“Old” Vista Ridge trail provides good views of northern Cascades, thanks to its restoration

Mt. Hood from Owl Point

I didn’t know an “old” Vista Ridge trail along the north side of Mt. Hood even existed until only a few weeks ago. Having hiked the popular Vista Ridge trail years ago, I decided to take the lower, lesser-known trail to its end, where the remnants of an old fire lookout linger. Once on the trail, I discovered I left my camera at home, so had to fall back on my cell phone for pics. My apologies. Not that these are much worse than those I take with my camera.

Burned trees from the Dollar Lake Fire near the trails' junction

A short access trail, about 0.3 of a mile long, leads to a three-way junction where the path to the left is the “old” Vista Ridge trail, which connects with the trail leading to Cairn Basin and Barrett Spur to the right. Here, remnants of the 2011 Dollar Lake Fire exist. It appears this is about as far north as the fire spread, leaving the old trail free of ravaged forest.

Heather in the meadow leading to the Rockpile

The old trail is easily hiked because of a group of “pathologists” who helped restore the health of the old path. They need to be commended, because without them removing debris from the path, which apparently included over 200 fallen trees, the trail might have died.

Owl Point View - Brownish grey on lower slopes is from the Dollar Lake Fire

As it is, the trail is padded with forest debris, such as evergreen needles, beneath the thicker, second-growth forest canopy. Where the trail opens up along the ridgeline, it becomes boulder strewn and rugged. The most rugged portion of the trail begins as it makes its way from Owl Point down to where a fire lookout once stood and nearby Perry Lake.

View East from Owl Point. Laurence Lake to the right appearing behind ridge

Owl Point provides a nice view of nearby Mt. Hood. There, I discovered a small ammunition box with an entry journal inside. The story of the trail’s restoration resides within this book’s cover.



One of two foundations at the old lookout site

From Owl Point’s view, the immensity of the Dollar Lake fire and its impact on the area is apparent along the slopes of Mt. Hood. To the east, a portion of Laurance Lake is within view.

Road leading from lookout site to Perry Lake

 

From here, the trail drops toward Perry Lake. Just prior to the lake, the trail ends at a road that once provided transportation to the fire lookout. I found two cement foundations at the site - which one was the lookout is a good question. Perry Lake (actually a small pond) is a short distance downhill from the foundations along the rocky road.

Perry Lake

 

Just beyond Owl Point, on the return trip, I stopped at another viewpoint, this time looking north toward Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. In front of them stands Mt. Defiance on the Oregon side.

Left to right: Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams



 

I did not meet another person on the trail that day until I got back to the junction with the more popular part of the Vista Ridge Trail. To my surprise, the parking lot that had one other car in it when I pulled in that morning was now packed. That meant all those people were hiking the more popular trail. So, if you want more solitude, hike the old trail.

Cover all your bases and you still might get clubbed by a falling tree


I realize it’s a far cry from sitting at home on the couch watching a football game or raking leaves in the yard or writing for a blog, but the number of folks that wander into the wild and subsequently get lost or hurt is staggering to me. Maybe, in all my escapades outdoors, I’ve just been fortunate. I had no idea so many people took ill-fated turns or slipped on wet rocks in the wilds – until I began searching for these incidents on the internet.

Rock Lakes Basin a welcome rarity in the Mt. Hood area

Serene Lake from Viewpoint

Lake Basins make some of the best destinations for a hiking or backpacking trip, especially if you like to cast a line in search of a brook or rainbow trout. A typical lake basin, at least by name, usually contains several lakes. Side trails to the lakes make for great day hikes from a base camp. Unfortunately, compared to other regions in the Cascades of Oregon, these lake basins are woefully lacking around the Mt. Hood area.
 

Sampling the hazards of driving mountain roads near Badger Creek Wilderness



Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams standing over the fog of the valley from Divide Trail

 

 It was fall and the Divide Trail in the Badger Creek Wilderness was my destination. As I drove to the trailhead, the sun appeared and began its daily climb in the sky. Cruising along road 4410, two does popped their heads out of a cluster of trees hugging the road. A mile further, two more does bounced out of a thicket and bounded directly toward the front of my pickup. While tapping my breaks, they quickly detoured and bounding parallel with the road as if they wanted to race me. It was another reminder of the need to remain vigilant while traveling the network of roads in these mountains.

 

Lost near Rooster Rock? Naahh. I prefer to call it “misdirected.”



Rooster Rock with Mt. Jefferson in background

Summer had withdrawn and autumn crept in, carrying a full bag of tricks as the weather is concerned. Early snow had already fallen on the Cascades as low as 4,000 feet, and I wanted to reach some jagged spires I had studied during the summer while exploring the area near Table Rock. In late October, Noia and I set out to explore the outcropping called Rooster Rock, named by a prospector in the mid-1800s.

