Tanner Butte - 7/10/11

Tanner Butte is a 4500' peak on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. Many times I have hiked on the Tanner Butte trail but never attempted to hike all the way to the summit. There is no short way of getting to Tanner Butte. The shortest way is nearly a 20 mile round trip starting at 150' in elevation. I read somewhere that it is the peak that is the furthest by trail from any trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge. The reports of the views on a sunny day said they were some of the best in the Gorge.

Last weekend, my hiking buddy, Chris, and I found out for ourselves about the views and how long the trail really is. Recent trip reports indicated that the trail to the top was snow free. The dogs were left at home because this trip would be too demanding for them - even Buddy.

We starting off at the Toothrock Trailhead about 9 AM with mostly sunny skies. Having hiked the multitude of trail options many times, we knew to head for the old Tanner Butte trailhead 2 miles up the closed road.

At about 1 mile from the old trailhead are solidified mudslides that cross the road several feet high. I came across the mudslides earlier in the year shortly after the event happened. It would have been an amazing sight too see it happen - from far away.

At the old trailhead is where two unnamed creeks join and form several beautiful unnamed waterfalls. Years ago I named one of them Bradley Falls.

The creeks must be forded in order to proceed, easy during the summer, but more difficult during the spring snowmelt or times of heavy rain. The trail continues on uphill, never getting very steep. Shortly after crossing the second creek is an interesting auditory display. As one walks past a chainsawed log at head level, the angle of the end of the log perfectly reflects the sound of the creek below as if a speaker was playing sounds of a babbling brook. For some reason this delights me every time I pass it.

There are not a lot of spectacular views along the way, but at various times of the year many different types of flowers are blooming. Plus the forest is always there, which is beautiful in its own way. Just before the campsite 2 miles from the old trailhead is the last reliable source of water until another 2.5 more miles at Dublin Lake - and that source is 500' down and back up to the main trail. Not something you want to do if hiking 20 miles. Chris and I took a short rest at that campsite at 2700'.

At the Dublin Lake turnoff at 3700' we took another rest. My new boots were starting to cause some hot spots on my heals. Being proactive, I took off my boots and socks and applied some moleskin, then taped up my feet. I didn't want to wait until blisters had started.

Shortly after the Dublin Lake turnoff, the trail turns into an old abandoned logging road the rest of the way. Continuing south the views finally open up in a bear grass and huckleberry filled meadow. At the meadow the first view of Tanner Butte, as well as Mt. Hood, can be seen.

We soon found out that before the turnoff to Tanner Butte, the trail loses about 300', which, of course, we had to gain right back before the final assault on the summit. That also meant that on the way back, we had to lose that same 300' and gain it back.

Since neither Chris or I had been this far on the trail before, we both kept a sharp eye out for the turnoff to the top. The description for the turnoff indicated that it was not marked well and to look for a sign saying "Please find scramble route to the summit". Just when we thought we were getting close, we came across a solo hiker who could not find the turnoff to the top. He had passed it and eventually got to a sping that I knew was past the turnoff, and was on his way back. After hiking 10 miles and up 4500', he was giving up getting to the summit. Not more than 30 seconds of hiking after we crossed paths, Chris and I found the turnoff. It was a little overgrown, but marked with an orange flag.

The trail to the summit is 1/2 mile and gains 500'. On the way up we past one solo hiker and a group of 4 on their way down. The group of 4 said they were training for backpacking around Mt. Hood so they were going to take the long way back via Eagle Creek. That would make for a 27 mile day hike! No thank you.

When we got to the summit, we had it all to ourselves. The sky was sunny, the wind was light and the temperature was perfect for shorts and a T-shirt. And the views? Let me start out by explaining that Tanner Butte is one of the very few true 360 degree views in the Gorge. Nothing obscures any of the view. Cascade Mountains that can be seen include, Mt Hood, Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson in Oregon, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens in Washington. The lesser peaks of Goat Rocks, Silver Star Mt., Larch Mt., Chinidere Mt. and Indian Mt could also be seen. Points in the Gorge we could see were Hardy Ridge, Hamilton Mt., Table Mt., Greenleaf Peak, Mt. Defiance and the long flat Benson Plateau.

We enjoyed the views for about 45 minutes while fueling up for the trip back. Speaking of the trip back, much of the time was spent thinking about all the things I was going to eat when I got back in town. Burgers, pizza, Izzy's all you can eat buffet.

Upon getting back to the truck, it was almost 6:00 PM. The hike was one of the longest day hikes I have ever done. My body told me so for the next few days.

Here is a link to some pics of the trip:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157627095643143/detail/