Hiking - Summer 2011

If you told me this past April that by September I'd have done 5 Washington/Oregon hikes and summited two mountains, I wouldn't beleive you. I don't know where the hiking bug came from, but the more I do, my desire to go to new places and conquer more trails grows.

Ruckel Creek
It all began in June when I was invited by a co-worker to hike Ruckel Creek. It was a difficult climb for me, partly because it's a steep trail with what seems like never ending switch backs, but also because it my first hike of the season, the first after many years. We ended our hike at a place called "The Hanging Gardens" which was sort of an anti-climactic end to all the hard work we'd put in. It occurred to me there that I prefer having a definite end to a trail, a finish point where you feel you've conquered something. The Ruckel Creek trail continues beyond the Hanging Gardens, but we didn't venture any further. I was sore the next day, my frequent running wasn't much preparation for the hike which worked an entirely different muscle set in my legs.

Ruckel Creek Trailhead

The view at this point was better than what was offered at the end of our hike

These flowers were pretty cool

The Hanging Gardens

Dog Mountain
The next trip was Dog Mountain. Once again, it was tough, but doable. I think I was distracted by engaging in conversation with one of the guys in our group, which kept me from focusing on the difficulty of the hike. I was surprised how quickly the end of the trail came, thinking that there was more to climb when I reached it. The view was just awesome, much more satisfying than the previous hike. And the weather was perfect, with clear blue skies and the right amount of sun. Aside from my summit climbs, Dog Mountain was my favorite hike.

Dog on Dog Mountain

Perfect for panoramic view

Saddle Mountain (2x)
My first trip up Saddle Mountain was unfortunate due to the weather. The trail is easy, mostly flat and only gets steep in the last 1/2 mile or so. From the top, you are supposed to be able to get 360 deg. views, but all we got were clouds. Kind of cool in it's own way. The trail has a lot of mesh wire (sort of like chain link fencing) tying down the loose rock which I guess is supposed to make it easier to climb. But with the light drizzle, the metal became slippery and my running shoes weren't exaclty suitable for the hike. I ran a lot of the way down, it just gave me more of the workout I desired. We did check out Humbug peak which is very close the the trailhead, nothing too special. It's steep, but short. Oh, and I also took a pee in the bushes and midway through realized I was in a bunch of poison oak (ivy?). Luckily, I was unaffected by the encounter :)

At the top of Saddle Mountain

To the cloud!

The second time up Saddle Mountain offered slightly better views. The weather was still overcast and I wonder if I'll ever get up there on a clear day.

Saddle Mountain - take 2

View of Astoria from Saddle Mountain

Mt. Defiance (Mt. Defail)
I was really excited about this hike. I had done some leg training to prep me for the trip, since it's supposed to be one of the hardest hikes in the area. Really pumped, I set out on the trail with the group (of seven), but due to unfortunate circumstances of a friend, the two of us turned back after about a mile in. He was in too much pain and wasn't going to make it up the mountain. The worst part of this adventure was that since the seven of us had all come in one car, my friend and I were stuck down in the parking lot for 6 hrs. We managed to kill the time by exploring the waterfront close by (Viejo Beach) but it was disappointing nonetheless. I intend to attempt this hike again, hopefully this year.

View of the parking lot, where I spent most my time :(

Viejo Park

More about my mountain summits to come.