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December 30, 2017 17.5 miles 4,500 feet gained
Actually hiked 12/31, but a bug on WH won't include NYE hikes in 2017 stats. :-/ Original idea was to climb Table Mountain, again. Would've been sixth time up there, this year. But some pretty wicked winds, and clouds shrouding the summit, convinced us there wasn't much point. So, instead, we turned west/left at the PCT/Westway junction, and wandered ridges ...
December 30, 2017 12.5 miles 3,250 feet gained
Great day wandering Beacon Rock SP with Woodswalker! We started out with a swing by Little Beacon Rock, which must be the coolest/least-appreciated feature in the park. Then went cross-country, past the abandoned cabin, and over to the Hardy Ridge trail. As we climbed, clouds enveloped us, and we eventually hit pockets of snow above the 4-way junction. Ate l...
December 23, 2017 11 miles 4,750 feet gained
Headed east through a snowy Columbia Gorge, and finally ended up at the Dog Mountain trailhead... Put on the microspikes before leaving the jeep, and left them on until our return many hours later. Headed north on the Augspurger trail, and just kept going until we hit the powerlines clearing just below 3000'. The summit ahead was firmly in the clouds, with n...
December 22, 2017 10.5 miles 2,750 feet gained
The weather outside was frightful, so where else might we go? Hamilton is always good (best?) on days like this! Drizzle on the way up. Blowing snow by the overlooks just before Little Hamilton. Hit frozen ground around 2000'. Only a few inches of snow along the spine and saddle. Forest beyond saddle was beautiful. Ran into friends along the way! Only disapp...
December 13, 2017 16 miles 4,000 feet gained
Started and ended this hike at Wildwood Recreation Area, which is just a stunning park developed by the BLM. If every facility that wanted $5 for parking were this nice, there'd be a lot less griping about passes, methinks. Enjoyed the leisurely stroll up Huckleberry Mountain via Boulder Ridge, taking in a couple Hood viewpoints along the way. Lunched, brief...
December 10, 2017 11 miles 3,250 feet gained
Another day, the same inversion - gotta love it! Beautiful blue skies all around. A bit of snow dusting all the ridges. Freezing temps at the trailhead, and progressively warmer as we climbed. Shorts weather on top! Just about as good as days get in December. Spent way too much time on the summits, enjoying a little lunch and an incredible cloud show. Then w...
December 8, 2017 10 miles 4,500 feet gained
Fun trek up Cooper Spur from the Tilly Jane trailhead. We felt entirely alone, all day long, on the northeast side of Wy'east. Never saw another soul. Day began frigid, with temps at or below freezing as we started hiking. Around 4700' or so, we hit a wall of heat (the inversion layer) and temps quickly shot into the 60s! By the time we'd hit Tilly Jane, sno...
December 5, 2017 24.5 miles 6,250 feet gained
Set out to see if we could do 25 miles at the Coyote Wall - Catherine Creek complex, and came darn close. Wasn't helped by being frozen out of the jeep first thing in the morning! ("WTH's that hair dryer? OMG...") Late start meant a really late finish. Only overlapped a small percentage (<10%?) of the track, had some great ups and downs, and even managed to ...
December 1, 2017 15.5 miles 3,250 feet gained
Awesome day wandering around Columbia Hills. Area was covered in clouds as we began, but soon enough the sun was starting to appear through them, and then - miraculously - we climbed right through them! Just beautiful. Not even all that windy, compared to usual. <iframe width="540" height="800" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7862&w=540&h=800&c=fff...
November 29, 2017 16 miles 4,250 feet gained
Wonderful climb up Hunchback Ridge! Just invigorating right out of the gate, and only got better as we hit snow around 3500' or so. The ridge was as totally delightful! A light frosting had covered the forest at some point in the last 24 hours. The sun was shining! Who could ask for more? Heh... Well, then it started "raining" as the trees' flocking melted. ...
November 24, 2017 8 miles 2,500 feet gained
Decided we'd #OptOutside the afternoon away on Hamilton, after nearly being blown off Dog in the morning. We were correct to have feared "half of Portland!" being out on BRSPs trails this day. Mud abounded below the upper junction. But the later start meant we were likely less irritated by flipfloppers than we otherwise might've been earlier in the day. Enjo...
November 24, 2017 7 miles 3,000 feet gained
Original thought was to hit Augspurger, but plans changed as we climbed. Drive out was raining a bit, but it eased up as we got near. The skies were even brightening, and we caught a rainbow over Wind on way up. But by the time we hit the decision junction, we were in a full-on wind/rain storm, and the thought of plowing on to Aug wasn't too pleasant. So we ...
