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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content"><channel><title>EveryTrail Feed</title><description/><link>http://www.everytrail.com</link><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 14:17:44 -0200</lastBuildDate><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 14:17:44 -0200</pubDate><image><url>http://www.everytrail.com/images/everytrail-logo.png</url><title>EveryTrail</title><link>http://www.everytrail.com</link><description>GPS travel community, geotagging, geotagged photos, Google Maps, GPS tracks, waypoints, coordinates</description><width>144</width><height>41</height></image><item><title><![CDATA[Cape Mountain]]></title><description><![CDATA[then up to Cape Mountain for the 2 mile hike up to the summit where there are historical markers from an old fire lookout there in the 30’s.  There was an old wheel left over from the garage that was there along with other signs showing photos of what it used to look like up there.  Much had grown back on the summit in the 70 years since.  We were afforded some nice views down towards Florence and the Dunes below from the 1500 foot summit meadow.  We saw a few Rough Skinned Newts on the trail and a plenty of horse tracks.   <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173867-Cape_Mountain_4-17-10_1.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173868-Cape_Mountain_4-17-10_4.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173869-Cape_Mountain_4-17-10_5.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173872-Cape_Mountain_4-17-10_6.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=588039</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=588039</link><pubDate>Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:29:49 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sutton Creek Dunes]]></title><description><![CDATA[    We started the afternoon off by checking out Sutton Creek Dunes just north of Florence.  Our guidebook said to check out the area at the Holman Vista viewing deck first where we got a cool panorama of some smaller dunes near the beach.  We then headed off on the 4.1 mile loop trail following the creek and then out to Alder Dune and back.   It was a pleasant hike through the woods and we saw a bunch of different critters including the biggest snail I’ve seen in Oregon, multiple banana slugs as usual on the coast and about 8 Valley Garter Snakes ranging in size from 1-2 feet long.  The snakes seemed to be all over the place.  When we arrived at the edge of Alder Dune we found a rope swing which was fun for a few swings up into the air and then down into the soft sand.  Both my crocs and Emily’s sneakers soon were filled with sand on our walk back to the car.  It wasn’t an overly amazing hike but seeing all the little critters made it fun. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173865-Sutton_Dunes_Pano_4-17-10__1.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173856-Sutton_Dunes_4-17-10_3.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173857-Sutton_Dunes_4-17-10_4.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1173866-Sutton_Dunes_Pano_4-17-10__2.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=588028</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=588028</link><pubDate>Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:25:32 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Owl's Head]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Today I picked up my dad's car early and drove to NH for a very long climb up Owl's Head mountain in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Owl's Head is a very remote mountain that is about 8.8 miles from the trailhead at the Hancock Campground off the Kangamangus Highway (route 112).      When I got to the trailhead at noon I noticed people with mountain bikes... damnit!  If I had mine I could have biked the first 3 miles in and out and saved myself over an hour of walking for the day... Oh well.  The walk in was along the Pemigewasset River and was beautiful (see pic).  I was moving at a pretty good pace because I wanted to be out well before dark.  When I hit the Lincoln Brooke Trail to start skirting around Owl's Head the black flies and mosquitos started to pick up so I threw onsome bug spray.... right in my eye by accident, which forced a couple angry remarks about my own stupidity.    At about 2500 feet I began looking for the herdpath leading off to the right from the marked trail.  I soon came upon a small pile of rocks (a cairn at N44 08.258 W71 36.952 see pic) marking the start of the herdpath up a very steep land slide on the side of Owl's Head which offered great views of the backside of the Lafayette Lincoln Range (see pic).  As you can see from the picture the  slide was simply a very steep jumble ofrocks that would give way and slide under my feet with almost every step.  No wonder they didn't make the herdpath an official trail... too many people would slip and get hurt climbing it!  Near the top of the slide I reached the ridge line and after a short walk found myself in a well trampled down area with a small fire pit.  Thinking this was the summit I checked my GPS and noticed that the true summit was still down the ridge... I never would have known this without my GPS telling me my exact location and apparently most hikers didn't have a GPS when they reached this point because there wasn't really a trail from this point on.... After about 20 minutes of struggling through blow down, ferns, thick brush and spruce trees (see pic)I came upon a small pile of rocks in the center of the ridge marking the true summit which my GPS verified.  I logged this as a waypoint (N44 08.665 W71 36.298 for those who care) and continued back down the crumbly land slide to the Lincoln Brooke Trail.  On the hike out I noticed a lot of toads in the woods which made me happy because I haven't seen that many frogs or toads in years which I had feared was just another sign of environmental change for the worse.  The bugs were once again bad so I threw on some more bug spray.  At one point I had my head down while some branches brushed past my face and when I took another step I hit a downed tree over the trail with my forehead knocking my ass to the ground hard nearly blacking out for a moment.  haha.    On the way out I hiked an extra .6 miles to Franconia Falls to check them out.  It was a beautiful area of rock smoothed over by the flowing water into pools and eddies.  If it wasn't nearly 6:30 pm at that point I may have thought about jumping in for a quick swim.  I snapped a few pics of the area and then headed out down the &quot;never ending trail&quot; (see pic of trail corridor through the woods) arriving at my car at 7pm exhaused after the 18.8 mile hike.   It was supposed to thunderstorm all day but I lucked out.  I also forgot to pay the parking fee of 3 dollars which could have resulted in a $200 ticket but thankfully I lucked out on that as well.  I stopped at McDonalds (yeah yeah, I know their food sucks) for a burger and a coffee for the very tiring ride home.  I got back to my parents 3 hours later at 10:30pm.  It turned out to be the longest hike I've done in over 6 years and was probably one of the least rewarding because there was absolutely no view from the summit (see pic).  Oh well... only two more hikes till I'm done!!! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116957-Owl_S_Head_001.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116958-Owl_S_Head_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116959-Owl_S_Head_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116960-Owl_S_Head_004.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=564177</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=564177</link><pubDate>Wed, 7 Apr 2010 22:47:49 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[MacNaughton]]></title><description><![CDATA[    Today I decided to head up north with my dads car to climb MacNaughton.  