Sand Mountain Lookout via Santiam Wagon Road

 Well it finally rained. It had been a smoky summer as usual and we finally saw significant precipitation on Saturday afternoon. Probably about an inch of rain had fallen around the area, but still not enough to cancel the John Fogerty concert. We had a great time at the concert, so next morning I woke up refreshed and ready to get out on a trail somewhere. Everyone else was not feeling a 12 mile hike, so I went by my lonesome. I got to the trailhead a little late at 10:30. I decided to hike up to the Sand Mountain lookout. I've known of the existence of this place for quite some time, but had never made a trip. I studied the roads to get up there and many descriptions said that 4-wheel drive was required. I knew I could drive the long way around, but instead I noticed that the Santiam Wagon Road that left from the head of the McKenzie River Trail went directly toward Sand Mountain Lookout. I saw that another road, the 866 Road, went straight up from there, so I figured I could hike it. After looking at the map, I noticed that it was only 6 miles to the top. This would be a piece of cake. So I headed off up the wooded trail. The trail was looking very fresh on this morning. You could tell that the trail had received significant rainfall the day before as it seemed the water had used the trail as a temporary river.

The forest was cool and quiet. I really enjoyed the big trees and open feeling to the forest. It was hard to be here and not imagine the early settlers forging their way through the forest, camping with their wagons and horses. Which sites did they pick to camp at? Where did they get their grass and water? The trail went up for about 3 miles and then I crossed a road. The 866 Road was just a continuation of the Santiam Wagon Road. This road was now closed to automobile traffic, so it felt like just another hiking trail as no one else was on it. The topography started to change here with little bumps of volcanic craters starting to appear. The forest changed from predominantly fir to more pine trees and low bushes. The ground was not quite as smooth either with lots of volcanic rock ready to trip you up and sprain your ankles if you did not pay attention. Eventually Sand Mountain came into view. I could see with the map on my watch that the road continued until taking a nearly 180 degree turn and heading up the mountain. I decided that I could skip that 180 degree turn by just heading cross country until I met up with the other chunk of road.

This turned out to be a bit of a mistake. The bushes were so thick that my progress was slow and difficult. Add to that the steepness of the topography and it made for some very slow going. It did get me sweating a bit which wasn't too bad because up to this point the hiking had been quite easy even with the 2300 feet in elevation I would have to gain to make it to the lookout. I eventually came out to the road where I was happy to not be covered in ticks. Looking at my estimated time of arrival, I had saved 15 minutes of hiking by taking my shortcut, but it really had not been enjoyable hiking. Now, though, I was on the road again, that once again, was now turned into a trail leading to the lookout.

I was starting to get some incredible views to go along with it. I ran into a guy with 2 dogs coming down from the lookout. He was very friendly and we talked for quite some time. Always nice to meet a kindred soul out on the trail. The road/trail continued until I got to a large parking lot. This used to be the trailhead, but was now 1 mile away from the new trailhead. From here, the trail was only another .25 miles. 

The views out to Hoodoo, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Washington were fantastic. All three of them were right there in your face. When I turned a corner to make it to the top, I was greeted by a very friendly lookout attendant. His name was Tim and he was a professor at Portland State University. He had spent some of his summers since 2000 being the lookout at Sand Mountain. He had the outfit to prove it too as he was dressed in forest service apparel that seemed just about right for the 1920s or 1930s. I asked him about the previous night's storm and he talked about the thunder and lightning storm. We also talked about the Holiday Farm Fire storm. He let me go up in the lookout tower and we talked for quite some time. 

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One thing I learned from Tim was that the lava flows coming from this area were relatively recent, only about 3000 years old. The flows from Belknap were even younger as that lava is on top of the lava from Sand Mountain. I also learned that the lava flows from Sand Mountain actually created Clear Lake. He gave me lots of great information and I took a few pictures, but it was soon time to head back down. I decided that when going down, I was not going to take a shortcut. 

