{"id":472,"date":"2025-01-25T01:57:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T01:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=472"},"modified":"2025-01-25T01:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T01:57:10","slug":"an-inversion-on-marys-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=472","title":{"rendered":"An Inversion on Mary’s Peak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inversion<\/strong> (Wikipedia<\/a>): “In meteorology, an inversion<\/strong> (or temperature inversion<\/strong>) 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”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After looking at the weather for a hike on the way to PDX, I decided that William Finley<\/a> or Mary’s Peak would suffice – decide once temperatures and fog were a ‘known’ rather than a prediction (I also checked Finley website and failed to see a ‘closed’ notice). … It was 26 degrees when I was passing Finley, so I thought that would be the better place … After driving to parking lot, the closed for season to protect wildlife<\/span><\/strong> sunk in. … Off to Mary’s Peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 clicking on photos opens higher quality resolution version \u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way across the valley (the lowest point) temperatures hit 25 degrees, and the sky looked like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I ended up at Conners Camp TH (East Ridge Trail) around 8:30 – leaving later than normal to avoid the frozen fog (Decker Road had ice as always with this weather) – and here’s the inversion: 31 degrees at the higher elevation TH. I hiked without fleece 3rd layer all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not a recommended route \/ hike as I followed both what I wanted to avoid and what I thought were the better paths. Started at Conners Camp and went straight to top around the meadow and up the road; then back down the same way to the ‘cut over’ and went back to the East Rigde Summit trail; then down to the campground and back up to the top and then back to Conners Camp after going down and back on the cut off – the BEST part of the entire hike. The section of trail that goes from East Ridge Summit to North Ridge Trail; there is an old growth section as well as the wildest, coldest side of the hill – not to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n