Hiking

06
Oct
2019
jloomis

Deer Hunting 2019 near Three Fingered Jack, Oregon

Picture of hunting deer near Three Fingered Jack, Oregon

We didn't get our first choice draw this year and instead drew our second choice, High Cascades. We have never hunted this large unit before which starts with an early season hunt then converts to a general season deer tag if unsuccessful. We took a short overnight trip in September during the early season hunt to scout out an area West of Three Fingered Jack. It looked okay, so we decided to come back at the end of September to hunt the opening week of the general season.

19
Nov
2016
jloomis

Playing in the snow near Lookout Mountain

Picture of Katie and Julian playing in the snow near Lookout Mountain, Oregon

Katie, our Mini-Adventurer, and I drove up to the base of Lookout Mountain (about 6,000' elevation) Saturday to play in the snow. We took Katie's Ford Escape for the first time in the snow and it handled amazingly well. No skill was needed to keep it safely on the road. We came across several other people out having fun in the snow. There was maybe 5-6" of snow by the time we made it to High Prairie (the base of Lookout Mountain). The weather was mostly cloudy with only a calm breeze and right around freezing. It was shaping up to be a beautiful day.

07
Aug
2016
jloomis

Catalpa Lake Hike - Mt Hood National Forest, Oregon

Picture of us at Catalpa Lake, Oregon

We decided it would be fun to go on a day hike Thursday while we were camping along Barlow Creek. We started from Barlow Creek campground (actually right across the creek from the campground) following Bonney Meadows trail #471 for about 2 miles. This trail intersects Catalpa Lake trail #535 (about 3/4 of a mile) just before it ends at FS road 250. The hike is approximately 5.5 miles round-trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

10
Jan
2016
jloomis

Twin Lakes Snowshoeing with our Mini Adventurer

Picture of Katie and Julian snowshoeing to Trillium Lake, Oregon

It has been a while since Katie and I have snowshoed, so we finally planned a trip Sunday to Twin Lakes. Our Mini Adventurer traveled along on my back. Twin Lakes are a pair of hike-in lakes near Frog Lake about 8 miles SE of Government Camp, Oregon. It's about a 2.2 mile hike each way to the first lake (the bigger of the two). It was a beautiful day today with the temperature around 28°F with partly cloudy skies. Frog Lake SnoPark was already packed with dog sled racers by the time we arrived around 8:15 AM.

20
Jun
2015
jloomis

Wahclella Falls hike - Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Picture of Mini Adventurer at Wahclella Falls trailhead

It was just Julian and I Saturday, so we decided to go on a hike to Wahclella Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. This is an easy 2 mile round trip family friendly hike on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. The trailhead is near exit 40 off I-84. It is an out and back hike with a loop about three quarters of the way in. The trail passes Munra Falls (literally feet away) before ending at Wahclella Falls.

09
Apr
2015
jloomis

Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls loop hike - Columbia Gorge, Oregon

Picture of Fairy Falls - Columbia Gorge, Oregon

I had the whole day Wednesday with my Mini-Adventurer, so we took advantage of the weather and headed to the Columbia River Gorge for a waterfall hike. Ever since we moved out to the country with a small creek on our property, he has been enamored with water. I figured a hike full of waterfalls would really impress him. Our plan was to hike the Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls loop. It's just under 5 miles round-trip.

07
Dec
2014
jloomis

Snow Camping and Lookout Mountain Hike

Picture of snow camping near Lookout Mountain, Oregon

Its looking like another late year for snow unfortunately. I have had a snow camping trip planned for months with friends, but it was shaping up to be more of a wet weekend than a snowy one. We waited until the last minute to choose our destination hoping snow would come. Unfortunately that was not the case. We all took Friday off and I headed up early in the morning. Our destination was High Prairie just below Lookout Mountain at about 6,000 feet elevation. High Prairie is East of Mount Hood about 45 minutes (26 miles) from Government Camp off Hwy 35.

22
Mar
2014
jloomis

Early Spring Climb of Olallie Butte, Oregon

Picture of me climbing Olallie Butte in the snow and ice

After my scouting trip via snowmobile on Thursday afternoon, I decided to head back to Olallie Lake Scenic Area on Saturday to climb Olallie Butte. I have wanted to climb Olallie Butte in the winter for some time as I prefer snow and ice to dust and rocks. Olallie Butte is a shield volcano situated in the Oregon Cascades between Mt Jefferson and Mt Hood. At 7,215 feet tall it is the tallest peak between Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson. Most of it lies on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation land except for the Western flank where the trailhead is located.

