located PCT sign quickly but with about 3 feet of snow on the ground we couldn't follow the trail. Instead of going in the vicinity of PCT slightly ...
December 3, 2011 1.5 miles 250 feet gained
Since we were close, we decided to see what's Mary's Peak is about. It's the highest peak in Oregon's Coast Range. The road goes most of the way to its summit (actually, all the way but the last section is gated). Beautiful area, BIG views, open summit meadows - it's not like one would expect in the Coast Range. There's a whole system of trails in the area, ...
December 3, 2011 1.5 miles 250 feet gained
My mom wanted to try truffling for a long time, so we joined an organized group (`20 people) with North American Truffling Society. Truffles are underground mushrooms and worth their weight in gold (well, almost). You have to rake big area to find a few. We found 3 truffles, our guide determined only 1 of them as edible, and when we got home I realized I los...
December 2, 2011 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Family hike on Hamilton Mtn. The gate before the trailhead is now closed (for the winter?) so one has to start at Beacon Rock.
November 28, 2011 8 miles 2,250 feet gained
I forgot the camera for this one, so no pictures. Angels Rest was in the fog on the way up, but when I went back the cloud deck briefly lowered just enough to allow the "airplane view" from AR of being above the clouds - with Archer Mtn., Silver Star and the surrounding hills being islands in white sea. Of course, if I took the camera it wouldn't happen ) On...
November 20, 2011 8 miles 2,000 feet gained
Up to a foot of snow on the ground, but trail is well tracked. Great views, fun times.
November 12, 2011 10.5 miles 250 feet gained
Easy, long hike. Want to bike it someday.
November 10, 2011 11.5 miles 3,500 feet gained
Finally found where this trail begins off N corner of table. NW ridge trail has great views, but really brushed and rugged for a mile... after which it turns into easy-to-walk (but viewless) forest road. Took a turn left @ powerline and then reconnected with PCT (more good views from talus fields). Nice day to be out.
November 7, 2011 4.5 miles 500 feet gained
Snow's not too deep on Timberline yet... Get there if you can, great scenery package included (lenticular clouds at additional charge).
November 4, 2011 7.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
November 2, 2011 11.5 miles 5,000 feet gained
Took Mt. Defiance trail up, then Starvation Ridge trail down. After reading so much about this hike, it turned much better than expected. Vine maples put on a show on a lower half of the trail. I liked Warren Lake, it's not jammed deep in dark gorge but still feels like mountain lake. There are a couple of nice campsites on the lake. It's right that you don'...
October 29, 2011 5 miles 2,750 feet gained
After several plan changes on the way, my dad and I hiked up on Silcox Hut trail (that branches up from Timberline Trail) and then followed ski lift uphill to about 8600' when the trail ended. I was surprised how easy it was - it seems I could physically do the other half way to the summit (not sure if I can do it technically, since I never used crampons, ax...
October 25, 2011 8.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
My dad and I did a loop from Cultus Creek campground, up on trail 108 to PCT (with a side trip to one of Bird Mtn simmits), south on PCT to Bear Lake, a side trip to Elk Lake, back track to Clear Lake, then we went down Indian Heaven trail #33 and visited Cultus and Deep lakes. It was barely above freezing all day, with the trails icy and rime on the trees o...
October 22, 2011 13 miles 2,250 feet gained
Showed my mother the same area we hiked with my dad a few days earlier, this time made a longer loop. Everything but the first 1.5 miles is really interesting.
October 20, 2011 5.5 miles 2,500 feet gained
Nice little known loop with a different perspective of Smith Rocks.
October 16 to October 17, 2011 12 miles 2,750 feet gained 1 night
With this weather I just had to go somewhere. Since the high mountains were already snowed in, and I didn't feel ready for winter, Indian Heaven looked like the best choice. Plus, I left Lemei Rock for a solo trip and now it looked like I can finally check it off my list. Decided to make it 2-night trip with Rock and exploration around Wapiki Lake on one day...
October 14, 2011 9 miles 2,750 feet gained
Did this loop again, this time clockwise. The weather was not as good as last time, but at least it didn't rain. Fall colors really start showing up, not much on this trail but the road 48 through MHNF was on fire with vine maples!
