Karl

February 6, 2016 25.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Weren't sure where we'd end up as we headed east. Made a quick stop at the Balfour-Klickitat walking loop, to see the eagles, but the only ones we saw were flying by as we drove in. After a mile or so of walking around, we decided to head for the eastern end of Swale Canyon, to see what we might. It wasn't an ideal day, in that we mostly lacked the blue skie...

January 31, 2016 8 miles 750 feet gained

Still seeking hikes out of the rain, we decided to go underground today! Had a lot of fun visiting a place I hadn't been in close to 20 years. Parked out by the "Trail of Two Forests," where the road was gated. Walked in to Ape Cave from there, and had some fun with the Whiskey Jacks near the entrance before taking the plunge in. We ended up going down-cave ...

January 24, 2016 24 miles 750 feet gained

Got my arm twisted (real hard, I tell ya!), and ended up heading for the desert again last weekend. This time, we decided to simply haul in and out the Deschutes to the old abandoned ranch (or better), and try getting back before dark. Success! Managed to maintain an average 3.4 mph moving pace for the duration. What a beautiful canyon to wander through! Saw...

January 22, 2016 17 miles 4,000 feet gained

Absolutely delightful day out of the doom and gloom of the wet, west side. Blissful blue skies and temps in the mid-60s led us to linger much of the day, while just meandering all about the syncline. Mountainkat and I started the day by wandering up alongside Coyote Wall; the clouds lifted as we climbed. Cut east from the top, and ran into what (to me was) a...

January 18, 2016 7.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

We were all entirely frustrated with the wet side, so we went for (what we hoped would be) a nice walk in the rain shadow! The landscape was truly magnificent. So pleasant to be hiking without a jacket, again, too. The one thing we didn't count on was just how incredibly muddy the supersaturated soils would be. I'm sure we were hauling up to 20 pounds of cla...

January 17, 2016 7.5 miles 250 feet gained

Escaped for a quick eight-mile jaunt up and down the greenbelt with Harleigh and NO RAIN this evening! What a treat.

January 8, 2016 16.5 miles 4,500 feet gained

Picked an awesome day to trek up to Sherrard Point from Multnomah Falls with Mountainkat. Ice on the trail, even below the Benson Bridge, kept all the tourists at bay. Saw just one fellow along the way going up, three couples arrived from the snow gate while we were on the summit, and then nobody again until we hit the paved trail near the bottom going down....