Water (Matt)

December 17, 2011 8 miles 1,250 feet gained

Never heard of or did this hike before but found it this weekend when my pops was visiting us. Great little jaunt and actually had a ball. Saw 1 other group out. Low amounts of snow helped make it very accessible. Still had to start from a gated road about 2 miles shy of the normal trailhead. I'll be coming back here for sure! Beautiful trees/water.

December 16, 2011 2.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

Went for a southside jaunt with a friend. We should have just slept more and done a later-day summit. We hung out about at the top of palmer for an hour in a snow cave I made but it just seemed like we were in a cloud and didn't know if it would clear. By the time we got back to Portland it was clear and was so sunny for the rest of the day. Kind of a major ...

December 10, 2011 4 miles 3,500 feet gained

Partner was definitely not at 100%. decided to bag going for Leuthold's Coulior and just enjoy sunrise at Illumination Saddle. Partner's feet looked like hamburger back at the truck (new boots), plus his appetite and energy were not normal, so, probably made the best choice. disappointing with the mountain in utterly perfect shape..next time. Lunar Eclipse d...

December 2, 2011 8 miles 5,250 feet gained

Turned around unfortunately. a bit later than we desired a bit less energy than I would have liked avy cast good but specifically called out steep, N through E high elevation gullies (ie: the chimneys on the route) Another time.. happy to be out

November 20, 2011 3.5 miles 2,250 feet gained

just went up for some afternoon sun on the snow. Nice vitamin D replenishment. lee slopes well loaded, windward sides hard packed, crusty, icy, just an inch or two of well compacted snow. Camera (or memory card) decided to hiccup mid-way through out trip, so, only have second half pics (going up later..)

October 26 to October 27, 2011 9.5 miles 500 feet gained 1 night

Nice little trip to a place in Mt. Hood National Forest Probably our favorite little nook of the woods. Incredibly saw trout of a size I did not believe existed in such a tiny bit of water. Cooked 1, threw the rest back. Actually left in the middle of the night. I'd forgotten the tent pole so the bottom of the tent was sagging. When we woke up in a misty clo...

September 10 to September 11, 2011 12 miles 5,000 feet gained 1 night

WARNING, THIS IS NOT A HIKE.... just to clarify that for those considering. Recall that two weeks later on September 24 a man fell to his death while 'scrambling'. His body has not been recovered and it is hoped that the winter snow and ice will migrate it down to a less hazardous area for recovery next year. re-Posted from CC.com... Why I keep coming back t...

September 3 to September 5, 2011 17.5 miles 2,250 feet gained 2 nights

Have wanted to check out the Seven Devils for a while. Seen them three times now from the top of Wallowa Peaks, jutting out over there in Idaho. For the record had never visited or seen Hells Canyon but heard aplenty bout it. Friday: Left PDX late afternoon. Arrive in Riggins at Salmon River Inn ($50?) around midnight? Got to drive through a recently started...

August 27 to August 28, 2011 21 miles 3,750 feet gained 1 night

First time in Goat Rocks having been here for 4 years. We've been to the Redwoods, Crater Lake twice, Wallowas 3 times, Hells Canyon, Olympics 3 times, up to BC, Okanagon Valley, and all over the Oregon Cascades, St. Helens, Adams, and Rainier... but never Goat Rocks, for all the wonder I've heard of it. Finally! Had some fun on this one. Sheep Lake wasn't e...

August 13 to August 15, 2011 21 miles 5,250 feet gained 2 nights

hopefully some pictures soon... i fell and biffed myself by the car when i woke up on Sat AM before we left. then I was sitting there trying to get an embedded rock out of my palm but couldnt, and I passed out and landed on my nose and make that look like hell. Friend Jason had to pull rock out with some mini pliers. We cared for the wound then went on our w...

August 6, 2011 12 miles 6,750 feet gained

Went for Adams with good weather this time, single day deal. Bucket was pretty enthusiastic having felt great carrying up to a sub-LC camp a few weeks ago in lousy weather. We left the TH around 6am and were towards the tail end of the conga line. Glissaded from summit to plateau, and from pikers down to LC. Did a nice standing ski/glissade off the crescent ...

July 30 to July 31, 2011 15.5 miles 2,500 feet gained 1 night

My pops is able to tack on a weekend or so in Portland every few months when he has to fly to Oakland, CA for business. He knows we're (or me at least) are hiking addicts, especially at this point in the year, so, we take him out for the best we know of, when the weather is right for adventure. Large Marge BC captivated us to no end last year. Even on a fogg...

July 22 to July 23, 2011 12 miles 4,750 feet gained 1 night

Fun time on North Sister. Team RamRod/Pickett didn't summit due to being too late in the day / softening snow. Left PDX in two vehicles on Friday evening. Dindin in Sisters, then camped just off the road about 3 miles from the TH. Paul found us an absolutely fantastic spot to cowboy under the Ponderosas. For only 4 hours of sleep, the night was memorable: Cl...

July 16 to July 17, 2011 7 miles 3,250 feet gained 1 night

Meh. Stupid NW weather. I'll juxtapose this one as a big wallop of balance to the prior Quintessential NW. Rain is also quintessential NW. Mnt. Conditions of Spring and Fall. Plopped down just shy of LC. Cleared Sat evening. Came back in Sunday AM.. then paused, and we retreated back down. Everyone was skunked around the NW in their own way this weekend. So,...