I had mentioned this mountain in my previous posts and my intentions to climb it before moving.  Although it is not on any of the 4,000 foot peaks list in the Northeast or NY I wanted to climb it before leaving.  All the peak lists were made 20 to 80 years ago before accurate surveying technology was developed.  Because of this there are several mountains on the peak lists that aren't actually 4,000 feet high!  On the other hand, MacNaughton which was never thought to be 4,000 feet and thus never was added to the lists was recently discovered with more accurate laser surveying techniques to be EXACTLY 4,000 feet.  Now how could I possibly climb all the peaks on the lists and then move out west knowing that there was still one more out there that was 4,000 that I missed?  I couldn't... so I decided to drag my ass north one last time to climb this trailess peak deep in the heart of the High Peaks region.      The mountain is very remote and requires a long hike through Indian Pass on the western side of beautiful Algonquin and the MacIntyre Range.  From there you have to follow the Wallface Ponds trail for another couple miles to the ponds.  Where I left Indian Pass there was an old dam built out of large boulders.  I'm not sure when or why it was built but it was enormous and beyond it was a good view of the cliffs on Wallface mountain as well (see pic).  I had forgotten all my printouts from the web of people whe described where the herdpaths were so I was pretty much on my own for finding them.  When I arrived at the ponds I soon came to a section where the trail literally dissapears into the water (see pic on right) which is quite higher due to recent beaver activity in the area.  So I bashed my way through the woods following my GPS as best I could to try to find the beaver dam crossing between the two ponds which should have led to a herdpath up the mountain... Nope.  I did ironically run into a guy and a woman at the damn who had both given up and turned around on their attempts to climb up MacNaughton.  This was not a good sign.  Also, on the way up to the ponds I noticed that I had completely lost one half of my left Leki hiking pole!  I left the broken pole against a tree and marked it with my GPS to grab it on the way down.      I chatted with the two for a few minutes and they both seemed a little concerned that I was starting the mile long bushwack so late in the day at 1pm.  You can see the summit of MacNaughton in the pic on the right rising above Wallface Pond.  They didn't know the kind of hiking I'm capable of... haha.  As soon as I crossed the beaver dam the herdpath simply dissapeared.  I then took out my GPS, determined I was going the right way and began to climb.  The area looked like it had been slammed by a hurricane.  Hundreds of downed trees blocked my ascent and I ended up walking on downed tree trunks almost as much as the ground in some places.  I found myself on my hands and knees crawling at times and pulling my self up steep moss-covered ledges on many occasions.  I had gaitors on but where the skin on my knees where exposed I was getting slashed and cut with every movement through the sharp spruce trees and dead branches.  As you can see from the pic on the right there is no trail... Where the two before me had taken hours of struggle before turning around I had bashed through in about 45 minutes before arriving at the summit ridge.  Oddly the ridge had a very clear herdpath on it but again it disspeared completely into the moss and spruce trees when you tried to follow it off the ridge.      The summit had a beautiful rock overlook towards the Santanoni Mountain Range.  I walked down the entire length of the ridge to ensure that I crossed whatever true summit was up there and came to another overlook on the western side of the mountain of Street and Nye.  I was glad that after nearly 7.5 miles of climbing I had some views to appreciate at the top.  It was 2pm and I decided to start heading down which proved to be just as difficult if not more than climbing up.  On the way down it was even harder to see where my foot was coming down through the blowdown and brush so I almost crashed on several occasions.  Then I came upon something that really made my day!  As I was walking through the woods... literally with no trail within a mile radius of where I was.... I randomly came across a very nice and expensive pair of collapsable Black Diamond Hiking poles.  How odd is that?  On the same day that I finally break and lose half of my hiking poles I randomly stumble across a new pair of really nice ones in literally, the middle of nowhere in the woods.  When I got down to the beaver dam again following my, now dying from lack of batteries, gps I passed by the woman again and asked if they were hers... which they thankfully were not.  No one else had been in the area that day so I happily brought them home knowing that some unfortunate sole had lost them on their attempt at MacNaughton.      It was a long walk out through Indian Pass and my GPS died about halfway out from lack of power.  It had been such a beautiful day with a light breeze and 60 degree weather which kept the bugs at bay.  On the way down to Indian Pass I was able to snap a great picture of the backside of Algonquinand Wright Peak.  I was even lucky enough to have parked for free at the Adirondack Loj because I had forgot cash and a nice girl at the entrance had let me in for free.  I got some great pictures of the high peaks on the dirt road heading out of the mountains.... check the last picture.  I got home around 8pm, had dinner with my parents and went home very sore to take a shower and sit down for a while before heading out for some drinks and to hear Richie Ortiz (who just signed a major record Label) at Baileys with Josh, Jess and Mike.   Great day, but very long and tiring all the same! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116855-Macnaughton_8-12-06_001.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116838-Macnaughton_8-12-06_001.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116856-Macnaughton_8-12-06_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116839-Macnaughton_8-12-06_002.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=564171</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=564171</link><pubDate>Wed, 7 Apr 2010 22:37:16 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[White Butte North Dakota]]></title><description><![CDATA[We got up early from Bowman, ND and headed the wrong way towards White Butte right off the bat!... 20 minutes later we discovered we were in the wrong area and had to turn around which set us back an hour. Thankfully White Butte was a piece of cake hike only about 2 miles long. Emily and I made it to the top and back to the car in less than an hour. The only hard part of the whole thing was taking Nina the Nissan down the overgrown farm roads to get to the trailhead which was surrounded by cows. There was a mailbox with a requested $10 fee for climbing the privately owned Butte which we paid. In August the mountain is supposed to be crawling with rattle snakes but luckily for us we never saw one. When we started off on our hike we immediately began to hear buzzing noises that at first scared Emily who thought they were snakes but we quickly found out that they were just hoards of grasshoppers everywhere around us. The top of the mountain had some pretty cool views of the surrounding ranches. It is always cool to hike on different terrain and this was one type of terrain I'd never been on before. It's white because of the Bentonite Clay found in the surrounding soils left over from fairly recent glaciation of the area. After leaving the high point it was a long drive through North Dakota and Montana towards the town of Cody Wyoming just outside the East Entrance of Yellowstone. We found a nice little motel in town that was fairly cheap and then took a walk through the very rustic looking town stopping at the Silver Dollar Bar for some good ol' country music and beer. It was nice to have a relaxing night after a long drive and the hectecness of trying to find a motel last night after midnight. