Dog Mountain 5/10/11

Since the forecast for 5/10/11 and 5/11/11 called for sunny, warm weather, I decided to take those days off from work and go hiking one of those days. As the time got closer, it looked like Tuesday would be the better of the two days.

The hike I chose was Dog Mountain, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Normally I avoid that hike because of the massive crowds, especially as it nears peak flowering time. Since it was a Tuesday pre-peak flowering, I figured it would be safe. My hope was to get some good exercise, some good views and some good pictures of the pre-flower explosion.

Since there is alot of poison oak along the lower portion of the trail, I decided to leave the dogs, Buddy and Timmy at home. Dogs do not seem to be affected by poison oak, but the urushiol oil that causes rashes would get on their fur and then transfer to me and other things that I might touch. However, leaving them at home when I go on a hike is a sensitive issue. They know what hiking gear is and if they see me load it into the car then leave without them, they have something to say about it. My plan was to put them in the dog run, then quietly load the gear. It worked. They thought I was going to work as usual.

When I got to the trailhead at 7:30, there was only one other car there. The wind was brisk and the sun was shining. I decided to take the new (not really new, but newer than the old) trail to the top. All along the trail there were many varieties of wildflowers blooming and signs that the famous Dog Mountain wildflower explosion would happen in about two weeks. Even though I was a little too soon for that, I was not disappointed in the flowers that I did see.

What I was disappointed in was the weather. The higher I got, the windier and cloudier it got. My estimate is that the wind was a constant 30+ mph. The temperature was such that I could see my breath. Good thing I brought a windbreaker, hat and gloves.

Due to the weather conditions, I did not feel the need to go the last 0.1 mile to the true summit at 2920'. Instead, I continued on to meet up with the Augspurger Mt. trail to finish the hike as a true loop. To my surprise, there seemed to be more of a variety of flowers on that trail then up on the open meadows of Dog Mt.

All told, the hike was 6.7 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2800'. The whole time I only came across two people.

When I got back home, I let the dogs out of the dog run, then proceeded to unload the hiking gear out of the car onto the deck. They had a betrayed look as if to say, "Wait a minute. You went on a hike and didn't take us." I gave then a treat and they forgot about the whole thing.

Brad

Here is a link to the Dog Mountain pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157626695051158/detail/

Brad's Flickr photo sets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/

Snowshoeing Silver Star 4/30/11

On Saturday, April 30th, my friend Chris and I packed up our gear and the dogs and headed out to snowshoe to the top of 4390' Silver Star Mountain. I had read a recent posting online that the Grouse Vista trailhead at 2375' was accessible.

The road to the trailhead was almost entirely clear of snow. Even vehicles with low clearance made it there. There we were met by the largest group of people I have ever seen there. I think they were a group of Mazamas. And I thought that the snow would thin out the crowds.

We all headed up the Grouse Vista Trail. The very start of the trail was clear of snow, which then gave way to patches of snow that could be walked on with just our boots. Soon there came a point where snowshoes were necessary. If we had not strapped our snowshoes on, we would have been "postholing" up to our waist. We broke the trail most of the rest of the way to the top. Many of the snow drifts we had to cross were 45+ degree angles.

Just before reaching the top of Silver Star Mt., we ran into Portland Hiker's own Don Nelson and a friend Jamie. Portland Hiker is a popular website for hikers in the Portland metro area. Meeting Don was almost like meeting a rock star, as I have been in awe of many of Don's trip reports. They were heading over to Sturgeon Rock and asked us to take a picture of them over there from Silver Star.

Sturgeon Rock is a rock formation 207' lower than Silver Star Mt. with a difficult-in-summer goat trail to the top. I've been to the peak of Sturgeon Rock in summer when the ground is dry and I'm not wearing awkward snowshoes. The peak is only a couple of feet wide with death fall cliffs on two sides. Obviously, the word agoraphobia is not in their vocabulary. Amazing.

After summiting Silver Star Mt., we decided to take the loop back on the Tarbell Trail. Rather than backtracking a bit to get to the Tarbell Cutoff, we took a shortcut off trail through the woods. We both know that area well, so there was no danger in getting lost. In three directions are trails, while the other direction is Sturgeon Rock. Plus Chris has a GPS.

Let me tell you, going downhill in the snow is much easier than going uphill. We soon ran into the large group of Mazamas, who had the good fortune of following in the tracks we had just broken.

