Hiking with my 8 year old grandson, Caleb

Preparation is important to every successful outing. My wife (“Nana”) packed a lunch for Caleb and made sure he had a warm jacket in case it got cold at the higher altitudes. I packed my own lunch consisting of a baggie full of sugar peas. Caleb wanted to have some hot chocolate when we got to the lake, so I was going to have to stop at the store on the way to get something to heat water in and something to drink the hot chocolate.

We got gas and headed for the store. I bought some protein bars and water to complete Caleb’s supplies. Then I picked up a “mess kit” for the hot chocolate. Heading for the check stand, I received a call from Nana saying that the hot chocolate got left behind on the counter. I texted back “ok” and picked up some instant cocoa to take with us.

Finally, we hit the road. After a short while, Caleb began to ask how much longer. I expected that! As I was thinking ahead, I realized that I had left the NW Forest Pass behind. I would need to pick up a day pass in Carson. After our pit stop in Carson, we headed north and arrived at the trail head.

Hiking with an 8 year old is quite interesting. Caleb was full of energy and was bouncing off rocks, running along logs and making Papa a little nervous. Then he let out a few yells and hollers just to hear his voice echo off the surrounding hills. After a time, he asked, “Papa, why don’t we see any animals?” I simply responded, “Hmmm. I don’t know. Maybe we need to be quieter?”

Looking down at Soda Peaks Lake

Eventually, the water was heated and a packet of cocoa poured in. A second packet followed to make sure it was rich enough. Since we forgot a spoon (maybe Nana packed one in Caleb’s pack), we stirred the cocoa with my pocket knife. After drinking the hot chocolate, Caleb used the knife to impale one of his apple slices and began to roast the apple over the small flame. I enjoyed what was left of my sugar peas (Caleb was eating them while I was lighting the fire). Then the fire was doused and we started back.

The return trip started uphill, naturally, for 700 feet of elevation gain. On the way, Caleb was bouncing off the rocks and running along logs. Then he said, “Papa, I’m tired. I can’t walk another step.” “OK, you rest here for a moment,” I replied. “I’ll walk a little ways and you can catch up.” After rounding a corner, I called out, “Caleb, come on.” Caleb then ran up the trail and quickly caught up. Dramatically, he breathed hard and said, “I’m tired.” In a few moments, he was bouncing off more rocks and running along more logs.

When he got thirsty, I gave him some of my water. He had left his water in the car, of course. The remaining downhill part of the trail was a lot easier. But I realize I’m getting older when I slip and fall and there is concern in Caleb’s voice as he asks, “Papa! Are you ok?” “Yes, just give me a moment to get up.” But my “moments” are longer than his “moments” and he repeats, “Are you ok?” “YES!” I said, and promptly got to my feet. The same type of comments happens when I hike with my 24 year old son.

We arrived back at the car and drove home (“How much longer, Papa?”).

Great memories.

The gravel trail is wide and level. It is a popular trail for joggers as well as walkers. Bicyclists, skaters, and skateboarders are also welcome, and there was plenty of room for all. Although this trail is close to town and easy to get to, it felt very much like many of the other remote trails I enjoy.

From Hwy 14, take 192nd Ave exit. Head north for 3.4 miles. Turn right on 13th Street. Go .9 miles to the parking lot (Note: 13th Street turns into Goodwin Road). There is a small parking lot here that is often filled to capacity.

There is more parking available at the south end of the Trail at Heritage park. To get there, follow SR 500 north from Camas to NW Lake Roadand turn left. Heritage Park is on the right, next to the Camas Moose Lodge

Click on a thumbnail below to see the full sized image

Winter is not my favorite time of the year. I want to hike, but the bitter cold can be discouraging. In my desire to lower my “base weight” (body weight) some more, I thought I would try another challenging hike.

I arrived at the Wahkeena Falls trailhead at about 7:00am. The temperature was below freezing and stayed that way throughout the day. I put on lots of layers and had two hoodies over my cap just to be sure my ears would survive. I started out just as the daylight began to brighten.

I soon reached the bridge at the falls. It was covered with ice. With caution, I eased myself over the bridge, stopping a couple of times to take pictures, then made it to the other side without falling.

Last weeks hike to Dog Mountain must have done some good, because I continued uphill without slowing down too much and without stopping too often. The climbing helped me from getting too cold.  Eventually, I found myself an intersection of trails and I continued uphill to Devils Rest.

Here is where I began to slow down.  I stopped a couple of times to take pictures, but was able to make fairly good time.  I had been to Devils Rest before, so I knew what to expect.  After all that climbing, there was no view at the top.  If you do this hike, be sure to stop and enjoy the views on the way up. 

After a short rest, I decided to keep going to Angels Rest and make this hike a big loop.  What you need to know before d0ing this yourself is that the trail goes downhill to Angels Rest and you will need to come back uphill again to return to Wahkeena Falls.  I knew that I could go all the way to the old highway from Angels Rest, but it’s a 2.6 mile return walk on the highway and that just doesn’t sound good to me!