July 9 to July 10, 2011 10.5 miles 3,000 feet gained 1 night

Quintessential brilliance of living in the NW: Sleep in Saturday and enjoy a sunny, relaxing awakening in bed. Pack bags. Go to farmers market to get fresh product, breakfast/lunch. Buy fresh kettle-corn and vacuum seal it to send to family in Michigan. Finish packing bags, including brews and fresh strawberries. Arrive at trailhead 4pm. At wonderful camp am...

July 1 to July 4, 2011 36.5 miles 4,000 feet gained 3 nights

4th of July Circumnavigation of Crater Lake The road for the Eastern half of the park is closed. However, it is plowed to Sun Notch on the SE and to Skell Head in the NE..maybe more, so, perhaps 80% road is accessible. Regulations a tad murky about backcountry camping in the shoulder season (pure winter and summer are clear).. We decide to go counter-clockwi...

June 23 to June 24, 2011 10.5 miles 5,000 feet gained 1 night

Damn. Lost this the first time 'round. Anyways. Repeat of Middle Sister. This time with compatriot Al and wife of 1 week, Kara!! Left PDX at 5:00am after dropping friend off at airport (so really, left PDX). Sisters Coffee rocks me! McDonalds cancer biscuit breakfast also primo for the mountains. Snow melted fast. Approach even quicker, but more blowdown to ...

June 4 to June 5, 2011 10.5 miles 5,000 feet gained 1 night

Whilst I've mounted the young easy sister to the south, and the difficult old one to the north, the moderate middle has managed to elude me. A brilliant weather forecast? Check. A mountain to climb? Check. A partner to Climb with? Check... but not so fast. Al and I were suppose to tick this one off. I've never really see a crevasse on the climbing route on t...

May 29 to May 30, 2011 14 miles 1,250 feet gained 1 night

Myself, fiance, friend, and his wife, along with their dog went for an easy, fun, relaxing hike up badger creek. I've spent good time up on Lookout Mnt, Gumjuwac Saddle, Gunsite Butte, etc.. but never been all the way over to the full East side of it. Loved seeing some environ that reminds me of the pondy forests over by Bend. Water color was incredible. I l...

May 21, 2011 3.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Mt. Mitchell is one of the first hikes we did around Portland, after we'd moved out here, and winter had passed, and we were on our feet, so to speak. I've always been impressed with the views for the amount of effort required (definitely one of the best bangs-for-your-buck). That said, I've oft noticed when viewing from Mt. St. Helens, or driving back along...

April 30 to May 1, 2011 13 miles 1,000 feet gained 1 night

Kara ran errands and I changed the car's oil in the driveway before leaving town at a liesurely 12:30, onto the road with lunch by 1pm. A nice night out camping under the stars with a nice cedar-wood fire. I forgot the camera's memory card and so am sans beautiful pictures of the azure Lewis river and verdant and lucious moss carpet that blankets the forest ...

April 23, 2011 5.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

after sleeping in, some AM errands, and needing to be back in town for an evening party, we headed out to Saddle Mnt and went up in an hour and down in a bit less. Spent about 40 minutes eating on top. perfect use of good weather and limited time.

April 22, 2011 6 miles 5,250 feet gained

Finally got up Hood in 2011. Weather windows + lower avalanche danger have not coincided in months, I swear. Occasionally one or the other would come around for 24hr or less, and never on a weekend. Took up two friends who have expressed interest in climbing and prepped as best they can as far as gear and conditioning. Quite a beautiful day with not too many...

April 17, 2011 8 miles 3,250 feet gained

Great weather. Decent bit of snow on top. Started at Aldrich Butte TH.

April 16, 2011 7.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Up the Gumjuwac Trail. On the road until the SW ridge of Lookout Mnt, then right up the ridge. Lousy conditions.

April 3, 2011 6.5 miles 2,000 feet gained

Old favorite with new friends. Coyote wall is reliably dry, and most of the time, Sunny, even when it is rainy or cloudy anywhere to the West. Love the open feel and views, as they make up for the non-wilderness setting and semi-short loop. Tried to continue on at top of the road but the pasture gate sign said no canines so we returned back to the car.

March 19 to March 20, 2011 4 miles 1,750 feet gained 1 night

got off work a bit early. Made it to Barlow Pass just before sunset. Headed down to Devil's Half Acre to meetup with J and J. They had dug an awesome fire pit.. so I went to work on our snow-lodging. Fun night drinking beer, enjoying the snow, and being out under one of the largest full moons in my lifetime. Slept in a snowtrench with a tarp across it. The n...

March 12, 2011 4.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

Went with Al to Bennet Pass. Snowshoed to top of peak and drank a beer. Got some good shots of a rabbit. Had been very cold the previous week.

February 19, 2011 12 miles 5,500 feet gained

beautiful day. hood had a nasty looking lenticular over it all day long while St. Helens was in the sun. Glad I got to chill in the warming hut one last time at Marble Mnt. SnoPark before it burned down.

January 2, 2011 8.5 miles 4,500 feet gained

headed up to Muir on a sunny day in the New Year. Long drive for a day-snowshoe from PDX, but worth it--Rainier is something else for sure. Decided to head back just shy of Muir on account of the gate at longmire closing at 6pm. Lovely day to get out. Ended the night with leaving 100% tip for nice lady at red lobster--kind of a feel good moment (an anonymous...