Sunday, May 31, 2015

2015 Road Trip: Part 32 (Hillman Peak)

Hillman Peak
Crater Lake NP, OR
Day 48 cont.
5.31.15

The next destination for the day after Mt. Thielsen was the Crater Lake NP area, since I was just north of it already.  There is a peak along the rim of Crater Lake called Hillman Peak, and that being my last name, I couldn't let is sit untouched.  I entered the park from the north, and stopped a few times along the viewpoints just to gaze at how clear the glacial water is.  With polarized sunglasses, the surface glare is mostly removed, and you can actually see into the water a bit to the lakebed, which I thought was neat.

Here is Crater Lake!
Near to where the panorama was taken, the "trail" to the peak began. By "trail", I mean walking up in the correct direction, and a few stray footsteps.  There were snowy patches, considering that I was starting from considerably higher elevation.  Hillman Peak is at 8151', so it's lower than Thielsen, but it's the highest along the rim of the lake, so you in theory get a superb view all around.

On my way up, the brown stuff is wicked soft sand.
Soon, the summit was conquered.  A big moment for the family.  I wonder how many other people have climbed this just to stand up to their family name...


To the left, I was able to see Thielsen sticking up out of the hillside.

Mt. Thielsen
Looking down to the right is the Rim Road and The Watchman, the peak with the snowy face.


After descending, it was time for lunch, which is best done while sitting off the back of the car.



At this point, I was nearly out of gas, because I plan REAL well.  I had to make it 40 miles to the next station along my route.  After a failed attempt, where a station was not in operation, I did find some gas, which was able to get me to a campsite in the southwest corner of Oregon. More happenings from there TBA.

2015 Road Trip: Part 31 (Mt. Thielsen)

Mt. Thielsen, OR
Day 48 (and some of 47)
5.31.15

I spent three nights at the campsite just north of Horton, outside of Eugene by 20 or 30 miles, and while I was there, my neighbors were also camping for consecutive nights, so we finally introduced ourselves, shared some stories, and spent some time by their campfire.  Their names were Dave and Aaron I believe, each going on their own adventure.  Dave was slowly making his way through the state of Oregon on foot, with over 50 years of backpacking and wilderness experience behind him.  He is interested in going back to school to finish off some stuff he's started, and he is proof that you can spend your whole life immersed in nature, learning that way of life, and still go back to school any time you want.

Aaron was car-camping around the state sort of like I am, but he was going with his awesome cat Leo, who really enjoys car rides unlike most cats.  I had a great time hearing about all their experiences in this area and wherever else they had been in the world.  And to have it all happen around a campfire that I didn't have to start was fantastic.  Good to have that smell again.

I was going to spend four nights there, but I was inspired to head south to my next destination the evening of the fourth night, so that's what happened.  Ideas had been batted around for which large hike I was going to do in Oregon.  First I was going to go with Nora's friend Matt up North Sister, then he wasn't comfortable bringing me along because of some mountain conditions that he wasn't confident about, so then I was going to do something else a bit easier, like South Sister.  I had a strange gut feeling about going up that peak, and I felt better off doing something else, so he suggested Thielsen, which is just north of Crater Lake NP.  So that was my destination that evening.  About 160 miles away, and I admit it wasn't the greatest idea to leave at 9:30pm.

After doing a bit of stealth camping near the trailhead, from 1am until 4am, I was up again, ready to start the climb up Mt. Thielson.  The mosquitoes were horribly friendly in their swarming habits, so the but net was necessary to maintain sanity.  (Also, the fee was not required...you just stick the slip on your dash and that seems to work okay.)  At 5:20am, I set off.

In the beginning, there were mosquitoes, and God somehow saw that it
was good, so they multiplied like crazy.
Here is a trail map so you can see sort of what I was up against. Beginning at 5400', and climbing slowly at first, then joining up with the PCT (yellow) and then continuing along a climbers trail up the west ridge to the final spire.


After not very long, I received a crazy view of the summit spire through the trees.  I was happy I was coming up the right side and not the left. Because falling on the left side would mean certain death.


Higher up, the trees started to clear.  I think this was around the place where the trail joins up with the PCT.  It was here I realized that I didn't need the snowshoes I had lugged up with me.  I left them here on the trail.  I couldn't quite see up where the trail was, so I kept the axe and the spikes just in case.


