Treks and Adventures
This was a hike up to Gnarl Ridge on Mt. Hood. I also went higher up to see a seasonal Tarn lake. It had been many years since I have been up there. I picked up a hiking buddy on trail who stayed with me until we parted company at the Timberline Trail, Gnarl Ridge trail junction. Only right at the end did she tell me she was a retired professor of geology from OSU. A missed opportunity.
The numbers: 12 miles, 3000 ft. total elevation gain, high point 7230 ft., time on trail 8 hrs. 45 min.
I went with Lori and Jeanette to explore the BLM Wildwood Recreation Site. Fall was in the air with a cool, light rain at the start of out walk. We started on the Cascade Streamwatch Trail and followed it to the Underwater Viewing Windows. We then switched onto the Trail to Salmon River and followed it up to Old Mill Nature Trail. We did a side trip to look around the Group Picnic Area. We finished up where we started and then head across the Salmon River to Explore the Wetland Boardwalk. We finished that and then headed for lunch at the Smoky Hearth.
I had not done this trail in a number of years and was interested to see what kind of shape it was in. I have done it a number of time and it had always been a little challenging but always a wonderful hike. As they say you can never go home again and so it was with this trail. I found the trail that ran the length of Barlow Butte Ridge is no more. I was able to still find parts of the trail about half way down the ridge but from there it would just be bushwhacking and I was not geared up for that. A said loss of a wonderful trail that I had enjoyed and taken friends to see.
The numbers – 6.8 miles, 2180 total elevation gain, 5 1/2 hours on the trail with a lot of that trying to find the trail, cutting limbs, climbing over log piles and a shot lunch break.
An exploration of The Vedanta Retreat. This Ashrama has been a spiritual site since the land was acquired by Vedanta Society of Portland in 1936. It is open to the general public but has rules that must be followed. It is a lovely quit setting for a peaceful walk but is also filled with 16 shrines and a number of meditation site. We went to see the shrines and to enjoy several view spot in the retreat.
I return to Mt. Hood Meadow to explore some new trails and fill in gaps in other trails. I went early, my usual, and found they did not open the main parking lot until 10 a.m., so it was back to the Umbrella Falls Trailhead. I wanted to finish off the Bear Grass trail and do a couple of easy new ones, Bear Grass Cut off trail and the Stadium Loop Trail. Then I would move on to something harder with the Medium Wizard Way trail and get into some higher alpine.
The numbers – hike was 11.6 miles long, 2720 elevation gain – toping out at 7300 ft. and 9 1/2 hrs. on the trail (setting a new record of 3:40 minutes of looking at the map, taking photographs and long visits with folks on the trail).