This took me too an amazing little field of cinders. I could tell that ATVs liked to use this area to drive around in, but after the rain it almost looked pristine. Our planet is pretty amazing. The non-shortcut route proved to be easy walking and I saw two other groups on the approach as I went down. As I got to the actual trailhead, some noisy ATVs came up the road and I was happy to be walking back down the other way with many miles of closed road ahead of me to walk. The only exciting thing to report on the way back was the only wildlife I would see on this day which was a horned lizard. He was a little guy, but I guess in this upper elevation semi-desert environment, this was good habitat for him. I continued on down the trail making it back to the car by 3:30. About 5 hours for a 12 mile hike was pretty decent. I was very pleased with the hike as most of it was really quiet with a nice big payoff at the end. I would definitely have to repeat this hike sometime in the future.

George Lake

Since I went to George Lake a couple of years ago, I had been trying to talk the family into returning with me. Given the difficulty of the hike, they were not all incredibly excited about it. Finally, we got a favorable forecast and Jacqueline agreed to make the trek. We drove up 242 to the PCT trailhead and began our hike. I expected a lot of PCT hikers on this day as mid-August is prime time for hikers in this area. It was actually pretty quiet in the morning though. The trail took us up through the two islands amongst the lava and then it was nothing but lava hiking for a couple of miles. Just an uphill slog without any tree cover and little baseball size rocks to step upon. We knew that a twisted ankle was likely with these conditions. We continued on up until we got to the junction with the Little Belknap Trail.

There was some disagreement amongst the crew, mainly from Jacqueline, but in the end we all took the short detour to the top. Zyla led the way and she scrambled her way to the summit. There was another person there, but he quickly left when our family of four made it to the top. We took some photos and enjoyed the view. Little Belknap is the place where most of the lava came from to make this big lava flow and there were places were you could see the fissures creating the lava tubes where the flow occurs. We did not stay long on top and we were quickly down the mountain and back on the trail. Here the trail leveled out and went into some trees for a bit before descending down into more lava flow. This we followed until we got to the very bottom of the lava flow.

We turned off the trail and started our cross country hiking. This required us to climb over some downed trees and loose soil. Last time I was here I made the mistake of going too far west. This time I made the mistake of going too far east. We did not have as steep of climbing, but we ended up adding an extra half mile or so to the hike. This made Jacqueline a little grumpy, but the rest of the family kept a good attitude, so we were happy when we finally made it to the lake. Here was the problem, though. The hiking was great on this day as we had cool weather and even a nice wind. I was hoping it would all disappear when we hit the lake, but when we got there, it was still cool. This lake was so amazingly clear and cool last time on a hot day. 

Now we would have to deal with a cool lake on a cool day. Still, I had prepared for an enjoyable lake day. I sat in my chair and blew up the cheap inner tube that I had brought. Everyone, except Jacqueline took it for a spin. It was actually pretty nice, but the wind was so strong it kept blowing us back into shore. The kids were troopers though as it took some guts to get out there on the lake. If we were lucky, the air temperature was somewhere in the low 60s with wind. It took a lot for me to jump completely in, but I had to make the best of it. Still it was enjoyable nonetheless, but we had to deflate the floaty and get back to the normal trail. It was making Jacqueline nervous to be so far away from the main drag.

I decided to take a more direct route back and it worked out pretty good. We were back on the trail in no time. On the way back we ran into a lot of PCT hikers. This is a common place for people to get off the trail and go to Bend, so many of them have to find a way back up in the afternoon. They were all cordial to us as they passed on by. I wished I would have brought something for them to hand out, but maybe next time. We made it back to the car a little bit after four. It wasn't quite the day that I was hoping for as I enjoyed swimming in George Lake so much the first time that I had been there that I hoped everyone could. Still we did our best to make it to this beautiful lake right under Mt. Washington and even got a 12 mile hike in because of it. Not a bad way to spend a day off.

