Turtlehead Peak Hike, March 2011

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Turtlehead Peak
Date: March 27, 2011
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,000 ft.
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Location: 20 Minutes From Las Vegas
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $7.00 Park Fee
Trail Conditions: Dry
Hiking with: Linna Freeman

Linna and I had some extra time in Las Vegas during the day and a sunny hike was in order.  I did a quick search for hikes near Las Vegas and Turtlehead Peak had the most elevation gain with a 360 view on top.  This hike is located in the Red Rock Canyon area with numerous other hikes located along the one-way 12 mile route that loops through the canyon.   The trailhead parking was overflowing with cars so we had to park along the road, which I suppose is normal during a weekend. 

We got started on the gravel trail with the sun beaming down overhead.  The trail starts off fairly easy on a river bed and soon picking up some elevation.  Once you get to the gully, it;s a scramble until you get to the ridge.  Once on the ridge, pretty much just follow a couple of trails to the summit.  The 360 view on top was worth the steep scramble in the gully.  Las Vegas was off to the East and the surrounding mountains were glowing red from the sun.

Las Vegas & Zion Park, March 2011

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Linna and I was due for some sunny skies and warmer weather; Seattle was getting dumped on this month and it had been cooler than normal.  I was already down in the Vegas area for work, so Linna joined up with me on Thursday.  After picking her up at the airport, we did a little shopping before heading to St. George, Utah.  We wanted to explore Zion National Park in Utah and St. George was only one hour away from the park.  St. George in the first city you come to when traveling north on I-15 from Vegas.  After checking in at the hotel, we heading off to the local attractions and we couldn’t miss the Dinosaur Tracking Museum.  This site is described by many paleontologists as “one of the ten best dinosaur track sites in the world” and is one of the most important discoveries in early Jurassic paleontological history.  To finish our day off, we headed off to Snow Canyon State Park, this is a quick 30 minute drive through the park, but….filled with beautiful Red Mountains.  While a few miles away are the White Hills, and eroded sandstone rocks of both colors make up the cliffs at either side of the valley.

The next day was exploring Zion National Park, just another beautiful day of mountains.  It started off cloudy and just got worse and soon it was down pouring.  We wanted to hike Angels Landing, but cloudy weather just got worse and soon it was down pouring.  Even though we had our rain gear with us, we wanted a sunny day for a pleasant hike and great pictures.  About the  time we pulled in the trailhead parking lot, it stopped raining…..cool.  After a great day hiking and playing in Zion for the day, we headed back to St. George for the night.  I have an old friend, James Jorgesen that I haven’t seen for 25 years from my hometown that was living in St. George, so we met up for some beers and chat.

The next day was a bust, we headed off to Bryce Canyon, but all we hit was snowy roads and mountains.  We actually drove all the way Bryce Canyon Park entrance and almost paid the  $25 fee, but…my better judgment said no.  From there, we drove all the way  back to Las Vegas.

Angels Landing, March 2011

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Angels Landing
Date: March 25, 2011
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,838 ft.
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $25.00 Park Fee, Valid (1) Week
Trail Conditions: Wet
Hiking with: Linna Freeman

Linna and I was due for some sunny skies and warmer weather; Seattle was getting dumped on this month and it has been cooler than normal.  I was already down in the Vegas area for work, so Linna joined up with me on Thursday.

Mt. Teneriffe Hike, March 2011

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Mt. Teneriffe (via forest road)
Date: March 18, 2011
Difficulty: 7 out of 10
Distance: 11 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,838 ft.
Time: 5 to 6 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: Snow starts at 2 miles and gets deeper
Hiking with: my dog Macho

After a couple of weeks of snow, I knew snowshoeing anywhere today would be fabulous. I wanted something close to home and plenty of room on the trail for Macho. Mt. Teneriffe forest road can be boring at times, but….I knew 7 miles of open road would keep Macho entertained. We hit snow at 2 miles and I stopped and put on my gators and snowshoes. Of course the snow just got deeper and deeper….what a workout.

Mailbox Peak Hike, March 2011

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Mailbox Peak
Date: March 6, 2011
Difficulty: 9 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 4,000
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Muddy to Packed Snow
Hiking With: Rick Massie

I wasn’t for sure if was going to hike this morning as I lay in bed, so I didn’t plan where I was going or talked to anyone to go with me.  The weather looked decent, so I decided to rally and send out a text to any friends that might want to hike up the steep Mailbox Peak with me.  Only one friend found time this moring and decided to join me on this death march.  I met Rick Massie at the Starbucks in North Bend and we took one car to the trailhead.  As we pulled up, there were no parking spots available and so we had to park along the road.  When I first started hiking Mailbox about 10 years ago, you would only see one or two cars at the trailhead; the word must have gotten out about the 360 view and the challenging trail it offers.

