Karl

June 9, 2017 18 miles 3,250 feet gained

Sure wish I could still post photos here... Futurecast showed solid green all damn day. NOAA was predicting thundersnow. To hell with them, huh? If you want drama in the blastzone, defy the forecasts! Simply spectacular day, and the weather did NOT disappoint. Wild crazy clouds were with us all day long. It snowed, big badass flakes at times, twice during th...

June 3, 2017 25.5 miles 6,500 feet gained

Fun megaloop up Herman Creek valley, off-trailing up the side of Tomlike, navigating through 6' deep snow over to Chinidere, then following the PCT back across the Benson Plateau taking a steep detour down to Pablo's Pond along the way. <iframe width="540" height="800" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7188&w=540&h=800&c=ffffff&m=0" scrolling="no" fr...

May 28, 2017 13.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Forecast was for near-90 in the city. This was the perfect antidote! The forest was as chill as things get on such a day. And the waterfalls were glorious with the spring melt. Long drive for a short hike, but one helluva getaway!

May 26, 2017 20 miles 5,250 feet gained

Awesome day, finally hitting the elusive Green Point Mountain on a day with blue skies! Always been there in a cloud before. Still lots of snow (6-8') up on the plateau. Don't go without strong nav skills! Went up Nick Eaton Way, which is "pretty real" according to my trusty hiking buddy. That ridge was bare, and a true delight to traverse. Real snow started...

May 24, 2017 20.5 miles 5,500 feet gained

My good friend Kathy made good on a promise and showed me up the Rock of Ages ridge. Wow, what an amazingly fun scramble that was! We climbed over 3000' in less than three miles. (And the first mile was damn near flat!) Arriving up top, we headed SW then turned down the Bell Creek Trail, and enjoyed the awesome old growth of the deep forest. At the Oneonta j...

May 20, 2017 20.5 miles 4,500 feet gained

Led a group from the now-standard Bonneville Trailhead up through the debris slide to Table Mountain and beyond. We chose to go up the Westway Route, rather than the far more routine Heartbreak Ridge, and everyone seemed to agree that offered far better views. Once up top, we of course had to go visit the iconic south viewpoint, where the clouds really start...

May 19, 2017 18.5 miles 2,500 feet gained

Awesome dogwalk (other than the ticks!) up and then back down this lovely riverside trail! The local endemic irises were blooming, and were a real treat. Loved a nice pull out known as The Narrows. The forest was a true delight. <iframe width="540" height="700" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7145&w=540&h=700&c=ffffff&m=0" scrolling="no" frameborde...

May 18, 2017 18.5 miles 4,000 feet gained

Took a new route up to Silver Star, starting at the Tarbell Trailhead to the mountain's northwest. Just an awesome little lollipop, and honestly some of the DNR clearcuts provide very nice views both on the way in and the way out. Still lots of snow within a mile of the summit. As nice as it was up there, I think the highlight of the day was scampering about...

May 14, 2017 11 miles 1,500 feet gained

Met some friends in Cascade Locks, after we were done with Wauna Viewpoint, and decided to head up into the GPNF to kill the rest of the day chasing waterfalls. Great outing!

May 14, 2017 4 miles 1,000 feet gained

Pesky little trail was always "too short" to bother with. Well, a late start made it a great option to warm up on! Warning: Trail obliterated by rockslide for last stretch.

May 12, 2017 25 miles 4,250 feet gained

Yep, all of it. East to west. Elk Creek to Keenig. Didn't rain the first ten miles. The rest? Yeah. Embrace the wetness! :-)

May 11, 2017 11.5 miles 500 feet gained

Extended dog walks, back to back, but carrying munchies and beverages on the back! Counts, right? <iframe width="540" height="600" src="http://gpsfly.org/gps_map.php?gps_id=7117&w=540&h=600" scrolling="no" frameborder="no"></iframe>

May 7, 2017 20 miles 4,750 feet gained

One of my favorite loops! Up to Larch Mountain from Multnomah Falls, entirely on the LMT. Then, looping back along the south rim of the crater on the Oneonta trail, until it connects with Franklin Ridge. From there, take the "bat cave" junction down to Nesika, for a second lunch opportunity at Bickel Point. Wasn't close to dark yet, so I wandered around and ...

April 29, 2017 15 miles 2,250 feet gained

April 28, 2017 14.5 miles 3,250 feet gained

April 16, 2017 18 miles 4,750 feet gained

It was supposed to be a glorious day, and the views from Table Mountain could've been just incredible! Ah well, we had some great exercise. The skies were overcast, but the ceiling was high enough most surrounding volcanoes were visible. Winds were pretty strong, though, enough so to worry about losing (yet another!) hat. Snow's entirely gone on Westway, but...

April 14, 2017 5.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

After finishing the cherry orchard loop, we headed east and stopped first at Horsethief Lake to see the petroglpyhs. Oh my, what a treat that was! Then we just drove up to the ranch, and did a big loop through the lower bluffs. Not too many flowers out yet, though they're definitely getting underway. Really beat the rain to the east, that's for sure! <iframe...

