Lunch time on the way up Hall Mountain

February 10, 2013

Dad and I met up with the Inland Northwest Hikers for a group hike intent on reaching the summit of Hall Mountain.  We set off from Noisy Creek Campground with about twelve of us and, in addition, two dogs.  The weather was sunny and I wasn’t cold, except my fingers from holding my metal trekking poles.

Picture of Dad just a little way below our turn around spot

The Noisy Creek Trail starts north and then follows the creek for a couple miles. There are bighorn sheep in the area and, at one time, a forest service feeding station.  But we didn’t see any and I didn’t come across any notable wildlife the entire day.  The route then breaks away from the stream and heads north again to the junction with Hall-Grassy Divide Trail.  From that point it’s only a little over a mile and a half up to the summit, but in snow shoes that’s no small task.

Clear view down into the valley

We kept plugging along, but when we came to an open snow field on a steep side hill our group decided to turn around for fear of avalanches.  By that time it only about 30 minutes to our predetermined turn around time of 2 pm, and it wasn’t going to be possible to make it to the summit in that remaining amount of time.

The way down was much easier, but I knew then that I was going to be sore the next day.  Lifting a heavy boot with an attached snowshoe and wet heavy snow attached to that is tough on the hip flexors.  I snowshoe every day, but only a couple miles so the twelve miles we did today wasn’t easy.

A determined but unknown snowshoer

The best part of the day was definitely lunch and not because of the food because I think I just brought peanut butter and jelly, but lying in the snow in the sunshine was awesome.  If the sun was still out I would want to be resting in that very same spot.

A view of a knoll along the Mt Tapulao climbing route

From the Rama hotel, just south of Botolan, Luzon, Philippines, I arranged a ride to Mt Tapulao.  A Filipino named Rick drove me about an hour and a half to a small resettlement village of Dampay which is the common starting point.  Armed with two cheese sandwiches, a liter of water and ineffective sunscreen I set off for the day.  The trail was a rocky road most of the way and tire tracks showed that some high-clearance 4x4s make the bouncy trek.  After 10 minutes I was sweating buckets on the steep trail.  The climb over the orange ground was steady and strenuous, especially in the heat and humidity.  Admittedly, I might not have been in the best shape since the only exercise I’ve gotten this past week is walking from the pool or beach to the upstairs restaurant at our hotel.

The guys I met picking "Golden Cactus"- one was a little camera shy

An hour and a half of walking took me to a small and refreshing spring flowing from a black pipe.  Just above was a shack made of bamboo and an old tarp.  One hour later, after passing through some rain forest, the landscape opened and revealed a pine forest.  It was like being back home.  About then I met four local men who were picking “golden cactus,” which is a soft velvety moss that grows around something that looks like a fern.  They spoke very little English, probably about as much as I do Tagalong (the Filipino language.)  Nevertheless they were friendly and I am guessing that their everyday job is to climb the mountain and pick the cactus.  What the commodity is used for remains a mystery to me.

Pine trees and fog on Mt Tapulao

Eventually I came to a point where my dirt track began heading down the other side of the mountain.  Instead of going down, I took a side trail continuing up through open grasses.  When I reached a large flat area, next to a large fallen pine tree, I spotted a trail heading into some “real” rainforest.  I was a little jittery about walking into a dense and dark rainforest on my own, but once I got going I really enjoyed it.  The continual sound of birds, insects and other hidden critters is what I liked the most and much different from the forests that I’m used to.

I walked on the dark and cool trail until 1 PM and then headed back.  Mt Tapulao (High Peak) is around 7,000 feet in elevation and I’m guessing that I started my trek from maybe 1,000 or 2,000 feet above sea level so there was no way I was going to summit in the four hours I was allowed.  The walk back was pleasant and uneventful.  I ran into the cactus pickers again while they were on a smoke break.

In the rainforest at the end of my ascent

I made it back to the village just after 4 to meet Rick.  He was there, along with his son, but just barely.  The Nissan 4×4 was parked inches from the edge of a rocky cliff.  From what I understood his parking brake failed and the truck nearly went flying over the embankment, getting the undercarriage stuck on some large rocks is the only thing that prevented it.  I swear the entire village tried to help us get the truck unstuck.  The first attempt was with a winch and a rope tied to a fan palm.  It worked, but then we all learned that the regular brakes didn’t work either because the freed truck then started rolling forward with a wide-eyed Rick inside.  This time it got stuck a foot before the cliff, but with one wheel dangling above an open stone and concrete culvert.  Then came the rice truck.  In this village there were only motorbikes and trikes and no other cars or trucks that could be used to pull our truck out, but there was one big truck that was used for moving large bags of rice.  We had to pay about 500 pesos for the use of this vehicle and it easily pulled out the wedged truck.

