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