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109550-Emily_Xcountry_-_White_Butte__ND_19.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109549-Emily_Xcountry_-_White_Butte__ND_18.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109548-Emily_Xcountry_-_White_Butte__ND_17.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109547-Emily_Xcountry_-_White_Butte__ND_16.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=561560</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=561560</link><pubDate>Tue, 6 Apr 2010 02:37:54 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Drift Creek]]></title><description><![CDATA[	After a leisurely morning of sleeping in because the snow still sucked for skiing and rain was predicted in the mountains Emily and I decided to head to the coast instead for a hike and then to meet up with Kevin and Alexa who went surfing at Otter Rocks.  The hike was super easy at only 5 miles and Drift Creek Falls was beautiful.  The suspension bridge 75’ over the river below was also really cool to walk over.  Emily and I got a ton of great shots from above the falls and beneath it so make sure to click the title of this blog post for a slideshow.      After the hike we drove quickly out of the woods, almost running into two elk on the way out, to meet up with Kevin and Alexa for dinner in Newport.  We decided to meet up at the Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach.  When we got there we had some trouble contacting Kev and Lex so we walked down to the beach and to our surprise saw Chris, Tiffany, Anna, and Jon there as well!  They had planned on going to Willamette to ski but when they woke up and heard the weather they decided to surf instead.  So, everyone had ended up at the same place... cool.  They had even just ate dinner at the Chowder Bowl as well.      Kevin and Alexa finally showed up and we all took off for the best chowder I’ve had on the West Coast.  I got the Slumgulion Chowder which was clam chowder with a pile of Oregon tiny shrimp on top. It was fantastic.  The others got bread bowls of chowder called Cannon Balls that looked equally as good.  We’ll definitely have to eat there when on the coast again.  Great find on Yelp Alexa!  Way to go iPhone!  After dinner I drove us home in Emily’s car (can’t wait for the Prius!).  It was a nice day.  It’s so nice to have the option of multiple recreation activities during the winter when the snow is bad.  We actually were walking through lush ferns and temperate rainforest conditions... gotta love Oregon! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1081957-Drift_Creek_GPS_-_05.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1081955-Drift_Creek_GPS_-_07.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1081954-Drift_Creek_GPS_-_09.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1081953-Drift_Creek_GPS_-_12.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=550851</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=550851</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:59:54 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Whispering Spruce Trail]]></title><description><![CDATA[After the helicopter training yesterday I decided to go exploring MacDonald Dunn on my bike again.  This time I rode over Chip Ross Park up Dan's Trail over to the Oak Creek trailhead from my apartment.  The Loop was about 10 miles and was awesome.  I got home and  ate a burger... not really a burger  because I couldn't find a bun to go with it.  I spent yesterday evening trying to plan out about 5 hikes/bikes/runs in Cape Perpetua State Park to cover all the trails in that section of a guidebook I have of the Pacific Northwest.       Today I woke up around 9am and drove to coast without grabbing breakfast, although I did grab a Snickers Bar from the drawer and the other half of the huge burger I couldn't finish last night.  I started off my day hiking chowing down the rest of the burger and hiking along a short trail on some cliffs above the ocean in Cape Perpetua.  It was amazing to be so high up above the ocean and the very old stone structure at the end viewpoint was cool to stand in as it seemed to teeter out over the cliff face. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084826-Whispering_Spruce_Trail_4-15-07_001.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084825-Whispering_Spruce_Trail_4-15-07_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084824-Whispering_Spruce_Trail_4-15-07_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084823-Whispering_Spruce_Trail_4-15-07_004.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200408</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200408</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:24:32 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wahkeena Falls]]></title><description><![CDATA[Before picking my mom up at the airport I decided to go for a hike in the Columbia River Gorge up Wahkeena Falls.  The trail I took climbed steeply up to the top of Wahkeena Falls and then up to where the spring that feeds the falls comes out of the ground.  It was amazing to see a decent sized creek simply come out of nowhere in the ground.  The trail crossed above the stream but there was simply no water up the hill, it simply just poured out of the ground... The trail then followed the shoulder of the mountains to the Larch Mountain trail which I took down to the top of the 600 foot Multnomah Falls.  Looking down from the top of the falls was certainly a new perspective and you could get a much better feel for the height of the 2nd largest waterfall in the U.S. from there.  I bet someone could easily base jump it.... hmmmm...... From there I simply followed the trail down to the bottom and took an easily trail following the historic highway back to my car.  Unfortunately for my pride the Multnomah trail is a very popular trail and I got a lot of pity looks by everyone who passed by me and saw my face...  Other than that it was a great hike and I can't wait to get back and explore the trails around there further! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084816-Wahkeena_Falls_6-15-07_005.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084815-Wahkeena_Falls_6-15-07_010.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084814-Wahkeena_Falls_6-15-07_011.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084813-Wahkeena_Falls_6-15-07_013.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200406</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200406</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:22:36 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Umpqua Dunes]]></title><description><![CDATA[After Sunset Bay we drove to the Umpqua Sand dunes.  I can't wait to come back here in a month or two with my buddies from Corvallis for a weekend of ATV rentals and bbq's.   There are also shops for sandboarding, a new sport that is blowing up on the coast and on sand dunes around the U.S.  There are actually boards made specifically for the sport with special slick coatings on the base to help them rocket down sand dunes faster.   We stopped at one store and heard about some local guy named Josh that throws 50' backflips in the dunes.  Crazy!  Anyway, Brendan and I found a cool trail that took us over some of the largest sand dunes in the park.  We climbed up the first one and were amazed at the site from the top.  