The first try at getting the truck out

Even though our truck was free, it still had no breaks and we needed to get it down a steep and twisty mountain road.  A metal bar was used to span the gap between the two vehicles so that the rice truck, in the lead, could slowly inch us down the mountain.  The bar took about two seconds to bend in half, followed by our truck crashing into the rice truck’s bumper, smashing the front right headlight and nearly tearing off the bumper.  But this method still worked and when our truck was on level ground the sun had set and local villagers were beginning to head down to the stream with towels for their nightly bathing.  After lots of “thanks yous” the three of us finally drove back to the Rama in first, second, and occasionally third gear.

I was told more than once to be on the lookout for leeches falling from trees, but I found none.  The only blood I shed during the day was on a sharp plant, but it was no more than a long paper cut.  Once I got back to the Rama I learned that there are King Cobras on Luzon.  I’m glad I didn’t know that before I left because I have this thing about large poisonous snakes.

Because this is my last Philippines entry I am obliged to write about the hospitality we received from the kind people in this country.  The Filipinos we had the pleasure of meeting were quick with a smile and and made us feel exceedingly welcome.  And if you are one with reservations about traveling abroad because of the language barrier then look no further because nearly everyone understands and speaks English.

We’ve been in the Philippines for 3 days now and went on a tour yesterday that required a small bit of walking so I’ll put it on here.  The local people have been very kind and love to smile.  A Filipino man I just met who owns an internet café says that is “just the Filipino Way, and even if their teeth are not so nice they will still smile.

A tarsier on a very wet day

We’re staying at the Alumbung Hotel on the small island of Panglao and rented a car and driver to take us to the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier refuge, and hanging bridge, among other places.  At the Chocolate Hills we walked up a steep staircase to a lookout where we had a distant view of all the chocolate hills, which are green grassy knolls that sort of resemble chocolate kisses.  I believe our guide said there are more than one thousand mounds.  Below is a view from the lookout.

There's a chocolate hill behind me

Next we went to the tarsier refuge to look at the world’s smallest primates.  They are very cute and Wendy said they are the most adorable thing she has ever seen.  At this point in the tour we were in a deluge so all the tarsiers were in trees hiding under small plywood cutouts or pieces of tarp.  This made finding the little yoda look-alikes not too difficult.  The next walking stop we made was at a hanging bridge made of bamboo, which is quite slippery when wet, but I avoided falling in the river below.  I think it would have been fine if I had fallen though because the river was barely moving and I didn’t see any crocodiles.

Crossing the hanging bridge of Bohol

These three stops were the only places we did much walking, and I certainly wouldn’t call it hiking.  Other places we stopped were an old Catholic Church, a floating restaurant, the blood-compact statue, which is monument celebrating an agreement between the Spanish and Filipinos, and a wretched zoo with a collection of beautiful animals confined to small cages.  This includes the largest Python in captivity.

I drove to Bend yesterday to stay with Dan, Marci, and Landry.  Today Dan and I drove to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument area and walked the Paulina Lakeshore Tail with Lulu.  There is a big fire in the Sister’s area near Pole Creek that is producing a lot of smoke but we enjoyed mostly clear skies.  The loop trail was about 8 miles and mostly flat as it stayed near the water.  About halfway in we came to a gravel beach where it’s possible to dig into the shore and the hole will fill up with hot water.  It was a little too warm for a hot spring today, but it would be great on a cold day.  When we got back we ate pizza and watched football, but Landry provided the real entertainment.

Landry at about 2 months old

Monday September 24

Marci, Landry, and Lulu dropped me off at Devil’s Lake this morning so I could start my backpacking trip.  I hiked north about 2 miles to the start of the trail to the summit of South Sister.  I left my pack hidden in the trees and scampered up with my hiking sticks.  It was cold and windy on top and I didn’t stay long.  It was smoky on top too and I could just make out Middle and North Sister.  When I got back down to my pack I quickly drank the restof my water and then took a nap beside the trail.  At about 2 I started walking again and made it as far as Reese Lake.  I had dinner and don’t think I’m going any further tonight- it’s a very small lake, but I really like where I’m set up.  I walked about 15 miles and did a good amount of climbing up to South Sister at about 10,300 feet.  The days are getting short as the sun is already hiding behind the mountains and it’s not even 6 PM yet.  I saw 3 mule deer today – 2 babies.  I’m excited to sleep in my new tent tonight.  I’m on official PCT tread now.