Another shot with more of the snowfield below.
In the opposite direction, you can see Diamond Lake (I camped near there) and Mount Baker on the other side of the lake.


I was excited about this climb because for once, it looked like I was not going to be hiking in the clouds for the summit.  After my luck so far on this trip, that was something worth celebrating.

Along the scree field, which was frustrating to walk on because nothing is solid or stable, I saw all these weird volcanic outcroppings.  This is an eroded shield volcano after all.


Higher up, the scree turned from dust and larger rocks to small bits of shale that were equally as unnerving to walk across.


The sun was making its way through the hazy overcast clouds and it made a funny shadow on the trees below, reminding me how pointy this summit really is.


The ridge came up on my quickly, since I had been focusing on footing so much.  The view was amazing, with snow accenting the peaks in the distance, but without the hassle of having to deal with snow myself. (The trail had been completely dry all the way up, and the axe and spikes were unnecessary...oh well, better to have prepared.)



Right below the summit spire, debating whether or not to try and go up. They consider it a Class 4 scramble, or depending on how to climb it, a mild Class 5, which is commonly known as technical climbing.  I decided to go for it.  It wasn't too bad, since it was all dry rock, and most importantly, solid and not crumbling.

After a few minutes of carefully testing hand and foot holds, I got to the tippy top, and saw the survey marker on top!


I had made it up in 2:25, which I was happy with.  Not that I could do much to change that.  I think the mileage up is somewhere around 4.9 miles depending on how many switchbacks you make along the scree field.

The view along the south ridge toward Mt. McLoughlin. 
After sitting in awe on top, I came down, and walked along Chicken Ledge to look back at the spire.  I was very surprised to see how steep it really was.  I wouldn't have gone up had I seen this view prior to going up.


I took a good long break on top, since I had gotten an early start, so there was no rush.  I made a call home, and there was surprisingly good service considering it was a wilderness area.  So if you fall and almost die while hiking here, you could probably make a call out and get help.

I took a goodbye photo of the lovely spire on my way down.  The sun had come out, and it was rather hot, even with most of the layers I had strapped onto the pack.


Of course, the mosquitoes had to make a reappearance for the encore. I wasn't even walking quickly enough to outrun (outfly?) them, so out came the bug net.

I saw a man hiking up as I was headed down, and he was driving a twin of Wombat!  I got a picture for reference.  Or for enjoyment.


A couple had just arrived as I stopped the clock at just over 5 hours (timed car to car).  They were on their way up, and the lady turned out to be a concert pianist who was out hiking for her birthday weekend!  You never know who you might meet out on the trail...

Hike Details
Trail length: approx. 9.8 miles
Ascent time: 2:25 hr
Descent time: 1:50 hr
Total ascent: 3,782'
Summit elevation: 9,182'

Today's accomplishments to be continued in the next post, Part XXXII...

Friday, May 29, 2015

2015 Road Trip: Part 30 (Mary's Peak)

Mary's Peak, OR
Day 46
5.29.15

For the first time in the history of this road trip, I am caught up with myself.  This post is being posted on the day that it happened.  Yay for having a bit of free time.

I went hiking for the first time in Oregon, and I chose Mary's Peak, which stands at 4098', the tallest in the Coastal Range.  This would be a cool hike because it was a) relatively close to my campsite and b) I could look east to see the Cascades and west to see the ocean.  The drive there actually took me through the same trees-down-everywhere forest road I came in a few days ago after the coast visit.

The main thoroughfare.
I drove to the north ridge trailhead, because that one was free, to be honest.  It had lots of switchbacks according to a map I saw online.  For those on the east coast, a switchback is a trail that goes an a gentle angle along the side of a slope, then turns around and does the same thing, and so on.  We don't have those in Maine.  But they are kinda nice.

The trail was very nice indeed, with a nice footbed covered in pine needles.  Not too many roots or rocks to trip on, so that helped progress go smoothly.


I began the switchbacks after not too long, and I for once really enjoyed the trail itself, as opposed to having "summit fever" as I just learned it's called.