October 11, 2011 9 miles 1,750 feet gained
Pretty sure about the miles (went all Otter Bench trails but the lower 1/4 mile of "Pink Trail" - the wind in that narrow canyon was horrendous!), but the elevation is wild guess. The trails mostly flat with few viewpoints but 2 short ones are going steeply into the canyon and quite interesting. For some reason, I cannot seem to upload photos that are withou...
October 7, 2011 9 miles 2,750 feet gained
Did a loop counter-clockwise. Will post report in PH in a bit...
October 6, 2011 8.5 miles 1,750 feet gained
The forecast called for a balmy 47F and partly cloudy skies. So why not visit this area again - I took a break from craigslist.jobs and my dad had a day off anyway. Long story short, when we got there it was gray drizzle, clouds laying on the ground and 39F. We did get a sunbreak or two near Bear Pass - a good bonus as it's very scenic point. When we continu...
October 2, 2011 7.5 miles 750 feet gained
Easy family hike and a LOONG drive to get out of rain. Ochocos are a beautiful place though.
September 30, 2011 11.5 miles 2,500 feet gained
What to say - lots of wonderful scenery, lots of berries, lots of flowers (kind of weird), lots of fresh elk tracks but no elk sighting, not many people, some guys commercial berry picking and wearing helmets (??). The weather mostly held with a couple of showers in the very beginning. I like how deserted this area feels.
September 29, 2011 5.5 miles 2,500 feet gained
A quick afternoon hike to Cedar Falls. Part of it follows unofficial trails, the other part was a bushwhack where I could not locate a trail at all. At first, I went straight through forest because I didn't find a trail from Bonneville Hot Springs (I used to park @ Aldrich Butte TH, but didn't take a Discover Pass today), then I missed an overgrown trail to ...
September 24, 2011 12 miles 1,750 feet gained
Crowds - we had to park well away from the trail because parking lot and road shoulder was packed. Surprisingly, it never felt crowded in Jeff Park. Weather - the forecast was hit-or-miss on Saturday, but we gambled and decided to visit Jeff Park anyway. By 2pm I thought weatherman got it all wrong, it was as clear and sunny as it can be. Then the clouds jus...
September 23, 2011 7 miles 1,000 feet gained
Nothing ambitious, just a great day on the mountain. It felt like a summer.
September 18, 2011 2 miles 750 feet gained
A little family hike. The initial plan was to hit this short trail first and then hike a much longer Otter Bench Trail system, but it was hot (nice change from the previous 2 days!) and not everyone of us likes hiking in 90 degrees. So, after climbing out of a canyon we called it a day and did some sightseeing in nearby area. It's a nice hike, despite being ...
September 17, 2011 9 miles 0 feet gained
Another family hike. We hiked south from near McKenzie Pass, connected to PCT and followed it for about 4.5 miles. Initially, the trail goes through forest with a few glimpses of a lava field (jumble of boulders several dozen feet high), then it goes by the two lakes, and after a little while climbs on the lava. Very nice trail from the lakes and above, more...
September 16, 2011 13 miles 2,750 feet gained
Same hike as 3 days before, this time I took my mom for her second time in Goat Rocks (1st time this year). Met some frozen backpackers with everything on (as we headed with t-shirts) and they said it was outright miserable a day before - rain, wind and cold! Once we got to Snowgrass Flats, we could see flowers really got a beating from the weather. It also ...
September 13, 2011 14 miles 3,000 feet gained
Went with my dad to show him Goat Rocks while the summer weather is still here. I heard it was a cloudy day back in Vancouver, but at GR it was 100% sunny despite the forecast. Since my dad doesn't consider camping his hobby, the only option was to hike it in a day. We started at Snowgrass TH, went up trail #96 to the PCT, then on PCT to Packwood "glacier" o...
September 4 to September 8, 2011 36 miles 6,750 feet gained 4 nights
Now to my favorite place in the world :) DAY 1 After spending a night 3.5 miles from Snowgrass trailhead, I got an early-ish start. Met droves of backpackers heading back. After arriving to Lily Basin/Snowgrass trail junction, it was "select your own camp" thing I set a "base camp" at the largest campground close to the junction. Hiked to Goat Lake without a...
September 3, 2011 11.5 miles 2,250 feet gained
Took our friends from S. Cal. to Paradise Park. It was nice today for the most part, but the Park was really filled with smoke. I saw only 2 or 3 groups camping, lots of dayhikers, and many backpackers heading in and out of Paradise (or heading in and turning out because of smoke?). Still, we saw most of the views and the flowers are near peak, better than o...