25
Jan
2014
jloomis

Pechuck Lookout and Rooster Rock Hike - Table Rock Wilderness, Oregon

Picture of Pechuck Fire Lookout

Katie and I dropped off our mini adventurer at Grandma's on Saturday morning before heading over to the Table Rock Wilderness. Our plan was to hike to Pechuck Fire Lookout from the Rooster Rock trailhead (end of Rooster Rock Road by Molalla River). It is about a 5 mile round-trip hike plus another 2 miles for a short side trip to Rooster Rock which we planned on.

01
Jan
2014
jloomis

New Years Bald Mountain Hike - Lolo Pass, Oregon

Picture of Mt Hood from Bald Mountain

Unfortunately, winter still hasn't arrived in the lower elevations around Mt Hood. On the positive side, the lack of snow and sunny weather allowed Katie, our Mini Adventurer, and I to go on a short hike on New Year's day. We decided to check out Bald Mountain. It is the site of a previous fire lookout tower (long gone) and has a commanding view of Mt Hood's West side.

20
Oct
2013
jloomis

Green Lake Hike - Mt Hood National Forest, Oregon

Picture of Green Lake - Mt Hood National Forest, Oregon

My friend John and I decided we were due for a camping trip and took advantage of the nice weather this weekend. We planned to camp on Barlow Creek near Barlow Crossing Campground after first going on a short hike to Green Lake (not to be confused with Green Lakes in Central Oregon). Green Lake is located in the Mt Hood National Forest to the East and just below Frog Lake Buttes. Green Lake is near Catalpa Lake, but about half the size.

24
Aug
2013
jloomis

Huckleberry Picking Near Hideaway Lake, Oregon

Picture of Katie and Julian with Huckleberries

Katie, our baby son Julian, and I went huckleberry picking near Hideaway Lake on Saturday. We had planned to pick huckleberries right near the lake, but it was way too crowded with weekend campers. Hideaway Lake is on the way to Timothy Lake (from Estacada) off forest service road 57. Take the paved forest road 58 to the left before 57 turns to gravel. At the fork, take the gravel road 5830 to Hideaway Lake. Due to the crowds, we decided to continue further along the road.

21
Apr
2013
jloomis

Hiking up Dog Mountain, Washington on a Cold Spring Day

Picture of Dog Mountain Trailhead, Washington

Spring is here and Katie and I decided to go on our first non-snow hike of the year on Sunday. We had driven by the Dog Mountain trailhead the weekend before en route to Mt Adams and thought it might be a fun hike to try. The trailhead is just East of mile post 53 on Hwy 14. It's about 55 miles East of Vancouver, Washington across the Columbia River from Mt Defiance. The trail is marked as 3.8 miles one-way, but is probably closer to 3 miles. It's a fairly steep trail, gaining over 2,800 feet to the summit. There are a couple different route options to keep things interesting.

20
Mar
2013
jloomis

Tulum Ruins and Public Beach Area, Mexico

Picture of Tulum Ruins, Mexico

Katie and I spent the day Wednesday exploring the Mayan ruins of Tulum and enjoying the Caribbean Sea at the public beach below. We have both visited Tulum before, but this was our first time enjoying the beautiful beach situated right below the ruins. We took the ADO (public bus) from Playa Del Carmen to within about a mile of the ruins. It takes about an hour to get to Tulum via the ADO. We walked the last mile to the ruins, but there are other options for those not keen on walking.

18
Mar
2013
jloomis

Exploring the Mayan Ruins of Coba, Mexico

Picture of Nohoch Mul Pyramid - Coba Mayan Ruins, Mexico

Katie and I visited the Myana ruins of Tulum and Chichén Itzá on our last trip to Mexico, so we decided it would be fun to visit Cobá this time. Cobá is about a 90 minute taxi ride from Playa Del Carmen. We were able to rent a taxi for the day for 1300 pesos, but one could also book a tour bus or take the public ADO bus (like Greyhound in the US).

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