Longer days, warmer temperatures and a crescent moonset … After a couple of hard rainy days and raging valley rivers from melting snow, Ridgeline Trail seemed like a good idea – waiting for further snow melt in the cascade foothills for later in the week. I started early at 0600 from Spring Blvd trailhead and…
Last night, I had 4 options to hike today. I just couldn’t force myself to drive even 45 minutes to Westfir for Alpine and North Fork hikes. Pisgah was the best option with less driving – given Tuesday’s Spencer jaunt. A quick 10 minute drive around 06:00 and I’m at the West Trailhead with 2…
I needed to stay in town for a possible run to PDX so Spencer Butte was the hike and a bit later than typical. The weather prompted rain probably but light – huge dilemma on top outer gear. I chose to stay light – started with just base-layers (2) and hiking vest (pockets, camera and…
Rambling around Alton Baker Park around sunrise / moonset before the rain came this morning. Crows atop trees under insufficient light and a very serious fishing heron topped the day. Best part of it … meet other humans out and about an hour before sunrise – we’re all such chipper / happy people in greetings….
As of last night, 50-50 Alpine and North Fork were my destination with colder weather and possible rain / snow. When I got up this morning the NOAA (quite important to keep funding) snow depth had the snow covering all of Alpine and very close to North Fork. The weather had temperatures in the high…
For shoulder seasons when it’s cold and probably wet too, I need a heavier fleece than I carry in the warmer summer season (go-to then is Sky Goat waffle fleece). I looked at several different versions from popular brands including Patagonia and Smartwool, but from Garage Grown Gear (product list), a new local brand from…
After recent air inversion hikes on Mary’s Peak and Spencer, the air came back nearly normal today. Air was clear at valley floor and foggy above … the cold still in the lower spots, especially on the north side of hills. Temperatures were around 28 at Pisgah West trailhead parking lot … and when I…
After last week’s drive to Mary’s Peak, burning less carbon this week and getting an earlier start hiking had me back on Ridgeline Trail. The air inversion had lessened and a clear fog-less sky early as I drove to Spring Blvd trailhead. After such a cold dry spell, the roads were mostly clear. The coldest…
Inversion (Wikipedia): “In meteorology, an inversion (or temperature inversion) is a phenomenon in which a layer of warmer air overlies cooler air. Normally, air temperature gradually decreases as altitude increases, but this relationship is reversed in an inversion” After looking at the weather for a hike on the way to PDX, I decided that William Finley or Mary’s Peak would suffice – decide…
Rambling around town from my front door on a very cold January day … yet, the skies were mostly clear and sunshine promising. Whether by accident or with full intent, Eugene Parks are pretty easy to link together – and using UO campus as the connector works well. Leaving early before sunrise made it VERY…
