Getting There:

So many of my road trips / hikes involve quite a bit of driving. Think High Rock, WA, Mt St Helens, Mt Hood, the coast. Many of the Gorge hikes on the Oregon side can get crowded. So far, the hikes on the WA side seems to be less trafficked. I'd been to Beacon Rock / Hamilton Mountain a few days before. I've tried a few times to find a parking at Cape Horn but haven't had any luck. Since this was a Tuesday, I figured I'd have a good chance. I was right. Woohoo! I parked and geared up.

The Hike:

Near the parking lot, there's a wooden bridge and some downed trees. A guy was working by himself. When I said "hello", I got no response. Seems he was trying to prune and pull weeks to restore the area.

The trail was a bit muddy in spots but overall pretty good. Mud up on the ridge passed first lookout was frozen. Around there I found some hair ice. (from Exidiopsis effusa).

I made it to Pioneer Point then back to the parking lot. I didn't realized the bottom section was closed February 1st - July 16th annually to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

The whole loop is 7.5 miles. I'll have to tackle that after July 16th.

North view from ridge near Pioneer Point

Ascent to Pioneer Point

Hair Ice

“'Hair ice' is a beautiful winter wonder. While not rare, it can be difficult to find because it is formed under a variety of particular conditions. Hair ice is formed at a particular temperature between latitudes of 45 and 55 degrees, during a particular time of day and on a particular type of wood, which must be free of bark. It also requires the presence of a particular fungus — and, of course, you have to be there to see it before it melts!

Simply speaking, hair ice is formed when moisture fizzes from a bit of wood and instantly freezes, creating delicate, angel-hair-like strands in mid-air.

Big surprise: There’s more to it. A nuclear action within a freezing layer of water pushes liquid water through pores of the wood and into the freezing air. But beyond that, a particular fungus has a role in the formation of the hair ice structure.”

Source: https://www.wta.org/news/signpost/hair-ice-even-cooler-than-you-thought