Mt. Townsend

We were visiting my dad up in Port Angeles. We wanted to get out for a hike while we were there. I wanted to do the High Divide trail up above Sol Duc, but Jacqueline did not want to hike that far. My dad recommended Mt. Townsend, as he knew the mountain well since that is the place he scattered the ashes of one of his best friends, so we gave that a shot. It was not as long of a distance, but still a lot of elevation change. We got a good early start in the morning and were following our GPS. Unfortunately, the GPS took us on the wrong route. We ended up on a Forest Service road that dead ended. We had no choice but to backtrack to the 101 and take an alternative route that was actually the correct way to get to the trailhead. Since we did not have a map and did not know the area, we were really relying on the GPS to get us to the trailhead. 

The weird thing about it was that the actual correct directions to the trailhead were quite easy, we just had to travel on the 101 a lot further than we did. We chocked it up to a lost couple of hours and because of it, we didn't get our hike started until 11 AM. We parked at the lower trailhead. We were recommended to do this by one of the Forest Service employees at the ranger station that Jacqueline needed to stop at to go to the bathroom. This was strange because we were the only ones parked at this trailhead. This made Jacqueline a little bit grumpy because she wanted the hike to be shorter. I didn't think the little extra elevation would be a big deal. It took us by a trail shelter and a mostly dried up lake. The elevation change wasn't too much and the kids enjoyed munching on the huckleberries along the way.

We arrived at the upper trailhead where there was a bathroom and a big parking lot. The parking was completely full, so maybe it was a good choice to go to the lower trailhead. From here, the trail climbed steeply. It was a good workout for all of us except Conrad. He was still able to have a conversation while hiking uphill with very steep grades. I participated in most of it with him, but other times I was just dealing with the heat and climb. Jacqueline was not very happy with me for taking them on this hike and was even more grumpy when the trail started to open up more. To me, we were seeing beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers. For her, she was seeing potential places to go slip sliding away.

The kids handled the heights really well and honestly to me, every time it looked like it was going to get to a drop off, there was a switchback that took us up the hill. It was a wonderfully constructed trail and I just marveled at the workmanship involved in building this track up Mt. Townsend. We continued pushing on and eventually made our way up to the ridge. Here the views were spectacular. The top did not seem so far away and we could see a group of people having a break up on top. We continued on with Jacqueline in the rear. Eventually we all made it to the top and I just happened to have a fourth place ribbon from one of my races in my backpack. I gave that to Jacqueline for being the fourth person to climb the mountain out of our group of four and that lightened the mood.

From there on out, we seemed to all enjoy the hike. We even all had patience with Jacqueline as she worked herself up to be very nervous going down the switchbacks. The kids did fantastic as they have both become rather skilled at figuring out how to manage the risks. The other impressive thing about the kids was really just how great of shape that they were all in. The hike seemed like no big deal when we were climbing 3400 feet over 5 miles. They had been on a running program for cross country and I really think that this running program was working as they both seemed to handle this challenging hike with ease. We continued down eating as many huckleberries as we could. Conrad was the most excited about the huckleberries and often shared them with us.

Overall, it ended up being just around 10 miles. We did it in fairly good time, but were thwarted a bit by the driving directions. This meant that we were slowed down for what Zyla really wanted to do with the day and that was to get out to Glass Beach to find beach glass. We were supposed to meet my dad and his wife there.

By the time we made it, the tide was coming in and there was not too much beach glass to be found. We still got ourselves a pocket full and it made Zyla happy that we at least made the effort. Hopefully she will actually use the beach glass to make something pretty that we can all enjoy.

