Travel/Places Archive

Snowshoeing Season Is Back!

A few days ago I went out and did my first snowshoe of the year. It’s a great workout and offers a fun alternative to traditional hiking.

Here’s a few photos from the trip up to Mt. Hood in Oregon:

Back From the Desert

It’s been a bit quiet around here lately since I’ve been traveling. I went to Las Vegas and Phoenix and had a great time. It was nice to catch up with some friends and check out some of the places I used to visit while I lived in Phoenix (Papago Brewery is still my favorite!). Also climbed Camelback Mountain twice, which was a nice change from the hikes I’ve been doing at home.

I spent a day checking out some of the hotels along the Vegas Strip as well. Very impressive!

Mt. St. Helens: The Blast Zone

A few months ago I completed my goal to climb to the top of Mt. St. Helens. It was an amazing experience but the one thing it didn’t do was give me a close up view of the blast zone located on the opposite side of the mountain. So the other day I took a friend up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory and we did a nice 9 mile hike down to Spirit Lake.

Here’s some photos from the hike:

The Silver Star Grand Tour

The sun decided to come out this weekend so it was the perfect opportunity for some more hiking. I decided to give the Silver Star Grand Tour a shot, which I can easily say is my favorite hike so far. The hike was guided by the Mazamas, which is a Mountaineering organization here in Portland.

Distance: 15 Miles
Elevation Gain: 5,250 Feet

The hike started off at the Starway trailhead, which is not the easiest place to find. It requires driving down dirt roads …

Elk Mountain and King’s Mountain

I knocked another hike off this year’s to do list! The hike was the Elk and King’s Mountain loop in the Oregon Coast Range. Here’s a quick summary of the hike along with some photos.

Distance: 11 Miles
Elevation Gain: 3,700 Feet

This loop is rated as very difficult, so I was expecting it to be fairly steep and rugged. Turns out that’s exactly what this hike is like. Right off the bat, the climb to Elk Mountain was very steep. It reminded me a lot of Mt Defiance only the climb to the summit is shorter (and half the elevation).