2011 Mountain Peak Summits

In July 2011 I climbed Mt. St. Helens and in August 2011 I summited Mt. Adams. Here's a recap of the experience.

Mt. St. Helens
Climbing Mount Saint Helens requires a permit, and I was lucky enough to find a group that had one available. Passes are hard to come by, especially for a weekend climb, and they have to be purchased well in advance. I deliberated a lot over equipment , up until this point I had only done day trail hikes. Ice axe? Gaiters? Crampons? I'd never heard of these things before. I didn't even have shoes, I ended up borrowing my sister's hiking boots. The shoes were the most important - they were waterproof, sturdy and got the job done. I did also rent an ice axe, which was useful for the descent. I wore many layers of clothing, all which came in handy at different points in the hike. I had shorts, a tank top, a short-sleeved and long-sleeved t-shirt, winter ski jacket (without the inner lining), long track pants, ski gloves (essential) and sunglasses (also essential to avoid burning your eyeballs).

The climb is 5 miles to the top, 10 miles round trip. There's a 4500 ft elevation gain. We started at the trailhead, Climber’s Bivouac.

The group in the parking lot, at the beginning of the hike

The first 2 miles is fairly easy, climbing through forests and open meadows on relatively flat dirt trails. After coming out of the woods, we hit the real start of the climb.


The trail ascends to Monitor Ridge, and gets more difficult from there. We started to climb through boulder fields, which took us up another 2500 feet.

The last section of trail was a climb through ash and small rocks to the crater rim. The views started to become amazing.

But there is nothing like the scene at the top. It was absolutely incredible, nothing I'd ever seen before. From that height you can see Mount Adams, Mount Hood, and Mount Ranier as well as the huge crater of Mount St. Helens. It was an absolutely perfect day, so the sight was breathtaking. At the top of the mountain, I realized I was experiencing a moment I would never forget. It was unbelievable, the pictures don't do it justice.


Eventually, we had to head down. That part was also awesome, since there was enough snow for us to "glissade" (essentially slide on your butt) down to the bottom. There are paths carved out by previous people, so it's super easy and really fun. The ice axe helped steer, and control the speed of the slide.

The ski gloves were a necessity. The descent in the snow would have been miserable without them. Rain pants are also extremely useful. I didn't have them so my ass got soaked within the first 30 seconds sliding down after which it became freezing cold and painful to slide on. I couldn't sit comfortably in the snow without the cold and wet seeping in. At the bottom my feet were swimming in a pool of water inside my hiking boots. This was because the snow had crept in, and the shoes are so effectively waterproof, the water was trapped inside. Gaiters apparently help keep the water out... but I didn't have them.

From Mt. Saint Helens Summit

After the hike we went out to pizza and beer at the Goose Hollow Inn, in Portland. A pretty awesome finish to an amazing day.

Mt Adams

April Flowers Again

I see this tree everyday on my way home from work, and for a year now I've seen this tree go through all the different seasons. It's pretty spectacular. I'm going to try and grab photos throughout it's different stages.

And here are some more photos of the flowers in the neighborhood:

The War Between Developers, Designers and Project Managers

Cutting Edge Scientists	Baby with a Paintbrush	Big Wig Doing Nothing	Office Space	Homer
Fat Naked Lady	Victoria Secret Supermodels	Demolition Man	Total Nerd	Forest Gump
Factory Workers	?	President, Politicians	TSA	Sarah Palin
Monkey Programmer	Kid with Fingerpaint	Task Master	Superheros/td>	Lazy Consumers
Ultimate Role Playing Nerd	Da Vinci	Bill Lumbergh	Robots	The Most Interesting Man in the World

Occupy Portland

The first demonstration I've ever seen in Portland. I've seen my share of protests (Sweden, France...) but to experience it at home, that's a new one.

"The NEEDS of the 99% are being Silenced by the WANTS of the 1%"

Occupy Wall Street Spreads to Portland

By IBTimes Reporter

Occupy Portland, the latest in the Occupy Wall Street movement sweeping the nation's cities, began this morning at north Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Ore.

Demonstrators are on the move again, currently heading down Second Avenue, after settling in Pioneer Courthouse Square for much of the afternoon.

Occupy Portland didn't obtain a permit for their march. The group decided late Wednesday not to seek a permit or to submit a route in advance. "For best impact," the group stated in a fax to Portland Police, "we will march in the streets and disrupt the city."

Despite this, officers said they were prepared for the protest and were ready to ask for help from other police agencies, if need be.

"Our focus is having a safe event, just like their [focus]," Sgt. Pete Simpson told Fox News today. "Success to us is no arrests, no property damage, everybody goes home happy and talking about how this was a really positive event in Portland."

The crowd, estimated to be as large as 5,000 members, has been peaceful, and no arrests have been made. The large group has, however, been affecting public transportation. TriMet has announced all green and Yellow MAX service along the Portland Transit Mall on 5th and 6th avenues has been halted. Downtown businesses were warned about the protest by the Portland Business Alliance, which sent out a security warning and asked everyone to use caution.

City officials say they've been in contact with organizers. "My team and I are working hard with the organizers and all the other stakeholders in the central city to put on a peaceful event," said Mayor Sam Adams.

"I support Portlanders in their right to protest and exercise free speech rights, and I encourage all who participate to do so peacefully and with respect to the rights of others," the mayor said in a statement as the march began. "Most of the people that are going to participate in Occupy Portland--as with most of the participants in cities across the country--are there to voice their legitimate concerns about national issues. A peaceful event is the most effective way for participants to deliver that message."

Demonstrators will choose a base tonight and settle there indefinitely. "We gather in solidarity with the ongoing protest in New York City," the Occupy Portland web site states.

Occupy Portland is only the most recent addition to the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spread across the U.S. and to some areas abroad. More than 100 cities have clocked in under the "Occupy" moniker, with more names appearing on the movement's unofficial cyber bulletin board, occupytogether.org, every few digital minutes. So far, Occupy Washington, D.C., Occupy Madison, Wisc., and Occupy Mobile, Ala. have sprung up, as well as protests in Adelaide, Australia, Cork, Ireland, and Cologne, Germany.

All of the Occupy movements are unified by feelings of social and economic injustice, but none have yet advocated a particular policy or targeted a particular institution. However, Occupy Wall Street did adopt a general list of grievances last week.

"The closest thing Occupy Together has to a message right now is our structure," said Ivy Knight, a 20-year-old who has helped facilitate communication between the Portland movement's loosely organized committees. "Having a leader," she told Fox, "makes it too easy for voices to be drowned out."

That has also made it difficult for authorities to predict their actions or deal with organizers. The Portland Police Bureau has twice released statements saying it's open to working with organizers of the event to clear a route for Thursday's march.

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.

Go UCSB!

And Vigna was my professor...ahaha

You Live in Oregon

by Jeff Foxworthy

• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you've worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
  
  
• If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over 2 layers of clothes and under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know more people that own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima, and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you buy new sunglasses very year because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.