What I've Been Up To

Running! I've been trail running 3 times a week on Leif Erickson with my long runs on Saturday hovering around 7 miles. I hope to work my way up to a half marathon by the spring, maybe something like the Timberline Half at Timothy Lake. Something scenic and mountainy, to keep me motivated and in my comfort zone. After that, I don't know. I want to run a marathon someday, but I have quite a roster of Washington hikes to knock out next summer. One thing at a time.What's most important is that I'm happy, and always moving forward.

Anam Cara Winemaker's Lunch

I think I could finally get used to these Oregon winters - it's just that I've been heading West instead of East when the weather turns. Private lunch through work in the winemaker's home. Just wonderful.

Winding Down

A few pics from the last couple days. Lovely Ramona Falls recliner hike with the hubs, and then two kind of crappy hikes. Here's the nice one:

The next day, I was on my way to Devil's Peak fire lookout but was thwarted by a work crew on one approach and an epically terrible road on another approach. I'll take my Subie over some shit, but only if I've made a huge effort to get there. Not for a four-mile fire lookout hike. I headed over to Timberline Lodge instead, to scout out Illumination Saddle. At this point, the lifts have long stopped running and the hike is a slog through dirt. I've gotten a little intel from other hikers who were kind enough to email some warnings about crevasses and rockfalls, so I truly didn't expect to get anywhere near the saddle, plus it was well past noon. I hiked up to the top of the ski lift and just considered myself lucky to have a mountain instead of a gym membership. But for the first time I noticed how depressingly wasted the south side of Mount Hood is. Dirt instead of meadows, equipment laying around everywhere, and shrinking glaciers. It's kind of sad.

Today I intended to drive to Alpental to hike a hopefully emptier Snow Lake/Gem Lake trail before the season closes, but at 6 a.m. I was still tired and at 8 a.m. the clouds were dishearteningly thick. So I slept in and hiked to Grassy Knoll. That was a bad idea - the road is hideous and endless, and I finally scratched up my poor, abused car. The hike is tedious and ugly, particularly in October at the end of a dry spell. Seemed like prime cougar territory, and I was completely alone. On the drive home, I consoled myself with a butterscotch milkshake in Cascade Locks, and still felt pretty darn good about my life lately. But I really am a little bored with the Gorge...I can't believe summer is ten months away.

WTA Work Party

Trail maintenance and bear sightings at Sunrise and First Burroughs with the WTA. This is one of the most incredible places I've ever been, so sure I'll throw boulders around and dig trenches on my Sunday. Mount Rainier is my boyfriend, after all. Link to volunteer opportunities here.

Eagle Creek Celebratory Hike

I made a big life decision this week, so toodling around in the Gorge while Dr B. tried out his new carbon fiber Look was just about my speed. I lapped up my newly regained freedom while meandering up Eagle Creek a bit and, oddly enough, ran into my coworker and her in-laws at the bottom of lower Punchbowl Falls canyon. I felt like an omnipresent forest gnome, or some official hiking dork representative of Oregon. As long as it's not in an office. Apparently I don't like those.

Willamette Valley Whirlwind Tour

Wine tasting day at DDO, Patton Valley, Stoller and Winderlea. That's a whole lot of pinot.

Old Snowy Backpack

I had been thinking about this trip for weeks, but didn't think I'd actually do it due to time constraints. Usually an overnighter for me takes lots of planning and ramping up. But I already knew the Snowgrass Flats area so well that I could've even hiked in in the dark if need be. But no need, I got to camp near the PCT junction just before dark, passing hordes of Saturday hikers on their way out. One well-meaning but baffling older lady took it upon herself to caution me "You're starting out kind of late." I let it go... I'm so much nicer on the trail.

The night was long and I slept fitfully, but was not overly nervous about bumps in the night. I read Cheryl Strayed's (mostly terrible) PCT book, then packed my down jacket around my head and drifted off. My philosophy now seems to be: "If it's not ripping through my tent, I don't want to know about it."

I got up at dawn and headed up the PCT, gaining increasingly great, albeit smoky, views of Rainier and Goat Lake. I climbed slowly up the Old Snowy moraine in the shadows, and crossed some flat snowfields before catching sight of both the famous Knife's Edge snaking off towards Elk Pass and a herd of resident mountain goats. Both were a fantastic reward.

Just below the final push to the summit I began to get a touch of vertigo, so I sat and had a snack. When will I learn that most nutrition bars are inedible over 8,000ft? I climbed the last little stretch until cliffing out at a mini-cairn and view of the other side of the ridge. I got freaked out and gingerly turned around - must've zigged left when I should've zigged right, but at the point I was close enough that I felt satisfied. Plus, scrambling down in scree and loose boulders with big dropoffs is not my favorite thing ever.

Chatted with a bunch of nice people on the way down and broke camp. I could've probably gone faster, but the air was thin and smoky and I was underslept. The five miles back to the car from camp are a major pain in the ass, and yes, that was me listening to T-Rex without headphones as you passed. You'll live.

Broken Top Trail #10, i.e. The Best Hike EVAR

Why didn't anyone tell me about this hike? Sorry Canyon Creek Meadows, you've been replaced (I'm so fickle). The hike on Trail #10 to No-Name lake on Broken Top should be mandatory information upon entering central Oregon. The road to the trail head past Todd Lake is hands-down the worst I've ever driven outside of Hawaii, but the hike itself to the most exquisite glacial lake in the state is only an hour walk, less if you're acclimated. There is only one trail junction less than a mile in - it'll be about five feet before the faded Sisters Wilderness sign that you veer right/northeast. The trail climbs gradually around the east face of Broken Top until just before Broken Hand. Then hike briefly to a notch at the top of a short snowfield, and scramble along the right hand side through the notch until you're eye level with a shimmering aqua pool. In September the lake was still 3/4 snow-covered, so I wouldn't visit any earlier. The user trail continues along the northeast side of the lake to a spectacular lookout at a cliff's edge. It takes about 15-20 more minutes to get there. The views stretch from the Three Sisters to Mount Adams. It's windy in the cirque below, and the water ripples in star bursts that spread quickly across the water. I sat in the sun and listened to snow sheets break apart and water dance, convinced that this hike is the definition of perfection.

4.5 hours from PDX, 5 miles RT. Car-camped at Devil's Lake to get an early start, which was good for both lighting and the solitude. FR 380 sucks.

Use this link for decent directions, but veer right at the junction where they veered left. Follow that trail around the mountain and up the snowfield to the notch. It's almost idiot proof.