This one was Micheal’s idea, showing me pictures and regaling me with stories of this great hike he had done early last spring. So for good or bad, we’ll give him the credit on this one.حليب ابو قوس صغير قليل الدسم adidas originals tnt tape wind kruzifix kreuz adidas pace onde vendem ecco schuhe quietschen adidas originals x pharrell hu holi powder dye abs besteck amazon stecker für stromkabel amazon комбинирана печка горение coleção melissa 2017 superfit cara boots abs besteck amazon priručnik o preživljavanju wellensteyn jacken damen baccara priručnik o preživljavanju
We headed out to Herman creek on a Saturday when there was a 90% chance of rain all day. The recurring lesson I’ve noticed in the PNW is that you really should not base what you want to do on the weather here. If you wait for it to be a clear day, then you basically will never get out there. When we got to the parking lot, there were a surprising number of people there, close to about a dozen cars. Even so, we only passed 2-3 other groups over the course of our seven hour long trek.
The hike started hot and humid and I quickly peeled down to my baselayer. I hate heat. I don’t mind sweating, but it seems to bring with it more exhaustion, need for more water, and ugh, the little bugs. You know, the ones that fly around your face so that when you look up, you’re aghast at the cloud of insects you’ve just walked into. Or have you been walking IN the cloud for last however many miles?? What also didn’t help was the immediate burn of the quads as we set up our first set of switchbacks. It is at this point (the beginning) where one starts longing for the comfort of the couch and perhaps sitting by a cool, breezy window. But “Persevere!” says that little voice inside you, and foolishly (it may seem), you’ll listen to it.
And it is worth it. The first overlook we came to was pretty amazing. An outcropping on the side of the mountain, looking down on the Columbia River, into the Gorge and across to Washington. The outcroppings here were ledges clear of trees, but surrounded by the mossy boulders, the likes of which I’ve seen from the Disney movie Frozen. I so wanted them to just unroll and start singing. We stopped here and looked a while to savor the view. As we trudged on, we came across more of these ledges, the next more breathtaking than the last, as each one was at least 200 ft higher up on the mountain.
The purpose of this hike was to search for good high camping spots where we could possibly see the solar eclipse that’s going to happen in August. So as we struggled up each switchback with only maybe 10 lbs on our back, I kept trying to Imagine doing it with a 20+ lb bag, laden with tent, sleeping bag, and provisions. This is when spending that extra couple of bucks for that 1 lbs lighter tent or sleeping bag seems VERY worthwhile. We did find a great clear flat spot all the way at the tippy top of the mountain. Apparently, the Herman Creek trail links up with the PCT, so it looks like some spots are used by PCT hikers, complete with fire rings and all. Maybe one day, when I’m super crazy and in shape, I’ll consider being a PCT thru-hiker. Maybe. Probably not.
It’s still pretty amazing to me how much weather changes with the elevation here. Coming from the East coast, it didn’t seem like the elevation had all that much to do with the temperature. Sure, you knew when it snowed 1 ft in the city, it would probably more like 2-3 ft out in the mountains, but in the summers, everything seemed the same temp, +/- 5 degrees or so. Going up to about 2500 ft, though (starting at about 200 ft), I noticed that if we would stop for any length of time, it would get pretty chilly. At 3000 ft, I had all of my layers back on. At 3800 ft, I was wondering why I didn’t even think of bringing gloves or a hat, especially as we started hiking through 2-3 feet of residual snow. We were trying to get to a specific camp marked on GAIA (our GPS app), but stopped short with maybe 1-2 miles left and about 500 more ft of elevation gain mainly because of the deepening snow.
All in all, it was a great hike. I know It sounds like I complained through most of it (in my head; I didn’t have enough energy to verbalize my plight during the hike), but that’s what make a hike great, right? The more sweat, tears and grumbling seems to equal a much higher payoff at the end. The views seem prettier at the top, and you can truly appreciate the solitude, really take time to savor the moment, feel the wind whip through your hair, feel the sun on your face, and watch the clouds dance around you and your neighboring mountains. Although don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t exactly say no to a helicopter ride to the top next time.
–Panda
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