From atop South Sister, Middle and North Sister behind me

Tuesday September 25, 2012

I had a nice walk today until mid afternoon.  The PCT just south of Mackenzie Pass was closed due to fires so I went through the Obsidian Limited Entry Area (without permission, so illegally) to get to highway 242.  There was less obsidian in the area than I was expecting and I never did see cliffs made of the shiny black rock.  From the highway I hitched northeast to McKenzie pass.  The first car by stopped to pick me up- an older couple from Florida.  The lady in the passenger seat was probably about 4 and a half feet tall and had her seat as far back as it could possibly go so I a had a couple inches of legroom.  They dropped me off at the observatory and I began walking in the Belknap Lava Field.  It was hot, but I was well hydrated from trail angel water at the pass.  I made it through the lava and wanted to get to water before camping for the night.  Just as it was getting dark I thought I found the trail to off-route water.  I followed it for over a mile and found nothing.  My headlight needs new batteries so I lost the faint trail on the way back.  I know the trail (PCT) is close but after getting scratched up by some sticks in the dark I decided to stop for the night- about 9 pm.  I have no water and have been dry since about 3.  I’m very thirsty but there’s nothing I can do until tomorrow.  I probably did about 25 miles today and the walking around middle and north sister was great.  I’m sleeping out under a very bright moon tonight in a burned area.  I’ve been walking in burned areas since getting through the lava field.

The PCT through the lava fields and Mt. Wasington

Wednesday September 26

I was just barely warm enough to sleep last night.  After about 50 steps this morning I came to the PCT.  It’s probably best that I stopped when I did last night as I may not have noticed the tread in the dark.  Two hours of walking led me to water at Big Lake.  The ground around the muddy-bottom lake was frozen and crunched underneath me.  I walked thru more burn until I reached Santiam Pass.  The same Trail Angel left water at this point.  From here I got off the PCT and walked the burned out Summit Lake Trail. along the east side of 3 Fingered Jack- not inspiring hiking.  I cooked at Jack Lake and am camped at Wasco Lake.  Another hiker, Chip, is camped here as well.  He’s about 60 and is from Portland.  I took a 3 hour break at Square Lake to do some writing and chipmunk watching.

I’m pretty sure the trail I followed last night that I thought was leading to water was actually just a climber’s trail up to Mt. Washington-  I feel foolish.  I’m in Mt. Jefferson Wilderness now and feel like I could have counted the number of green trees I saw today on one hand.  I think I walked just under 20 miles.  Saw more mule deer today, but that’s still the only animal I’ve seen.

Thursday September 27

I slept well under the bright moon, shaded both by my tent and a large tree.  A deer kept playing around my tent for a lot of the night, but its hopping around didn’t bother me much.  Usually on my third night of sleeping on the ground I begin to get comfortable.  I left at about 7:30 and after an hour I came to the cairn marking the route up 3 Fingered Jack.  The beginning of the trail was steep and like trying to walk up dry dog food.  When I got into the rock I had a blast.  Some of the climbing was exposed and being by myself made it quite exhilarating.  I’d say it was one of the best scrambles I’ve ever done.  After I descended I emptied my shoes of rocks and sand and then headed toward Santiam Pass.  First though, I ate my last piece of food (a snickers bar) and drank the last of my water.  This was a thirsty trip as there’s not a lot of water in the high desert this time of year.  I arrived at Santiam Pass at about 1:30 and hitched a ride into Sister from a logger who smelled of alcohol.  He was hard of hearing and told me many times how all the world’s problems could be solved by cutting down more trees.  I ate some fried food at the Sno Cap restaurant and then hitched a ride into Bend with 2 young guys named Joey and Sam  (if I’m remembering correctly).  They were really nice and lived in Thailand and Australia, respectively.  Their jobs are putting in natural gas pipelines.  Now I’m back to relaxing at Dan and Marci’s and will drive home in the morning.

Splashing into Standard Lake

Wendy and I drove north to Standard Lake today for an overnighter.  It was an extremely hot day and we were dripping with sweat by the time we finally made it to the lake.  I wore my new pair of mountaineering boots for the opportunity to break them in.  They seem like a good pair, though I’m glad it wasn’t that long of a trek because more than five miles probably would’ve given me a blister or two.

