This hike was incredible. Steep, long, and occasionally very narrow, but the views were breathtaking. I’m a little ashamed to admit, however, that I got so involved in the hiking part of it that I only took about 180 pictures… I know, bad. But hiking itself is so much fun that I had trouble bringing myself to a halt for photo purposes!
We’d already come about three-quarters of a mile when we reached this sign. We couldn’t possibly justify going the “less difficult” route, and I’m glad we didn’t try. Knowing we did it the hard way made it so much more rewarding! And it wasn’t even as hard as I was expecting. (This is when expecting the worst really comes in handy!)
The most amazing, breathtaking, shocking moment was stepping out of the thick forest… and seeing this:
Acre upon acre of steep balsam root-coated hillside. You know that part in The Princess Bride when Wesley goes tumbling into the ravine yelling “As you wish”? That’s about how steep these hills were…going upward on the left and startlingly, eternally down on the right. It was awesome.
Around every corner, I was sure we were almost to the top…but we always had a few more steep switchbacks to navigate, a few more rocky stretches of trail to cover. This is where I should have been practicing my expect-the-worst skills!
But the view and the sense of accomplishment were worth it!
Only 6.6 miles of trail, with an elevation gain of about 2,700 feet… in light of my brother’s summit of Mt. Hood two weeks ago (elevation 11,250 feet) it seems rather minor, but I loved it, and I’m hoping it will be a small dose of preparation for my intended attempt at climbing Mt. Adams this August. :)
These are gorgeous, Hattie! I'd love to tag along on a hike there; it looks so pretty! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this hike - it was one of the very first hikes I did with my dad when I was 7 and then we went again when I was 14. That was way too long ago! I should try to get up there again. Gorgeous photos as always! :)
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