 

Kalaloch Tide Pools

 We took a trip up to Washington to go camping with my dad, his wife, and my sister. As kids, we went to Kalaloch nearly every summer. Now, it is hard to get a campsite reservation, so we were lucky we got one. We were on our last day there, but the morning provided a perfect opportunity to go see the tide pools. The low tide was perfect around 9:30, so we had an opportunity to get camp completely packed up before heading out to the beach. It was about a two mile walk down the beach from our campsite to the tide pools. All four of us were up for the hike, but also Laura was going to come with us. The weather was cool and overcast with a nice thick layer of fog hanging over the beach. Just another typical day on a Northwest beach.

We went down the beach to the north and our goal was to get to the first rocky area. This would provide us the best access to see the starfish, anemones, and sea cucumbers. We got there at just about the right time, but at the tail end of the lowest tide. We all wandered about on our own excited about our spots that we would see. We had a friend there to greet us also as a bald eagle was sitting on a rock above us. My goal was to get as far out as possible before the tide started coming back in. That meant that I broke away from the pack and walked out to the biggest outcropping out there. There was a natural arch closer in to the shore, but my goal was the biggest rock out there. I was glad I made it there because when I did there was the largest collection of starfish on the entire beach.

I tried to count them all, but there were far too many to count. I could tell the tide was coming in quick, so I tried to get the rest of the group to come with me out there before we lost the spot. It took a couple of minutes, but they were impressed when they made it out there and with no time to spare. Already the best spots were starting to get hit with waves. Tide pools are so interesting because they are a world that only exists each day for a short time period.

We had our fill of seeing the sea life, so we headed back the same way we came. Zyla was looking for beach glass and Conrad helped her. She found quite a bit which is surprising because this beach was definitely not known for its beach glass. The rest of us meandered on the sand until we made it back to the Tree of Life, which was a good landmark to tell us when we should go up the hill and back to our car. When we drove away from Kalaloch it did not take long before the world opened up to a nice sun shiny day, but at the beach I am sure that the ocean was still wrapped in a layer of clouds that would keep it nice and cool for the rest of the day.

Dillon Lake

 Jacqueline gave me a day off from chores around the house as she had a lunch with some friends. The kids were so focused on their running that they did not want to break that so I was on my own. On a day like this, I try to pick something on the map that is a little bit obscure. I had hiked up Horse Creek numerous times, but never had I ever taken any of the offshoot trails past the Separation Lake turnoff. I knew they were likely going to not be in great shape, but I decided this was my goal for the day. I chose the first one which was the Water Holes Trail that would take me out to Cedar Swamp and Dillon Lake. I got to the trailhead early enough that the air still had a little chill to it. This was fantastic as I was going to be hiking uphill through an old burn area with many thimble berries, mountain huckleberries, and huckleberries to  eat along the way. There were some thick bunches that I had to stop to pick a few. The benefits of hiking an unpopular trail.

Conrad and I hiked this trail during the spring and there was a lot of deadfall on the trail. This time there were only a few trees as someone obviously came through and cleared out the trail. This was true as I trudged uphill gaining about 1700 feet from the trailhead until I reached the Separation Lake trail junction. This junction is about 5 miles into the trail. This is where the cleared trail became a thing of the past. I could see a sign of things to come as right at the junction there were some major deadfall almost blocking the path and saying to me, wouldn't you rather go see Separation Lake. I guess that is the more popular trail in this area. I was not going there today, though, and began the arduous journey of hopping over logs every 30 seconds.

I also ran into the only other people I would see on the trail the whole day. They were out for 5 days and had spent the night at Separation Lake. They were moving much slower than me with large packs on, so I chatted with them for a bit and was on my way. It wasn't long before I was going around a big log jam on the left when I felt the pain. It was a bee stinging me right in the wrist. I said a few choice words and then was sprinting away. This is tough to do with downed trees. I ran for a couple of minutes until I felt confident nothing was chasing me, then pulled the stinger from my wrist. The sting would annoy me for the rest of the day, but I never reacted too much to bee stings.