Lounging in the waning afternoon sun

Sadly, the lake wasn’t that impressive.  We knew it wasn’t an alpine lake before we went.  There wasn’t much of a view around the water and finding a good campsite was difficult.  We determined camping right beside the trail was the best course of action.  The water was refreshing on this hot day, but there were a lot of weird looking bugs floating around.  They looked like larva of some sort.

We slept well and woke early in the morning.  There wasn’t much room around the lake to hang out and not much of a view to enjoy so we walked back and drove home, but not before stopping off for burgers.

Wendy contemplating a stream crossing

Carol getting ready to cross the old bridge

June 24, 2012

John, Carol, Mark, my Dad, and myself drove north into Ione and then onto Cedar Creek Road today to go on a walk to some old-growth cedar and on a search for a certain type of mushroom.  On the way, we met up with Drew and his son, Zach, and also Kristen, who works for the forest service.  For the duration of the drive it rained and rained and rained, however, when we got out of the car to start walking there was only a light mist coming down.  The rest of the day we were lucky and got no rain.

The black blob mushrooms

John drove the road about as far as he could (and tried to go even further).  From there we walked the road about 3 miles to the remnants of an old bridge.  After crossing the bridge we walked up the hillside into the cedar forest.  The trees were big and educated guesses said they were anywhere from 600 to 800 years old.  Drew was on the lookout for a mushroom that only grows in old growth cedar forests.  I think it was called sarcosoma mexicanus or something close to that.  The group found quite a few quality samples.  He took pictures and samples to send to a man from Italy to study.  The mushroom looked like a black blob.

The sun came out for just a few minutes when we were in the forest.  Just before we parked, we saw a moose and a calf.  All told I bet we walked about eight miles.  It was a good trip with good company.

The group heads out in near perfect hiking formation

Mark and John by the biggest cedar we came across

Abandoned mine shaft near Noisy Creek Campground

June 16 and 17, 2012

I drove to the Thunder Creek Trailhead yesterday morning and hoped that I would be able to walk the trail far enough to make a loop trail using trails #313 and #312, but it wasn’t meant to be.  There was too much snow.  About half a mile before the end of the Thunder Creek Trail the snow was at least a couple feet deep.  I ended up making it to the junction with the Shedroof Divide Trail, but then turned around.  I’ve hiked the Thunder Creek Trail many times before and really enjoy the big trees, thick canopy, and loud water.  The trail is about 5 miles one-way so when I got back I drove to Noisy Creek Campground.  From there I walked the Sullivan Shoreline Trail, which I had never done before.  The trail is just over 4 miles long and ends (or starts) at East Sulllivan Campground.  The trail follows the shore and there’s not much up or down.  The trail winds through a couple beautiful birch forests and there is a decent campsite at about the halfway point.  I camped there for the night and was kept up much of the night by squirrels or chipmunks or some other rodent scampering around my tent.  I had instant oatmeal for dinner.   In the morning I walked two miles to East Sullivan Campground and walked the short Sullivan Nature Trail to learn some facts about the local ecosystem.  Thoroughly educated I turned around and walked back to the car at Noisy Creek.  On the way out I saw an old barricaded mine shaft with a sign warning hikers of poisonous gasses, unstable ladders and a lack of oxygen.

Birch forest along Sullivan Lake

I had very little energy on this trip and spent a lot of it wondering why I wasn’t at home sitting on the couch and eating, but after I was done I was glad I stayed out.  When I took out my tent and sleeping bag at my campsite I noticed I still had my crampons in my pack. I had no idea.  So in the future before I head out I will always make sure I’m not carrying 4 pounds of steel that I have no need for whatsoever.  I saw three elk on this trip; a little calf with spots, a mom, and a bull in velvet.  I followed the bull on the Thunder Creek Trail but was never able to catch up with him.  On the drive home I saw two mule deer hopping across Sullivan Lake Road.

Old sign along Slate Creek Road, which is gated until July 1

June 3, 2012

Today I drove north on Highway 31 through Metaline Falls to just a few miles south of the Canadian border.  The Halliday Trail #522 starts just off the highway and climbs into the nearby mountains.  It was a mostly overcast day with no rain, but it rained heavily the day and night before so my shoes were completely soaked after about 2 minutes of walking.

I need to get better at mushroom identification because I’m pretty sure I saw numerous morels along the trail, but I wasn’t certain enough to pick them.  After about 5 miles of walking I came to the North Fork Sullivan Creek Trail, which I took to the east.  After about 2 miles I came to the Wilderness Boundary and a mile after that the abandoned Slate Creek Trail.  Instead of heading back to the car the same way I came I took the abandoned trail about 4 more miles to where it comes out at road #3155.  From there, it was about another 6 miles back to the car.  The last mile or so was on the highway.  I had two tough creek crossings at Uncas Gulch and South Fork Slate Creek- both were running high.  The only snow I saw was at Uncas Gulch.