It really did look like we were suddenly in the middle of a vast desert.  We took off our shoes and started hiking over the dunes towards the sea but it was 8:15 already so we decided to head back so that we could leave before the gate was locked and we were stuck in the parking lot.   Before we left the dunes we got some funny videos of me cartwheeling down them and then climbing up the steep slopes.  We had a long 2 hour drive back to Corvallis from the coast and I don't plan on doing anything tonight besides writing this blog... :) <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084861-Cape_Arago___Umpqua_Dunes_5-19-07_060.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084860-Cape_Arago___Umpqua_Dunes_5-19-07_068.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084859-Cape_Arago___Umpqua_Dunes_5-19-07_069.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084858-Cape_Arago___Umpqua_Dunes_5-19-07_070.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200403</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200403</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:20:29 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tumalo 2008]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Saturday Kendra, Adam, Emily, Brendan and I decided to hike up Mt. Tumalo while the others returned to ski the cinder cone across the road from us.  We never saw them from our climb but new they were there.  It was a truly beautiful day and we all ended up hiking in long sleeve shirts to the open summit.  Kendra and Adam brought their dog Jake along who seemed to have a fond affection for Emily's leg if you know what I mean.  He couldn't get enough of it.  It took us no time to get to the summit but I was struggling from drinking the night before and having a bloody mary for breakfast which seemed to bubble up into my throat the entire climb.  From the summit we had absolutely amazing views of Broken Top and the Sisters volcano complex as well as full view of Mt. Bachelor from where we had come from.  At just under 8,000 feet Tumalo isn't a very big mountain but the backside of it had an amazing bowl that would be perfect for skiing.  In fact, there was quite a bit of snow at the summit and we met a kid who had brought his skis back up the mountain after having summited in the morning just to ski the bowl.  There were volcanic rock outcrops which would be fantastic to jump off of in deep powder below.   <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084925-Thanksgiving_2008_152.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084926-Thanksgiving_2008_150.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084927-Thanksgiving_2008_147.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084928-Thanksgiving_2008_143.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200401</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200401</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:18:24 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Triangulation Peak]]></title><description><![CDATA[This weekend Emily and decided it was time to go on another short hike before I had to work at Ruby's.  We drove out towards the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area with guidebooks in hand.  When we passed by Detroit Lake I was absolutely amazed at how low the water level was.  When Kalin and I had passed by the lake in mid July on our Jefferson attempt it reminded me of Lake George.  There were hundreds of boats on the lake and it looked like a tourist community.  Now the water level was about 50 feet lower and all the rocky barren shores were exposed and the waterway under the bridge near the town looked like the grand canyon when we drove over it, completely impassible by boat now.  We only saw one boat on the lake and I have no idea how it got there because all the docks and boat ramps were laying on the bare ground now!  The hike we chose was a relatively short one of about 6 miles or so round trip and it took us by a beautiful rock spire appropriately called Spire Rock.  It rose straight up out of the side of the mountain like a thick needle about 80 feet into the sky.  If you look at some of the pictures posted here you should be able to see it.  The trail was very well maintained and seemed even easier than the Tripyramids that we climbed last month.  We quickly made it to the exposed summit and were rewarded with absolutely beautiful views of Mt. Jefferson rising to the Northeast.  I could clearly see the ridge &quot;Sentinal Hills&quot; that Kalin and I had humped 60+ pound bags and skis over in our attempt to climb Jefferson in July.  It brought back really bad memories of pain and anger from that trip.  Emily and stayed at the summit for a while eating some lunch and soaking in the sunshine of the beautiful day.  There were beautiful fall colors everywhere, ironically they were most beautiful in the clear cut logging areas.  The true summit of the mountain was a small rock outcropping about 30 yards from the lookout of Mt. Jefferson.  Emily and jogged over and snapped some pictures of each other on the rocks above some pretty steep cliffs.  Emily is a little nervous around exposed areas but I think she is gaining confidence in herself with every hike that we go on.  When I feel she is secure, confident and ready, I'll take her up a Cascade Volcano, perhaps in the spring.  Just as we were packing up for a quick descent a couple at the top asked if we were headed down to the cave.  This question of course shocked us because no where in the guidebooks did it mention a cave.  After some quick directions Emily and were bounding off on a herdpath descending towards Mt. Jefferson from the main trail on Triangulation Peak.  There was a lot of blowdown on the trail and it was steep at times but then it leveled out across a small meadow of flowers leading to our destination.  Before reading on, play the video below, because this is exactly what we found when we walked around the corner to discover &quot;Boca Cave&quot;.Boca Cave was amazing!!!  The cavern entrance perfectly framed Mt. Jefferson in the distance and theceiling of the cave had to be 60 to 70 feet high.  The cave didn't go very deep into the mountain but the ground area was definitely very big and provided a lot of shelter for possible future camping trips.  I'm not sure what the geologic factors were that created the cave.  I took several photos of Emily to inside the cave to show the sheer size of it in perspective.  If the couple on thesummit hadn't mentioned it Emily and I would have just hiked back to the truck without ever checking it out.  It definitely seemed like a &quot;locals only&quot; location because there wasn't any graffiti or vandalism to the cave.  As soon as we left the cave I started to plan out returncamping trips to it in my head, perhaps a back country ski into the cave.  The road to the trailhead would be closed meaning it would be a 10 mile ski to the cave but the way out down to the main highway is all downhill which could potentially be a lot of fun and fast!  Hopefully this winter we'll get a good enough snowpack to test out the trip!   <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084893-Triangulation_Peak_10-25-08_62.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084894-Triangulation_Peak_10-25-08_60.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084895-Triangulation_Peak_10-25-08_58.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084896-Triangulation_Peak_10-25-08_54.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200394</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200394</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:11:18 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tahkenitch Dunes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today after we left Shilo's Eleanor, Chris, and Toshi and I headed down 126 to south of Florence on the coast to the Tahkenitch dunes for a 7 mile hike.  