Even though snowshoeing is much more difficult than hiking, there is something to be said for getting some strenuous exercise. The sense of accomplishment garnered from doing something very few people have done is amazing.

In all the trip was 8.3 miles round trip with a total elevation gain of over 1700'. Next up...?

Enjoy,
Brad

Link to 4/30/11 Silver Star Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N ... 493635041/

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Link to Brad's Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/

Tanner Butter Trail 12/18/10

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625508272755/detail/

Snow Shoeing/Porcupine Sighting 12/4/10

I did not have time to write a complete trip report on the hiking/snow shoe trip to Silver Star Mountain last Saturday.

However, I did post the pictures on my Flickr stream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625536608064/detail/?deleted=5235356655

Highlights:

·         There was a passenger car stuck in the snow just before the trailhead blocking our path.

·         We had to park 1 mile from the trailhead.

·         Did not make it to the top due to there being too much wind (40+ mph).

·         Stumbled upon a porcupine and got some very close up pictures.

Nick Eaton Ridge 11/28/10

Not letting winter weather bother us, me, Chris and the dogs, Buddy and Timmy, took a stroll through part of the network of trails around Herman Creek. Herman Creek is located in the Columbia River Gorge, just east of Cascade Locks, OR.

Because of the recent snow at low elevation, we originally were planning on strapping our snowshoes to our backpacks to use when we got into deep snow. A game-time decision was made to leave them at home and to stay at lower elevations.

We started out at 9:00 AM outside the gate to Herman Creek Campground. Normally you can drive the 0.3 miles up a paved road to the Herman Creek Trail trailhead, but the campground is closed in the winter.

Some interesting facts dug up about the Herman Creek Trail: 1) It was constructed for foot access to the old site of a wartime lookout built to spot balloon bomb sent over by Japan. 2) It contains the largest surviving forest of old growth Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock in the Columbia River Gorge. 3) It doesn’t get close to the creek itself, but parallels it much of the way,

There was a trace of residual snow at the trailhead, so we knew there would be more once we began gaining elevation. We decided to take the Nick Eaton Ridge Trail to try and reach Deadwood Camp at 2900’ on the other side of the ridge. Neither of us had been there before and it sounded interesting.

We quickly gained elevation and the snow slowly got deeper and deeper. It was fun hearing the sound of the crunching snow under our boots. Fortunately someone else has blazed a path in the snow, making it easier to walk and navigate. It was evident someone else a few days prior had used snowshoes when the snow was even higher.

At 2900’ where the Nick Eaton Ridge trail met the Nick Eaton Ridge Cutoff Trail, we initially decided to continue on upward on the main Nick Eaton Ridge Trail proper. This was because there were no tracks in the snow on the cutoff trail, but there were on the main trail.

After resting and letting the dogs play in the snow, Chris and I both agreed to abandon the Deadwood Camp idea and take the cutoff trail back to the Herman Creek Trail via the Gorton Creek Trail. Even though we would have to blaze our own way through the snow, the cutoff trail was much shorter.

It turned out to be a good idea. We could have made it to Deadwood Camp, but hiking in the snow, even in someone else’s footsteps, is much harder than bare ground.

We made it back to the trailhead by 2:00 PM and only saw one other person the entire time. Tired and hungry, we headed to Char Burger for a bacon cheeseburger.

Total mileage: 8.3 miles

Total elevation gain: 2900’ elevation gain

Here is a link to the pictures on my Flick site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625364173651/

Hike To McNeil Point

As the days grow shorter, colder, grayer and wetter in the Northwest, it is best to take advantage of the remaining sunny days we have left. That is especially so when hiking up to the higher elevations, as soon they will be either snowed in or the views will be obscured by clouds.

That's why, last Saturday, Chris, myself and the dogs, Buddy and Timmy, took the opportunity to do the McNeil Point hike on the west side of Mt. Hood. McNeil Point is a hike to avoid during the summer if solitude is what is desired. That's because it is a relatively close and easy drive from Portland and has fantastic views. Mostly because of this, neither of us had done this hike before. I figured this late in the year the crowds would have decreased.

When got to the 4000' elevation Top Spur Trailhead at 9 AM, there were only two other vehicles in the parking lot. The sky was clear, there was no wind and it was 38 degrees. We put on our day packs (one for the dogs too) and set out for a great day of hiking.

On Mt. Hood in general, and in this area specifically, there are a myriad of interconnecting trails. As usual, I had done my trail research and map making and Chris had his GPS, so we knew exactly where to go.