It wasn't too long before I was at the junction of Horse Creek and the Water Holes Trail. I took the path less traveled by and it took me downhill. The trail was a little less discernible, but there were probably just as many trees down on this path as there were on the main trail. There were only a few points where I had to continue to look for the trail and for being 7 miles into the backcountry, this trail was in better shape than I expected. It was mostly flat, but went somewhat downhill until I was at Cedar Swamp. Here I would have to cross Horse Creek. The creek was low and I decided to just get my feet wet rather than deal with removing shoes. This might actually have been a fine place to remove my shoes though as the creek was filled with mossy vegetation at the crossing.

Upstream and downstream Horse Creek looked interesting. It definitely looked swampy upstream and like a strong flowing stream downstream. I made the crossing successfully. It looked like there was a log that used to be the base of a bridge there, but that bridge was long gone. The trail went uphill from here and I could see Dillon Lake appear on my watch. It was a short uphill journey to get to the lake. The trail actually went around the lake, but I could see a path that went off through the woods. I could tell that this was a path that someone at sometime had used to backpack and camp near the lake. It took me right to the best view of the lake. Unfortunately, this lake was not one to go swimming in. 

It was swampy with a nice layer of mud on the approach to the lake. Still, it was sure to be great habitat as a duck swam quietly in the lake. I had a quick bite to eat and then I turned around. The allure of going further was there, but since I had already put in over 9 miles, I decided to turn around. I took a quick look at the creek flowing out of the lake and then it was back the way I came. I went down the hill, crossed Horse Creek, and then hiked uphill to get back to the Horse Creek trail. I took a short detour as the trail to Nash Lake was only a quarter mile up the trail. I was expecting a bunch of problems with this trail, but there was a good sign and it looked like some cut trees near the trail. I figured this was a future trip for sure.

 Then it was back the way I came past the place where I was stung. I was careful to cross every log jam on the opposite side just in case, but I easily found the place where I was stung. I had a little burst of speed to get past it. Soon I was done with the deadfall. I appreciate trail crew so much and every time I see them, I make sure to thank them for their work. Once there were no trees and I was just going slightly downhill, I was feeling good, so I decided to jog for a bit. My body was in such great shape from running so much, that I continued this for the last 4 miles. It is amazing how much quicker you can cover ground at just a jog compared to hiking. I was back at the trailhead in no time happy to have gone somewhere new today. It made me excited to come back and try Nash Lake in the future. 

Echo Basin Trail

 Wanting to do an easy day, I looked on the map for a short hike that I hadn't ever done before. I chose the Echo Basin trail because it looked like it was only an hour drive and away from any fires. Oregon was burning once again and as Conrad and I drove to the trailhead, there was thick smoke in the Blue River area from the Ore Fire. The smoke diminished and by the time we took the turnoff for the access road, we were away from most of the smoke. The access road was advertised as needing high clearance, but the worst part was right at the trailhead, so I just parked a short distance down the road to avoid the worst section. The trail began with a steep ascent. The trail was in fairly good shape, but there was a steel cable in the trail which we hypothesized was used in some sort of logging activity.

The trail continued to climb and there were some fairly large trees to enjoy. The largest of these were the cedar trees which I found out later were Alaskan Yellow Cedar trees and some of the largest in the state are located in this basin. Once we hit the loop, we could see why. There was so much water out here. There was a stream beside us the whole way as we hiked which I assumed was named Echo Creek. On the loop, though, was just thick vegetation given that the soil was thoroughly soaked. It made for some amazing meadows with a great view of the surrounding peaks. There were large sections of boardwalk through here that looked like they were in desperate need of repair. The trail was beaten down well enough to find our way through, but there were definitely some sections where we had no choice but to get our feet a little wet and muddy.

The trail continued to climb uphill until we got to the highest point in the meadow and then it just went downhill. So straight up for the first mile with about 600-700 feet of elevation gain and then straight down for the second mile. As we started going down, we got into some of the densest vegetation on the whole hike.

