What an amazing year of hiking it was! As we reach then end of 2013 we thought we’d make one final entry recapping the beautiful areas and unique features we were blessed enough to encounter while out on our “wanderings”. We began the year in February at the Oregon Coast, hiking at Gwynn Creek and Cape Perpetua then finished up just a couple of weeks ago, once again on the Oregon Coast at Tillamook Head, 140 miles north of where we had started. Sandwiched in between these two hikes were 40 other adventures in which we climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and scrambled cross-country to explore a small sampling of the trails of NW Oregon and SW Washington. We put together a map of the approximate location of the trailheads for each of the hikes.
An interactive version can be viewed on mapquest using the following link.
http://mapq.st/1bQXoXo
I’ve always been interested in numbers so I have kept quite a few statistics regarding these 42 hikes. Here are some of those that I found most interesting. We visited 10 wilderness and 2 scenic areas in 8 different national forests. In addition to the national forests we hiked in 4 state parks and at a national volcanic monument. Some of the other numbers are as follows:
Total Miles (according to the Garmin) – 515.2
Cumulative Elevation Gained (approx.) – 88,000′
Minimum/Maximum Elevation – sea level/10,358′
Total Moving Time (per the Garmin) – 240hrs 36min
Total Time on the Trails (per the Garmin) – 280hrs 6min
Total Miles Driven (approx.) – 7550 miles
For the most part the weather was good. We had a warm, dry end to Winter which carried into Spring clearing many trails of snow earlier than normal. This allowed for some earlier visits to some of the higher elevation areas and also an early bloom for most of the wildflowers including the bear grass which only blooms every 2nd or 3rd year. A mild summer kept temperatures bearable and despite the dry beginning to the year the fire season wasn’t too bad. Fall brought an early snowstorm and left an early winter wonderland at mid-elevations and some unusually cold temperatures of late created some interesting ice displays.
Words can’t do justice to the beauty of God’s creation that we experienced this so year I’ll try to keep them to a minimum and attempt to let pictures show what they can.
I have to start with the Cascade Mountains. The most awe inspiring creations, these steadfast beacons that on clear days dot the horizon always seem to draw our attention.
From the rim of Crater Lake in the south to Mt. Rainier in the north they rise above the other ridges, rooted in their positions, yet ever changing in order or varying in appearance depending on what our location was. Some of the views we had were amazing.
Mt. Scott, Mt. Thielsen, Mt. Baily, & Diamond Peak from the South Sister Summit
Cascade Peaks from Mt. Bachelor to Mt. Hood (minus the North Sister which was hidden behind the Middle) from Mt. Fuji
Mt. Washington to Mt. Hood from the Pacfic Crest Trail near Yapoah Crater
Mt. Washington to Mt. Bachelor from Three Fingered Jack
Mt. Rainier, The Goat Rocks, and Mt. Adams from Wildcat Mountain
Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams from Silver Star Mountain
Individual peaks working from the south to the north.
Mt. Thielsen:
From Fuji Mountian
Diamond Peak:
From Waldo Mountain
From Fuji Mountain
Mt. Bachelor:
From Fuji Mountain
From Tam MacArthur Rim
Broken Top:
From above Moraine Lake
From Fuji Mountain
From Tam MacArthur Rim
South Sister:
From above Moraine Lake
From Tam MacArthur Rim
From Fuji Mountain
Middle & North Sister
From Tam MacArthur Rim
From Scott Meadow
From the South Sister
Mt. Washington
From the Matthieu Lakes Trail
From Fuji Mountain
From Three Fingered Jack
Three Fingered Jack:
From the Matthieu Lakes Trail
From Canyon Creek Meadows
Mt. Jefferson:
From Fuji Mountain (Dwarfing Three Fingered Jack)
From Hanks Lake
From Three Fingered Jack
From Bays Lake in Jefferson Park
Mt. Hood:
From Barrett Spur
From Table Mountain
From Elk Meadows
From Lamberson Butte
From Youcum Ridge
From Timothy Lake
Mt. St. Helens:
From the Loowit Trail on Mt. St. Helens
From Johnston Ridge
Mt. Adams:
From Silver Star Mountain
Mt. Rainier:
From Wildcat Mountain
From the giant rock towers of the mountains we move on to the delicate meadows full of wildflowers that often times call the mountains home. We visited amazing wildflower displays near Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and Three Fingered Jack but the Cascades were possibly outdone by Silver Star Mountain in Washington.
Bear Grass on Mt. St. Helens
Balsam Root and Paintbrush in the Ochoco National Forest
Clearcut on Silver Star Mountain
Meadow on Salmon Butte
Elk Meadows
Near Heather Creek on Mt. Hood
Mt. Hood Meadows
Lupine in Canyon Creek Meadows
On Coffin Mountain
Avalanche Lilies on the Timberline Trail
Western Pasque flowers and Paintbrush near Elk Cove
Barret Spur on Mt. Hood
Gentians in Jefferson Park
Jefferson Park
Along the South Brietenbush River in Jefferson Park
Aster on Yocum Ridge
On Yocum Ridge
More from Yocum Ridge
There weren’t many hikes where the presence of water was not felt. We encountered it in various forms and in an array of colors. There were lakes, creeks, rivers, waterfalls, springs, and the Pacific Ocean adding sights and sounds to our hikes.
Roaring Creek
McKenzie River
Tamolitch Pool
Russell Lake
Umbrella Falls
Diamond Creek Falls
Heather Creek
South Matthieu Lake
Benham Falls
Carver, Camp, and the Chambers Lakes
Lewis Tarn
Creek near Pamelia Lake
Timothy Lake
Little Crater Lake
Frozen pond near Fuji Mountain
Birthday Lake
Ramona Falls
Pacific Ocean at Tillamook Head
Pacific Ocean from Cape Perpetua
Last but not least the most unpredictable of the sights out on the trails are the creatures that call these places home. From flying ants on Coldwater Peak to the black bear who left its tracks in the snow on Fuji Mountain we were the tourists traipsing through their neighborhoods. We spotted our first elk, snow shoe hare, and sooty grouse this year. We also had the mysterious case of “mouse rain” on Salmon Butte which you can read about here:https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/salmon-butte/
Butterflies
Birds
Little guys
Big Guys
We’d like to leave you with what each of us found to be their favorite hike and the most difficult. For myself Elk Meadows was my favorite. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/elk-meadows/ The variety and beauty we encountered on that hike put it atop my list. As for the most difficult I chose Silver Star Mountain https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/silver-star-mountain/ which was also in the running for my favorite. The heat on that day made it the hardest one for me.
After much deliberation Heather chose the same hike as I did her favorite, Elk Meadows; something about that day had her mesmerized as we traveled up Gnarl Ridge towards Mt. Hood. For the most difficult she picked Observation Peak due in part to having fallen shortly after we stared the hike and spraining her hand and wrist. It made for a more challenging and uncomfortable hike as she endeavored to keep her injury elevated above her heart during most of the journey. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/observation-peak/
Dominique chose Fuji Mountain for his favorite. There was snow and a great view with a reasonable amount of distance. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/fuji-mountain/ For the most difficult he picked Table Mountain and the climb up Heartbreak Ridge. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/table-mountain/
I am already hard at work putting together a 2014 itinerary which will include some overnight backpacking trips and hopefully visits to the Goat Rocks Wilderness and Mt. Adams in Washington. If all goes as planned we will kick things off in January, take things slow until we’ve recovered from our April half or full marathons, and then be ready to crank things up in May. Until 2014 here is a link to a 2013 hikes in pictures album on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/sets/72157635497870439/
Merry Christmas & Happy Trails!
wanderingyuncks 