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.
Tag Archives: backpacking
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!
Benson Plateau (Post)
It has been a month since we hiked the trip that I’ve been describing this week. This was a more difficult trip than I had expected, so it was probably better that we didn’t go on the hike that I had planned that would have been about 40% longer. The 25 miles that we logged in three days was still a good distance for me, especially since this was my first time carrying a full pack while wearing FiveFingers. I definitely learned a few things about my physical limits and my gear.
Benson Plateau (Day 3: Eagle Creek)
We woke up on the last day and the rain had passed. The sky was still overcast, but I was quite pleased with the lack of rain. My body ached all over and my feet were still angry from the previous day’s hike. I took some ibuprofen and put on dry clothes. After a hot bowl of oatmeal and a couple of packets of hot chocolate, I was ready to hit the trail and get home.
Benson Plateau (Day 2: Wahtum Lake)
I woke up early on our second day. It had rained all night and it was still drizzling. A shouted conference between our tents led to the decision to wait for a while and make a late start of it. So we waited until it was apparent that the rain was staying with us for the day. We ate breakfast and broke camp and started a long day of hiking in the rain.