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 overcast. Not too cold, I was half-expecting to get some rain.

The Hike

Length: 6.36 mi
Elev. gain: 2,116 ft
Moving time: 3:08:02
Avg pace: 29:35
Calories: 1,657
Total time: 3:18:46

I am so glad to have closed out the year with a hike. And, a hike at my favorite spot in the Gorge. My last hike was before Thanksgiving up Eagle Creek. The one before that was at the beginning of October to No Name Lake on my last day in Bend, OR. Not exactly the way I was hoping to finish out the year.

I did a few work parties with WTA but I don't count these as hikes.

At the beginning of Dec, I woke up with a migraine and cold symptoms. At one point, I think I had a fever and eventually had a congestion in my chest. Yack!! While I didn't get tested within the the first week, I'm pretty sure it was the coronoavirus/COVID-19. Fuck! (Some guy sitting the row behind me at the movie theater was coughing but I could have caught it somewhere else.)

Another person in my household was positively tested for Covid the day before Xmas.

Well, I woke up on New Year's Eve and figured I should get some "fresh air" and do a ceremonial hike. I chose Hamilton Mountain. It was more crowded than I expected in the parking lot.

Actually, I was planning to hike to Rodney Falls and decide if I could go further. I was worried the sickness had compromise my lungs and that my hiking muscles had atrophied. When I reached that waypoint, I was feeling good, not wheezing and legs felt fine. Onward!

My next goal was the bottom of the switchbacks to Little Hamilton. I reached that point with relative ease and got some hydration in my body, a few swigs of coconut water.

Okay, I thought. I'll just hike up to Little Hamilton and see. I see my timer for 30 mins. I'd gotten a really late start and I knew it'd be dark by 4:30p.

When I got there, there were a couple of hikers going up the steep trail directly to the outcrop. I took the usual trail. I thought I'd hike up the side path to the outcrop but decided to keep going up. Maybe I could make the summit today, on my first hike in a long time. Fuck it!

Alright, I hike to the bottom of the last set of switchbacks, take some photos and head back down.

Nope, when I got there, I was confident I could make it. I could hear those two hiker coming up. The notion of being able to reach the top of my favorite trail after such a long absence filled my with joy. I had not gotten as poorly out of shape as I'd feared.

I met a hiker on his way back down and asked about any snow on the top. He said there wasn't any. I was prepared with micro-spikes but wasn't going to need them. While I wanted to, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to do the whole Saddle loop. Damn. I should have gotten an earlier start. And, to think, I almost punted on Hamilton and opted for a flat hike at Steigerwald.

At the top, I saw a dog and realized there were hikers nearby. I almost relieved myself in the bushes.

A couple switchbacks into the descent, those hikers called out and asked if I'd lost a glove. I was wearing my soft ones by Oregon Research. When they reached where I was stopped, I asked what brand. I remember throw my other gloves in the bag and wondered if they'd gotten bunched up with my jacket. I hiked up to take a look. Indeed, it was one Seirus glove. I didn't have any tape on the fingers like mine did but then I couldn't remember if I'd had to repair both hands. I stuffed in my pack and started down. The whole time I was looking on the ground and branches for its mate.

It was certainly getting dark, esp. where the canopy is thick. I got out my flashlight and continued back to the car.

Below the power lines, it got really dark. I wondered how the other hikers I'd seen were faring.

When I reached my car, there were more than two cars still in the lot. I was certainly past "dusk" and was glad the rangers had not locked the gate.

I rummaged through my pack and found a pair of Seirus at the bottom. That glove was not mine. I wandered over to the parking kiosk and left it there.

Fuck yea. I crushed this trail and am certain I can resume my trail adventures right away in 2025.