Hike: Hamilton Mountain + Hardy Creek, N Bonneville, WA

Getting There

Just after Doetsch Ranch you'll see the Ranger Station on the north side of the road just before the Beacon Rock parking lot, then another road across from the bathrooms. The road winds up the hill for a bit.

It was early afternoon and the weather was slightly overcast but I expected some nice views from up above. By the time, I got to the Saddle, it was really sunny. Forunately, there were cooler temps in the trees and a nice breeze.

The Hike

Length: 9.56 mi
Elev. gain: 2,736 ft
Moving time: 3:52:49
Avg pace: 24:21
Calories: 2,051
Total time: 4:57:56 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was just reflecting on the fact that I haven't really been doing much hiking this year. I'm almost at the half-way point of the year and just have reached 25% of my hiking goals. I've been doing so many trail work parties with WTA, TKO, MSHI and attended the training in North Bend. It's also the beginning of the MSHI volunteer season so we had some training.

Well, I took the opportunity with the nice weather to try out my new boots and backpack.

Hamilton was my trail of choice.

The heat was getting to me a little, feeling slightly lethargic. It took me nearly 2.5 hrs to reach the top. I took a lot breaks for electrolytes and water. Along the way, I also took photos and GPS coordinates for all the downed trees I found over the trail.

I stopped at The Saddle to eat my sandwich and rehydrate. I also used my empty bottle to mix up a batch of electrolytes with the powder I got at Next Adventure.

I had originally thought about hiking up to the Bridge Trail but realized it was getting later in the day, though it was still a few hours before sundown. I did take Don's Cutoff to Upper Hardy Creek.

There was a hiker at the creek crossing where the Lower Hardy Creek Trail starts. I waved hello but zoomed by.

After brief stop at the Rodney Falls, I found the bottom section of the trail a bit warmer. The sun was shining and still quite high in the sky. I didn't think I wanted to wait until sundown but figured I'd do my obligatory side quest to Little Beacon.

I saw a pair of turkey vultures perched on a branch about eye level. They knew I was there, turning to look when I made noises. I hiked up to the lookout. While sitting there, I noticed the turkey vultures gliding in the wind between me and Beacon Rock. One of them came really close (~10 yards/meters). So cool.

Great day!

 

 

 

 

Hike: Toutle Trail, Mount St Helens, Cougar, WA

Getting There

From I-5/Woodland, take Hwy 503 (Lewis River Road) to Cougar. When you get to Yale Park (and boat launch), go another 1.2 miles to NF-81. Drive north by Merrill Lake and continue past Kalama Horse Camp. Be on the lookout for a 90-deg right turn to stay on NF-81, otherwise you'll be on NF-8123 to Goat Marsh/Blue Lake Trailheads. The Red Rock Pass/Butte Camp Trailhead parking lot is on the left.

The Hike

Distance: 4.98 miles
Elevation Gain: 740 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3,601 feet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a trail work party with MSHI, Conservation Corps. The previous week we worked on the other side of NF-81 on the Upper Cinnamon Trail. We were supposed to work on the Lower section but the Backcountry Horsemen were up here for a week working on the burn area.

I expected to do tread and drain work but when I got there, Tom enlisted me to run the chainsaw to clear several trees from the the trail. He had chaps for me and Gail had earplugs and safety glasses. We had a loaner chainsaw from the USFS. 

Alice helped carry it for a ways then we traded off. I think the official number was 7 trees but I think we only did 6. Whatever! It was great to get some trigger time, and I didn't get the bar pinched. 

The first log was a small, brittle one on the ground. Each subsequent log was more complicated (lay, binds, diameter). The last one was only partially on the trail. Another person was hacking away at the end with an axe but still had some tree to remove for it was be off the trail.

We double-backed to help with the chainsaw. This log was bigger than the bar. We cut a billet off the downside end while the whole crew watched. Unfortunately, the larger section of the log rolled down onto the trail. Crap! It was towards the end of the work day but now we had an even larger obstructions to deal with.

Instead of choosing to saw this log in half, we opted to use muscle (boots & butts) to maneuver off the trail. We rocked and pivoted the log until we could finally roll it off the tread.

The hiked ended up being about 5 miles. I was glad to reach the cars and put the chainsaw down. 

 

  

Hike: Phlox Point via West Hardy Ridge, N Bonneville, WA

Getting There

The trailhead is accessible from the Equestrian Camp Parking Lot, a bit west of Beacon Rock & Hamilton Mountain.