Old Miner's Cabin along road #3155

On the road walk back I saw a couple abandoned cabins that I’m sure used to belong to gold miners.  I didn’t see any animals and most of the trail was in the trees so even if the sky had been clear there wouldn’t have been many views.  All told, I walked about 16 miles.  The forest service has abandoned the Slate Creek Trail and there are a lot of down trees on the section of the old trail closest to NF Sullivan Creek.

Uncas Gulch

View of Hooknose through the trees

Our snow camp at the Lower Cedar Lake

May 25-26, 2012

Wendy and I drove North and then East through Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, and Troy (where we had a lovely lunch at Odie’s Cafe) until we were six miles from Libby.  Then we turned right and drove three miles to the trailhead for the Cedar Lakes Trail.  We got going at about 4 pm  and walked about 3 miles of snow-free trail until we came to the Cabinet Wilderness sign.  There was quite a bit of snow on the ground at that point so we changed into our boots and put on our snowshoes.  It was not easy traveling through the soft snow, but it was fun.  Routefinding was easy since the trail follows the creek all the way to the lakes.

Wendy playing in the snow

We eventually made it to the lower lake at about 8 that night and knew we weren’t going any further.  The lake was almost completely frozen and surrounded by snow.  This was Wendy’s first time snow camping.  It was a cold night, but we managed to stay warm enough.  In the morning I put my snowshoes back on and went west to find the upper lake.    That lake was bigger and sits at the base of Dome Mountain.  My original plan had been to try and climb to the summit, but it would have been very difficult in my snowshoes.  We didn’t see any animals, but did see some goat tracks that led straight up a snowfield that I couldn’t have imagined climbing except with an ice axe in each hand.

Frozen Upper Cedar Lake and Dome Mountain

We snowshoed and walked back to our car quickly and Wendy had fun sitting and sliding down the steeper parts.  We made a brief stop at Kootenai Falls and suspension bridge just outside of Troy- I’m glad we did.  On the way home we stopped in Bonners at the Pizza Factory.  Wendy did most of the driving while I slept- I admit this freely.  Now we have blisters to bandage and Devils Club to pull out of our fingers.

At Kootenai Falls

Me on the swinging bridge

Mt Hood Summit- Mt Adams and Mt Rainier in the background

May 18-19, 2012

Dad and I drove the Prius to Government Camp yesterday and had dinner at the Huckleberry Inn.  Then we drove a very short distance toward Timberline Lodge and found some forest service land to camp on.  W were close to the highway and were able to hear the big trucks gearing down before we went to sleep.  The temperature got down to about 33 degrees that night.

I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and dad was already up and having breakfast.  The sky was light when we arrived at Timberline.  We searched around awhile for the “Climbers Cave” to register for a wilderness permit and found it in the day lodge by the parking lot.  When we started walking the frozen snow it was just before 6 am.  The climb starts at around 5,800 feet and is well marked along a cat track until it rises above the Palmer ski lift.  After the track disappears it was still easy to find our way- we merely had to follow the hordes of people.  Dad said he thought there were about 100 people aiming for the summit.

Looking north from the peak

More climbers

There was a strong sulfur smell in the air as we climbed and when we reached the Devil’s Kitchen we saw smelly air vents and bare ground.  I think we put on our crampons at this point.  After two hundred vertical feet we found some sunshine and then walked the hogsback.  Before a crevasse the route veered left to an area I believe is called the “old chute.”  We hit a bottleneck at this point and I took a route slightly to the left and got to climb with my ice axe a bit to reach the ridge.  Once there we went east about 100 feet and then were on the summit.  The sky was mostly lear and we could see Adams, Mt. Saint Helens, and Rainier to the north and Jefferson to the south.

The trip down went quickly since the route was so steep.  Glicading wasn’t possible because the snow didn’t soften up enough.  I did some sliding on my butt part of the way down.  On this trip I became very aware that my gear is very old and out of date.  We got back to the car at about 11 and drove to Bend to see Dan and Marci.  We enjoyed some tasty BBQ and will drive to Newport in the morning.  Mount Hood is 11,239 feet in elevation and the trail to the summit is only 4 miles long.  I think I was the only person I saw climbing without trekking poles.

A heap of climbers on the hogsback

Dan, Marci, and Lulu in Bend