Eleanor was in a little under the weather from last night but she decided to go along which I thought was great.  The hike took us over some dunes to the ocean where we walked down the beach for a few miles and took naps under the sun.  On the beach we encountered the carcass of a huge fish that Hodak decided to lie down next to for a size comparison photo.  I also found tons of mole crabs (sand crab) on the beach.  I had not noticed them before but on this beach there seemed to be hundreds of them scurrying about when water washed over them then quickly digging themselves back into the soft, wet sand when the wave passed.  A simple scoop of the hand of the sand would bring them out of hiding and if you're quick enough to grab one and wash it off it was cool to look at.  Check the photo.      After napping for a littel while and watching jeeps and 4x4's rally up and down the  beach (It's open to vehicles) we headed back inland to the freshwater Three-Mile Lake.  We walked around it a little, lost the trail and had to climb a steep slope up a dune to get back on the trail again.  There were numerous places to set up camp on the dunes which may be a possibility later this summer if we come down to the dunes for &quot;Guys Weekend&quot; which I'll be setting up soon.  The trail then winded through a large forest back to Toshi's car.      We then spent the rest of the afternoon driving up the coast back to Corvallis.  We stopped at Waldport for some seafood after the hike for dinner.  I ordered the Clam Chowder for 8$!!!, 6 oysters for 10$!, and a milkshake.  After realizing that everything was wayyyy over priced I was thankful that they completely forgot my oysters.  Even the &quot;bowl&quot; of chowder I got for 8 bucks was in a little styrofoam cup... not to pleased with the meal there or the prices... oh well.  Hopefully when my mom comes in a month we'll be able to stop at some cool seafood places on the coast for fresh oysters on the half shell! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084968-Tahkenitch_Hike_5-27-07_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084967-Tahkenitch_Hike_5-27-07_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084966-Tahkenitch_Hike_5-27-07_004.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1084965-Tahkenitch_Hike_5-27-07_006.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200393</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200393</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 04:09:43 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Silver Falls State Park]]></title><description><![CDATA[Got up around 10 today and decided to go for a nice ~10 mile hike in the very scenic Silver Falls State Park just east of Salem about an hour away.  When I got there I realized the ticket machine for the parking pass couldn't break a ten so had to beg for a buck from passing motorists in the parking lot.  The first guy I asked, a nice looking older guy, happily gave me a buck (I love the friendliness of people in Oregon - especially the outdoorsy types).  After parking I got started on the hike which was very well maintained.  So much so that I saw elderly people walking it with canes and families with young children as well.  It was more of a very well built and well maintained walkway path through the woods than a trail.  It led past well more than the ten waterfalls the book wrote about although the others were smaller ones. I can't say enough about this hike.  It starts off walking behind South Falls which is easily 90+ feet tall and drops to a gorgeous pool below then continues for 5 or so miles along multiple streams and rivers past many more enormous falls.  I believe I literally walked behind 4 falls in total.  When I mean behind I mean you can literally follow a path underneath the falling water cascading off the cliff above your head.  I took lots of pictures and stopped multiple times at each waterfall but I have run out of picture space on this blog to post them unfortunately.  Click Here to see the full set of pics from this hike as well as many others from my travels in the Pacific Northwest so far.  When I got to the end of the Canyon Trail I turned around and literally ran the Rim Trail so I would get home in time to go to Kristen Splinter's Easter Pot Luck.  Awesome hike.  The 10 mile hike took me about 3 hours and that was with a whole ton of stops for pictures as well. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108368-Silver_Falls_State_Park_4-8-07_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108369-Silver_Falls_State_Park_4-8-07_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108370-Silver_Falls_State_Park_4-8-07_008.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108371-Silver_Falls_State_Park_4-8-07_012.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200377</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200377</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:56:17 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rooster Rock]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I woke up so hungover I didn't know if I wanted to do anything but Anna called me and motivated me to make a plan for the day and make the most out of the weather.  Her and Eleanor were downtown at the Farmer's Market where I met them briefly to say hi before heading East towards the mountains for a day hike up to Rooster Rock, a really cool volcanic tower of rock off route 20.  I got to the trail aorund 1:30pm and noticed that the guidebook said there were two trails up to the top.  Being a hiker who loves loop hikes rather than returning the same way I decided to drive further East to the Rooster Rock Trail and return via the Trout Creek trail 2.5 miles back from where I had come.  The trail up was very steep with very few switchbacks but I hauled ass up it so that I could get back and study some Chemical Oceanography with Anna and Eleanor (which didn't happen because they had their phones off... my bad luck I guess).  On both hikes I've done in the area I've noticed that in the valley where the road and river are the vegetation is pretty much like a rainforest with ferns and moss covering literally all of the bark on trees and rock.  It's amazing.  It feels as if I'm walking through a rainforest until I ascend further up the slope of the mountain and the vegetation turns to enormous Cedars and volcanic rock formations.  The variation in vegetation and the amazing geological structures created from ancient volcanism are truly amazing to behold.  On the way  up I saw several Pacific banana slugs (Ariolimax columbianus).  See pic.  they are enormous and look more like rotten bananas!  When I got up to Rooster Rock I was truly amazed.  It was a giant spire rising from the side of the mountain into the sky.  The small part of it was easily the size of my parents house and the spire behind it was about 3 times as big.  Check out the picture of it from the trail going down.  I climbed about 100 feet more to a lookout that was about level with the top of Rooster Rock from where I had come.  I was afforded great views from the lookout over the range of mountains towards the glaciated snow caps of the Sisters, a famous volcanic chain of mountains to the East.  After a few minutes soaking up the views I tightened my pack and literally ran down the Trout Creek trail back to Route 20 where I dumped my pack and then ran the 2.5 miles east down the road to my truck again...  It was a beautiful day, a great hike and the fall colors are really beginning to show despite the relatively warm and beautiful weather we have been having!  <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108356-Rooster_Rock_10-21-06_028.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108351-Rooster_Rock_10-21-06_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108352-Rooster_Rock_10-21-06_005.