Want a workout? Try Mt. Defiance on for size

Near the summit of Mt. Defiance, looking down into the Columbia Gorge

Some mountain trails can be a true test of a person's stamina and ability to overcome physical distress. Forcing legs to scream and lungs to work like salmon swimming upstream, these trails can provide a yardstick to gauge one's physical condition. Usually these trails consist of a severe uphill grade that lasts a significant distance, providing a much different experience than a level hike of the same length. While some folks probably enjoy the challenge of these trails fairly regularly, I prefer to mix them into the schedule much, much less frequently.

Big cat scat on the trail evokes story of cougar attack

Cougar

While preparing for a day hike in the Cascades several years ago, my father asked me if I had heard about the woman in California attacked, killed, and partially eaten by a cougar. He went on to suggest that perhaps I should be extra careful when hiking alone. Apparently, the woman was jogging when the cat pounced on her. They found her body partially covered with debris after the cat had tried to hide it from other predators.

Aware that cougar attacks were more common in California, I listened to the piece of news with mild interest but brushed it off as a problem in California and something I needn't worry about.

Not more than a quarter mile into the hike, which would lead me from Squaw Mt. road to Old Baldy, a butte located in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, I ran across some rather large scat I knew was not from a deer or elk or bear.

I continued up and down the relatively uninspiring trail until I stopped near a trailside cliff offering a look at Mt. Hood to the northeast. As I continued toward Old Baldy and neared its namesake summit, I stepped near some deer hair that had clearly been through the digestive system of what I was now sure was a big cat. As I sifted through the litter with a stick, a white bone fragment about the size of a nickel appeared lodged in a chunk of dung. Suddenly I remembered the words of my father from a few days earlier concerning the California cougar.

I proceeded to the summit of Old Baldy that day and looked across the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness to Mt. Hood. This area was designated a wilderness in 1984. Over 70 miles of hiking trails run through its canyons and ridges.

After seeing the scat, as I hiked to the top of Old Baldy and back to the trailhead, the lock blade I usually carry in my pack for cutting an apple or sausage was open and gripped firmly in my right hand.

You can hear the echos of pioneer kids saying, "How long till we get there?"

Summit Meadow

After hiking the Pioneer Bridal Trail up Laurel Hill recently, I checked out a couple of easily accessible spots nearby where remnants of the Barlow Trail still exist. These sites are on or near the pass leading to Government Camp. Three of the spots are only a few steps from a parking area. The other site demands a short hike to see what must have been one of the, if not the most, daunting sections of the Oregon Trail.

Pioneer Bridal Trail exhibits strength, tenacity and toughness of those who journeyed west

A portion of the Barlow Trail

After having travelled along and ignoring various sections of the Barlow Trail virtually all my life, I decided recently to finally be a little more proactive in the pursuit of Oregon’s earliest history. After researching the trail, I drove up Highway 26 toward Mt. Hood. There, I discovered firsthand the tenacious determination the folks traveling over the trail possessed. The desire to leave everything behind in pursuit of a new life is one thing. The hardship they must have suffered while traveling along the trail is entirely another. This is what you realize when you experience the trail for yourself – seeing the unyielding longing these people had to go west and start a new life.

The short, scenic and historic drive that is road 48

Barlow Road near Forest Creek Campground

As I've written in a previous post, sometimes the best part of a trip to a particular destination is the drive. After making numerous trips over the Cascades from the Portland area to North Central Oregon, one drive that became routine was forest road 48 beginning at its western intersection with Highway 35 (to Hood River) and ending in the little hamlet of Wamic. However, looking closer, the road closely parallels one of the most important roads in not only Oregon history, but also the history of the U.S.

Triangulation Peak hike offers new sights and sounds

Mt. Jefferson from inside Boca Cave

I hiked a nice trail from road 635 to the cutoff trail ascending Triangulation Peak (5434'), located just inside the Northwest border of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. It is a little over 2 miles from trailhead to Triangulation Peak's summit where, I had read, you can see from Mt. Rainier to the north to Diamond Peak to the south. I could see Diamond Peak, but anything north of Mt. Hood was blocked from my view by summer haze.

No turning back after initial venture into the Table Rock area (excuse the poor pics)

Table Rock from near Rooster Rock

Years ago, Bones and Shifty, two friends since childhood, and I spent the early morning hours during an April day inside my tiny, rickety pickup, bouncing along washboard stretches of an old logging road, high in the Old Cascades of Oregon.              