November 20, 2017 23.5 miles 750 feet gained
Wettest day either of us had ever seen east of The Dalles! The freeway was a slopfest from Portland onward. Still dumping when we hit the trailhead. Waited an hour or so, and the skies began brightening a bit, so we grabbed a bigass umbrella and decided to give it a go. Within an hour, everything turned around! What a delight. The old Harris Homestead ranch ...
November 18, 2017 12.5 miles 4,500 feet gained
After a summer spent mostly in different areas, got out again with my good hiking buddy Mountainkat and enjoyed a fabulous loop along the Wilson River Trail, up Elk Mountain, traversing over to Kings, then down Coronary Ridge and finally taking the WRT back to the TH. The weather was simply glorious, considering it's late November, and there were only a few ...
November 11, 2017 16.5 miles 4,500 feet gained
Whatta, whatta, wet, wet day! Rain from the trailhead (9am) to summit (12:30pm), and then some. Of course, on top, there was anywhere from a half- to four-feet of snow, and being a hearty 38° it was pretty much slush. Postholed past the knees wandering around up there, which wasn't for terribly long given the "views." Saw one other human up top, and one set ...
October 30, 2017 9 miles 4,750 feet gained
Whoops, I did it again! Fifth time up MSH this summer. Always fun!
October 28, 2017 20 miles 5,500 feet gained
One last glorious day in the blastzone before they lock the SR-504 gate down by the Hummocks. (Might also have been the last trip around Devils Elbow, as the USFS has decided to just let that trail rot into the abyss, it seems.) Just meandered from JRO over to Mount Tomroy and back, tagging the top of both Margaret and Coldwater as well on return. Hit the ro...
October 24, 2017 17.5 miles 3,250 feet gained
Really fine day exploring an area south of Mt Hood that I'd yet to really appreciate. Started at Frog Lake, up to Frog Lake Butte, down past (with a nice appreciation break) Twin Lakes, on to Palmateer Point, through Devils Half-Acre, and up to Barlow Pass before heading back southbound on the PCT. Previous snow had (near) entirely melted, despite ranging up...
October 22, 2017 7 miles 750 feet gained
Delightful destination for a dog walk! As something of a (admittedly extremely minor!) challenge, I decided to try doing the "longest loop with the least overlap" this day. I think half the challenge was simply rolling formulae around in my mind, wondering how exactly one might quantify such a thing. I dunno, track below... What do you think? <iframe width="...
October 15, 2017 18 miles 2,000 feet gained
Hiked the entire length of the Lewis River Trail with a couple good trail friends. The fall foliage was really coming on strong, and the water flows were low. So low, in fact, that the "grand finale" - Curly Creek Falls - was totally dry! Just a wonderful day, all in all. Beautiful waterfalls, stunning foliage, magnificent old growth, and great camaraderie a...
October 14, 2017 17 miles 4,250 feet gained
Enjoyed a great day out with an "award winning guidebook author" as he mapped a few trails for an upcoming GreenTrails update. We had to resort to Plan B when FR93 got a bit too deep to ponder our original shuttle plans on. So we dropped 2000' down the Bluff Trail to the Lewis River, then came back up Wright Meadows trail before crossing over Spencer Butte. ...
October 6, 2017 20.5 miles 5,750 feet gained
Interesting loop, which I think I did in the right direction this time. Started at US35, and climbed from there up to Lookout Mountain via the Gumjuwac Saddle. The views were great, stretching from Rainier to the Sisters, though not the best I've seen from there. Lenticular clouds were forming leeward of Jefferson, so I knew something was up. Headed south to...
October 5, 2017 25.5 miles 4,750 feet gained
Finally knocked this loop off. Been wanting to do it for a few years now. Very interesting, but I think I'd go the other direction next time. Started going down Lava Canyon, which I just can't decide whether it's best first or last in the day? Either way, not prime. Then I followed the Smith Creek canyon up to FR99. The first 7 or 8 miles are relatively flat...
September 30, 2017 12.5 miles 1,750 feet gained
Perfect day for a walk in the woods! Especially the temperate rainforest that is the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, just south of Zigzag. Near-constant drizzle-rain, punctuated by bursts of sunlight at times, meant we probably couldn't have picked a better trail for this most enjoyable dog walk. The salmon were migrating up river to spawn, and the vine maple...
September 25 to September 26, 2017 17 miles 3,500 feet gained 1 night
Finally knocked off the last segment of the Loowit Trail that I'd yet to traverse - from the June Lake to Ape Canyon junctions. Started at the June Lake trailhead, and enjoyed a rip-roaring waterfall into the lake (from recent snowmelt), before beginning on new-to-me trail above. Loved this segment! Some forested, but mostly through lava fields and pumice pl...