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1108353-Rooster_Rock_10-21-06_017.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200376</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200376</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:54:40 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pyramid Peaks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today Emily and I wanted to get out of town and go for a hike so we decided to head to Santiam Pass and go for a short hike.  We looked in my book of hikes in the area and chose a 4.2mile roundtrip hike up Middle Pyramid. I had to go to work at 4pm so we had to be down from the mountain by 2pm for me to make it back in time. We started our hike at about 10:15am and quickly made our way up the very overgrown trail to the top of Middle Pyramid... or what we thought was the top at first. We ended up climbing up a very steep spire of rocks to what at first looked like the summit until we got to the top and realized it was a false summit and that the real summit was just to the south. While climbing it I kept thinking, &quot;this can't be fit for everyone the guide book is intended for?&quot; There were lots of forest fires in the area so our views of Three Fingered Jack and Jefferson were hazy at best. We took some time to grab some photos from the true summit then decided to try to climb to North Pyramid too. The trail sign pointed the way and said &quot;North Pyramid&quot; so I assumed it would take us to the top. Nope! The trail simply descended down the shoulder of North Pyramid so after about 15 minutes of descending down the backside away from the car I grabbed my GPS and we decided to just head up through the trees towards the summit which turned out to take much longer than I thought it would. When we finally reached the summit of North Pyramid busting through branches to get there we had a great view of Mt. Jefferson.  We had to very carefully skirt along the bottom of cliffs on the way back to the main trail but thankfully we made it to the car by 2pm and I was able to get to work just 10 minutes late after a shower when we got home. It was a quick hike and the top of Middle Pyramid was very cool with all the cliffs above the meadow below but the haze obscuring our views of the Cascades was a little disappointing. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109149-Pyramids_9-14-08_46.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109148-Pyramids_9-14-08_44.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109146-Pyramids_9-14-08_41.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109145-Pyramids_9-14-08_40.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200372</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200372</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:50:10 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Oneonta Falls &amp; Triple Falls]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I took Julie and her friend Jill on some hikes up in the Columbia Gorge. We also took Jill’s cute dog Lou who almost has as much energy as McKenzie but a little bit smaller. Neither girl had really seen the Columbia Gorge yet so I really enjoyed introducing them to it. I purposely chose light hikes to save Julie’s knees. For the first hike we headed in at Horsetail Falls towards Oneonta gorge and the Ponytail falls there. We then took a trail extension to also check out Triple Falls further up the Gorge. Lou ran ahead of us the whole way lovin’ it. We got to walk along cliffs high above the historic Columbia Gorge highway. At one cliff I accidentally pulled a 10$ bill Julie gave me out of my pocket and watched it roll off the edge and barely come to a stop before falling. I got down and my belly and was able to retrieve it again… barely.After the first hike we stopped at Multinomah Falls so the girls could check out the 2nd highest year-round waterfall in the country. We got some coffee and pastries there before continuing on to Latourell Falls to the West. This hike was much shorter than the 1st hike and we were able to get up to Upper Latourell Falls in just half an hour or so. On the way down from the top of the Latourell falls I found a great tree to climb (click the title). On the way back we took a nice loop hike down into the river gorge to the base of the incredibly tall Latourell Falls. It was so tall I could barely fit the whole waterfall into the frame of my camera.  On the way home we stopped at Vista House which is a beautiful historical monument high up on a cliff over the Columbia River. I'd seen it a bunch of times from I-84 but being inside the stained-glass, marble wonder was a amzing. We also stopped at a liqour store so Julie could buy some ingredients for Kristen Splinter's Canadian Thanksgiving. Click the title for a great slideshow of hte waterfalls of the hike.... 5 in all. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113635-Oneonta___Lotourell_Falls_10-6-07_82.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113633-Oneonta___Lotourell_Falls_10-6-07_77.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113632-Oneonta___Lotourell_Falls_10-6-07_75.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113631-Oneonta___Lotourell_Falls_10-6-07_64.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200371</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200371</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:47:45 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mary's Peak from Conner's Camp]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I decided to go for a hike up Mary's Peak, the tallest mountain in the coastal range at 4,098 feet and only 30 minutes drive from Corvallis.  I drove the road up (very cool winding road with banked turns) to the Connors Campground parking lot and then hiked up from there as Jason had suggested in my Keene Sandals.  It was a 3 mile hike through some of the most beautiful forest I've ever hiked through.  The trail was very flat (there are no roots in trails out here like the northeast) with berries everywhere.  It was like a buffet along the trail.  The trail is also a mountain biking trail which I discovered when several downhillers went blowing by me coming down from the summit.  The trees on the slope of the mountain, red cedars and douglas firs, had the traditional Pacific Northwestreddish hue to them, which mixed with the bright green vegetation of the moist coast and clear blue skies made for a beautiful assortment of colors.  The trees are also enormous... I'm talking like 150 feet or higher... they seem to just reach for the skies with their bases being atleast 8-15 feet in diameter.  As I hiked up the switchbacks on the east ridge trail I passed from open strands of huge cedars and first to grassy meadows, and even a very cool old-growth forest before breaking out to the open meadow of the summit.  The road goes almost all the way to the summit so there were families with young children running around in the grass at the top.  There were great views over the Willamette Valley towards Jefferson (huge volcano in distance).  I hung out on the summit for a little while before deciding to literally run back down the smooth trail to my truck which only took about 20 minutes.  I tightened up my keenes and let loose down the trail, legs and knees burning the whole way.  I got to within sight of my truck when.. WHAM! I fell face first onto the path skinning the palm of my hand... damnit...well, atleast there wasn't any hot girls around to see me like usual... haha... I through a band aid on in my truck and drove home.... It only took about 2.5 -3 hours for the trip but it was very rewarding at the top and I can't wait to go back and hit the trails on my mountain bike!  