Take WA-14 from Vancouver, WA east toward N Bonneville. Just after Doetsch Ranch you'll see the Ranger Station on the north side of the road just before the Beacon Rock parking lot. The road winds up the hill for a bit. Keep a lookout for the the Equestrian Camp turn off.

It was a warmer than average day and a holiday weekend, so I knew most, if not all, Gorge (WA, OR). trailheads were going have a lot of people. I left before noon but still a late-ish start. When I reached Beacon Rock, cars were parked all along the road and there was a sign saying "Hamilton Mountain parking lot FULL". In the past, I've often found a spot despite the warning but this time, I decided to check the Equestrian Trail parking lot. Bingo, there were lots of cars but no where near full. Woohoo!

The Hike

Length: 8.52 mi
Elev. gain: 2,195 ft
Moving time: 3:40:17
Avg pace: 25:52
Calories: 1,941
Total time: 4:09:42
 

 

 

 

 

 

This was my first recreational hike since March. In April and May, I was doing trail work parties with WTA and TKO, but I was also sidelined with vertigo (again!). No fun.

I wanted a familiar trail or location to check my fitness level. 

I felt strong all the way up and was planning where I would go after I made it to Phlox Point. In fact, I didn't know I was even hiking up to Phlox Point until I reached the junction. I thought about a bunch of other options including hitting The Saddle and Hamilton Mountain. Last time I did this it in 2023, the hike was over 14 miles and about 3600 feet of elevation gain. 

On my way back to the junction with the Hardy Ridge trail, my feet were barking and I saw it was later than I thought. I might have at least hiked up to The Saddle via the Bridge trail and Don's Cutoff but not today.

I had some good conversations with a couple of hikers I encountered. It was a good day!

Hike: Coyote Wall Labyrinth, White Salmon, WA

Getting There

I got an early start, about 6am, from Portland to Hood River. I took I-84 and stopped at McDonald's for a breakfast sandwich.

I crossed the toll bridge to the WA side of the Columbia River and drove into Bingen. I continued another 4.5 miles on Hwy 14 East to the Syncline Trail - East Trailhead at the intersection of the old Highway 8 and parked in the small gravel lot.

I was the first to arrive at around 7:40am but everyone showed up by about 8am. We had donuts and milled around for a bit. Sometime around 8:30am, we got into a semi-circle and did the safety talk. I gave a brief overview of the shovel.

The Hike

Distance: 2.94 miles
Elevation Gain: 733 feet
Hightest Elevation: 828 feet

 

 

 

 

 

This was my second work party as an ACL. I'm counting this as a hike since it was at least a couple of miles of travel and some elevation gain. I chose to not count my previous work party at Lyle Cherry Orchard between we worked on the lowest section of the trail, not far from the car/trailhead.

I thought the East Trailhead would get us closer to the trail than the Coyote Wall Trailhead to the west but it's about the same walk on the old Highway 8. There is a lot of debris on the defunct road from the blasted rock crumbling down. At one point, the path through the rocks is only about 8" wide.

It was cold in the morning and I was layered up but I was stopping to shed a layer only after walking for 5 mins. I was much more comfortable on the ascent to the work site on the Labyrinth Trail. Our job for this work party was to "armor" the muddiest sections of the trail. "Armoring" means placing basketball-sized rocks in hole dug into the tread, then covering with small rocks and dirt. The trail is used by hikers, mtn bikers, and horses.

My team of 4 was assigned to the topmost section of the trail we intended to address. I had never done this kind of work before so I was trying to soak in the brief instructions and watch what an experienced volunteer was doing. We had plenty of examples to look at when we hiked up to our work site. However, we started placing small rocks as stepping stones, insufficient.

When James came by to check our progress, he explained that we needed to dig up the rocks we'd buried and use much bigger pieces. He also said it takes time to learn how to do this kind of work and that it takes practice. I was still learning but it started to make sense as I completed my "section". 

Fortunately, what we did was a big improvement from the mud but I wasn't as happy with the result. Two of my crew was brand new, it was the very first work party, so I tried to be as positive as I could but still offer advice.

There was another section that James wanted us to tackle. He and I went up there to evaluate the trail. The long-term volunteer finished his section and moved up. I followed to show him what James had suggested. Ed said we didn't need to armor the trail, just remove the berm so the trail would drain. This was an example of the CL giving suggestion but allowing seasoned trail workers to implement what they thought was a better solution.

