Dog Mountain

Another great hike on Dog Mountain! The majority of the snow has melted (leaving behind an extremely muddy trail in places) and evidence of spring was spouting up all over the place. Yay! It was windy, cold and foggy most of the day requiring us to wear our coats almost the entire hike. The summit was socked in with clouds, very windy and still covered in snow. We took a quick break up there, gave each other high-fives and headed back down the mountain. The clouds broke a few times awarding us with great views of the Gorge and the warmth of the sunshine. Most of the time Lidia and I hike up the Dog Mountain Trail and come down the west side of the mountain via the Augspurger Trail. It is the longer way down but it is also a lot less steep and easier on the knees. Today there was still too much snow on that route so we had to go down the same way we went up. We stopped about half way down and had lunch in a small clearing off of the trail that seemed to beckon us and felt like the perfect little spot. It was too cold to sit for long but it was a nice break. I sat there breathing in the fresh air and feeling proud of our successful climb up Dog Mountain once again - never a doubt but it's always a happy moment when we actually reach the summit. I sat there thinking about the friendship I have with my adventure sister and how thankful I am to have her in my life. She's a wonderful person and great friend. As if that isn't enough... we are the perfect hiking buddies! Love ya, Amiga! Many, many more Happy Trails to us!! Today's hike was 6.68 miles and had a total of 2,863 feet in elevation gain.

Dog Mountain Summit!

   

2019 Hike 9/52
6.68 miles

Bells Mountain Trail

Today my adventure sister Lidia and I hiked Bells Mountain Trail near Yacolt, Washington. I was hoping we were headed into an area where the snow had already melted but no such luck. It was 35 degrees when we started; however, it didn't take long to warm up on the steep trail. Snow was at the top and it was a bit sketchy at times, especially on the way back down but we took our time through that area and safely made it up and over... both coming and going.  (I only let out one small scream... okay two...  when I slipped and scared myself! haha)  The trail is narrow up there and there isn't much room for a mistake. It was an awesome morning, another great hike and a great workout! Elevation Gain: 2090 feet. Miles: 10.4

2019 Hike 8/52

10.41 miles

Tom, Dick and Harry / Mirror Lake Snowshoe

Another day of snowshoeing this weekend! Woohoo! I definitely had to take advantage of the beautiful weather and get outside. Today it was windy which made it a lot colder out there than yesterday but there were very few clouds in the sky and we had awesome views of Mt. Hood. I was with my adventure sister, Lidia, and as always, we had a fantastic time! The Tom, Dick and Harry hike is popular so we saw quite a few people on the trail and unless we got off trail, the snow was packed down and easy to walk on. A few times we ventured beyond the visible trail for the fun of it and went straight up the hill but it was steep and the snow was deep and difficult to move through. Eventually caution won out (we didn't want to get lost or slide down the hill) and we turned back. We then ventured on and over parts of Mirror Lake before heading back down the trail. It was a great day spent in the snow soaking up the sunshine. 💖

2019 Hike 7/52

4.40 miles