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.

Dogs on the trail: some lessons learned

In a previous post about the different ways to hike into Green Lakes, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, I wrote about how one of my dogs, Cody, and I met up with a pit bull and proceeded to spin circles, as I tried to keep them from tearing each other to pieces. Like this pit bull, when they misbehave, it is usually the fault of their handler.

Accidents happen, people get lost – let someone know your destination.

Above my desk at home, hanging on the wall, is a framed note from my wife. It reads:

Gary,

Wake me before you leave. Please write down exactly where you are going, what time you'll be home - DETAILS. Honey, please be very, very careful.

 Please be safe.

I love you very much,

            D

P.S. Set the alarm for 8:00. Candy bars in freezer. Are you going to take a sharp knife to protect yourself? Please.

 

Checklist omission forces Tarzan Method in the wild

After an embarrassing number of miles hiked, I finally realized that committing my quasi backpacking checklist to memory was like wearing speedos on the beach - neither would work me. I had never worn the scant swimsuit, yet knew better. But at the same time, I knew better than to head into Oregon’s wilds without going over a checklist, yet it took me several frustrating miles to realize that putting my list to paper would not only spare me from aggravation but actually add enjoyment to my hikes.

 

A little history along the Plaza Trail and a rock resembling a sheep's head?

Mt. Hood from Sheepshead Rock

Like so many trails in the old Cascades, this one is heavy on forest and light on views - until you reach the destination. Years ago, while hiking with a novice to trails on the western slopes of the Cascades, I was asked how I could enjoy a trail surrounded by forest, without the same views the higher Cascades offer. I told him it was like wine. You have to grow to appreciate a fine wine, just like you have to grow to appreciate a hike through the woods, with few or no views. Any likeness between wine and a trail is probably a stretch, but it must have worked. I didn't hear anymore of what the trail was missing for the remainder of the hike.

Unknown trail delivers views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson

Mt. Jefferson and Olallie Butte

As soon as I locate this trail on a map, I'll update this post. For now, I'll simply explain what I saw along the this hike on the Unknown Trail.

An easy hike to the highest point in Badger Creek Wilderness

Mt. Hood from High Prairie

In a perfect world, every hike would be a loop. As it is, a huge percentage of hikes must be walked one way and then repeated in the opposite direction - especially if you're hiking solo. Don't get me wrong, hiking one way and back the other is a great way to see the same landscapes from a different viewpoint, but loops afford hikers new experiences throughout the hike. Also, the shorter the hike the less likely it will be a loop. In other words, it is a lot easier to make a loop during a backpacking trip than a day hike. Here is a hike that is relatively easy, not long (3 miles) and one of those rare loops.

This loop leaves a place called High Prairie; travels along a ridge and steep, rugged slope that offers great views; gives a hiker the opportunity to summit the highest point in the Badger Creek Wilderness; and then retreats back to the trailhead through forest and meadows.

 Mt. Hood from trail

The trail starts at High Prairie, a sparsely treed flat in the northwestern portion of the Badger Creek Wilderness. I traveled the trail in mid August and the meadows were heaped with flowers. Half of the route follows a trail, the other half the remnants of a narrow road leading to the summit of Lookout Mt. The road heads straight from the trialhead. The trail heads right after a few paces from the trailhead.

In a short distance the trail follows a ridge, which begins to open up to views of Mt. Hood and the Highway 35 corridor. When I hiked the trail the sky was hazy, hiding any other Cascade peaks that can be otherwise spotted on a clear day. Several good viewpoints reward hikers where rock outcroppings rise from the ridge. From dirt to forest floor, the trail then turns to cinder rock at each of these scenic rock outcroppings.

Badger Butte (right), Gunsight Butte (left)

Further up the trail, views turn from westward to eastward within only a few steps, as the trail makes a left turn.  From a small saddle a little further up the trail, the road leading to the top of Lookout Mt. can be seen. This short side trip offers 360 degree views of the wilderness and beyond. A former fire lookout site, the foundations of two buildings at the summit of Lookout Mt. remain.

View east from Lookout Mt. through wildfire haze

Heading back to the trailhead, the old road descends through hemlock forest. Along this portion of the loop, there are no more distant views, but the forest does open up flower filled meadows.

Our little secret lying east of Mt. Hood

On the east side of Mt. Hood, at the foot of the Cascades, lies nearly 230 acres of fun in the sun – at least a lot more blue sky days than what the Willamette Valley gets. Located on the edge of a zone, where Ponderosa Pines turn to Junipers, arid temperatures mingle perfectly with the cool waters of Pine Hollow Reservoir.