I passed a few guys who I had seen start up a few minutes before me, and I saw a couple people coming down, but other than that, it was a low traffic day.  Until I got to this darn parking lot.  I tried to tell myself it wasn't there, and I couldn't have driven up.  Lots of people were here walking their dogs, which also made me angry.  I maintained a temper however, and no dogs were harmed.


I walked up the gated road that goes to the top for some government access to something...it was a fenced off area on top.

I think it's steep enough.
As I made it to the summit, I was a bit disappointed to see low clouds covering up the view west to the ocean.  There was a haze the east as well, and hence no views of the Cascades from this mountain.  But the low clouds were interesting over the hills to the west.


Again, I used my technique for getting the most horizon per megapixel. It also makes it way more interesting!


I sat and had a lunch with some flies that were buzzing around.  I did not share.  I needed those two sandwiches to fuel up for the descent.

Purdy meadow
I did not take pictures on the way down, because it looked a whole lot like the way up.  There were 14 switchbacks, so it made it easy to estimate where I was on the trail.  (They had a map on the kiosk at the base so I had that as reference on my camera.)

I didn't really know what the mileage was to begin with, as the website told me 6.2 but that was ambiguous as to if it was one-way or roundtrip. It turns out it was neither.  A quick image overlay and path tracing on Google Earth showed the distance to be 4.5 miles one-way.  This made a total of 9 miles.  And because of those beautiful switchbacks, I was able to complete it in 2:41.  They did a great job at making the trail a steady climb, if you see below on the elevation profile.


Hike Data
Miles hiked: 9.0
Time elapsed: 2.7 hours
Total ascent: 2630'

I would recommend this hike, though make sure you have blue skies forecasted, because I would guess that views of the Three Sisters and the ocean would be killer from here if there wasn't a haze.  Speaking of Sisters, I am hopefully headed up with Matt, a friend of Nora's, to hike North Sister this weekend.  We shall see how that goes.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

2015 Road Trip: Part 29 (Pacific Ocean!)

Finally, the Pacific Ocean
Day 44
5.27.15

I woke up extra early on Day 44, and while cooking breakfast, I caught a glimpse of something bright through the trees.  I ran to a clearing to see what was up.  The sun was up.  Probably one of the best ones I've seen so far.

Sunrise from Barnhouse CG
This was an exciting day along my trip, since one of the major goals was to experience the Pacific Ocean, which was prior to today just a concept I had heard about.  To actually drive across the country from Maine, inch my inch, mile by mile, and see it I thought was very profound.  But there was yet another string of mountains in the way: the Cascades.  With Oregon being at a relatively low base elevation, ten thousand foot peaks tower over everything else, and you can see them from miles away.  I forget exactly where I was, but I crested a ridge and got to see the Three Sisters, some of the iconic peaks in the state.  (South Sister is on the left, then Middle and North Sisters are close together on the right.)

The Three Sisters
These mountains were so eye-catching that I probably looking at them an unsafe amount while on the road, so I stopped to look for awhile.


The route I was taking was along Rt. 126, which heads north of the Sisters, and looks a bit like this:


This was what I had come 8000 miles to see.  This is what I think of when I think of Oregon.  Tall pines and firs lining the roads and making you feel tiny.  Soon this road brought me through the heart of the Cascades, through many miles of forest and tight curves that reminded me very much of Maine.  Many parts of western Oregon remind me of Maine, though on a bigger scale.  The roads and lined tightly with trees of all kinds, depending on where you are, they curve next to rivers, and out in the country, there are small farms with people out doing the work that needs to be done.

My campsite for the next few nights was about 20 miles northwest of Eugene, near a small lake.  I passed through the city, and began the extremely windy road to the middle of the Coastal Range of Oregon. Here, there are lots of smaller mountains, but it is so dense with them that every major road has to follow a river gorge or else you'd be climbing vertically up mountains.

In some areas, it is far enough into the season that some farms are making hay, and my god, that smell is something that makes me think of home like nothing else.  Driving past with the windows all the way down is the only way to do it properly.

Soon I arrived at this lake, I think it's called Upper Lake Creek, so perhaps it's a creek instead.  After some scouting, I found an available camping site on the opposite of the river as all the others I had seen. What I didn't expect was there to be a trail that goes right to the shore, giving me what I consider free waterfront property for a few days.  Notice FREE.

