[pct-l] Mt Hood to Eagle Creek Hike (with pics)

[Steel-Eye]

Good morning, all,

Once again Deems' images have well capture this wonderful scenery.  I hike
somewhere in that area almost every weekend and his photos satisfy me until
I can return.

On the 4th I did a training hike on the PCT totaling something over 22 miles
out-and-back, and mid-PM I was returning east toward Timberline crossing
snowpack very similar to Deems' photo.  The PCT was easy enough to piece
together, but many of the local trails around the lodge, and their signs,
were buried.  Almost within sight of the ski lifts I met a couple of tourist
hikers, and greeted them.

Me:  "So, you're off on a big hike today?"

He:  "We sure are.  Say, can you tell me where this trail goes?"

Me:  "If you keep going this direction you'll get to Canada, and if you turn
around and go the other way you will get to Mexico."

Evidently that picture was too big because he said. "Well .... we were just
trying to find the One-Mile Loop Trail."

I told them it was buried, so they should stay on the footprints back to the
lodge.

In that exact same area last fall I saw something almost as astounding as
Deems' photos. A classy, well dressed hiker-lady had a bear-bell attached to
her brand new day pack.  That's the first time in over 40 years that I've
seen a bear-bell, on the hoof, in the Pacific Northwest.  It was either, 1)
a fashion statement that totally misses the mark with me, 2) an comment
about the human race's innate fear of large, carnivorous  predators, 3) a
significant complement to REI on their sales and marketing acumen, 4)
something else that I will never understand, or 5) some combination of 1-4.

Steel-Eye


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deems" <losthiker at sisqtel.net>
To: "pct" <pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 6:21 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Mt Hood to Eagle Creek Hike (with pics)


> Over the July 4th holiday I hiked with two old hometown brothers the PCT
> from Timberline lodge on Mt Hood to the Columbia River via Eagle Creek. I
> hiked Eagle creek in early June with Monte Dodge, and the waterfalls had
> definitely decreased in volume. We started out on Mt Hood on snow, with
> the
> PCT trail melted out enough to be able to follow the route easily. We
> camped
> our first night at Ramona falls, and were treated to perfect waterfall
> lighting with the setting sun. The next day we took the 600
> trail/Timberline
> trail through the Muddy Creek drainage which added some extra distance,
> but
> the scenery and seeing the incredible devastation in the Muddy Creek
> drainage from a recent huge flood event was worth it. On the trail after
> Lolo Pass, we met David Hough (PCT2001 in Pieces) who was hiking from
> Ramona
> to Mt Adams this time. We camped that night at Salvation springs, which I
> have renamed Bug Camp. The amount of flies and skeeters was incredible,
> and
> our headnets and shelters saved our sanity. There was very little water
> there, but enuf to get by. Discover springs was flowing nicely 3.5miles
> later on near Buck Peak.  The next day we hiked along the ridges and crest
> for miles through endless forests to Indian Peak where we were treated to
> endless vistas into Washington of Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier and Mt Adams.
> We
> spent our last nite on the trail at Wahtum lake, where I had done my first
> hike in Oregon in 1977 via Eagle Creek, 29 years to the day. Camping at
> Wahtum Lake awakened a few moldy brain cells, and hiking down the trail
> from
> there into Eagle Creek seemed like walking back in time for me. Eagle
> creek
> this time was full of the 21st century cybercrowds that have found it fun
> for a day, but for me it will last a lifetime. I've loaded up a few pics
> from the Mt Hood to the River hike on my pbase site if you'd like to see
> our
> hike, enjoy!
> http://www.pbase.com/losthiker/mount_hood
>
>
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