Oh... and I almost hit some wild turkeys crossing the road on the way home... :) <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1117002-Mary_S_Peak_9-17-06_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1117003-Mary_S_Peak_9-17-06_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1117004-Mary_S_Peak_9-17-06_004.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1117005-Mary_S_Peak_9-17-06_005.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200348</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200348</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:21:55 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Highline Trail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Saturday - Breakfast with Rachel &amp;amp; Jon then the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. After a wonderful breakfast with Rachel and Jon at the same place we went to with Kenny Emily and I hit the road towards Glacier National Park. This time we only had an afternoon to spend in the park so we went by the short trails Kenny and I had gone on. I wanted to finally hike the famous Highline Trail in Glacier so we were really rushing to get to the trailhead in time to finish the one way 12 mile hike in time for the park bus to pick us up and bring us back to Nina at 7pm. We left at 3:30 and had one of the best hikes of my entire life seeing wild mountain goats the entire way on the trail. We walked by beautiful cascading waterfalls and over snow covered passes while 1,000 feet above the Going to the Sun Highway below. The first part of the hike was along a cliff with a cable bolted to the rock for safety. On the shoulder of Haystack Butte on the trail we came across a whole herd of big horn sheep crossing the trail all around us.Further down the trail we realized that we were getting low on time and were still a good distance from the Granite Park Chalet marking the end of our trip on the Highline Trail and the start of the descent back down to the park road where we would be picked up. We take time to chat with a very curious Marmot on the trail before continuing on though. There were mountain goats and sheep everywhere around us. At one turn in the trail we saw one resting on what looked to us to be a sheer cliff. I told Emily to run down and stand on the trail above it to give perspective as to where this goat actually was perched. We got a ton of absolutely beautiful photos which you must check out by clicking this sentence. When we got to the Chalet we had about 45 minutesbefore the Shuttle pickup at 6:50pm on the road below... and then we saw the sign.. 4 miles!!! I thought it was going to be 2 at the most... This of course meant we might be stuck and have to hitch hike! So, we decided to run down the trail to the road. With a backpack on I got worn out doing this and by the time we reached the road Emily and I were both exhausted. I had planned to get to the road by 7pm but the only sign noting the shuttle was at the Chalet and it said 6:50 instead... But, we both did make it by 7pm and thankfully the shuttle was late and we were able to catch a ride back up to Nina at about 7:15pm. When we got back up to Logan Pass there were deer all over the parking lot and we had plenty of time to drive down to St. Mary's lake to watch a beautiful sunset over the mountains. Emily's feet were really sore and my legs were exhausted so we decided to drive out of the park and try to find a motel to stay in . Everything was filled up for the weekend so it took us nearly till midnight to find a place to crash. It was an exhausting day but the beauty of what we saw was worth it and after a shower in the motel we both felt a lot better and ready for the last day drive to Corvallis. <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109266-Emily_Xcountry_-_Glacier_121.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109265-Emily_Xcountry_-_Glacier_119.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109263-Emily_Xcountry_-_Glacier_118.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1109262-Emily_Xcountry_-_Glacier_116.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200338</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200338</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:13:55 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mt. Jefferson Attempt]]></title><description><![CDATA[Too big with too little time is how I would describe our effort to climb Mt. Jefferson this weekend. Kalin and I thought we'd have enough time to climb the 2nd tallest volcanic peak inOregon in just a night and a day but we were very wrong.  I had a very foreboding and nervous feeling about the climb all week long. I guess my instincts are right on still. We left Corvallis at 4pm after my shift at the bar was over on Saturday and headed towards the mountain. When I picked Kalin up he was still packing so I knew the likelihood something would be forgotten was high so I questioned him about all his gear.About 30 minutes into the drive on I-5 he remembered what he had forgot... his poles, an essential item for a climb on a cascade peak with skins and skis. So, after a few quick phone calls and gps navigation to a Big 5 sports store we were able to pick up some poles in Salem where I also grabbed some burgers at a fast food joint. We didn't make the trailhead until about 7:15 at night... I had hoped for 6pm at the latest.  We started hiking with our very heavy packs full of overnight gear and climbing gear. Kalin had forgotten that his light weight rope was with a friend so we had to carry a heavier full-size rope for our glacier travel part of the climb and summit pinnacle. I would guess that my pack weighed close to 60lbs... no joke. It literally hurt my back to pick up and put on. This was not a good sign to begin with. After walking about a half mile up the snow-covered road to the trailhead we started off and IMMEDIATELY lost all trace of the trail under 5' of snow cover still. The worst part was travelling through the trees which were melting out around the trunks creating ridges of narrowcrusty snow between the trees that we were forced to walk on ski boots through, often falling into the tree wells and slipping with our very heavy packs on.I quickly realized we were in the wrong drainage basin based on our GPS location so we climbed up onto Sentinal Hills Ridge and began hiking along the ridge hoping that the snow conditions through the trees would improve.... they did not. We found ourselves on multiple occasions on very steep slopes on the ridge trying to find the quickest and most efficient way to the base of the Jeff Park glacier but if felt as if we weren't making any forward progress on the ridge. Soon it was sunset which afforded us spectacular views of Jefferson in alpenglow and the sun setting over the hills to the west behind us. After the sun set it quickly began to darken and we were still a solid mile and half from where I wanted us to be positioned for the climb in the morning.By 10pm both of us were quickly reaching the point of exhaustion and we had gotten sufficiently close to the col between Sentinal Hills Ridge and Jeff Park that I felt comfortable making camp. Sunday's forecast called for temps in the 90's on the glacier and possible thunderstorms after 11am so I decided to wake up at 3 am (we needed some sleep at least) and head out from there.As we fell asleep we could see flashes of heat lightning over the Sisters to the south and clouds in the valley below. In the middle of the nightI woke up to a light shower of rain although all I could see above me was stars. It was very eerie and not a good sign.  