Tent set up to claim the site
My "front door" view
Due to my early start, I arrived here around noon, which gave me an entire afternoon to play with.  I was still set on seeing the ocean, so with the tent set up and lunch eaten, I began the (twisty) drive to the sea.  I was entranced by every curve in the road.  (This is Rt. 36 if you need to know for some reason.)  It was warm, summery, and the smells of plants and trees were vivid as the miles rolled by.

Along Rt. 36
I arrived in Florence, OR, and from there, I was desperately looking for roads west that would bring me to the very edge of the land, and there was nothing, just lots of homes where people live semi-next to the sea.  I then realized that some parts of US-101 do actually go right along the coast like US-1 does in the east.  I came to one of the many parks that line the entire coast, and found myself some beach.  The sound was incredible.  I don't even consider myself an ocean fanatic, but this was just amazing.  To have finally reached sea level again after a quest of mountains for the past 8000 miles was very balancing, for lack of a better word.

It was not clear, it was not warm, but it was the Pacific Ocean.  I walked along it for a distance I don't even care to know.  I was just listening to it, smelling the salt, and feeling the sand underfoot.


I spent over an hour on the beach, maybe two...I lost track.  I was walking toward that little nub you see on the edge of the land in the picture above.  It was actually an island, but I got close enough to see it without fog.  On my way back, I found a tennis ball and an Aerobie frisbee.  I figure those can either be used as entertainment or as souvenirs.

After my short time with the ocean, I attempted to find my way back to the campsite.  This would be easy with a civilized GPS, but Edna wanted to play some tricks on me tonight.  I made it halfway there successfully, then the roads it chose got to be worse and worse, from double lane paved, to single lane paved, to dirt, to full on forest roads with trees down everywhere, some hanging over the road.  Then gated roads.  I was instructed to turn right or left at many gated roads.  You'd think that would be as bad as it gets.  You'd be wrong.  Then it was instructing me to turn at places where there were no roads, not even a slight trace of a path.  Just gullies, or a ditch.  Nothing.  But after battling with Edna for nearly an hour on forest roads, I saw pavement once again, and I was coming down the hill to the very lake by which I had set up my tent. There's travel with Edna for ya.

Here is today's route map, and what I consider to be the end of Phase C of my trip - hitting the Pacific Ocean.  Total miles from Monroe, ME to the Pacific Ocean is....wait for it....8586!  Hopefully I can make it back to Maine in a bit few miles.

Day 44: 431 miles.
And for a closer look at how wiggly the roads are out here, I took this triangular loop clockwise.  It's only about 30 miles as the crow flies, but from Waldport to Point E there where I am camped is over 60 miles of driving.  Lesson of the day: mountains make it hard to build efficient roadways.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

2015 Road Trip: Part 28 (ID-OR)

Sawtooth Range
Day 42 cont.
5.25.15

With my hike up Borah completed so quickly, I had over half the day left that I hadn't expected, so westward it was.  I figured I could make it to Idaho City, ID, where a free campsite awaited.

What's cool about the towns out here, is the population is posted on a sign when you enter it.  I had seen some on the low end, even my Monroe standards where we have 800 or so people.  I saw a few in the 3 hundreds, then a 174, but NOTHING will beat Clayton, ID.  Population of seven.  I probably saw every single person in town while driving through.

Clayton, ID
I drove back through Challis again, since it was on the way, but then I continued along Rt. 75, which cuts through the wild expanse of the Sawtooth Mountains.  The mountains were beautiful and never-ending. Every bend in the road gave me a new view of some peaks that I hadn't seen before.


The thing about traveling through mountains is that you rarely ever go straight, so miles add up quickly.  However, I think I may have found some of the most fun roads in Idaho along this trip.  Rt. 75 and Rt. 21 have more curves per mile than you can imagine.  I considered counting them to have a number, but instead I'll give you a snapshot from google maps.  Look at the scale so you can see how dense this is with arm-work.

Fun?
After rising up to a mountain pass, then down again, several times, I began the final descent into the valley where Idaho City lies.  This part of the state is very much what I had envisioned Oregon looks like.  Lots of tall conifers lining the roadway, and finally some grass!


