7dayadventurists

Dollar Lake to Elk Cove in November

Dollar Lake to Elk Cove

November 2014

So we tried another hike that was new to me. The trail went through part of the Dollar Burn area near the beginning. We hiked alongside the mountain to Elk Cove where we had lunch and hung out for awhile. Jon and Kirti hung out in their hammocks. Nice weather had returned for this weekend, unusual for this time of year.

After a rest, we turned around and retraced our path until we got to Barrett Spur where we took a detour to hike the ridge. We should have gone up the ridge at the beginning. We got high enough for a good view and then had to turn back. If you go high enough on the ridge you’ll have glaciers on both sides. This would also be a nice area to backpack in for an overnight hike.

Beauty in a Burned Forest

Meadow Stream

Ice in a Stream

Kirti crossing over into Elk Cove

Jon and Kirti looking for a place to relax

Wind Blown Trees

Mountain Top

Fungi

Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams

Snow Covered Ridge on Mt. Hood

Jenny on Barrett Spur

Kirti is happy to be hiking

Turn Around Point

Jon and the Mountain

Dollar Burn Area

Evening Colors

Hamilton Mountain Hike in October

Hamilton Mountain Hike.

October 2014

Hiking, hiking, hiking... It is a great way to explore our Pacific Northwest.

We went up Hamilton Mountain again. It as a wet one with very little visibility out over the Columbia River. This hike is about 7.5 miles long and can be done as a loop. The hike has an elevation gain of 2000 feet. When it rains the waterfall is more robust.

Trailhead Sign

Hiking up the Trail

Vine Maple in the Forest

Mushroom

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Kirti moving down the trail

Jenny by Rodney Falls

Rodney Falls

Jenny looking out toward Beacon Rock

Kirti and Jonathan taking in the view on the rocky outcropping

Bonneville Damn in the Distance

Top Spur McNeil Point Hike

Top Spur McNeil Point

October 2014

We returned to McNeil Point hoping for another day of great views. The weather wasn't cooperating for full views of the mountain. Nobody wanted to kick back and relax. We had to keep moving to stay warm. It was blustery and cold. We still found a few beautiful sights even though it was a cloudy day.

Trail Through the Woods

Sunbeams in the Forest

Hiking with Friends

Taking in the View

Vine Maple Leaves

Back into the Forest

Mushrooms growing on wood

Jenny and Kirti

Ice Caves in the Distance

Waterfall

Jenny Taking the Next Picture

Colorful Mushroom

Bear Grass in Seed

Low Clouds

Ice Caves Across the Way

Hiking to Ice Caves on Mt. Hood

Ice Caves

October 19, 2014

Jon, Kirti and I explored Mount Hood again. We tried a different route in the same area we were at 2 weeks ago. It was a much more scenic trail. Once we hit McNeil point my friends decided to take a nap. I went exploring off trail for a couple hours.

My goal was to get to two caves at the bottom of the Sandy Glacier. I talked with some hikers that had returned from there and I also saw some tents set up near the entrance to the caves. I made it to the front of the caves but didn't enter or get very close. Some rocks were dropping here and there and I didn't have a helmet. When I got back home I had to look up information about the caves. They have been named and mapped out. There are even a couple film segments about them on Oregon Outdoor Field Guide. I think I looked into the mouth of both Snow Dragon and Pure Imagination. Definitely a highlight of the day just to know that I could make it over to the caves. Next time I'd like to actually go inside. It was very cool!

Here is a a slideshow of the day. Ice Caves on Mt. Hood

To learn more about the ice caves on Mt. Hood go to this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Glacier_Caves

If you want a look inside the ice caves, take a few minutes to view the film Requiem of Ice by Uncage The Soul filming crew. http://www.uncagethesoul.com The footage is amazing and beautiful.

On the way back to the car, a layer of clouds rolled in near the mountain and the sun dropped out of the sky. I found some nice vine maple leaves lit up by the setting sun.