I slept intermittently and morning came way too quickly. We put on our headlamps and I made sure we had plenty of water for the days climb. The previous night I'd spent 20 minutes melting snow to make water for us. We were on the trail and hiking with lighter packs at 3:45am and yet we still were making incredibly slow progress through the trees on the ridge. When we finally reached the end of the ridge above the lakes at Jeff Park we realized with great clarity that making the summit just wasn't in the cards for the day. It was anguishing to turn around after such a great effort the night before to get as close to the glacier as possible with those terribly heavy packs but we just weren't going to make it. It would have been late in the day with the possibility of heat exhaustion, wet, mushy snow for traveling, a heavy rope, possibility of avalanches due to the heat, and on and on... Thus, Jefferson became the first Cascade Volcano that I've had to turn around on, a humbling experience for sure.On the walk out we saw a great rock cliff on the side of Sentinal Hills and decided to climb it for some photos of the mountain and of Breitenbush River below in the valley. It was a great view and we had a really cool vantage point of Three Fingered Jack as well.  I can only describe the hike out AS THE MOST HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE in Oregon I've had to this date. My back hurt under the weight of the pack, I only was able to ski a 200 yard stretch of clear trail at one point and a little bit through the trees. The way we chose to get down was straightforward but horrible conditions for secure foot placement and we both fell multiple times. At one point I dislodged a bent over sapling from the winter which sprung up like a catapult hurling me through the air... all I could do was laugh... almost out of hysteria. I kept checking my gps to see how close the road was and reaching it was one of those great moments in life of relief that you won't soon forget.We were back in Corvallis by 11am in the morning. Besides some great photos as you can see the whole experience sucked. Jason told me that Jefferson is the kind of difficult peak that you have to EARN and I guess he's right. Hopefully, after this humbling experience the mountain will allow me to climb it easier later in the year. This experience has taught me to always allow more time than needed and it has given me even more respect for the mountains that provide me so much joy in my life. Below is a GPS track of our route showing how close we got... click the title for all the pics. I'll be back! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113143-Mt._Jefferson_Attempt_6-30-08_35.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113142-Mt._Jefferson_Attempt_6-30-08_34.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113141-Mt._Jefferson_Attempt_6-30-08_32.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1113140-Mt._Jefferson_Attempt_6-30-08_31.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200326</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200326</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:02:23 -0500</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iron Mountain]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I went for a hike up Iron Mountain with Ashley Hatfield and my roomate Jason Killian along who brought McKenzie along.  I had gotten up early and went to Firestone to have 4 brand new tires put on my truck.  I got the Bridgestone AT Dueler Revo's, a sick tire that performs amazingly in wet conditions ie, the Pacific Northwest.  Thus, I was anxious to test them out so I opted to drive with Jason and Kenze in the backseat.  We left here around 9:45 and got to the mountain around 11 after stopping for some munchies in Lebanon, OR.  The road was very winding both there and back and the tires performed amazingly never squeeling or chirping at all as I took the corners at a pretty fast pace.    The hike was a loop trail that Jason took me on skirting the slopes of Cone peak and then eventually veering off on a side trail to the top of Iron Mountain.  The vegetation and forests in Oregon are amazing.  The trees are so spread out from one another with very little low brush that during the winter you can pretty much pick your own line down any powdery slope on skis.  On the drive up we past several &quot;chain-hookup&quot; areas where cars and even 4x4 trucks are required to put chains on in the winter because the snow gets rough in the past and up to 10-15 feet deep at times.  Jason had Kenze on a leash because it is hunting season but as soon as we got to an open meadow (where it was clear he wasn't a damn deer) he unleashed him.... bad idea.... apparently for the first time ever Kenze decided to roll in shit... literally shit, either cougar or bear shit... and it stunk like indian food wrapped in a dirty diaper.  So, for the rest of the trip Kenze was back on the leash...      We passed through beautiful meadows which would have been covered with flowers had it been spring time.  In the distance we could see Iron Mountain with it's volcanic cone dominating the view westward.   We went around Cone mountain without running up to it's summit which I was a little dissapointed by (because I'm a peak bagging whore) but I know it's always there for when I want to go back, and I'm sure I will... possibly to ski the big open meadows down to Route 20 below.  We descended slightly to the pass between the two mountains and then proceeded to climb a side trail to the summit where we were rewarded with amazing views of some of the Cascade Volcanoes including Hood, Mt. Washinton, The Sisters, Jefferson and even Bachelor in the distance.  We could also see Hoodoo ski resort as well.  In the far distance from where we had come we could even see Mary's peak rising into the valley fog.  Some haze in the distance was a dirty brown due to forest fires in to the south, but ultimately it was a blue-bird-sky day and we had great views.  Being a geologist, as is Ashley, I was amazed at the volcanic structures in the area such as volcanic terraces left over by cooling lavas, giant volcanic cones and plugs that were left exposed due to erososion around them, and volcanic pummice everywhere on the ground which I was suprised Kenze didn't cut his paws on.  The colors in the volcanic rocks from weathering and corrosion where also amazing.  On the way down we even saw an ancient dike rising a good 20 feet out of the side of the mountain like a giant red fin covered with brilliant green moss.  Of course, Jason was looking at it for ways to scale it while I was looking at the angle below it as if I could jump off it with skis on.      The summit of the mountain had a nice observatory and deck with a firetower cabin as well.  The area was fenced in of course to keep idiots from falling off the volcanic spires to the sharp volcanic rocks and trees below.  We met several older couples who were also out enjoying the afternoon.  I got some great pics (seriously, click on them, they are pretty sweet) and then we headed down to the road again.  When we got to the truck we wrapped Kenzie up in a Patogoniashirt and my t-shirt to cover the smell (didn't work too good) and to prevent him from smearing it on the fabric of my seats on the ride home.  He was so zonked that it really wasn't an issue.  The drive home was fun with all the turns in the road and we got back to Corvallis with plenty of time for me to wash my truck as well.  What a great day! <br><img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116770-Iron_Mtn_9-30-06_001.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116771-Iron_Mtn_9-30-06_002.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116773-Iron_Mtn_9-30-06_003.jpg"/> <img src="http://images.everytrail.com/pics/thumbnail/1116774-Iron_Mtn_9-30-06_004.jpg"/> ]]></description><guid>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200324</guid><link>http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=200324</link><pubDate>Fri, 8 May 2009 03:01:24 -0500</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
	