Columbia River to somewhere before Mt. Adams

6/14-6/16

Scouted out areas toward Adams and only the last fifty-two miles was passable at this time.
http://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/maps-and-guidebooks/

From trail mile 2220 to mile 2168. According to the PCT data book, or mile 2207 to 2155 on the section h maps. Still works out to be about 52 miles, with elevations below 4,000 feet.

Started at Crest Horse Camp and finish at Cascades Locks. The plan would be to drive down Friday evening eat dinner in town and car camp and start Saturday morning and finish Sunday afternoon at Cascades Locks.

First 50 miles in Google Earth


Enclosed is a link to Section H that covers this section.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_FBwwfuIazDYXJ5VTF2bHBLM1U/edit?usp=sharing

Impassable road  to Twin Buttes trailhead

Misshapen llama

Bunker Hill

Meadow near Wind River

Checking in from ridge, called in coordinates an hour or so before sunset

Birdee in bear grass

Trip report:

Part 1:

Thank you Holly for picking me up and enduring the long drives.  I hope you enjoyed the views of St. Helens on the way home.  Thank you Birdee for giving it your all and helping to keep me safe, or at least feel safer.  Although I was game for attempting a bigger chunk, in the end, because of snow at higher elevations, we were only able to bite off from Carson Guler Road to Cascade locks, about 50 miles or so.  40 of the over 50 plus miles traveled were over some of the best trails I’ve ever trod upon. Hemlock and Douglas Fir needle duff on clay, with only an occasional root trip on with some spectacular views of Adams, Rainier, and Hood.

This was my first solo trail trip. Ok, it wasn’t really solo, I had Birdee and Birdee had me, just like George and Lenny. “Of Mice and Men” there were many moments brought to life. 

Bear Grass

I was George warning Lenny about bad water. Birdee, like Lenny, would drink out of a gutter, and was quick to grab drink from any stream or puddle we passed. I says “Birdee you oughtna drink water that ain’t running, your gonna be sick”.  I imagine Birdee saying to me, “you have some, its good”.  While it is true that streams were far more infrequent on this section of the PCT than what I’m used to, having done a little homework, I knew that there would always be some within 10 miles, so I never did succumb, but can’t say I was never thirsty. 

I’d yell at Birdee for chasing elk, squirrel, or other varmint, after the moment of passion had passed and the critter was gone, Birdee would like at me as if to say “I tried, to Christ I tried, but I just couldn’t remember”. I’m sure Birdee would remember though if I told him to “hide in the bush”.

Because I started out not knowing exactly where I was starting from, I traveled from north to south on this jaunt. On Friday Birdee and I attempted to start off from Twin Buttes Road, but our best laid plans were turned awry by a road wash out and then by mounds of snow that made trail travel difficult and navigation even more so. We put in maybe 10 miles or so, but cannot say we traveled more than a mile or so on the actual PCT.

After being turned away at Twin Buttes we drove to Horse Crest Camp, the trailhead at Carson Guler road. (map mile 2206.5).  At 4264 feet, there was still some snow in pulled patches. First thing I did when we arrived was scout out the area and look for water.  The area was very volcanic looking, with poor soil over lava flows, much like the area around ape caves as I recall. Hiking up and down the trail about a half a mile, we could not find any water. So we hopped in the truck to find a stream. On the map one is shown about a mile a way, but that stream had no water, we ended up driving several miles before finding a stream.

It was getting late and cold. For dinner I had a freeze dried eggs and bacon.  (Hint, take out the preservative packet and bring a spoon). I washed it down with powdered milk. Birdee had dog food and helped clean up after me. Readying myself for bed, I cannot say I was a model of efficiency. To much debate about where to set up, whether to put up a fly tarp, etc…

Mt Hood

Birdee the wise, needed coaxing to get out of the nice warm truck, which to him was perfectly meeting his sleeping requirements. He then proceeded to knock over the fly tarp that I had poorly rigged with my hiking poles and rocks. After some ado, we managed to situate ourselves.  I offered Birdee a towel as a blanket to compensate for the lost warmth of the truck.

Hoping to read myself to sleep I began reading “Cat and Mouse”, the story thus far seems recollection 20 years after World War II of the days leading into the heat of the war from a German school boy’s perspective. Mahlke, the apparent focus of the story, lived an apparently unremarkable life until he was taught to swim and taught himself to dive down into a sunken barge and salvage whatever he could find.  Sleep was not coming, my feet were getting cold.

Lesson learned, place something under your feet, not just on the ground.  The blanket and the tarp alone are not enough.