August 30, 2011 8 miles 2,000 feet gained
Hiked with my dad and with our dog to Bald Butte after changing our Mt. Hood plan (too much smoke). Nice hike through a variety of terrain - oak savanna, evergreen forests, and a couple overgrowing clearcuts. Had good views of Hood River and Mt. Hood (mostly hidden in smoke at the moment). Looks like there's a lot of balsamroot in spring, now it was all dry ...
August 29, 2011 12 miles 2,250 feet gained
Hiked from Timberline Lodge to Split Rock in Paradise Park. Besides a couple of snow patches, the trail has melted out. No mosquitoes and almost no biting flies, warm but breezy weather - a perfect day for a hike. Very few people after Zigzag Canyon overlook. It's surprising how much easier this hike became since I hiked it a year ago.
August 28, 2011 9 miles 2,000 feet gained
Nice hike, good road (looks like recently repaired), terrible overflow parking (cars park on the shoulder of 1-line road with sheer drop-off on the other side), a lot of flowers, fire closure posted half way in as we headed out (posted this on PH). We also went to see a tiny Dollar Lake. The fire is small and nothing to worry about; given the size of fire cr...
August 24, 2011 5 miles 250 feet gained
The last full day of the trip was reserved for hiking in Grand Teton but over night the park became choked in smoke from the two nearby wildfires. After we determined the air almost unbreathable, we drove over to Yellowstone and spent another day there.
August 23, 2011 4.5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Explored South side of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, hiked down to Lower Falls and along Rim Trail. Also visited a small geyser basin west of Yellowstone Lake.
August 22, 2011 5 miles 750 feet gained
Small hikes around Yellowstone - Upper, Middle, Bisquit, Black Sand Basins, Great Canyon north rim hike, and just stopped on all viewpoints photographing thermal features and wildlife. We also hiked the back side of Grand Prismatic Spring to get an elevated view of this colorful lake. Great to spend time with the whole family together.
August 21, 2011 4 miles 1,000 feet gained
A few short hike on the first day in Yellowstone - Mammoth Hot Springs (the springs are drying out comparing with 3 years ago and lost most of the color), Norris Geyser Basin, a couple of other points.
August 19, 2011 3 miles 250 feet gained
Short hike on the way to Yellowstone NP with my family. The swim in the lake was great (water 72F, air 85F), the trail is beautiful too - the lake is lined with pine forests and there are some large granite rocks near the water. It was quite crowded and hard to find a good spot to swim. Also took a walk around town. Sorry no pics.
August 12 to August 14, 2011 26 miles 4,500 feet gained 2 nights
My second backpacking trip ever in the Gorge. Spent the first night just after 7.5-mile camp, then the second night at Dublin Lake. Skipped Tanner summit because it was very foggy and no views anyway. There were red and black huckleberries, thimbleberries, and salmonberries at various places. Almost no views since got fogged in on the second day of the trip....
August 7, 2011 10.5 miles 1,250 feet gained
Today was Ape Canyon and Plains of Abraham. There's a large marmot colony just after you pass a narrow spot in the headwaters of Ape canyon. Plains of Abraham still look deserted, but there are some good "islands" of flowers. I guess in 10-15 years the Plains will be a lush alpine meadow. Below the Plains, the trail goes on a ridge through sections of huge o...
August 6, 2011 9.5 miles 2,750 feet gained
Hiked to McNeil Point via official trail and a little above (got too little time before dark to summit McNeil Spur), then down the short&steep shortcut trail. Still snow in the trees but most is gone from a couple of weeks ago. Flowers at McNeil are amazing.
August 5, 2011 2 miles 500 feet gained
Were late to concerto @ Rose Garden, and had to park a mile away, but the hike on Wildwood trail (and a couple of adjacent trails) was nice.
August 5, 2011 5.5 miles 2,000 feet gained
Was going to boycott this Discover (pass) thing, but Hamilton Mtn is my family's favorite so it was not an option. Anyways, after driving to Stevenson and getting the pass for about $36, we hiked an almost deserted but beautiful trail to the summit. There were 4 cars besides ours in the beginning, and one car besides ours (featuring a ticket) in the end. The...
