10 miles / 1,000 feet gained
We spent 8 dreamy days in Rome and wandered the streets, hills, museums,churches and ruins, enjoying La Dolce Vita!
Jen
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Hikes by Jen in 2012
4 miles / 250 feet gained
Delightful wanderings in the woods off the Abbot Road. Mushrooms very sparse, no edibles.
6 miles / 750 feet gained
Brought some friends along to visit one my favorite areas.
5 miles / 750 feet gained
Evan and I explored this wonderful bluff of massive hexagonal basalt columns
4 miles / 250 feet gained
No mushrooms, but fun off trail exploring off Larch Mtn Rd
8 miles / 1,000 feet gained / 2 nights
Deep swimmable lake in the Clackamas watershed. Full of trout and crawdads. Short enough hike for kids. Many options for dayhikes from here. What a great location!
5 miles / 500 feet gained
Showed friends from Bend this wonderful old bit of history.
8.5 miles / 1,750 feet gained
I hiked along the Plaza Trail from Abbot Road and visited Sheepshead Rock, then continued to the junction with the Salmon Mountain Trail and headed out that ridgeline. I tried to find the DC-9 crash site and failed, but I did find the nearby helicopter crash site- the search party that went looking for the plane the next day. I also found someone's camera, w...
10 miles / 250 feet gained
On a famliy vacation, I was able to visit the Cape Cod National Seashore - multiple locations including Coast Guard Beach, First Encounter Beach, a bog wildlife area in Harwich, and a conservancy site in Dennis. My favorite spot was the dunes area near Provincetown- very much like our own Oregon Dunes!
30 miles / 8,000 feet gained / 3 nights
Fun backpack with Awildman. The flowers on the Plains of Abraham were spectacular.
10 miles / 1,500 feet gained / 2 nights
I had a short few days in Colorado and met up with my sister in law from Brooklyn to take the kids ( ages 9,11 and 13) backpacking in RMNP. We had Gem Lake in mind, but the closest camping spot was McGregor Mountain. The kids had a blast.
10.5 miles / 2,500 feet gained
I headed out to Elk Meadows on a gorgeous summer day. No bugs and I had the place to myself. Afterwards I headed up the Gnarl Ridge trail and turned west on the Timberline Trail. I didn't run into any snow until the Clark Creek Canyon. This creek bottom is beautiful with several waterfalls. Climbing up out of there was tricky with several steep snowfield tra...
8.5 miles / 2,000 feet gained
Went via the Bluff Mountain Trail. Widlfowers are starting to put on a big show!
3 miles / 250 feet gained
I t was a dreary day, and I was tired and sore from climbing Middle Sister, but I was in the area with some time to spare, and McKenzie Pass had just opened. So for kicks, I drove on up and wandered cross country in the lava lands to Huckleberry Lake to find a geocache.
13.5 miles / 4,750 feet gained / 1 night
I did this trip with the Mazamas on the longest day of the year. It was a perfect weather window. We started at the Pole Creek trailhead and took the Pole Creek Trail to the Chambers Lakes Trail, then headed off cross country towards the east flank of the mountain. We found a perfect snow free tree island to make camp, with nearby stream for water- approx 68...
5.5 miles / 1,000 feet gained
I got to the Sisters in the late afternoon, but had some time to do a little exploring. I visited three waterfalls on the Upper Whychus Creek drainage, and the Trout Creek Butee lookout tower off Pole Creek Rd.
6 miles / 1,250 feet gained
The upper gate is open now. It was a soggy day. I started at the hairpin turn and did the clockwise loop took the LMT down to the Multnomah Way Trail to the Oneonta Trail. The forest has such variety on this loop. The crater meadows are full of blooming marsh marigold and shooting star. The Multnomah Way Trail is a creek. Only saw one other hiker on a Saturd...
3 miles / 750 feet gained
I bushwacked up a steep hillside to visit some hanging meadows overlooking the Clackamas.
10 miles / 500 feet gained
Surveyor's Ridge Trail is well maintained by mountain bikers, although I only saw a few on this Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend. There are multiple access points and lots of off-trail scrambling available. Got really slowed down after I found a few morels, could not stop searching for them.
8.5 miles / 1,750 feet gained
Moseyed on up to Sturgeon Rock via the Tarbell Trail. It's pretty nice up there!
8 miles / 1,250 feet gained
Wandered around on some wonderful old roads off Palmer Mill Road, west of Angels/ Devils Rest. Found some trails maintained by someone and relics of old ( near old and old-old). Bushwacked over to Devils Rest and saw two people. Bushwacked away and was alone for the rest of my hike. On the drive out I noticed the Angel's rest TH was full. See ya!!! Solitude ...
5 miles / 750 feet gained
The Ridge Trail starts at the western end of the St Johns Bridge. It's a great starting place for loops incorporating the Firelanes, Wildwood, Lief Erickson, and Hardesty Trails.
4.5 miles / 4,500 feet gained
I got my butt kicked on Loowit. I went with a group of friends; we've been planning this trip for a long time. The forecast did not look good, but it is so hard to arrange our schedules, we decided to go for it anyhow. We rented AT skis at the Mountain Shop, 4 of us doing this for the first time. Started at the Marble Mountain Snow Park, skinned up and came ...