I was just starting to feel a little like turning my headlamp down when Birdee started growling. I say to him, easy boy its probably nothing but didn’t really convince myself. We ended sleeping in the truck. As you imagine, not so comfortable, but with the two of us, it was plenty warm.

In the morning, I found myself practically in a stupor and unable to get moving and thinking, “it’s too cold to get started”.  Soon enough it was 830.  Finally I got out of the truck and made myself a glass of powdered milk with the dearly earned water and gave Birdee some food. Over the next half hour I packed and repacked a few times probably would have a few more times without the aid of mother nature. Like a herd of caribou on the taiga there are times when one must create your own breeze or be consumed by ravenous insects. After all the packing and repacking I left the camp totally disorganized, poles dangling, shoes untied, etc… There were going to be readjustments along the way.

At first the terrain was not very good for running, looking back at the map now, it looks like we were skirting around some volcanic cones. The trail improved tremendously as we proceeded to past Huckleberry Mountain. 

but soon enough we were on some great trails. We stayed along the ridge tops for several miles until we descended into Panther Creek, we had dropped about 3000 feet. My toes were not happy with the new shoes.  

Although I didn’t know it at the time it looks like Birdee and I put in about 29 miles on the first day. We stopped and camped near a creek where a bridge had washed out.

We looked around for a suitable place to toss the tarp.  I found a likely spot but needed to trim back some devil’s club.  This is when I discovered I had left my knife on the trail a few miles back. Ugh! We looked for better spots to bed and hang our food. Eventually we stumbled upon a hobbit-bed sized rock covered with moss. I laid my tarp upon the mossy rock and turned my back to get out my sleeping bag, by the time I turned around Birdee had usurped the spot. After some ado we managed to situate ourselves and sleep through the night. 

The next day, again, we didn’t get going to about nine.  We moved fairly quickly on the trial though at times I was pretty thirsty.

Lesson:

When in doubt, refill if bottle is less than half full.

I suppose I should mention some of the sites to this point. Well, there was rain forest in the valleys, sub-alpine meadows of  mostly bear grass http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerophyllum_tenax

Birdee and I were at times caked with pollen. And of course, at times some pretty nifty views of Adams, Rainier, and Hood.

I took some pictures but with my cell phone camera the light has to be just right to get good photos.

Columbia River from PCT

The last ten miles were not much fun. We went the wrong way twice.  Going the wrong way, twice adding at least four or five miles. This happened north of Bonneville where several trails criss-crossed.  Someone laid out arrows on the trail and I followed them; unfortunately the arrows appear to have been intended to prevent a running group from accidentally getting on the PCT.  In hindsight, not being a purest, I would have been best just to have finished at Bonneville. Turned out the last six miles or so of trail to Cascades Locks was crap. The trail area along the power line corridor was defoliated, and the rest of the way poorly maintained and crap.

Lesson:

Make sure you have maps properly downloaded on the cell phone GPS, check it by switching to airplane mode.

Beneath Bridge of the Gods.

Ain't no quick and easy way in and out of the area. Long drive in and out.  Holly met us at Cascade Locks Bridge of the Gods around 5 PM.  We stopped and grabbed burgers and headed back to the car. Think it was about seven when we arrived there. Then we had to decide whether to back track or risk taking forest service roads. We opted for the forest service roads and lucked out for the most part. The drive along the Lewis River to Woodland was much longer than I remembered.  All in all we didn’t get to Olympia until 11 pm.

Lesson:

Maybe the interstate would have been a better bet by at least an hour.  I just seemed unthinkable to back track an hour.

Thus ends Part 1:

Part 2:

The rest of the story isn’t really about the trip, but Birdee got to be home treated with peroxide and activated carbon tablets. 

After arriving in Olympia we stopped at the gas station to refuel and drop off the rental car. Birdee hopped, now pretty thirsty, hopped out of the truck and drank some wiper cleaning fluid.

Lesson:

Don’t let your dog out of the car at gas stations, especially if they are thirsty.

 Lesson:

If you want to make your dog throw up, with peroxide, don’t give him too much icecream with it to make him eat it, because, he won’t throw up if you do that.

Don’t bother trying to try getting the activated carbon out of the gel tablets. You’ll make a big mess. Just go straight to the activated carbon capsule peanut butter sandwhich. Yum!.

When all was said and done we went to bed at almost 4 AM.  The next day I called to find out what was in the fluid. Apparently the water includes dirt, oil, and small amounts of wood alcohol.