Hike #5 (11/24/2013) - Hamilton Mountain

After securing our $35 "Washington Discovery Pass" we headed out toward Hamilton Mountain.  What I like to do when I visit this place is to always take the wrong road and end up at the equestrian trail head.  Then after looking at the map I head back down to highway 14, go a few more feet down the road and see the campground road directly across from Beacon Rock.  For $35 a sign and functional toilets might be nice but I digress.  

The trail immediately says "Good Morning" to your calf muscles as you quickly ascend a Doug fir forest to some nice views under the power lines.  The trail levels out a bit and then descends as you visit a few waterfalls.  My favorite is the "Pool of Winds."  Careful in winter as both the railings and the rocks are covered in rime ice.  

Speaking of ice, the trail then starts its steep uphill ascent.  I love the sign that says would you like to try "difficult" or "more difficult."   

Then we started seeing ice along the trail.  

and then finally ON the trail.

Soon we were on the summit the views of which we enjoyed for approx 30 seconds as it was FREEZING cold and the wind was blowing steadily at 20 to 30 MPH.  Wind Chill must have been in the teens...it was brutal.

Took the loop down the backside (i.e. the "difficult") route and avoided the ice / saved my knees for another day.  Hamilton is a great late fall / winter hike!

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Hike #4 (11/15/13)-Larch-Xmas Ornament-Bikel-Franklin-Oneonta

I took a mental health day and made my way to Multnomah Falls (after sleeping in until nearly noon) with the intention of popping over Franklin Ridge and down the Oneonta drainage.  

On the way up to Franklin I was intrigued by the High Water trail and decided to head up.  I was further intrigued by another unmarked side trail.  Well this wasn't my goal for the day but with a turn around time in mind and the fact that these trails and road were generally heading in the right direction I continued on.  I am glad I did as soon I was grinning ear to ear as I walked through a magical trail with hundreds of x-mas ornaments hanging from the trees!

Continuing on across the Multnomah Basin I soon encountered the beautiful Nesika Lodge.  (Owned by the Trails Club whose members I hope to ask questions of at the Meet and Deet)

Next I took in the views from Bikel's Point which looks down on Waespe Point and to the east.  

Ok, time to turn around?  What's this sign beckoning me to continue to Franklin Ridge?  If I headed up I would most definitely be using 1 of the 2 headlamps I was carrying....let's do it!  Climbed up to the intersection with Oneonta, put on my heavy coat as it was getting cold near 3000 ft with dwindling daylight and donned my headlamp.  Took one last picture of Oneonta drainage before the sun went down completely.  

Ok, don't panic...you have extra clothes, food, water, extra batteries....just enjoy the experience of being the only person in this place at that time.  That said the deluge of rain and the ups and downs on the 400 return trail to Multnomah Falls did suck but loved writing down 6 hours and at-least 3000 feet of up in my hike log on a work day!  One question.  How far did I go (GPS went haywire?)
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Hike #3 (11/9/13) - Nesmith Point

I am in good shape, but not mountain climbing shape.  Nesmith Point is the type of hike I will use to change that by next spring.  The hike starts at the John B Yeon State Park (off exit 35 on I-84) parking lot.  I was the first one to the lot and the sun was just coming up, so I jammed all that I could from the front of my car to the trunk to help prevent the car window "smash and grab" that sometimes happens in Gorge areas like this.

The first mile is not that bad but then the switch backs started.  My first thought in heading up was, "don't think about how hard this is going to be."  Soon the wonder of it all took over my experience. The high cliffs, the salamanders slowly ascending, the fog rising up through the trees, and blood pulsing through my veins left me feeling great!  Some of these sections are very steep and there are a few rock slide areas to contend with which only adds to the experience of climbing.

About half way up I was quickly passed by a gentlemen who IS in mountain climbing shape and then at about 3.3 miles of climbing you top the ridge at around 3000 ft up.  The next section is an "easy" 1.3 miles along the ridge, though you are still moving UP and I encountered some left over snow from last weekend around 3200 ft.  

  Finally after the slog through the woods you reach the sign post directing you to the top of Nesmith Point.

Next time I would love to explore the other trails in the area but this day I would only make my way to the point itself.  A tree ate the sign at the summit 

but the views were amazing!

Its a great feeling knowing that you climbed all the way up from the river and earned these views at 4300 ft.  On the way back down I took it slow as the steep sections took their toll on my knees returning to the car a little over six hours from when I started.  What a climb!

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Hike #2 (11/2/2013) - Completed the Wildwood in a day challenge!

Got up before sunrise and was on the trail by 7 am.  Got to see the sunrise and sunset today.  33.8 miles (including extra to rendezvous with where my wife parked the car.)  11 hours and 9 minutes (approx. 3 MPH)  Weather outside was freight-full but the trail conditions were delightful.  TIME TO REST.

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