Here there were flowers towering above Conrad as he fought through the greenery. It was a pretty neat spot, but it was over rather quickly. With the loop completed, we sauntered downhill running into the only other group we would see the whole day. We encouraged them to check it out as it was a very enjoyable hike with some beautiful views. We were back to the car in about an hour with just another hour of driving to get back home. We did break Conrad's rule for hiking which is that the hike has to be longer than the drive, but we had to save his energy for his race in the mile during the evening. It worked, because he broke 6 minutes for the first time with a first place finish in 5:59!

Obsidian

Jacqueline wanted us all to do a hike together, so we chose to go to the Obsidian area because the kids hadn't been there before. It turned out that Zyla had dance camp, so we dropped her off at a friend's house and the three of us took the trail up. There were lots of wildfires in Oregon, so we were a bit concerned that we would be hiking in smoke all day. When we got to the trailhead, it wasn't too bad with air quality probably being around 80 ppm given the taste test. It seemed to get better as the day went on also. The first part of the trail was a workout. We climbed through the thick forest and then through a burn area for the first few miles until we got views from the lava flow. The peaks were a little bit washed out, but still large and looming over us.

We continued and took the left side of the loop first having been here before and taken the right side. The left side went up the Glacier Way trail and it climbed swiftly. We were all ready to have the uphill done with and even though it was a cooler than average day, we were all sweating in the sun. It was worth it, though, because once we were on the PCT trail, the views were fantastic. I convinced Conrad and Jacqueline that we could do a little bit extra and make it up to another lake. They agreed. It was worth it. The route up to the lake went through scree from lava flows, but there was a pretty good path. After a bit, we cut up a steep slope avoiding the snow fields still left despite the 90 degree plus temperatures that had been occurring for a few weeks.

We topped out on the plateau and it was a short saunter over to Arrow Lake. Here we sat down and had some lunch after showcasing our rock skipping abilities. After lunch I was able to convince the pair to go out to the edge and have a look. You could see the whole Obsidian area below us. It was really spectacular. We went back down the same way that we came in and then continued on the normal trail.

This took us to the Obsidian area where there were so many shiny pieces of obsidian around. Still, there was not as much here as there was 5-10 years ago. I wonder how long it will take our greedy human population before all of the obsidian on the ground is gone. Probably less time than we think even though it has so much more appeal here in this area than it does in someone's backyard. Conrad was impressed. What I loved about the Obsidian area is the stream that seemed to bubble out of the scree. I filled my water bottle and we continued on our way. This took us down the course of the stream until we ran into Obsidian Falls. I informed Jacqueline that this was one of the only waterfalls in Oregon that can be seen along the Pacific Crest trail which seems strange, but then one has to remember that you are near the highest point when you are on the trail.

We were starting to see some PCT hikers at this point and they all looked so miserable. Having done the Oregon section last year, I was a little burned out on PCT culture with everyone being dressed alike. The misery was the thoughts in their heads of making sure they put in enough miles on each day. I guess you can even take something as enjoyable as hiking and turn it into a job if you have to achieve a goal. We saw our last PCT hikers as we left the trail to complete the loop. This was a more gradual descent that took us past fields of wildflowers and small streams. Eventually we were back on the path that we took up and we hustled our way back to the car with Jacqueline winning the pool on when we would make it back. A very enjoyable day with the family out in one of the best places around.  

St. Regis

 Our East Coast vacation took us to the Adirondacks. We were visiting friends of Jacqueline's dad Greg and Sue. They knew how much we loved to hike so they sent us on our way for a 6 mile roundtrip hike to the top of St. Regis Mountain. Greg and Jacqueline's dad Tom dropped us off at the trailhead, left us a car, and were off to run some errands. We were off on our way and at first the trail was rather easy. It was fairly flat as it wandered through the thick, deep woods. There were definitely less coniferous trees on the east coast compared to the sheer number of deciduous trees. 