April 14, 2017 8 miles 2,000 feet gained

First time here with enough time to actually climb to the top, so we made the most of it. Looped the butte closest to town first, following the old "convict road," which was constructed in 1910-11 under the direction of Sam Hill. Climbed the bluff east of the high school, and hooked back into the main trail to the orchard. Wonderfully green vistas greeted us...

April 9, 2017 15 miles 1,750 feet gained

First springtime trip up Eagle Creek was no disappointment! The day, and the trail, were dry. Actually went up beyond Sevenmile Falls and back without ever getting wet feet, despite only wearing trail runners. We did choose to ford Wy'east Creek on purpose, rather than by falling off one of the very slick logs partially across it. The waterfalls all were glo...

March 31, 2017 17.5 miles 4,750 feet gained

Decided it was time to see how tackling Table from the Bonneville trailhead, now that the Hot Springs has been sold and is off-limits, changed this old favorite. This definitely adds to the challenge, no doubts about it! It's a good 6.5 miles and 1700' of EG just to the point where the PCT meets the old trail up, and you're still no where near half way up gi...

March 27, 2017 10.5 miles 1,250 feet gained

Soaking wet day, which seems appropriate for waterfallin'.

March 19, 2017 2.5 miles 250 feet gained

Nice sunny stroll through the refuge, somewhat limited by the Columbia running at flood stage, followed up with a car loop through the South ("River S") Unit.

March 17, 2017 24.5 miles 750 feet gained

Delightful ramble up, just a bit past the old abandoned ranch, and back down the Deschutes. Probably the only place in the entire PNW where it wasn't dumping buckets. The normally brown desert was resplendent in emerald green for Saint Paddy's Day, though. Saw lots of bird life, the flowers were just starting to pop, and it was just an awesome leg stretcher!...

March 10, 2017 17 miles 3,500 feet gained

After a drenching week, it was time to head east again, where we (again) found blue skies and bare ground! Delightful hike, starting at the Crawford Oaks trailhead down along SR-14, winding along the Vista Trail and enjoying magnificent river views, then wandering off trail from the hang-gliding launch spot on up. Winds were howling most of the day, but part...

March 3, 2017 18 miles 500 feet gained

Had a nice walk up the Klickitat River to just past MP8 and back, enjoyed a fresh slice of raspberry pie à la mode in the Lyle Diner, then (since it wasn't yet dark) did a loop around the Lower Catherine Creek area and found the first grass widows of Spring! Really nice day with blue skies and (mostly) bare/dry trails!

February 25, 2017 12.5 miles 3,000 feet gained

Yep, again. It's a good thing the closest mountain to home is also such a fun one to play on, because I just seem to keep going back. And now, it's one of the few Gorge trails that's actually doable. Finally. What a mess this winter has been! Fair bit of storm damage, but overall the trails in Beacon Rock State Park are hikable. Traction (microspikes) helped...

February 17, 2017 19 miles 3,750 feet gained

Finally! After four months of some of the worst weather ever... Miles and miles of trail over dirt and duff! This is a great low-elevation option, just far enough from the Gorge not to have suffered all the ice-storm damage, to break out of the winter blahs. We started with a quick side-trip over to Yacolt Creek Falls, where we found the bridge had been swun...

February 12, 2017 5.5 miles 1,000 feet gained

Had a ton of yardwork to do, but slipped away for a couple hours in the afternoon to go explore Whipple Creek Park again. Hadn't been in here in 15-20 years or so, because it was SO DAMN MUDDY the last time. But it seems the WTA has been putting in a lot of good work, and the trails are really in very nice shape. (Especially given the horrid winter we've had...

January 28, 2017 9 miles 1,750 feet gained

Seems we may have taken a "wrong turn" somewhere, and "missed" our trail? We ended up scootching around the north side of Coldwater Lake, enjoying some pretty epic landscapes. Unfortunately, we also saw far too many signs of wanton forest rape, as a company that makes holiday wreaths and swags had given a buzz-cut to countless square miles of noble fir. Abou...

January 20, 2017 15.5 miles 1,500 feet gained

Had absolutely no interest (or stomach) for participating in the national media obsession du jour, so on this very gloomy day for the USA, decided that a nice, long walk in the woods was exactly what was called for. Fittingly, the woods were fairly gloomy too, as they were just beginning to recover from the most recent Snopocalypse. It was my first time hiki...

January 14, 2017 8 miles 1,250 feet gained

We seem to have missed a turn along the Boundary Trail, as we headed east into the blast zone intent on exploring the 1980 debris flows. Snowshoes meant we didn't even leave footprints, at least after 30 minutes of the persist winds. A most incredible day on the volcano!

January 6, 2017 8 miles 1,750 feet gained

Fun day in the frozen Gorge! Hopped in and out of the car, hitting three different smaller adventures. Icicles galore! Started the day with a tour of Upper McCord and Elowah Falls, then a brief jaunt up Eagle Creek, and ended with a quick in-n-out at Wahclella. First time I've wandered around our initial destination. Headed up towards the Upper McCall Falls ...