Getting There
The Augspurger and Dog Mountain Trails share the same trailhead parking lot off Hwy 14.
I
took I-84 to Cascade Locks, then crossed the river and continued on
WA-14 eastbound. It's 54 miles (87km) from Portland and 6.2 miles (10km)
from the Carson turnoff/round-about. Being a mid-week hike, the parking
lot was mostly empty, save a few cars.
I parked by the Discover Pass sign and geared up. After a pit stop, I set out on the trail, remembering my hike from last November.
The Hike
Ascent: 2,743 ft
Total Time: 3h 46m
This was my second hike of the year and my first "real" hike: decent mileage and elevation gain.
I was settling into my groove but was quickly jolted by something on the trail. It was a dead deer on the trail. Sorry for the graphic details: it was on its back with hind legs in the air. It was just leg bones, the flesh had been eaten off. My mind went from "holy shit, this is gruesome" to "I hope there isn't a cougar or other predator or scavenger watching me, ready to defend its meal." I hestitated, trying to gather the courage to proceed or return to the trailhead and take the Dog Mountain Trail instead. As I stepped over the carcass, hundreds of flies took flight. I tried not to look too closely and burn a horrible image in my mind. I noticed some poop and entrails near the body.
I cleared the body and quickened my pace. I had to get out of there. When I reached a viewpoint of Wind Mountain about 3-4 mins up the trail, I texted James about who to contact. He got back to me and said to forward to Stasia to message our forest contact. I was just thinking about unsuspecting hikers coming across the scene and possibly having an animal encounter.
The weather was great. I kind of hoped to meet a hiker coming down the trail but never saw anyone. Too few people around. I was preparing my spiel about the deer.
Snapshots of the trail from when I was there for the WTA work party popped into my mind, helping me gauge my progress. I wasn't terrible energetic, taking more breaks than I'd expected to need. Thank goodness for my electrolytes, they kept me going.
I was having doubts but didn't want to turn back and have to go by the deer again. (shudder). It gave me some motivation to push myself.
I was relieved when I reached Augspurger-Dog Mountain Trail junction. I poked my head around the corner on the Augspurger Trail. I want to check it off the list sometime. It's a long one, 12.3 miles (~19.8km), 4507 feet (1373m), maybe a good conditioning hike for MSH or Mt Adams, etc.
As with other hikes I've done, I've compressed the next section in my mind. It's longer than I remembered and a little more elevation gain. I encountered a few downed trees over the trail.
I finally emerged from the trees and I could see to the Dog Mountain Trail. I was almost to the apex of my hike. The views were spectacular. The sun was still a bit high in the sky, the lighting still a bit bright. Someday I'll hike here when the wildflower are in bloom.
On my descent, I passed a hiker coming up to the summit.
I made sure to enjoy the views after the difficult ascent and trace of doubt.
After Puppy Dog Point, I passed another solo hiker. I passed another couple in the trees, and a pair of hikers past the Hard/Very Hard routes. I thought about folks that hike late in the day. I wondered if they had the 10 essentials including a light source.
I took a picture of the Mitchell Point. Awesome to see it from this side of the river.
I was elated to have made it to the top and I was making good progress down (knees intact).
I finally reached the lower section, the switchbacks. I inspected our trail work from last year. I tried to find that section that were excavated and filled in. It was invisible :)
Back at the parking lot, I counted the cars and matched them in my mind with the hikers I'd seen.
A successful day. I'm still pretty fit for the terrain and difficulty. It it motivation to resume my hiking frequency, balancing trail work with personal hikes.