The trail crossed a creek and then started its steep uphill ascent. The one thing about east coast trails that were different than Oregon is just the quality. This trail seemed to have tons of slippery, jagged rocks. There was also a lot of mud and running water on the trail. We had to do a lot of picking where to put our feet and we even saw someone bite it right in front of us. As we got nearer to the top, the weather changed from warm and humid, to cooler and humid. It didn't really matter because I was dripping with sweat. We popped out of the woods to a rocky summit. The view was great, although I am sure it could have been better without all the clouds. There was a lookout on a tower and a worker there who offered us some stickers. We took them of course. 

We sat down and had a snack. Zyla and I went over to the lookout tower, climbed to the top, and had a look. Jacqueline went halfway up and Conrad was having none of that. I talked to the guy working up there. He said he spends 3 days a week just on this trail and on top of this peak. Sounds like a boring job, but it is probably nice to have someone to keep an eye on the lookout. We did not stay long on the top because the clouds were definitely moving in. As we were leaving, the rain started to fall and we got ourselves under the trees. Not too big of a deal, though, because with all the humidity the rain was actually kind of nice. The hike down was not too much faster than the hike up as we had to be careful not to slip on the rocks.

Once we hit the flat section, though, we were able to move a bit quicker. Everyone was happy to not get stung by any bees while we were out on the trail and we were able to find our way back to the "Camp" to hang out by the lake. We would spend the next couple of days at Upper Saranac Lake. We got a little canoeing, some cornhole, and some swimming in. Mostly we enjoyed the temperatures in the mid-70s rather than the 90+ we had been experiencing in Washington DC. It was nice to get out in this beautiful area.

Whiteoak Canyon

We flew into Pittsburgh and arrived there very late at night. We were picked up from the airport by a shuttle and dropped off at our hotel. We all fell asleep quickly and were up early. The time change was rough but we did a good job of powering through it. We met Jacqueline's dad Tom at breakfast at our overly expensive hotel. Then we were quickly on the road. Our goal for the day was to drive to Shenandoah with a quick stop at Cedar Creek & Belle Grove Battlefield. We went to the visitor center and saw a really interesting video, then drove the tour route to see some of the battlefield spots. Then it was off to Shenandoah. We drove through the northern entrance and were immediately on a highway with very slow roads and views off to the valleys below. We stopped at some viewpoints, but eventually made it to our hotel. The kids and I ran on the Appalachian Trail to get there running in for cross country. It was a rough trail with lots of slippery rocks and a lot of ups and downs. Mostly, it just made me sweat.

The humidity in the east was so bad. At least they had a lot fewer fires than we did out west because of that. We had dinner and went to the evening program. We stayed the night in a cabin connected with the lodge. It was nice and pleasant and we all slept well. The next day we had to pack it all in, so it started with a hike down Whiteoak Canyon. There were a series of 6 waterfalls that we were planning to see. The trail went downhill all the way to the waterfalls, so it was going to be a lot of work getting back out. Tom went with us for the first couple of miles as the trail started out not so steep. He turned around at the beginning of the first waterfall. The rest of us continued downhill. The trail was rather busy with lots of people including a couple of groups of backpacking teenagers. 

The views of the waterfalls were not all that spectacular with lots of vegetation blocking the way. The second waterfall was probably the easiest to see, but when we got there, there was a group of about 20 teenagers. We decided to keep walking and view it on the way back uphill. The trail continued downhill swiftly. We were sweating like crazy from the heat and humidity and that was just going downhill. We talked to a few people coming up and they talked about how pretty it was but also how rough the trail was. We went past many waterfalls without great views and eventually we went down many steep switchbacks and were finally at the final waterfall. Here there were numerous groups occupying every possible corner.

