It is time to start doing conditioning hikes again to get ready for summer hiking season. Dog Mt. in the Columbia River Gorge is a good place to start and is one of the classics to train on. The trail is listed at 6.8 miles round trip and 2800 ft. gain. Weather condition were good and the trail was not crowed. The big flower show up on the summit had not started yet but there were lot of small flowers out. I just did a steady pace and enjoyed the hike. By the time I got back to my car my legs were tired so about right for the first time out.
WSU Vancouver More Trails
I returned to Washington State University in Vancouver to explore the rest of the Cougar Trails. I started by going up to highest elevation that gave me great early morning views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood. I then headed over to the wooded trails that run along Mill Creek. Next I did some connector trails that took me over to Pleasant Valley Community Park. From there I made my way back to my car. The Cougar Trails take you through a number of environments from college campus to open fields to woodland to wetlands to flowing creeks and gives you great mountains view to running water to enjoy. Plus many enjoyable people to meet along the trail.
Catherine Creek Hike
Out timing was right to catch the last sunny day for a while and judging by the parking lot a lot of folks had the same idea. Lori, Jeanette, Sylvia and I got back to Catherine Creek to find the early season wildflowers blooming and to enjoy the beautiful scenery, We did not do a lot of distance but we did climb 750ft in a mile. After enjoying the nice weather we went to Riverside for a late lunch and enjoy the river view.