Late September weather was cool but sunny with no snow yet in Central Cascades passes. A perfect time to take the quickest route to the cascades spine for a long day hike. I hiked this same area 2x this year (smoke and 100k), so decent weather beyond the busy summer season was perfect to hike…
After hiking Mt Washington Monday (review / photos), I landed at Camp Sherman CG to meet my favorite sister for a week of hiking and chilling along the Metolius River. This was our 3rd or 4th time this year meeting up, but for my sister this was her 9th stay at Camp Sherman this year….
… and back. On the way to Camp Sherman for a week of hiking and Metolius River chill, the first day started at Santiam Pass from the PCT junction at Big Lake. Intention was to hike as far as possible across the lava flows south of Wasthington and ideally, Belknap Crater. Starting pre-dawn in a…
After spending last week bopping around downtown Seattle and Bainbridge Island, it seemed too much to head right to Cascade Spine and hike the crest. After a quick Costco gas stop, my Highlander was the first car in Pisgah North lot. Around 6:15 the light was just enough to forgo headlamp. Soon after heading up…
After what seems like years, the heat and sun (and all the fire impacts) gave a little way for a series of rain storms from the Pacific. I think everybody wanted to be out in the rain after the desert-like parching. Initially, I thought hiking Hardesty Mt to walk under those great trees in the…
Honoring a request, I changed a backpacking plan for car-camping at Crescent Lake to explore the lakes between Crescent Lake and Diamond Peak for 3 days. Three very different hikes: a) Whitefish Creek and Crater Butte; b) Oldenberg and Windy Lakes; and c) Maiden Peak (on way home). The larger lake names read like characters…
To expand Saturday’s PCT hike from Willamette Pass to Bobby Lake, yesterday was the PCT from Bobby Lake NOBO to Charlton Lake and back with a pass up The Twins. The woods were basically empty – literally. I saw maybe 10 PCTers and 1 local hiker the entire time. Animals and birds were scarce as…
Saturday, I headed up to Willamette Pass to hike PCT NOBO and back with objective of hitting Bobby Lake and Maiden Peak. I arrived around 5am and was hiking by 5:15 with headlamp – just as 2 trail runners were heading out as well. The runners informed me that about 150 runners – The Waldo…
I initially planned to go to Willamette Pass, but woke up unwilling to drive far … so at last minute, went to Pisgah. Timed the start for sunrise after the top … the view to Sisters was as expected and they hid behind clouds and haze the rest of the day. A full (or nearly)…
With good weather and wild fire smoke avoiding the west side of Three Sisters Wilderness and an Obsidian TH day hike permit … perfect. I started at TH around 6:00 went straight up Obsidian Trail. At one of the first burn scar clearings, sunrise came over the ridge on the knoll. Middle Sister quickly comes…
