I’m hanging out at the famous Blue Pool this morning eating lunch and drying out my tent. It rained a bit while I slept but was only misting by the time I was packing up. I’ve already covered a large portion of the trail last night and this morning. This trail is a gem, I love it out here. I believe the waterfall corridor is next. Just a quick post, more photos to come.
I tagged the end of the trail this morning. Incredible trail. No one told me I would be hiking on a lava bed at the edge of a beautiful lake. I’m currently in the snow attempting a summit of Sand Mountain to see the views.
I received word via satellite that Sand Mountain has great views of the surrounding volcanos. Decided to take a last minute 15-mile side trip. First time I’ve climbed a snowy mountain but it wasn’t too hard with micro spikes. Snow was still frozen from overnight. I felt like I was on the top of the world, no one around for miles. It’s amazing we can do this.
Having not done a real hike since November, it seemed the perfect time to launch myself on ~40 miles over 3 days backpacking.
Day 1 started in old growth redwoods, passed remains of homesteading, then climbed past a selection of trees to one of the old growth redwood backpacking camps.
Day 2 wasn't far, but had excursions to make it longer than the first. Out along Hanson Ridge and up to the fire lookout on Grasshopper Mountain and one that shall simply be known simply as The Excursion.
Day 3 was the longest of them all, but also the most single track trail, the most old growth. Oh, yeah, and the most downhill. A little river and creek and lots of trees.
Mount Hood looks stunning from up here on Table Mountain. I was informed by a frankly terrified-looking day hiker that black bears were seen up here last night. I’m proceeding with caution and will update you if I encounter them. 🐻🗻☀️
I’m really enjoying the views of Mount Adams. One of my goals this summer is to backpack near the volcano. I fell in love with it on the peak of Old Snowy. If you didn’t know it’s mid-May you would think it’s summer. I had a great time meeting and camping with @intrepidhero. We didn’t see the aurora per se but we saw a late night greenish sky. Felt lighter out.
I explored the unmaintained Two Chiefs Trail on the way out of the forest. Saw some unique views of Table Mountain from the south. Had to turn back at Greenleaf Creek because there was no way to cross without getting soaked. It was great to be back out exploring new areas along the PCT.
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May 8, 1983, 41 years ago today: There is nothing like trying to pack up everything you own in a downpour. My sleeping bag was soaked, my tent was hopeless; everything was drenched. Adding insult to injury, the rain came to a dead stop about five minutes after I had finished packing.
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May 3, 1983, 41 years ago today: At a spot called Three Forks, four miles from Springer Mountain, the Appalachian Trail crossed a fire road beside the convergence of three streams which had become raging torrents. A blinding mass of rain was creating a surreal, semi-aquatic woodland.
This video accurately shows what the Timberline Trail is like during peak season August/September. 40 mile backpacking loop. Self issued unlimited permits and $5 parking. Lots of campsites. Even if you’re from out of town the logistics are easy. Fly into PDX and rent a car for the ~2 hour drive or take the bus to Timberline Lodge. The views are amazing. I’ll probably do it again over a 3-day weekend in September if anyone is down. #Backpacking
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October 1, 1983: After crossing Pollywog Stream on a logging road bridge, the AT proceeded to Rainbow Stream, which it followed for a good distance upstream, passing a long series of cascades and small waterfalls in the boulder-strewn shallow waters.
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September 28, 1983: At the bottom of the long descent from the Chairback range was the second-biggest water ford on the Appalachian Trail: the West Branch of the Pleasant River.
Starting to write the R values on our sleeping pads now that we have apples-to-apples ASTM numbers available. Some of the revised ASTM values are a significant drop from original claimed R values. #camping#backpacking
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July 13, 1983: On the other side of I-70, the stiff climb up Pine Knob was a harbinger of things to come. I had been told that the AT becomes much more rugged in the northern half of Maryland.