Angels Rest is a great destination because of the views of the Columbia River and the rock formations.  Once in a while, you will hear of someone falling.  If you stay on the trail, you are safe enough.  Today, there was some pretty good wind gusts.  Since it was cold enough already, I decided just to grab a few photos and return to Wahkeena Falls.

The total distance of this loop was about 9 miles.  The elevation gain was at least 2400 feet.  I did fine for most of it, but the return from Angels Rest to the car was difficult.  I really need to lower my weight some more to be able to fully enjoy this type of hike.

I needed to do something challenging to get my exercising back on track. I decided to hike Dog Mountain. I generally have a tough time with this one, but I felt that since I’ve gotten my weight down a bit, maybe I could do it ok.

I drove to the trail head on Hwy 14, just east of Carson, WA. There are trail heads here for two different trails, Dog Mountain and Augspurger Mountain. The Dog Mountain trail is labelled as 3.8 miles long, although as I examine the other signs on the train, I think it is more like 3.2 miles long. The hike is uphill all the way to the top with no level places for easy hiking. Much of it is quite steep.

The trail switches back and forth through scrub oak and finally comes to “Y” that is labeled “More Difficult” and “Less Difficult”. I took the “Less Difficult” choice and continued uphill. Soon the trail breaks out into the open with good views of the Columbia River Gorge and Wind Mountain. In April, the hillside will be covered with brillant wild flowers and will be much more worth while. For now, there is nothing but short green growth that is not very impressive.

Another fork in the trail gives you a choice of two paths to the summit. I went left and made my way to the top. At the top is excellent views of the Columbia River Gorge to the west, Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, and Wind Mountain. You can see Table Mountain, the Bridge of the Gods and a plume of steam from the paper mill in Camas way off in the distance.

I took the other trail down which connects to the Augspurger Mountain trail. This is the one that I think is 3.8 miles and is much easier going downhill!

Overall, it was a 2800 ft elevation and 7 miles round trip. I was pretty worn out and decided that I would try again after losing some more weight. It was a good workout.

Mt St Helens From Dog Mountain
Two choices: Kinda Difficult and Really Difficult	Wind Mt and the Columbia River Gorge

I love this activity for a several reasons:

1. You don’t have to have a lot of money to do it.

2. You don’t have to have specialized gear.

3. You don’t have to be in shape. (But it helps!)

I have to smile when I read about getting your base pack weight down, not because weight isn’t important, but because the base weight I have to work on isn’t in my pack. Last November I was nearly 100 pounds overweight, yet still doing some decent day hikes throughout the year. It wasn’t easy hauling all that weight up and down the steep trails in the Columbia River Gorge. And I dream of doing the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail, or even the PCT! Looks like it will be important to get my “base weight” down.

So, I read a book called “Die Fat or Get Tough” by Steve Siebold and started to change my thiking. This is a no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled, politically-incorrect, straight-talking book about taking responsibility for weight, making a decision to follow a diet (or, as I like to call it, a “strategic eating plan”), and sticking to your decision. I lost close to 10 pounds before I actually selected a specific diet to follow. I’m now down almost 30 pounds with the knowledge that I will, one day in the not-so-distant future, be at the weight I need to be. A close friend of mine is encouraging me, since he wants me to climb Mt Adams with him near the end of summer.

The bottom line for me is “Just get out there and do it!!” I continually ask myself: “How much can I do with what I’ve got?” My goal is always to do a little bit more.

Hi! I’m Bob Bennett and I really enjoy hiking and camping. Feel free to browse the various hikes that I’ve done and comment on them. If you are looking for a particular trail or area in the Pacific Northwest, use the search box to find it. If you can’t find it, or are looking for something that is not here, leave a comment. I’ll get back to you!!

Thanks!

Last week was rainy so we postponed this hike until today. When I woke up, it was clear and very cold (below freezing). So we thought this would be a good day to tackle it.

We drove up the gorge on Hwy 14, crossed the river at Bridge of the Gods, then headed west on I-84. We took the exit for Bonneville Dam, then crossed under the freeway and went East on I-84 one exit to Eagle Creek. Once there, we parked, got our stuff together, and headed up the roadway on the east side of the parking lot.

Very soon, we found a sign that pointed the way to Ruckel Creek Trail. We found the Ruckel Creek Trailhead at a spot where a the creek crossed under the paved trail. Stopping for a few minutes, we admired the ice formations around the various rapids, then headed up the hill.

In a very short time, the test of strength and endurance began in earnest. I thought this time for certain, I would be able to hike without holding back my son. But soon, I was stopping for short rests and he was patiently waiting for me.

There were some great views of the Columbia River Gorge below, including Bonneville Dam to the left and Cascade Locks with the Bridge of the Gods on the right. Across the river was a great view of Table Mountain. It looked awesome with all the snow and ice on it

As we continued to climb, we got into more and more snow and ice. The temperature throughout the day continued to be below freezing. When the trail finally leveled off, we stopped to eat our lunch. I heated some water and Aaron and I enjoyed the traditional Starbuck’s Via ™. From this viewpoint, we could see the top of Mt Hood. All around were snow-covered hills. Oak trees were bare of leaves, but had moss and snow on them.

