Loomis Adventures

I had another free day on Tuesday, so I took my grandpa hiking on the Tilly Jane trail past the A-frame cabin up to the Cooper Spur stone shelter near the Timberline trail. It's a 3.7 mile one-way hike with almost 3,000' of elevation gain. That's darn impressive, as my grandpa is 83 years old. I hope I have his genes!

Everything lined up almost perfectly for me on Monday. I worked Saturday, so I wouldn't have to work on Monday. And the weather forecast was calling for clearing skis on Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak at 11,249 feet. I packed up my gear and headed to Timberline Lodge for a solo climb of Mt Hood via the South route. The temperature has been warm the past couple weeks, melting all the new snow that fell in October below 8,000 feet, so I wasn't sure what it would be like on the upper mountain.

The first snows of the season were predicted to fall at pass levels this weekend. I have snow fever and decided to go hiking up Mt Hood (11,249') Saturday morning even though it would likely be whiteout conditions. I planned to hike up the standard South route from Timberline Lodge (6,000' elevation) as far up as I could safely go (likely around 8,000' - 9,000' in elevation). Temperatures were predicted to be in the low 20's, dropping into the high teens with high winds and several inches of snow falling throughout the day above 4,000' elevation.

After being dry for months, the weather couldn't wait any longer despite our plans to go camping at Milo McIver State Park over the weekend. It rained all day Friday and wouldn't even let up as we packed to leave Friday evening. Luckily McIver State Park is nearby. It's our first time camping so close to home. Milo McIver State Park is located along the Clackamas River about 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon. The campground features 44 electrical sites with water, which is great for RVs.

After missing out on most of deer hunting season last year, I was very excited to be able to hunt a full week this year. There were only two of us this year, and we drew tags for the same unit we have been hunting for the past few years, White River 141B. Opening day was Saturday, September 29th. It is a tough unit to hunt as it is on the crest of the Cascades in Northern Oregon. The area is mostly dense mixed forest.

We towed our travel trailer on Saturday morning to Rock Creek Reservoir near Wamic, Oregon for an overnight camping and fishing trip. It just so happened to be the same campground we took our first trip in our trailer exactly one year ago. Rock Creek Reservoir is about 100 acres when full (in the spring) and is stocked several times in the Spring with rainbow trout. It shrinks down to two ponds by the end of summer. Rock Creek Reservoir is located in Tygh Valley within the Mount Hood National Forest. It's about 6 miles WSW of the town of Wamic.

This weekend Jason and I backpacked to Jefferson Park in the Mt Jefferson Wilderness in Central Oregon. Jefferson Park is a gorgeous area situated at the foot of Mt Jefferson boasting large meadows, gorgeous lakes, and breathtaking carpets of wildflowers. Our 6.3 mile (one way) journey gained approximately 2900 feet in elevation as we hiked along the South Breitenbush Trail #3375 to Bays Lake. We began our hike at a trailhead off FS Rd 46.

On Sunday Jason and I were invited to hike to Angel’s Rest in the Columbia River Gorge with a group of longtime friends. Though we have done a few other hikes in the area, we’d never come to Angel’s Rest. This hike is just over 2.1 miles one-way, gains approximately 1350’ elevation, and boasts panoramic views of the Gorge from the top. On a clear day, one can see downtown Portland, Beacon Rock, and (contrary to most accounts) also Mt Adams peaking over the hills in Washington.

I finally got smart and waited for nice weather for my third attempt of Mt Adams. While not a technical climb via the South Spur Route, weather often plays a role in the success or failure of climbers on this route. My first attempt was in July of last year and we turned around after spending the night at high camp. The weather cleared before bed, but came back in overnight with visibility only a hundred feet or so.

On Friday Jason and I met up with our friends Kyle and Tiffanie for a backpacking trip in the Olallie Lake Scenic Area. The weather forecast was great and we were excited to do some backpacking with good friends. Our intended destination was Sheep Lake, a 2.3 mile hike in on the Red Lake trail #719. The main trail begins off spur road 380 from FS road 46. In the interest of cutting off some elevation gain on our hike, we intersected the trail off spur road 076 thanks to Kyle's navigation and 4x4 driving skills (high clearance 4x4 vehicle required).

Mt Rainier is the 5th tallest mountain in the Continental United States and highest in the Cascade range, standing at 14,410 feet tall. It is about 54 miles Southeast of Seattle, Washington. Mt Rainier is the most topographically prominent peak in the lower 48 with 13,211 feet of prominence, even more than that of K2! It is also the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 and considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.