A few of Mt. Hood's many looks

Mt. Hood and Mirror Lake from Tom, Dick and Harry Mt.

As a wee pup I used to wonder why all the vehicles were parked along highway just west of the summit of the pass leading to Government Camp along highway 26. Anymore, there is barely a summer or fall weekend when the two parking lots right along the South side of the highway are not full of cars. Later, I learned it was the trailhead to a popular hiking destination – Mirror Lake.

Poor directions, spider webs and blisters don't deter from Hawk Mt. hike

Hawk Mt. cabin and views

It was a web-busting morning. Obviously first on the trail that day or perhaps the entire week, I was breaking through countless spider webs spun from tree to tree across my path. Bad directions gleaned from a website brought about an adventure before even getting to the trailhead. Numerous wrong turns and ample guesswork finally delivered me to the Rho Ridge trail. My destination was Hawk Mt. and its views of Mt. Jefferson, Olallie Butte, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington and at least one of the Three Sisters.