The winds of change have shifted: the winds were blowing cold (~40 f) bringing smells of rain and weather people put 100% probability of >.5″ of rain on Saturday (one report said no meaningful rain since July 7). What better … Read More

Another 1 day hike on PCT from one of my most frequent TH, Trapper Creek. There was a small window to do 2 day / 1 night to capture longer PCT, but current backpack situation did not work … So, … Read More

A quick 3x to the top and touching both Fox Hollow and Willamette trailheads was the mid-week work out. Put on my Northface 20L day pack, and hit the trail by 6:30am. Smoke was threatening to fill the valley from … Read More

After last week’s Diamond Lake adventure, and to stay loose for next week’s PCT Mt Jefferson ramble (fires & weather pending), I revisited Spencer Butte for an early morning 15 mile warm up. The hike started at S Willamette TH, … Read More

Yep, another year to Diamond Lake, and another year with fires … fires almost everywhere to the west, south, and north. Hwy 58 was deemed too prone to fire delays for the return trip. Temperatures were also >95 in valley … Read More

Not to let 6-legged monsters keep me from PCT plans, I went back to Waldo Lake area to complete the section planned earlier but denied by the swarm. The swarm was gone and those left were easily outrun, though resting … Read More

What started as a 3 day, 2 night camping and hiking adventure at Waldo Lake was reduced to a 2 day, 1 night psychological and physical test due to one small, swarming 6-legged monster: mosquitoes. Everybody who plans on hiking … Read More

Heading out to the trailhead, I thought that another cloudy forest hike was in the cards. Getting started on the trail, the lower elevation flowers were amazing. But it was the Rhodies that were just spectacular, and every once and … Read More