Hiking Mary’s Peak in October
Hiking Mary’s Peak in October, perfect. The weather machines saw rain coming from the west in a few days. Just enough time to get in one more good hike on ‘summer sun dried trails’ before the winter rains start. With over-drawn carbon karma from recent driving, I needed a close-in hike but the Cedar Creek fire eliminated going east to the Cascade foothills. Off to the northwest, Mary’s Peak offered a smoke-free option. Previous Mary’sKeep Reading …
Black Diamond trekking poles – carbon
For the last two years, Black Diamond Carbon Cork trekking poles (Company Link) have gone with me over 2000 miles. I broke one 2 years ago crossing Elliot Creek, Mt Hood Timberline Trail (REI replaced that one as it was brand new). They are light enough, the cork handles are great imho. I have used them from North Cascades to Crater Lake in rain, snow, hot weather and freezing rain. I also crossed 10 milesKeep Reading …
Ridgeline Trail: Fast hiking in unstable weather
With a short time window for a day hike (7:00 – 11:00) and a delivery on the way to make, I made for Spring Blvd trailhead on the Ridgeline Trail – objective was to touch the top of Spencer Butte 3x and cover at least 10 miles. Fast hiking (thru-hike style) with a camera on Ridgeline Trail! The Spring Blvd trailhead is 15 minute drive with a stop, and remains the safest Ridgeline TH inKeep Reading …
Ridgeline: smoke, fog & deer
For an early October hike with smoke from Cedar Creek Fire filling the valley, the Ridgeline trail offered a fast hike treat. The hike started at Spring Blvd then to Spencer Butte, then to Willamette Blvd, back to Spencer and then back to the car – with 3x touching the top of Spencer Butte. Starting off and even at Fox Hollow there were no other hikers and the smoke / fog was thick. At theKeep Reading …
Broken Top: No name lake ramble
Reminder – clicking on pic will open 90% quality resolution – it’s worth it! For possibly the last Central Cascades wilderness (Friends of Central Cascades) hike of the 2022 season, Broken Top surfaced as the preferred destination. After visiting No Name Lake in July this year with it 2/3 covered in ice (review), a return in Fall without all the ice seemed like a good idea. While a good idea for the hike, the tripKeep Reading …
3 neighbors
Walking around town these last few days some neighbors showed up … Spiders are so difficult to photo while in web …. the hawk put on a show circling the field, and this squirrel just sat on the sign post.Keep Reading …
3 Finger Jack: south end of loop
With great luck, my sister and I found ourselves with free time, a Santiam Pass hiking permit and both of us at Santiam Pass. She was kind enough to start the hiking at my hour (first light as if we camped at the trailhead), if the hike fit her free time slot – about 3 hours. A two-part hike was planned; part A together going from Santiam Pass to Summit Lake on the west sideKeep Reading …
Mt Hood: Timberline trail counter clockwise +2
After the clockwise 4 day Timberline Trail from 2020, planning another trip after recent nobo and sobo approaches to Mt Hood, counterclockwise was the plan with 2 bonus side-trips, Cooper Spur and McNeil Point or Paradise Park. 3 days /2 nights were allocated and counterclockwise worked best based on my hiking distances, stream crossing and drinking water. Making it even better was the Fall Equinox. Thanks to help from my guitar-playing buddy, getting to MtKeep Reading …
Gear: Yar.Gear day pack
I recently purchased a new day pack for those fast and longer day hikes. Research was focused on the following features / requirements: The search took several weeks while reading reviews and exploring different options. I discovered the Yar Gear 28L Mountain Drifter (Link). It met every requirement and was decently priced. Garage Grown Gear introduced me to Yar Gear, so i sent GGG a message asking if they could secure the 28l Ultra Drifter.Keep Reading …
Spencer Butte: Smokey to west
Great friends joined us Saturday, Sept 17, for a quick early afternoon hike up Spencer Butte from the N. Willamette Trailhead (All Trails). We timed the hike while the Oregon Ducks played football removing a majority of other people from the trail – it worked out as there were few people for mid-Saturday without rain. What struck me after looking at the few pics was the difference when looking west vs looking east – theKeep Reading …
