Adventures

My climbing partner Matt and I set off to climb Mount Mitchell (about 11 miles South of Mount Saint Helens) early Saturday morning. The normal route is a 2.5 mile (one-way) walk-up hike around the back of the mountain (South side) on a marked trail. But Matt and I wanted to be more adventurous and climb the snowy couloirs on the Northwest side of Mount Mitchell. We came prepared with full mountaineering gear (ice axes, helmets, crampons, rope, snow pickets, etc.) as we didn't know what we might encounter.

After a fun day climbing on Saturday, I dedicated much of Sunday to fishing for shad (great crab bait) on the Willamette River with a couple of friends. We took my boat, launching from Meldrum Bar around 6:30 AM. The weather was calm with mostly cloudy skies and a temperature in the low 50's F. The river was extremely high, making launching the boat more challenging than usual. The upper part of the ramp was covered in water, making the dock inaccessible.

My buddy John went out salmon fishing a couple times last week and caught fish, so we decided to brave the crowds and fish on Saturday morning. We launched at the Swan Island ramp on the Willamette River near downtown Portland. We were at the ramp just after 5 AM (running on only an hour or two of sleep) and there were already a couple dozen trailers in the parking lot. The three of us (John, Andy, and I) set off in John's North River boat hoping for a successful day of Spring Chinook fishing. The weather was overcast and calm with a temperature in the upper 40's F.

While camping at Fort Stevens Sate Park, we fished nearby Coffenbury Lake a couple times for trout. This 50 acre lake is stocked with legal size trout and a few excess steelhead. There is a boat ramp and two picnic facilities with fishing docks. Even though this is a small lake, motorized boats are permitted with a 10 mph speed limit at all times. Even though I had my boat, we decided to fish from shore. We were camped in the O loop, so our sites were very close to the lake.

Last weekend was our annual spring camping trip to Fort Stevens State Park for the Astoria Crab, Seafood, and Wine Festival. It has become a kickoff to our summer camping season. This year we were able to take Friday off, along with some of our friends. Another plus is the weather forecast was mostly sunny (compared to rain as we have had the past two years). We got an early start and left Portland with two of our friends at just after 6 AM. I pulled our tent trailer while my friend John was gracious enough to tow my boat so we could go crabbing that morning.

After getting settled in our camping spots at Fort Stevens State Park (near Astoria, Oregon) on Friday morning, we headed across the Columbia River into Washington to go crabbing. We launched my 16' Klamath Alaskan aluminum boat at the Port of Chinook around 10:30 AM. High tide was predicted at around 11:45 AM, so we only planned to be out a couple hours during the slack tide. Katie didn't have a license, so we only took six pots with us (the regulations are three pots per license holder).

Finally, the long-anticipated nice weather came to Mount Hood on Friday morning. My friends Matt, Al, and I were able to get the day off to climb the mountain. This was Al and my first summit attempt of Mount Hood (I had previously been as high as the hogsback earlier this year). Matt is veteran mountaineer with six or seven successful Mount Hood climbs under his belt. We all met in Portland around 11:30 PM Thursday night to carpool to Timberline Lodge. We were going to climb the popular South route through the old chute to the summit.

On Sunday we took advantage of the promising weather forecast and planned a hike with our friends Kara and Matt to Table Mountain. Located across the river from Bonneville Power Plant, Table Mountain is one of the tallest landmarks in the Columbia River Gorge. Though not overly technical, this eight-mile round-trip hike is difficult due to its length and steep (3,300 feet elevation gain), rocky terrain.

On Saturday, Matt, his friend Al, and I went on a climb (non-technical) to Lookout Mountain. At 6,525 feet, Lookout Mountain is second in elevation only to Mount Hood within the Mt. Hood National Forest. The trailhead is about 4.5 miles Northeast of the Mount Hood Meadows turnoff on Hwy 35. The weather forecast was a mixed bag with rain showers predicted and a freezing level of around 6,000 feet. As it was still early spring, our 7.4 mile round-trip route was different from the normal trail due to the amount of snow above 4,500 feet elevation.

The Columbia River opened back up for spring chinook fishing, so my friend John and I decided to try the Willamette River on Saturday to avoid the crowds. We launched John's North River at the Swan Island boat ramp shortly after 7 AM. The weather was overcast with occasional sun breaks and light wind. The water temperature was about 48° and still pretty turbid. The ramp was not crowded, nor was the river.

On Sunday we decided to take advantage of the sunny spring weather and ventured out for our first hike in Washington State. Our new friends Kara and Matt suggested we all hike Coyote Wall in the Columbia River Gorge. Located approximately 4.5 miles East of Hood River on the Washington side, Coyote Wall rises high above the river and offers spectacular views of the Gorge from its rim. The trail head is relatively easy to find, located on Courtney Road off SR 14.

I was able to go into work early on Wednesday in order to get off at 3 PM to drive to Neels Gap where the Southern Appalachian Trail crosses US Highway 19/129. It's about a 1.5 hour drive from Chatsworth, Georgia. Neels Gap is about 13 miles South of Blairsville. My plan was to park in the Walasi-Yi parking lot (with permission) and hike 2 steep miles along the Appalachian Trail to the summit of Blood Mountain and back. The 4 mile round-trip gains 1,400 feet of elevation on the way to the summit at 4,458 feet.

My job took me to Georgia this week where our carpet fabrication facility is. On Tuesday evening after work, I was able to drive up to Fort Mountain State Park for a short hike. The park is only about a 20 minute drive East of Chatsworth. The road quickly winds up into the mountains leaving the city far below. I went on a short easy mile loop hike to the summit of Fort Mountain and back. The conditions were calm with overcast skies and a temperature around 50°F.

After spending much of the winter enjoying the sights and peaks of the Northern Oregon Cascades, Jason and I decided to travel further South and snowshoe to Maxwell Butte on Sunday. We left early, hoping to avoid any Spring Break traffic and have the trail at least partially to ourselves. Our reward was a nearly empty parking lot. The only cars there had clearly been left overnight. The sky was high overcast with a slight breeze and 29° F temperature when we arrived. Maxwell SnoPark is located approximately 28 miles Northwest of Sisters, Oregon along Highway 22.

After a fun night snow camping at Devils Half Acre Meadow, Matt and I took off on snowshoes for Barlow Butte. Since we were camped at the base of the butte on the Western side, we chose to go almost straight up from there. Our route was about 0.6 miles each way. The temperature was in the mid 20s F with no wind and mostly sunny skies. This was one of those times I regretted not bringing my sunglasses.