On the way back down, I quickly found out that my shoes were not for snow! Maybe they worked ok at one time, but the bottoms were pretty much worn smooth and I lost my footing several times. It took awhile to get back to where the trail was mostly dirt. Now we are home and I am thinking about warmer weather and new shoes for Ruckel Creek Trail

A coworker, Paul, joined me on this hike to Hamilton Mountain. It was cold and somewhat gloomy, but since there had been a lot of rain, I was looking forward to seeing what Rodney Falls and Hardy Falls looked like.

Hamilton Mountain is the higher peak,
barely visible in the clouds

We started out from the parking lot of Beacon Rock. During the week, the gate to the campground is closed, so we had to walk up from SR 14. At the parking lot for the main picnic area, we reached the trail head and began walking uphill on the dirt path.

We soon reached the power lines and got our first view of Bonneville Dam below and our destination, Hamilton Mountain, above. Don’t be fooled. The first peak is not Hamilton Mountain. The peak beyond that (hidden in the clouds) is the one!

You can normally stand at the rail
to view the Pool of Winds

Along the trail, I was amazed at the amount of water that was coming down the hillside. When we reached the Pool of Winds, there was so much water, that I could not get to where the rails were without getting wet. I stood back and let Paul scramble over to the edge of the viewpoint. He was still unable to see into the cut in the rock that makes up the Pool of Winds.

My Favorite Sign

After crossing the bridge and climbing the stairs, we made it to the intersection with my favorite sign “Difficult” and “More Difficult”. We continued along the trail to the switchback under the first rocky crag, commonly known as Little Hamilton Mountain. The path soon turns into a sort of scramble up the side and tops out with views of the Columbia River, including Bonneville Dam and Beacon Rock.

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A great view of the cliffs
on the way to the summit

More switchbacks took us close to the edge of some cliffs as we continued to the summit. The views on top are not as clear and unobstructed as various points on the way up. However, the 2400ft climb gave us a feeling a accomplishment.

We took the other trail back down to see the view from Saddle View. There was a blast of cold wind sweeping over the saddle, so we did not stick around long. We came to a sign that said “Don’s Trail” and followed that down though the woods to the roadway, then back to the trail intersection near Rodney Falls.

It was a great time. I will post future hiking events as they are planned. Hopefully about one a month. Be sure to get your notifications by email by using the form in the right hand column.

Early in November, I enjoyed a hike to Triple Falls. I parked my car and stepped out onto the pavement. I took a picture of some mushrooms growing nearby, then walked toward the road. Across from the parking lot, Horsetail Falls cascades into a pool. No hiking is required to enjoy this falls. I took a few minutes to look at the picnic area and read the information posted at the trailhead.

An easy, yet uphill trek brought me to Upper Horsetail Falls, also known as Ponytail Falls. The most notable feature of this falls is the roomy area behind the falls, allowing visitors to peer out through the water at the Columbia River Gorge.

The trail soon turns southward, following Oneonta Gorge. Once you travel a bit, you can turn and look back down Oneonta Gorge, reversing the view most people see from the Historic Columbia River Highway. Dropping down several switchbacks, a bridge crosses Oneonta Creek with a view of Oneonta Falls.

After viewing the falls, continue up the other side to meet up with Oneonta Trail. Follow this trail to another cliffside view of Triple Falls. You will want to take a few minutes to enjoy this view. Take lots of pictures then follow the trail to the bridge at the top of the falls.

There seems to be water flowing from everywhere to everywhere else. It’s a great spot to stop, eat your lunch, have a cup of coffee, or just relax. I worked my way over fallen logs and large mossy rocks to the top of the falls. Reaching out with my camera, I got a few breath-taking shots. Take a look at the video below for pictures and clips of the hike.

Here is an uphill trek that has increasingly impressive views of Mt Hood. This hike is just south of Hood River and is easy to get to for a nice day hike. I didn’t think it was any more of a climb than others that I’ve done, but it felt tougher for some reason. Maybe there was more elevation gain in a shorter distance. But whatever it was, I got a workout.

Because this was in late October, there were warning signs at the start of the trail about it being hunting season. To be most visible to hunters, it is a good idea to wear bright red or orange colored clothing. I ignored the suggestion to wear bright colors, not having brought any with me, and decided to keep my eyes and ears open and stay aware of my surroundings.

I started out on the path through the brush. The trail rose gently for a short distance, crossed a gravel road, then began to climb. There were places where the view was open and you could take in the valley with Mt Hood rising on the near horizon. Other places were forested and the views were more “up close”. Several sections were dry and I could look down and see all the switchbacks that I had traveled.

At the top of the climb, I came to Surveyors Ridge Trail. I made a left turn here. The trail here was level and a welcome relief after the climb. As I approached the powerlines, I dropped downhill to an area with a picnic table. Then back uphill to a nice resting spot.

My goal was to reach Bald Bluff. If you go on this hike with that goal in mind, remember this: Bald Bluff is the one AFTER the powerlines. I managed to get as far as the powerlines and since I was tired, and since there was a great view from the powerlines, I stopped there and didn’t quite finish the whole hike. But I enjoyed having a lunch and heating up a traditional cup of Starbucks Via ® before returning to my car.