We finished the task and started back down to join the rest of the crew.

We stopped to stage rocks next to the trail for the April work party to use to armor another section.

It was finally time to call it a day. We started back to the trailhead.

I had a chance to talk with James about what I thought went well and where I could improve. He said I was a natural and gave me kudos for my leadership on this work party.

It was great to hear. I feel like I will grow into this role and be successful. I will certainly have some challenges with potentially challenging people I might have to coach.

 

Hike: Herman Creek, Cascade Locks, OR

Getting There

Take I-84 eastbound from Portland to Cascade Locks. Drive through town on Wa Na Pa Street. (You can also take the exit after Cascade Locks ("the exit toward Weigh Station"). Follow the Frontage Road for about 1.7 miles to the Herman Creek Campground and Trailhead (Herman Creek Road). The small parking lot is 0.3 miles from the turnoff.

The lot was full but there were several cars parked next the a fence storage area for some kind of construction project. I parked next to a car in front of a stack of board and a No Parking sign. It was afternoon so I hoped that there wasn't any active work here.

Last time I came here, I got a blood nose and saw a lot of broken car glass in the parking lot. I bailed. Today, I hoped the thieves would not show up. Also, I made sure nothing enticing was left in my car.

The Hike

Distance: 7.61 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,180 feet
Highest Elevation: 3,109 feet

 

 

 

 

 

I only vaguely knew what the trail had in store for me. It was going to be great weather (mid-70s) and I was hiking without a base layer for the first time in month. I had my sun shirt and I needed it.

The first part of the trail I pretty wide, like a forest road, to Herman Creek Camp. I wonder if it's mixed use (hike, bike, horses) (*I did see two mountain bikers on their ascent in the afternoon). It pretty heavily wooded so the only views of the river were limited. I could see the top of the mountain but couldn't guess the route from my vantage point below.

I'd done a little research on a loop hike that was about 8 miles but some descent elevation gain, 3000+ feet. It seemed doable.

The EG from the trailhead to Herman Creek Camp was only about 1000 feet. I knew the next section was going to tough, 2000+ feet. I had my sights on a view point at the top. About 1/2 way up, I emerged from the trees and the views opened up to the southwest. I could see behind the mountains behind Cascade Locks and Mt St Helens and Mt Adams were more visible to the north and northeast.

I passed on hiker going the other direction. We acknowledged each other but that was about it. I was happy to know the clockwise loop was passable. As it was making my way, I thought I remember reading about lots of downfall over the trail. I hoped I had made the right choice and didn't encounter any logs that weren't easy to step over. I even cut a few out myself with the handsaw. This is where the big fold-able saw would have been key!

While I was tired when I reached the junction for "unnamed high point", I saw it wasn't a lot of EG. I was glad to have made it to the apex of my hike. There was a small cairn but it was wooded on the northside, obscuring any direct views of the river. I could see Mt Adams through the trees and you could sort of see Bonneville Dam to the west.

From here it was all downhill. LOL.

When I got to the junction for Indian Point, I realized it was pretty technical and I would lose a bit of EG to get down there. The actual point is a rocky spine with moderate exposure. I was too tired for a technical climb on the ridge. Maybe next time!

Judging by how far down the river was, I still had a ways to go, even if it was downhill. My muscles were sore but I felt good and strong. No IT band issues.

I got lost in my. thoughts but made sure to stop every once in awhile to appreciate my surroundings, and accomplishment of tackling this mountain climb. I was stoked to have checked off a new trail from my "list".

I came around a corner and recognized the signage at the Herman Creek Camp, back to where I'd started the long uphill climb. I was back on the forest road. As usual, it seemed longer than I remember.

A couple of mountain bikers were climbing the hill. I stepped off the trail. 

When I got within sight of the parking lot. I suddenly got worried that I was looking at work trucks. Oh shit. I was sure I'd gotten a ticket for parking in front of the No Parking sign. I rehearsed my apology. It only took a little while to realize that the work trucks weren't anywhere near the trailhead. 

I found just two cars in the official parking area and my Jeep was the only car left in the "overflow" area. No ticket, no workers, nada. No vandalism. Win-win!

Wind Mountain, Ausperger Mountain

Mt Adams

Wind Mountain, Dog Mountain