Location: Angangueo, Michoacan, MEXICO Date: Feb 14-26, 2010 Comments: Karis and I flew into Zihuataneo for a few days, then took a bus to Morelia to stay at the el buen pastor orphange for 7 days. While there we worked with a diaster relief team from NOE and a local church to help flood victims of Angangueo. I did a little kayaking between Zi and Ixtapa, which is when I took the majority of the wildlife photos from this trip. The maripossa monarchas butterflies were low in numbers this year, and the road to the sanctuary was cut off when Angangueo was hit with the mud slide (nearly 50 people were killed).
For the most part, the majority of my winter hikes are local (Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, etc.) and I will not be listing these on this site. I usually hike 1-3 times per week, depending on the weather. Winter is a great time to hit the treadmill or elliptical trainer in preparation for Spring. Nevertheless, there are some great winter hikes to be had, and I will list these when they merit mention.
Location: Crater Lake Date: November 2-3, 2009 Comments: I spent two days at our 6th National Park, Crater Lake, climbing Garfield Peak in the morning (east-side) and The Watchman Lookout in the afternoon (west-side). The night was fantastic, with the full moon crossing the lake in a long night-long arc. The only drawback was the cold temp, but I'd suffer through this for what I saw anytime!
Location: Dry River Canyon (Bend, OR) Date: October 11, 2009 Comments: Edmund and I worked our way through the Dry River Canyon, an ancient river bed that soured the badlands just east of Bend. We found evidence of bob cat and cougar, not to mention the whole host of wildlife found in this region. It is a haven for animals, and a breeding habitat for birds of prey. The area is closed to all human activity during breeding season.
Location: Weldon Wagon Trail Date: October 6, 2009 Comments: Karis and I went for a stroll up the pioneers wagon trail by Husum, Washington. It's called the Weldon Wagon Trail, and it's an historic treasure from the wild west. Pioneers once harvested fruit from the upper elevations and transported their crops down the trail by wagon, and then on to the Columbia River.
Location: Mirror Lake (Sunday) and the Mt St Helens rim (Monday) Date: October 4-5, 2009 Comments: Dennis and I hiked up to the summit Tom, Dick and Harry on Sunday rather than Barret Spur due to the weather. On Monday, Jay Hollywood movie director), Rex (corporal), Bob Thiessen (retired commander) and I climbed to the rim of Mt St Helens.
Location: Mt Whittier and the Mount Margaret Backcountry Date: Sept. 27, 2009 Comments: Dennis, Mark and I headed into the Mount Margaret Backcountry today. We climbed Mt Whittier, then headed over to summit Mt Maragaret and a "cliffy thing" nearby. We spotted about 20 elk and 6 mountain goats. It looks like the montain goat population is on the rise in this area. Weather was fantastic.
Location: Pamelia Lake (Jefferson Wilderness Area) Date: Sept. 21, 2009 Comments: Dennis, Mark and I headed up to the PCT from the Pamelia Lake trailhead. We visited Coyote Lake, Sahalie Lake, Hunt's Cove (Hunt's Lake and Hank's Lake) in a nice 15 mile loop. Beautiful Fall weather, but too cold for swimming.
Location: Indian eaven Lakes Loop Date: Sept. 20, 2009 Comments: Dennis, Martin and I took the Lake Loops trail from the Thomas Lake trailhead. It was a 17 mile day, but the weather and scenery made it see like a walk in the park.
Location: Dry Canyon Date: Sept. 6, 2009 Comments: We will be hiking Dry Canyon this weekend. Edmund, Bob "T", me and someone famous (Al St John, author of the Dry Side. Here's a note Edmund sent me regard Al:
I did a bit of research on Al St John. This guy is WAAY deep into the outdoors. Hit the attached link. He aslo wrote Eastern Oregon, Portrait of the Land and its People and Reptiles of the Northwest, I have to get that one for our library.
This is shaping up to be a really good hike, especially when you throw in that there are pictographs in the canyon we can perhaps find.
Location: Ridge of Wonders Date: August 30, 2009 Comments: Dennis, Mark and I climbed from Bench Lake to the Ridge of Wonders, crossed the eastern glacier morraines and headed back on the trail above Bird Meadows. The Yakama Nation is open for business, permits still set at $5. Great deal! The highlight of the trip was walking into a herd of mountain goats. They didn't flee, so we captured some nice photos at close range.
Location: Elk Cove Date: August 24, 2009 Comments: I took an afternoon hike up to Elk Cove from the Vista Ridge trailhead. I drove in from the Hood River side, because the access road to Cloud Cap is closed for the rest of the year due to a fire. The bridge from the glacial melt on the Cloyud Cap side is also washed out. It was a fantastic day, and I made it to Elk Cove in 90 minutes! Fast for me.
