My second morning on the trail began much like the first. I woke to the sound of water, this time Ladd Creek just over the rise. We broke camp and ate by the water for the convenience of a quick refill. I also used the cold water and a bandanna to wipe the trail dirt off my legs and feet, arms and hands, and face and hair. It was a lovely start to what would become a brutal day.
Category Archives: hiking
What is hiking?
Timberline (Day 2: Cairn Basin)
Day two began with breakfast at Ramona Falls: my customary bowl of oatmeal and two cups of hot chocolate. It was cool and calm beside the falls and a great way to start the day. We talked over our route for the day. It was decided that we’d deviate from the Timberline trail and head down the Ramona Falls loop to the PCT, then follow that up to Bald Mountain. This would let us avoid an unpleasant water crossing, so we packed up and started out.
Timberline (Day 1: Paradise Park)
For the past few years, I’ve been wanting to hike the Timberline trail around Mt. Hood. This year my hiking buddy suggested that we do it. I was quick to agree, and so we made plans for a four day trip in late July. We had plenty of time to prep, so I made some minor adjustments to my meal plans and got all of my gear together. Then we set out with the plan of four roughly 10 mile days to loop around the mountain.
Trail Weary
I came home today after four long days hiking on Mt. Hood. There was tragedy and triumph on the mountain, but it is going to take a few days before I can process and start posting reports. Expect a series of daily accounts next week!
On the Mountain
I’m hiking on Mt. Hood today. As this posts, I should be starting to hike up from Ramona Falls toward Caern Basin. I had intended on posting about my preparations on Wednesday, but I let too many things slide until the last minute. As usual, I should be taking a ton of photos while I am out and I’ll write up a day by day trail report when I get back. Hopefully you are enjoying a beautiful weekend too!
REI Flash 22
For years I have been using an extra backpack that I had laying around for all my day hiking. It’s a sturdy old Timbuk2 bag and works fine, but it is heavy and lacks a chest strap or any of the other features that a good daypack might have. I’ve been a fan of REI’s Flash series for years. I use an old model that I got on the cheap for backpacking. My hiking buddy uses one of the small Flash 18 packs for his day hiking. I wanted a bit more in the way of features so I decided on the Flash 22.
Burnt Lake
I’ve been out for a number of hikes this year, but I’ve been rather lazy when it comes to writing about them. In fact, as I look back over my archives, I realize that I haven’t blogged about hiking since last July. That is sad, considering how much I enjoy hiking. How about I start to fix that by telling you about my latest hike, up past Burnt Lake to the peak of East Zigzag. The sky was clear and the views were wonderful.