Getting There
Take Hwy 26 from Downtown Portland and drive about 20 miles west to Hwy 6 past Banks, OR. From there it's another 26.4 miles to the trailhead. It's about 3.2 miles east of the Tillamook Forest Center. There's room for about 8 cars to angle park and some room for another 6-7 cars to parallel park.
There was only one other car in the lot. As I was starting, I saw another car pull in but I never saw any other hikers besides the owner of that one car I saw in the lot.The Hike
Elev. gain: 2,592 ft
Moving time: 2:49:20
Avg pace: 31:36
Calories: 1,710
Total time: 3:40:21
The weather was rainy-drizzly but the trail wasn't too muddy except in a couple of spots. The last time I did this hike was last Sept when it was sunny and warm. I remember seeing some people mushroom foraging. Today, beside the one hiker I saw near the start, I had the place all to myself.
Being alone out there definitely heightens my senses and makes me a little more cautious but I have to trust my abilities and know that I am prepared with gear for the unexpected.
As I made my way up, I recalled the people I saw here last time. I know Hamilton Mtn so well, but with new trails sometimes it gets a little jumbled in memory. Remember past encounters helps me gauge my progress, to some extent.
I stopped briefly at the first viewpoint where I had lunch last time but decided to keep going up. There are some steep sections and I knew I had a few more. It wasn't so much the elevation gain but slippery rocks. I took my time and made sure all my steps were stable and secure. I didn't want to twist and ankle or bang myself up since there were no other out hiking.
I passed the beat up picnic bench and zoomed by. I started to see some snow but it was slushy and there was probably melted snow dripping from the trees. I should have put on my pack's rain cover but I didn't. Oops. Nothing in my outer pockets that could get damaged but still want to keep things dry.
The last section on the rocks was a little slippery but I was more concerned about the descent. I ignored that for now and kept pushing for summit.
When I reached the top, I found some snow but it was melting and really slushy. Under the canopy by the Mazama box, I was getting quite wet from the melting snow and rain falling from the trees so I only lingered there for a minute or two.
I started back down and wanted to get through the rocky section before I stopped for a snack break. I hiked all the way down to the viewpoint I'd passed on the way up. It was foggy but I could see some trees and a patch or two of snow on the steep slope below the summit. I stopped to add electrolyte powder to my water bottle and eat my banana and 1/2 of Clif bar.
Once I reached the less technical part of the trail, I was able to continue at a good pace but I also marvel at the steep trail and what I'd have done an hour before. The incentive to get to the top is a strong motivator.
As I neared the trailhead, I hoped that my car had not been tampered with. I knew there wasn't much to steal but still worried about broken windows and the sense of invading space. There wasn't much use in worrying about it now and distracting me from the beautiful surroundings.
When I reached the parking lot, my Jeep was the only car as I fully expected, but you never know.
I sent a message from my inReach that I was back to the car and put it on the spare tire to transmit when it connected to the satellite. I took off my boots and realized I hadn't packed a dry shirt for the drive home. D'oh! My base layer was soaked but the fleece layer was mostly dry.
I packed up and drove away.
A ways down the road I realized I'd left the inReach on the spare tire. Fuuuuuuuck. I pulled over to u-turn. I hoped it'd fallen off in the parking lot. I recall I did something similar after leaving the parking lot for Stagman Ridge at Mt Adams.
It dawned on my to look in the rear view mirror. What if it was still on the spare tire??? I pulled over and got out. Holy cow! It was still there, and how lucky it didn't fall off when I did the u-turn; I would never have found it. Whew! Relieved, I did another u-turn and started for Portland. All's well that ends well!