It was impossible to get a really good picture because there were people everywhere. There were people on rocks. There were people swimming in front of the falls. It was sort of sad to hike all this way and not really be able to enjoy it. Then we had the uphill slog to look forward to. I have a pretty tough family that they just start hiking back uphill through difficult conditions. We were all sweaty and hot with a steep trail to look forward to. We just plugged away though. We went past each of the waterfalls, looking forward to going to the second waterfall without all the people there. We slogged our way up to it and there was only one other group of two people there when we got to it. 

I was out ahead and I just heard Jacqueline and Conrad start to scream. I knew that could only mean one thing, bees. I ran in the direction I was facing which meant I ran toward the waterfall. They ran the other direction and I could rest assured that they were stung. I waited a few seconds to let the bees clear and then went down the trail. I got to them and they were both very upset. Jacqueline was stung once in the face and Conrad was stung once in the head and twice on the back. They had been swarmed. The other people at the falls had set off the bees and they had gone for Jacqueline and Conrad. They both did not want to go back through the trail, but we had to. I went out in front and tried to protect them as much as I could, but the bees were gone having defended their home. We made double time on the way back. Conrad was now very concerned about every bee and rightfully so. We hustled our way back to the car with all of us being happy to be out of the heat and away from the bees. Jacqueline and Conrad both swelled up quite a bit as they both are allergic. Jacqueline ended up having to go in because her face was so swollen to get it to go down. Conrad swelled less but was a bit traumatized by the bees circling his head. It would take him a while to get over it. Still, I was happy that we all got out for a hike while we were in Shenandoah and saw what the best of the east coast has to offer when it comes to hiking.

Crescent Mountain

Summer break is the time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I did not have anything pressing going on and I needed a break from the running that I had been very consistent with. I decided to just pick a place on the map that I had never visited. So I drove up 126 to the junction with the road to Albany. I took a left and then the first right was the Lava Lake road. That led me to the 508 road and soon on my right was a parking area. I parked there and headed down the trail. The trail stayed fairly level at first going slowly downhill toward the creek. The forest was very peaceful and the trail in excellent condition. The temperature was cool, but not cold. The forest provided shade from what was sure to be a sunny day. 

The trail continued mostly flat and sort of downhill until I got to the creek. A nice bridge crossed it and then after that, it went uphill. The trail was still in good shape and the forest still very peaceful with big trees. After just a couple of miles, though, I needed a break. I was feeling a bit low energy on this day, so I ate my sandwich that would have been for the summit. That seemed to help out after a bit and gave me some calories to burn.

The trail continued going uphill passing several extremely large anthills. Eventually it popped out of the trees into a nice, big meadow. This meadow had many dead trees which was a little odd and they all had their bark cut in a circular pattern along the base. My guess was that it was purposely done, maybe to prevent the spread of a disease or insect? I did not know, but it was certainly done on purpose. The trail continued climbing through the meadow with impressive views all around. Then it went back into the trees and became a little bit more steep. At this point, I knew I was near the top. I felt good, though, and when I got to the top, there was another group of two people there with a very friendly dog. 

I talked with them for a little bit. They were older and from Sisters. They had been enjoying the Old Cascades which is the name of this area. We talked a bit about trails in the area. I enjoyed the summit area. There was the remnants of an old lookout. The foundation made a great spot where I could sit and enjoy views of the surrounding mountains. I walked the length of the summit and there was a nice view down to the turquoise blue waters of Crescent Lake below. I spent a good 15 minutes on the summit and then it was back down the trail. Even though I had just been to this area hiking up, there is always a new perspective to be seen on the hike down.

I especially enjoyed the meadows with views out to the Three Sisters and Mt. Washington. The flowers were abundant and I knew this would be a great place to take the family. Going down the trail, I realized how steeply it climbed. In all, I had 2300 feet of elevation gain and loss on this hike over 9.5 miles. It was exceedingly pleasant and quiet without the sound of traffic or anything other than the birds, creaking trees, and the sound of flowing water as I hiked near the creek by the trailhead. I would definitely recommend this hike and I am sure that I will end up coming back to Crescent Mountain again.