Location: Kayak Paddle to the San Juans (Sucia and Patos Islands) Date: August 17-22, 2009 Comments: Bob and Lisa Thiessen, Venessa, Royer-man and Chad, Bobby "G" and me all paddled the waters of the northern San Juan State Parks this week. Great weather, but the islands were a little crowded. We stayed at Fox Cove on the coveted peninsula overlooking Little Sucia Island. The Light house on Patos has been refurbished.
Location: Green Lakes route to South Sister summit Date: August 9-11, 2009 Comments: Rex Medlen and I are climbing South Sister this week. We'll take the GreenLakes aproach and descend to Moraine Lake to make a loop. If we make it, I'll send photos next week.
Location: Nannie Ridge to Cispus Basin, Snowgrass Flats to Goat Ridge Date: august 2-3, 2009 Comments: Mark Hosko, Dennis Stilwell and I headed for the Goat Rocks, hiking some 32 miles in two days. Sheep Lake was a ten, Goat Lake was frozen over and dirty, although the mountain goats were there (hanging out on the steep snow fields below Hawkeye Peak). The wildflowers were fantastic - the best I've seen. We also spotted at least three forest fires from various points. We did talk about about climbing Old Snowy (next to Ives), but ran out of time.
Location: Brower Ridge, Soda Creek to Broken Top to Falls Creek Loop (20 miles) Date: July 26-27, 2009 Comments: Dennis Stilwell and I hiked the Broken Top loop. A good five miles was off trail, as we headed to the six famous tarns on the north side of Broken Top. We went a good 20 miles on the 27th, and saw sights that were golden, truly world class. I wish everyone could see what we saw.
Location: Juniper Ridge Trail to Sunrise Peak, Triangulation Peak and Boca Cave Date: July 19-20, 2009 Comments: Dennis Stilwell, Bobby Groves and I climbed the dirt bike trail on Juniper Ridge to Sunrise Peak for a spectacular view of Mt Adams and Mt Rainier. The following day we headed for Triangulation Peak in the Jefferson Wilderness for a close look at Boca Cave and Mt Jefferson.
Location: Lookout Mountain, Jumbo Peak and Paradise Park on Mt Hood Date: July 12, 14-15, 2009 Comments: Wow! The hiking this week is fantastic! The Pasque is starting to bloom in Paradise Park, the mountain goats (about 40 of them) are healthy and active at Jumbo Peak (off the charts in beauty), and there's a big cat using the TH sign post for a scratching post at Lookout Mountain.
Location: High Rock and Tongue Mountain Date: July 5, 2009 Comments: Dennis and I climbed High Rock and Tongue Mountain in the Gifford. We were going to climb Sunrise, as well, but the road was blocked by a slide. The mosquitoes having taken over at lower elevations in the Gifford, so beware! Forest Road 84, which conects Packwood and Randall is closed due to washouts. It will be awhile before the section leading to Randall is repaired, becuase the washout is serious. There are no "Road Closed" notices posted on the road itself, so check the website if you go this way.
Location: Observation Peak in the Trapper Creek Wilderness, Salmon Butte and the Wauna View Point Date: June 28-30, 2009 Comments: We've had three great days of hiking. Companions: Randy Craig, Dennis Stilwell and Karis-the-Quick. The Rhodies are out at Samon Butte, but they're on their way out. The weather has been fabulous for swimming in the mountain creeks.
Location: Zig Zag East (to Surveyors Ridge), Wachella Falls, Latourell Falls, Angels Rest and Silver Star Mountain Date: June 21-23, 2009 Comments: We've had three great days of hiking. On the trail: David Otter, Martin Hecht, Timmy Hecht, Dennis Stilwell, Karis-the Quick and me. Silver Star Mountain is starting to bloom, but it's still early. There is a lot of Bear Grass flowering, but no Tiger Lilies, almost no lupine, not many butterflies, etc. Distant peaks were all visible, but Mt Hood was the best. Helens, Adams and Rainier were seen against a white, cloudy background. Still... great views.
Location: Oak Ridge, Grassy Knoll, Tom-Dick-Harry Mountain, Sahalie Trail Date: June 14-17, 2009 Comments: Four hikes in four days. I had the privilege of hiking with great companions: Dennis Stilwell, David Gifford, Martin Hecht, Randy Craig and my wonderful wife, Karis. Grassy Knoll is not in full bloom yet, TDH is blooming at the summit (Columbine, bear grass, wallflower, paintbrush, etc.) and there's still quite a bit of snow on the lower Sahalie Trail (leading to Gnarl Ridge and Oak Meadows).
Location: Oak Ridge Date: June 8-9, 2009 Comments: Hiked the Oak Ridge trail (688-A) from the trailhead to Bald Butte. At the 2.5 mile mark (at the top of the ridge) the trail joins Surveyor's Ridge trail. If have a choice: turn left to Bald Butte, or turn right to Surveyor's Ridge. The trail hooks up with the Dog River trail further up the mountain. This was my first time to Oak Ridge. It is a lovely hike, which is why I returned on the 9th to show the trail to Karis.