About a mile into the hike, we ran into a guy who was coming down from backpacking the previous night near McNeil Point. He said the temperature had gotten down to 26 degrees. Now that's hard core camping.

Soon we reached a point where we could opt for a scramble shortcut trail to McNeil Point. The description for this route was, "A faint, very steep trail that was potentially dangerous going right up the face of McNeil Point that is not recommended." Another description was, "Only attempt this dangerous route if you are prepared to crawl along using your hands." We decided to take the safer, longer route. We later ran into a couple who had come up that way and they similarly described it and decided to go down the safer route.

Around the 3.25 mile mark, we came across what is referred to as "The Ponds". This area contains several ponds, open fields, some campsites and views up to McNeil Point. The Ponds still had a layer of ice from the previous night. That didn't deter Buddy from wanting to jump in. He hates baths but has no problem diving into frigid water. Needless to say I did not let him jump in.

At about the 5 mile mark, we made it to the McNeil Shelter at 6100'. The shelter has stone walls and a tin roof supported by beams of wood. It contains a fireplace and is open on one side. Apparently, this shelter was built in the 1930s by the CCC and named to honor Portland newspaperman Fred McNeil. Therefore, that's how McNeil Point got its name.

The views from McNeil Point are great, and that would have been a great hike. But there was a trail going up the alpine meadow to what the map indicated was McNeil Peak. Of course we had to follow it. What I thought was only another 300' of elevation turned out to be almost 900' and another half mile. It was one of those times when you can't see beyond the initial peak in front of you and don't realize that the trail just keeps going up and up once you get up to the next peak.

The effort was well worth it. The views included: a full frontal of Mt. Hood, as well as views to Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Barrett Spur, Sandy Glacier and Lost Lake. That's what we came for.

On the way down it was surprising the number of other hikers we saw - probably around 50. Just think how crowded this hike would be on a sunny summer Saturday. Amazingly, some hikers were just starting out as we neared the trailhead. I hope they were prepared just in case.

Total mileage: 11 miles

Total elevation gain: 3000'

Here is a link to the pictures on my Flick site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625200674900/detail/

Climbing Mt. St. Helens 9/22/10

Shortly after I climbed South Sister, my friend, Chris, suggested we climb Mt. St. Helens (MSH). I thought that was a good idea and started organizing a time that worked for both of us. I also researched the steps to get the necessary permits.

You see, one can't just climb MSH any time they want. Because MSH is in the MSH National Volcanic Monument and is a very popular climb, a limit of 100 permits per day are issued from 5/15-10/31. The permits must be picked up at The Lone Fir Resort in Cougar, WA. That is also where climbers sign in and sign out.

Chris and I had a window of 9/22 and 9/23, as those were the only days that we could synchronize our days off with days that did not have the permits sold out. As those days approached, I closely watched the weather forecasts. Just as those days drew near, 9/22 looked to be favorable. Almost the entire month of September had been gray and wet up to then, and we did not want to put forth all that effort in the rain or snow.

So 9/22 it was. Everything with the permit went smooth. We made it to the Climbers Bivouac Trailhead at 9:00 AM and began the hike shortly thereafter. The sky at the trailhead was mostly clear and sunny. However, there was a cloud hovering over the top of the mountain. Positive thoughts were expressed that the cloud would burn off, affording us great views at the top.

Now for some math.

The trail to the top is 4.7 miles one-way gaining 4,500' in elevation. The high point of MSH is 8,369'. Due to safety reasons, climbers cannot get to the true high point and have to settle for 8,281'. Something of importance to note is that the first 2.1 miles gain only 915'. That means the remaining 2.6 miles gain 3,601'. This equates to 1,385' per mile, whereas 1,000' per mile is considered very steep and strenuous.

Now try that all the while rock hopping on boulders and walking on loose sand, gravel and volcanic ash. Chris and I were able to get this done in 6 1/2 hours. The sign at the trailhead noted that it should take 7-10 hours. Cue the chest puffing and bicep flexing.

As for the climb? It went off without any incidents. Both Chris and I got a little nauseous and had mild headaches due to the elevation, but nothing like we got on South Sister. There were great views until we got to around 7,200'. That's when we hit the cloud level and were shrouded in fog the rest of the way up. It also got cold and windy. At the top it was 33 degrees. My fingers were numb even with gloves on.

Here is a link to the pictures on my Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625101773161/detail/?deleted=5108417763