Siouxon Creek Trail #130

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A few mistakes to which I will admit (and the resulting consequences):

1. Underestimating driving time - The Forest Ranger told me to allow about ONE hour...it took us TWO. We didn't arrive at the trailhead until after 8:30 pm. Fortunately we found an awesome campsite. Unfortunately it was the final resting place for this deer. Max and Emma could not comprehend why we continued to a different campsite.



2. Putting off buying new boots - It's been almost two years since my backpacking boots died on the Timberline Trail. Mourning the loss of their solid ankle support, I have been unable to follow through with buying new boots. My current pair's rigid sole and non-existent ankle support deserve to be dropped into a bottomless crevasse on Mount Hood for the pain and discomfort they inflict upon my feet and joints. Furthermore, the traction is terrible and I slipped several times on slick rocks while crossing creeks.



3. Neglecting to bring a topographical map - Due diligence for me involves calling ahead to the Ranger Station to confirm road conditions and trail access. For this particular adventure, I mistakenly believed that a printout of the online trail guide would work. The route looked straightforward...NOT! Had I brought a better map, we would have located the correct trail a mere 1/2 mile past the turnoff we took!



Experience is the ultimate teacher and the worthwhile lessons learned are:

- "too much research" is impossible
- quality equipment is essential
- routes are rarely straightforward

But these trials and tribulations do make great backpacking memories!

What a Difference a Day Makes

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Laura and I stayed overnight at the Fivemile Butte Lookout in Mount Hood National Forest. The image on the left was how it looked when we arrived and on the right was how it looked when we left the next day...



After hustling up forty-one stairs to the lookout and unloading our gear (especially impressive since Laura was nursing a cold and expects to deliver her first child in September), we set out on Eight Mile Trail to explore the vicinity. Our first views were of harvested trees' ghostly stumps peppered amongst surviving trees bearing a spray of fluorescent orange paint to mark its future. Not what one wants to see in the forest. About a mile later, the trail opened up to a vista of the second growth prevalent in this region of Mt. Hood National Forest. For the next mile, we enjoyed the trickling sounds and occasional glimpses of a creek before the trail began its upward climb. Wanting to soak up the sunshine, we meandered along an open slope speckled with manzanita, completing the loop to the lookout.







Around dusk, we noticed ominous clouds moving in from the southwest. For several hours, the view from two sides of the lookout was gray and rainy while the others remained sunny and dry. Shortly after sunset, temperatures dropped below freezing giving way to snow and gale-force winds that shook the lookout. We awoke to a thin blanket of snow cloaking the landscape. Apparently Mount Hood is in denial about the arrival of summer in Oregon.









Since the gale-force winds showed no sign of waning, we sent our gear down via the pulley and bid a bittersweet farewell to the lookout set atop the most blustery ridge in all of Oregon. Both humans and canines look forward to returning when wintry weather is more appropriate in its timing...







Fivemile Butte Lookout would be an ideal destination for a backcountry xc skiing or snowshoeing adventure. Beware of steep steps that become icy when whipped by the wind, especially at night when making your way down to the outhouse :0)

Happy Trekking!