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Dog Mountain,
Columbia River Gorge |
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Ambition won over laziness this weekend before I talked Jordan into hiking up to Dog Mountain with me. Knowing there was snow, but not how much, we set off in hopes of spending a little quality time together as well as having the experience of the Gorge during winter. As we drove to the trailhead it was readily apparent that the snow was going to be there, thick and heavy.
We took some pictures of the beginning of the hike for comparison to the end. Jordan was rather reluctant for this hike since she would rather be at home, slumming on the sofa, watching TV while snacking. Like all lazy children, once you get them there, they enjoy it to no end and talk about it for days afterwards.
Having being on the honor role year after year, I felt she needed some outdoor time to unwind. With only figure skating and academics taking up her entire life, they did not take up even half her time. So here we were. As usual, she was enjoying the beginning of the hike, soaking up the sun at times when it broke through the clouds. Her skating gave her much more fitness than she has had in past year on hikes we have taken.
My warnings of how difficult this hike is became clear before we broke out of the forest as the trail's angle increased.
We soon broke out of the trees and had really nothing to look at. I knew where the mountain's peak was but could not see it. We were in the clouds and they were thick, brining a very strong wind with them. The wind was blowing east and was so strong it bit right through our clothing, chilling our bodies rapidly. We decided against the west approach and decided on the eastern side. The back side of the mountain was the right choice as there was no wind and the hiking, pleasant. We soon had to don our snowshoes as we started post holing to our knees and within a half hour, we were at the summit.
The contrast of late may and now struck me hard. The beautiful, yellow flowers filling your scope of vision. Feeling the warm breeze while the sun showers it's rays upon your face. I was simply incredulous to the contrast of the bitter cold winds while everything was covered with an icy glaze. We made our way under a tree and huddled while I made some hot chocolate. The tree helped break some of the wind that was trying to force a retreat from our safe haven.
After a bit of munching we followed our tracks back down to the truck, waiting for us with clean, dry clothes. We changed before speeding off to Stevenson. We planned on having pizza and garlic fries at Walking Man Pub before heading home, but the pub was not open for another hour as our descent was a bit quicker than expected. We took the time to frolic while taking various, sometimes goofy, pictures.
To our east, Wind Mountain stood tall, but could not hide the fact that Dog was well under cloud cover. It looked rather menacing from our vantage point as we gave a loud whoop to celebrate.
The weather for the past few weeks has been cold. It looks as though we are ahead of snow pack schedule up at Mt. Hood and the various wind formed ice sculptured seemed to confirm that suspicion.
Jordan and I scoped out every inch of the area while waiting for the pub to open. We saw wildlife in the form of ducks as well as other various birds. This place was abandoned now, but looks like it would be packed full during the warmer seasons.
As the pub opened, I shot one last picture, capturing an opening in the clouds just above the Bridge Of The Gods. It was incredibly picturesque as I prayed someday, I would be crossing it while on my way to Canada.
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