Hunchback Mountain
Date: February 19, 2011
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 9 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,900 Feet
Time: 3.5 to 4.5 hours
Location: Zigzag, Oregon
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Damp to Lighty Snowpacked
Hiking with: Linna Freeman & Macho

Linna and I drove down to Portland on Thursday evening for a little shopping and dining on Friday.  Before we started our shopping excursion, we had lunch Bluehour www.bluehouronline.com in the Pearl district and later that evening we had a dinner reservations at 9:00 p.m. at Genoa www.genoarestaurant.com, both were fantastic.  Saturday we had planned a small hike near Portland, but the drive to Wahkeena Trailhead, Linna and I had this urge to see Mt. Hood up close.  I was already checking out Hunchback Mountain Trail, which was along the way to Mt. Hood in a small town called Zigzag, so I thought….oh hell yes, let’s go for it.

Saturday started off to a beautiful sunny day and it only took us about a hour to drive from Portland to Mt. Hood.  Before we hit the windy road up to Mt. Hood, we stopped at a grocery store in Zigzag to pick up some trail lunch.  I really didn’t know where the Hunchback trail started, but I knew it was close to the Zigzag Ranger Station, but….they were closed today.  Funny, why would they be closed on a Saturday, isn’t that a busy day for people to be outdoors?  I knew the trail was very near, but….I decided to look for it after our little excursion up to Mt. Hood and to the famous Timberline Lodge.  The road up was semi-snow packed with sand/gravel on top for traction.  We had no problem driving up the steep windy road with Linna’s 4 Matic Mercedes. 

By the time we got to the famous Timberline Lodge, it was a little cloudy, but the wind was horrendous.  The wind was blowing so hard, I thought I might have to put a rope around Linna so her 100 pound frame wouldn’t be blown off the mountain.  The Timberline Lodge  was constructed in 1938 as a WPA project during the Great Depression.  I stayed here a couple of times about 17 to 18 years ago.  After a little play time and getting Macho out for a while, we heading back down to search for the Hunchback Trail near Zigzag.  I actually had a trail map and I could tell the trailhead was very close the Ranger Station, so we drove back to the parking lot and eventually found the Hunchback Trailhead.

Hunchback Mountain rises sharply to the top of the ridge which extends 6 miles Southeast.  The first two miles you gain over 1,700 feet of the 2,900 total elevation gain; the rest is pretty much of a walk along the ridge.  Even though you have some nicely graded switchbacks the first couple of miles, it makes your legs and heart work overtime!  The trail started off damp, but eventually we hit snow about a mile up.  Along the ridgeline the snow was 4 to 5 inches deep, not bad considering it was February at 4,000 feet up.  I was throwing snowballs for Macho to chase, which reduces his jam-packed energy he has.  After the hike, we headed home and stopped in Federal Way, Washington to eat at one of our favorite Korean restaurants, Miraks.