PCT Section 5: Timberline Trail
I had to skip 80 miles of the PCT due to the Lionshead Fire Closure, a section of the trail that was closed from a fire that had happened a few years back. Because of that, I wanted to make up some miles and feel like I was seeing the best of Oregon! I ended up deciding to hike the Timberline Trail, a 40 mile loop that circles around Mount Hood. I started and ended at the Timberline Lodge, a spot famous among hikers for its breakfast buffet. I started hiking in the afternoon, and started the loop counter-clockwise, taking me through the ski resorts on the south side of Mount Hood.This first image is of a series of a cascading waterfalls that I saw in the late evening light.
I made it 7 miles the first day, and woke up early the second morning to a clear day. I immediately crossed a river, something that would be a challenge throughout my time on the Timberline Trail. Thankfully this one didn’t require getting my feet wet, and I continued hiking on.
After the river crossing, I began a long climb to the high point of the Timberline Trail. On the east side of the mountain, there were still some significant snowfields that I had to cross. As you can see by the image below, even in late July there was still a lot of snow!
Later on the second day I would have multiple challenging rivers to cross. The Elliot Branch proved challenging, as there was no obvious place to get across. I ended up fording a section that was fast moving water up just above my knees. On reaching the other side, I had to scramble up steep loose sand to reach safety. About an hour after that crossing, I was crossing a different creek on a snow bridge, when the snow completely collapsed beneath me. Thankfully I was anticipating this, and I knew that I wouldn’t get hurt if it collapsed on me. After that I backed up and decided to go through the middle of the creek, again getting my feet and legs soaked. That afternoon I found camp and took a long nap to recover. Once I was awake again, I set to work taking images of the incredible scenes to my north! I was on the north side of Mount Hood at this point, and with the clear conditions I could see a lot of the significant volcanoes in Washington.
Mount St. Helens in the late afternoon.
The last light on Mount Adams.
Mount Rainier looming in the distance.
The following morning, I woke up already warm. This day would be one of the hottest I’d see on trail, with temperatures well into the 90s. Thankfully there was plenty of snow to encounter in the early morning!
Can you see the trail here? Just following the trail was a challenge amongst all of these trees and snow on the ground.
As I began to descend into a valley, I came across some beautiful forests and waterfalls.
In the afternoon I took an alternate off of the Timberline Trail to see Ramona Falls, a stunning waterfall that I would visit again in a few days (once I finished the Timberline Trail and started north again on the PCT). I spent about an hour here cooling off and taking in this incredible place. This was my favorite image from that visit. To me the central rock formation looks like a mother cradling her child.
After leaving Ramona Falls, I had some extremely challenging hiking ahead of me. In the late afternoon the temperatures were so hot, and I had to climb over 2,000 feet of elevation to reach where I planned to camp that night, Paradise Park. It was mentally grueling climbing up the constant switchbacks, soaked in my own sweat. I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually I started to break out of the trees and into the alpine of Paradise Park. This image is looking west, and shows off some nicely patterned layers in the distance.
After setting up camp for the night, I enjoyed the stunning close up views of Mount Hood. The image below was taken about 20 feet from my campsite!
The next morning, I had six miles left to make it to Timberline Lodge. I was in a hurry because I wanted to eat some real food! On the way, I stopped to take in this unnamed waterfall. The ground around Mount Hood was often very sandy, something I hadn’t anticipated before going to this area. And that morning, the conditions were extremely windy. This led to some very interesting atmosphere in this image, caused by blowing sand.
I reached Timberline Lodge in the mid-morning and filled up at the lunch buffet. I spent the rest of the day hanging out at the lodge, and would resume my hike north on the PCT the next day. The Timberline Trail was equal parts challenging and rewarding for me, but all of it prepared me for what was still to come on my journey.