I made it into Idaho City, where only 458 people who call this place home.  Stopped at the local market for some odds and ends for the food coolers.  And since I can't keep frozen foods with me, an ice cream bar which was consumed before dinner for its own safety.

I went out to claim my campsite a few miles down a dirt road that was surprisingly well maintained.  Here is a shot of the camping area from the next morning.  (I manage to always forget to take these photos when I arrive.)

Camping on Bear Run Rd.
I set up camp, then headed back into town to try and write some more of these posts, since I had some extra time to kill.  Nothing like sitting outside the library on a holiday.  (They never shut off the wifi!)  Soon it began to rain, and I was less keen on driving back to cook dinner.  I was perfectly happy and dry inside the car.  The wait was worth it, because I was presented with the most magnificent rainbow I've ever seen.  I first realized the light was weird when I saw sun behind me and rain in front of me, then I put two and two together and looked for the rainbow.  I've never seen one so bright before.  It was also at 9:30 at night.  The sun is setting later and later, not to mention I was on the western side of the time zone as well, which pushes everything later.

Best rainbow of 2015

Idaho to Oregon
Day 43
5.26.15

I began my trip into the 20th state with more blue skies, which I hear is rare for this part of the country.  To be fair, my tent was soaked with dew, so that caused some difficulties.

Leaving the campsite on Bear Run Rd.
Route 21 continued to the Boise area, and followed the Boise River for awhile.

Boise River.
Feels good to at least drive through cities every once in awhile.  They also have stores which are good for buying things like food and gas, my two primary commodities on this trip, had you not noticed.

Super wheels on I-84!
The great state of Oregon begins here.  Crossing the Snake River brings me one step closer to the Pacific Ocean.  (I would have hoped for a better sign, or a pull-off of sorts.  Nope.)

Welcome to Oregon.
Eastern Oregon is not the typical scenery you think of when you hear Oregon.  This part is much more farmland and funny-looking tractors. They love John Deere out here.  Only the best.


I made it further west, and got confused because I thought I was in New Mexico.  Straight roads for miles, no trees, and lots of shrubbery.


Soon I made it into the Umatilla National Forest, which is about one third of the way across the state from the east side.  I was very hungry, but I can't force myself to just stop on the side of a paved road unless it's in a park or something.  Instead, I took to the forest roads.  Several miles in, I stopped at an arbitrary place by some trees, which were no more distinct than any other trees.  This made a great lunch spot, and I also got to smell the butterscotch of the ponderosas.  (Ponderosae?  What's proper plural?)


I came down through the hills and got a view of Strawberry Mountain (tallest in picture).  The only thing better would have been if the lady who was parked next to me would have shut off the horrible music blaring from the speakers (all doors open mind you).


Several hours later: I made it to the side road that would lead me to Barnhouse Campground, which is a free site that hunters (and sometimes Wild Hunters) use during hunting season.


This was by far the best campground I have come across at this price. A fire ring with a GRILLING section, and a table, and high quality dirt to set your tent stakes into.  Surrounded by more ponderosa than you could ask for.  It was a good place to land.  I spoke with a guy who was visiting from the Mount Hood area of Oregon.  It was strange because he was just sitting on his table, not doing anything.

My campsite.
Sadly I didn't use the grilling station, but I did use nearly the whole table to spread out my cooking fiasco.  It was great to have everything all in order, since it tends to get a bit unordered being jostled around in the car on these mountain roads.  I slept very well, considering I over-fed myself for dinner and couldn't do much else but sleep.  It pays to eat well on the road.

PS: I'm beginning to realize that using roman numerals was a bad idea for this blog series.  It's easy for me to just add one to the last part, but for all of you, there is probably a fair amount of deciphering involved. Sorry.  I guess it's an excuse to brush up.

EDIT: I'm horrible.  I forgot to include the route maps again.  Sorry.  Here is the 5.25 route.

Day 42: 202 miles.
And for the second day, 5.26, here is that route map:

Day 43: 306 miles.
This brings the total up to 8155!  They are certainly adding up quickly. All of it has been so different though, and that's the reward for making it through so many miles.  So many different landscapes to see throughout the country, and I won't have even seen it all by the time of my return.