9 miles / 2,000 feet gained
This section of the PCT is so beautiful. Huge stands of alder along the N Fork of Rock Creek some nice moss covered scree fields, and multiple waterfalls. Snow starts at 2800 ft, but it's melting fast!
7 miles / 2,000 feet gained
I brought a friend up the Elevator Shaft and then we crossed Multnomah Basin to Nesika Lodge. We then headed up to Franklin Ridge and came down the Larch Mountain Trail- what a zoo on a sunny Saturday!
6.5 miles / 1,750 feet gained
Escaped the rain and had a nice quiet hike today. Rambbled up above the old orchard on a 4WD road and did some bushwacking. Can't seem to load my pics!
5 miles / 750 feet gained
Early morning run to beat the crowds and I had the trail to myself. I was hoping to see some whales, but no luck this year. I will include a picture from 2006 to show that this is the best whale watching spot (on land) in Oregon!
7 miles / 1,750 feet gained
I had a nice rambling loop up through the Labyrinth and down through the vision quest pits area wet of Catherine Creek.
5 miles / 500 feet gained
Took Balch Creek up to the Wildwood and looped around the Audbon trails.
3 miles / 250 feet gained
Rain dumping, totally soaked. Had to turn back at Metlako Falls because of a dicey creek crossing. We planned to try another trail, but upon returning to the parking lot, we lost all motivation to hike for the rest of the day. Stuffed our faces instead.
5 miles / 500 feet gained
Part of the Maple Trail is closed (east of Firelane 4) due to a bridge out. You can climb up FL 4 to Lief Erickson, but it's slick as snot!
12 miles / 750 feet gained / 1 night
My first backpack of the year- in the beautiful Oregon Outback! This is a BLM "Wilderness Study Area", almost completely surrounded by private ranch land. Unfortunately the cows do graze in the area, but we only saw one small group on our trip. But they also have wild horses! We saw a trio and a very shy pair at the head of Pickett Canyon.
4 miles / 750 feet gained
Beautiful quiet day in the park. I ran on the river trail up to Misery Ridge and then scrambled around up top for awhile before heading back down.
7 miles / 0 feet gained
I had a nice little morning run followed by ye olde bushwack through blackberries and stinging nettles! My bloody claves are still buzzing. On the way back I stalked a huge flock of tundra swans at "Millionares Lake". They were so loud, a veritable cacophony, those magestic creatures sounded like a pack of hyenas!
6 miles / 1,000 feet gained
Wandered up Hamilton Creek today. very soggy day, the creeks were roaring, and I passed about 8 waterfalls shooting off the E side of Hamilton Mountain. Having troubles with my game camera.
9 miles / 1,250 feet gained
The plan was to ride my bike up Palmer Mill Road, but there was just too much blowdown. I threw my bike in the bushes after hauling it over the sixth tree in the first half mile. Glad I thought to bring my boots along. Luckily, I found a new trail! It parallels Palmer Mill and cuts through a really nice section of forest and meets Mult Basin Road just west o...
2 miles / 2,000 feet gained
Preparing for a St Helens hike/ski in a few months. Hiked up from Timberline on the east side of the Palmer lift and skied down. We intended to go higher up, but the weather was turning, the wind was picking up, conditions were icy and they just pulled an unfortunate climber's body off the mountain. Skis and boots are heavy! Not sure carrying them up is the ...
7 miles / 1,500 feet gained
Last day before falcon closure to do the whole loop. I went on a run/hike in the counterclockwise direction ( getting the road portion out of the way first) with my friend Meghann. We went through one of the two tunnels that goes under highway 14. They are wonderful, and mimic the masonry from Samuel Lancaster's days.
5 miles / 1,000 feet gained
Two different short hikes off Hillockburn Road. 1) Hillockburn Spring is a clear little springfed pond that sits in the middle of a reprod unit of 10 year old trees about a mile up gated "Resort Road". As with many roadsides in the Clackamas forest, at the gate, rednecks have turned the area into their personal shooting gallery/dumping ground. But lucklily t...
5 miles / 500 feet gained
OK now it's my turn to post a lame urban hike. It was sort of a run hike, just got new shoes, breaking them in. Despite the recent deluges, the trail is still in pretty good shape. I guess because we've had such a dry winter so far. A few of the little steep pitches are slick as snot, but the puddles of pudding have not formed yet. Explored some interesting ...
5 miles / 1,000 feet gained
Messin around in my favorite area. Cedar creek was an easy rock hop, some nice seasonal waterfalls coming down the east side of Hamilton. I put my field camera back out in a spot that smelled like elk and had lots of prints and poos, fingers crossed.
5 miles / 0 feet gained
I visited some cool limestone caves in the Citrus Tract of WSF.
5 miles / 0 feet gained
It's pretty flat here but I got to do some bushwacking today!
4 miles / 0 feet gained
Sun sand swimming yoga parasailing plus a little morning run