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 a long, long time runner (45 years of half-marathons), shoes and socks have become critical gear for happy feet, happy hiking. I track miles on specific shoes and have made gear changes because of this discipline, e.g., I swapped out all my shoes from Topo Athletic to Altra. I loved my Topos and they…
Plans were made to meet up with hiking buddy at Pisgah around 9:00 at North Trailhead. Peeking at the weather very early am suggested clear skies >90% full moon yet VERY cold for Willamette Valley @ 25 degrees. Planned then to leave home early enough to catch sunrise atop Pisgah and then swing back down…
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…
