After last week’s Diamond Lake adventure, and to stay loose for next week’s PCT Mt Jefferson ramble (fires & weather pending), I revisited Spencer Butte for an early morning 15 mile warm up. The hike started at S Willamette TH, then to Blanton, then to Baldy, back up to summit 2x, and then back to S Willamette TH.
Getting going was tough at first as I could not get my shoes (Topo Ultra*) and toe duct-tape situated right – it took 3 times as i kept leaving an exposed ‘pre-blister’. Once fixed, the trail just unfolded …
For the first couple of hours (started at 06:15), there were few people … I heard from another hiker that there was somebody atop waving around a gun and the police were called. I quickly passed by the summit trail and went on to Baldy and hit the summit 2x later (after the crazy rumor was no more, or fact … ).
Along the way, two things struck me … first, just a beautiful flower (thistle) and second, autumn seems to have landed early.
But the best of the day, so weird, … there were clouds and the weather was cool … seems like months since this scene showed.
GaiaGPS Track data
Believe I’ve been to Spencer Butte, about 30 years ago! The first photo could be a jigsaw puzzle!