All Day Rain on Ridgeline

After two days of serious Willamette Valley rain, the weather peeps suggested a break Tuesday with only cloudy, foggy morning and maybe showers early afternoon. I rechecked right before leaving, and was same … how wrong they were. It rained all day from the moment I left Spring Blvd Trailhead at 7:30 until I returned to car at 1:30.

Put on the rain gear and head out … taking pictures was a challenge when the weather and vistas were like this as I crossed Mt. Baldy.

Getting to the top of Spencer Butte the first time was the best view … how about that for the best vista for a photo of Cascade Range to the esst?

Sunlight never really broke through and I don’t think I saw my shadow once the entire 6 hours. Sadly, then, those wonderful moments of sunlight and raindrops didn’t happen – but there were glimpses.

The Route

Started at Spring Blvd TH and straight up Spencer; then, down to S. Willamette TH and back up Spencer. Thirdly down to N. Willamette TH and back up Spencer and back to Spring Blvd. 3x up Spencer but not footsteps between Willamette and Blanton.

Trail conditions were WET! Water was everywhere; running water under the trail, over the trail, down the trail … these are the conditions when the maintenance crew’s love of crushed gravel made the trail usable – I don’t think I ever stepped in water above my shoe sole.

Human traffic was very, very light and only serious hikers and runners were out. Seemed like everybody appreciated those who were out in the rain.

Gear Box

Sometime, a serious hiker needs to really test out ‘occasional or emergency’ gear to understand constraints and usages. A long local hike in terrible conditions serves that purpose perfectly.

Patagonia Torrentshell Rain jacket – this was the second hike in rain with my Torrentshell. I kept mostly dry – the only wet spot was on one forearm (trekking pole use maybe). With two inner layers, I kept warm but never overheated. Highly recommended for wear (I never took mine off on this hike), but packability is an issue (it’s large).

Mountain Hardware Gortex Rain Paints – these were a ‘throw-away’ from the employee store. I wore over baselayer tights. The combination worked great! Legs stayed dry and didn’t overheat. Only issue with these pants is there’s no zipper at bottom, so once they’re on, they stay on. I solved that issue by planning on wearing all day and wearing over base layer rather than hiking pants. I was actually surprised the pants kept me so dry.

Altra Lone Peak 7 WP Boots – a new pair just like the old ones that were retired after 637 miles. My next pair will be either Topo or Altra TIMB 6 GTX for more cushioning than the Lone Peaks. The old WP Boots were only the 4th shoe to last >500 miles.

REI Sahara Gaiters – first time and a gear reject. I bought for winter hiking in snow, mud and water. They are REALLY heavy and stiff with a weird velcro system. One gaiter just wouldn’t close correctly and both sagged by the end of the day. For hikes with terrible and dangerous conditions – thorns, ticks, snakes, etc … they’d suffice but with a cost. I will return them.

Data Geek Cellar

• Shoes: Altra Lone Peak WP Boots (new pair!)
• Pack: Gossamer Gear GRIT (Full foothills day hike kit)
• Upper Layers: Mid Calpine, SkyGOAT fleece
• Upper shell: Patagonia Torrentshell
• Trekking Poles: Gossamer Gear
• Approximate Times: 07:30 – 13:30
• Carbon ratio: 4.25 hours (1.5 hours driving: 5.75 hours hiking); YTD = 33.5 hours banked
• Miles hiked YTD: 149.7
• Notes:
  • Photos: low
  • Speed: moderate
  • Difficulty: moderate due to condition
  • Weather: 4-45 fog, mist, rain all day with some wind

No All Trails Data … my iPhone froze at one point – didn’t like the rain? – when I restarted iPhone, All Trails requires you to ‘resume’ recording, but I failed to do that so there wasn’t complete data. I think better usage is GaiaGPS that just kept recording when iPhone restarted.