September 24 to September 25, 2017 14.5 miles 3,500 feet gained 1 night
Started at Independence Pass to see what shape the Independence Ridge trail may be in. My answer: terrible! Four significant washouts in the first two miles, and the last mile near-completely overgrown. Good thing the WTA has this on their hit list! :-) Turned towards Norway Pass after hitting the Boundary Trail, then headed south on the "closed" Independenc...
September 23 to September 24, 2017 21 miles 4,750 feet gained 1 night
Wandered east along the Boundary Trail from Elk Pass on FR25 for the first time. Hit snow just before arriving at Badger Lake, about 4.5 miles in around 4800' elevation, and stayed in it until returning to the same point again. Dirt bike ruts provided all the clues needed to follow the trail, thankfully. Heh... Tried scrambling up Craggy Peak, but got a bit ...
September 14, 2017 3.5 miles 750 feet gained
After a nice jaunt up to the top of the volcano, and freezing our keisters off up there, we strolled over to June Lake to luxuriate a bit and enjoy some lunch in the warm sun.
September 14, 2017 9 miles 4,750 feet gained
Night climb to see the sunrise. Pleasantly surprised with subdued pastels instead. Stayed on top for over an hour, but the cold was intense so we finally descended for breakfast (a ham sandwich and chips, tbh) below. Another great day on the volcano! <iframe width="540" height="800" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7637&w=540&h=800&c=ffffff&m=0" scr...
September 10, 2017 17.5 miles 4,500 feet gained
Decided to climb Table Mountain, from the Bonneville TH, to try getting as good a view of the Eagle Creek Fire as might be possible. Winds were favorable, as we had mostly fresh, clean air to breath all day long. Surreal may be the word of the day. It wasn't complete devastation, as many (myself included) had initially feared. The "mosaic" pattern of the bur...
September 3, 2017 7 miles 1,000 feet gained
Thought we had a perfect "safe space" picked out for Sunday's hike! Driving east through the Gorge, the sights were just ghastly. Alas, as we enjoyed lunch beside the beautiful Peggy Lake, an enormous plume of smoke erupted over the ridge on the far side. Holy crap! Less than two miles away, a (no doubt) human caused fire had grown to 1000 acres in almost no...
September 2, 2017 22.5 miles 5,750 feet gained
Had what turned out to be a farewell tour through many of my most favorite spots in the Gorge on Saturday. When I got back down to Multnomah Falls parking lot, I could see the humongous plume growing over the Eagle Creek fire. Life in the Gorge will never be the same. Not in my lifetime. Profoundly grateful for having this last opportunity. Set a new PR for ...
August 30, 2017 25.5 miles 3,750 feet gained
Felt like doing a little woods walkin' yesterday, so pulled out one I'd had "on the list" for years but hadn't even gotten around to. Headed north on the PCT from Lolo Pass to Buck Peak, where I enjoyed the most delightful brunch with views of Mount Hood over Lost Lake. On the way back, I found myself way ahead of schedule, so I took a 7-mile detour down 100...
August 25, 2017 19 miles 4,000 feet gained
What Woodswalker said! Absolutely a highlight of all 2017 summer hikes. The high country up on this side of Adams is just so spectacular. This one's going to be an annual trip, for sure. <iframe width="540" height="600" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7555&w=540&h=600&c=ffffff&m=0" scrolling="no" frameborder="no"></iframe>
August 22, 2017 5 miles 1,500 feet gained
Favorite after-work dog walk. Only a handful of other people up there to enjoy the sunset.
August 19, 2017 15 miles 3,250 feet gained
Followed the PCT from Barlow Pass up to Timberline Lodge, which was a lovely stretch of trail new to both of us. Up top, we realized neither of us had ever followed the Mountaineer Trail up to the top of of Magic Mile, either, so we made a high loop of it to stretch out the day a bit more. Delightful!
July 28, 2017 19 miles 4,750 feet gained
Nice to pay our respects, again... Best view in the backcountry, too.
July 22, 2017 12 miles 4,000 feet gained
Saturday Party Central. Lots of friends, old and new.
July 14, 2017 15.5 miles 4,250 feet gained
Finally scaled that pile of rubble! Great day out...
July 8, 2017 18 miles 4,250 feet gained
Took a different approach, and hiked up past Burnt Lake along the Zigzag Mtn trail. Totally overgrown, with some serious blowdown, but worth it for a change of pace.
July 3, 2017 20.5 miles 3,000 feet gained
From the north (Crest Camp).
June 20, 2017 12.5 miles 5,000 feet gained
Because Mount St. Helens just wasn't high enough!