We started with gators due to the snow and slowly made our way to the top.  I had brought my crampons, but left them in the car….that was stupid, I could have used them the the first mile.  Rick was struggling after the 1/2 mile mark, he did a leg work out in the gym the day before…that was stupid.  After a snack and sun break on top, we headed back in the deep snow.  Instead of staying on the pack snow trail, we leaned back and slowing descended straight down the mountain.  This was a life savor for my knees, I couldn’t tell I even hiked the next day.

Source Lake Hike, February 2011

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Source Lake Trail
Date: February 24, 2011
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 4.8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,400 feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: I-90 exit 52; Alpental Ski Area
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: 12” to 20” of fresh fluffy snow
Hiking with: Mike Curry & Lance Leasure

The Cascades have been receiving snow for the past week and I knew snowshoeing on Friday morning would be perfect timing.  I picked up a couple of good friends, Mike Curry and Lance Leasure at 8:00 a.m. in Seattle and we headed off to Source Lake.  I took our normal route out of town, first avenue to Starbucks by the baseball staduim and onto I-90.  We parked at the last parking lot in the Alpental Ski area and got out in the 18 degree weather.  I brought Macho (dog) along and he got out with us, he stayed busy bothering strangers in the parking lot as we put our snowshoe garb on.

We got about a hundred yards in on the trail when Macho stopped, he had ice balls on the bottom of his paws.  I decided to take him back to the car, because it would only get worse for him the further we went.  There really wasn’t anybody else snowshoeing today, maybe it was too cold or it was a Friday morning….but, there were a few skiers that had their ski skins on.  Besides the cold weather, it was a great day for snowshoeing, tons of fresh snow and the sun was out.  We decided to trek past Source Lake and up to Snow Lake following a couple of skiers.  We stopped near the top of the bowl at 4,600 feet and headed pretty much straight down in waist deep snow.  The snow was deep, but light and actually easy to snowshoe in.  After getting back to the car, changing into some warm dry clothes, we headed to my favorite after hike hangout, the North Bend Bar & Grill for a hot bowl of Jambalaya soup and a cold beer.

Hunchback Mountain, February 2011

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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.

Waptus Creek Hike, February 2011

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Waptus Creek (Snowshoe)
Date: February 13, 2011
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 600 Feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near Roselyn, Washington
Users Group: Hikers, Horses & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Snowpacked
Hiking with: Linna & Macho

Mt. Si, February 2011

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Mt. Si
Date: February 11, 2011
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,400 Feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Dry to the top
Hiking with: my wonder dog Macho

Another Friday, another hike day; I didn’t get up real early this morning so I got a late start.  On my way to the Mt. Si trial, I was listening to NPR and they announced this morning Hosni Mubarak finally resigned as President from Egypt after 18 days of protests.  The whole world has been watching the protests and waiting for the outcome for the past couple of weeks, so it was exciting news to start my hike with.

The parking lot only had maybe 12 to 15 cars, which some days you could see easily see over 50.  Macho and I started around 12:30 p.m. and casually made our way to the top before 2:30 p.m.  I forgot to bring Macho’s food along, so I ended up giving my beef pouch that I smuggled from China on my last trip to him.  On the way down, my right knee area was throbbing with pain, so I broke out my trusty first aid kit and took a couple of ibuprofens.  After the hike, I grabbed a towel and rinsed Macho in the creek before putting him into his car kennel.  Before I made it home, I stopped for a beer and a cup of Jambalaya soup at North Bend Bar & Grille.

Kamikaze Falls, February 2011

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Kamikazi Falls
Date: February 5, 2010
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 ft.
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: Dry up to Kamakazi Falls
Hiking with: Linna Freeman & Macho

Linna and I decided to get Macho out for some fresh air, so we decided to hike up Kamikaze Falls.  This will be the first big hike for Macho since he had his cast off and this will be my first hike since my knee specialist told me I needed a knee replacment two days ago. We got to the trailhead around noon and I was totally surprised by the amount of cars there were in the parking lot; five years ago, you would be lucky to see another car….even on a weekend. With a casual pace, we made it to the falls in 1 1/2 hours.  With the warm weather, the falls were raging with all the snow melt.