Elk Meadows via Newton Creek

Hey, we found sun! Not blazing or anything, but it was enough. I woke Dr. B bright and early and plied him (and myself) with some Starbucks before we hit the road to Mount Hood. I had promised by hiking partner an easy hike, and that's more or less what we got with Elk Meadows. Easy grades, low miles, not much payoff in terms of views, but pretty and relaxing. On the other hand, we had quite the adventure crossing Newton Creek. The makeshift bunch of twigs at the trail crossing was laughable, and as we watched two backpackers do a proper, packs unfastened, three points of contact team crossing we decided fuck that. A large tree trunk upstream seemed the most logical decision for us. We each scooted like crabs nervously, and on the way back I found the courage to walk balance-beam style across. It was each of our first major water crossing, and I think we were quite proud of our problem-solving as a team. Good times.

6 miles, 2.5-3 hours.