Getting There

I took Hwy 84 to Cascade Locks, then crossed the river. I suppose it's a little quicker than going all the way to Hood River and taking Hwy 14 back to Cook. I stopped in Stevenson to get fuel and some water and Gatorade.

There were only 4 other cars. I pulled up nearest the trailhead and signage. I hemmed and hawed a bit if I was really gonna do this. Heading to Hood River and having brunch or lunch seemed pretty good.

I still wanted to do the hike and try out the new Vasque boots. I put on my big boy pants, geared up, and started up the trail.

The Hike

Length: 6.49 mi
Elev. gain: 2,808 ft
Moving time: 3:13:59
Total time: 3:45:48
Avg pace: 29:54
Calories: 1,959

Kind of a gnarly hike. I was trying the new boots and I knew right away that my movement, hiking dynamics were different with over-the-ankle boots vs mids like my Keens. I'd read some complaints with this boot, Vasque Torre AT GTX, that there's not enough padding in the ankle area and tongue.

This forced me to hike with the soles on the ground as opposed to bending the foot and hiking up the incline on my toes. I feel this may have lead to the pain in my metatarsal. I also saw a video that recommended not hiking on your toes. I can see both methods as valid but maybe switching it up is the key to avoid aggravating certain muscles, tendons, ligaments... IDK.

I'm getting use to trail and the breaking it up into sections like I have with Hamilton. Before I knew it, I was at the first view point and then where the Difficult and More Difficult trails reconnect below the final push to Puppy Dog Viewpoint.

I passed a hiker earlier that had microspikes hanging from their pack, meaning the conditions were different up above.

This is where the snow fully covered the trail and was icy. I stopped there to put on my gaiters, jacket, raincover for my pack, and microspikes. I was ready for the weather.

I passed another hiker on they way up but sensed that I was the only one up there at the moment. I sometimes try to count cars and hikers to gauge if I'm by myself or if I might encounter others. Seeing others gives me added confidence but I know I have extra gear and the InReach if I need.

I only paused briefly at Puppy Dog Point but it was completely socked in so I figured I'd push for the top.

The snow was much deeper from this point on and I could barely see the other boot prints and postholes. As I marched upward, I still wasn't sure if I was going all the way. I was a bit nervous about the conditions and looming steep section.

As with previous hikes, it's pretty narrow but there's still room to walk along the edge without feeling too vulnerable. Fortunately, it wasn't too windy and I felt stable up there. Still pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone. The little fall I had on Hamilton last week was playing in my mind as I continued.

I finally made it to the Augspurger Trail and I knew I only had a little more distance to go.

The trees were overladen with snow. I looked like those pictures from the Mt Hood Summit. It was snowing and visibility was still low.

Eventually, I made the last turn/switchback to the top. I opted to head into the trees and skipped my usual tree "fort".

Knowing I had a tricky descent, I only stayed there for a few minutes to snap some pictures and enjoy the "views". I couldn't let my guard down until I was below the scary part of the upper trail.

I relaxed quite a bit when I got near Puppy Dog Point. I encountered another hiker who was on their way up. They asked how much further the top was. I noticed they only had Yaktrax and no gaiters. I mentioned it was deep and visibility was poor. The hiker said they'd come up the More Difficult trail and wanted to see the river. I offered info that there were some great view on the way down the Difficult trail.

I'd conquered the mountain again and was feeling elated. My feet were hurting on the way down. Again, the over-the-ankle boots were limiting how much I could flex my ankles and it was causing some pain. Also, the snow was really sticky and I was getting a lot of accumulation on bottoms of my microspikes and had to stop several times to clear the build-up.

I made it back down to the trail junction where I'd put everything on, and removed the microspikes. I could travel faster on the intermittent snow and bare ground.

Every once in awhile, my left ankle really hurt. It wasn't due to a pressure point or lack of padding. It was like it was going to pop like a knuckle. I stopped and rotated my foot in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. Nothing out of the ordinary and couldn't reproduce the pain.

I continued down and it happened a few more times. Hmm.. I liked the boots and maybe I just need to break them in a bit. The downside of having two pairs of fairly new boots means neither one will get the regular use to wear them in. (First world problems). The Keen Targhee IIs are starting to mold much better to my feet. I got the over-the-ankle boots to minimize an ankle roll but seems to come with some other issues.

I passed a couple going up that asked about the need for microspikes. I told them were the snow started but knew they didn't have time in the day to make it that far up without hiking down in the dark. Not my problem.

I was so happy to reach the parking lot and take off my wet gear and get on a dry shirt and comfy boots.

Another epic hike and confidence boost.