Iron Mountain 27 June 2013

This is one of the best all round hikes for scenery, varied habitats, wild flowers and views.  We arrived early - around 9:10a and headed up via the Cone Peak trail.  We arrived at the "Wizard of Oz" point (where it opens up to the meadow below Cone Peak) and WOW!  The larkspur were stealing the show, the hills were carpeted in purple.  I had not see this display in previous hikes.  I think this is a hike you could take every two weeks and see something different.
The clouds were not allowing the sun to directly hit the hills, but every once in awhile it would break through and create a beautiful, striking blaze of light on one particular area of the meadow or hills.  Very pretty.
We hiked on and arrived at the top of a very lush and green Iron Mountain (the previous week had been very rainy).  No views today because of the clouds, but we noticed when we got down that the clouds were burning off and the people with the cars filling up the parking lot were in for a treat.
Beautiful day!  In two weeks or so, the entire mountain will be filled with flowers en route to the top.

my Oz moment - you know when the movie goes from black and white to color?

Larkspur and paintbrush

Iron Mtn and Cone Peak

Iron Mountain

Cone Peak

Looking back

heading to Iron Mtn

on the way to Iron Mtn

Sunshine on Cone Peak

Cliff Pentemon at the top of Iron Mtn

Iron Mtn thumb

Jean on the look out structure

Cone Peak from Iron Mtn, Jefferson is under the clouds

Crater Lake 21 June 2013 First day of Summer!

Road trip for the first day of summer.  I left home at 6am for my 4-ish hour drive to Crater Lake via Hwy 58 out of Eugene.  The road was lonely, very few cars, but on Hwy 138 on my last leg, three deer joined me on the road.  Praise God, they were far enough ahead that it was easy to slow down.  My first view of the park was at the Merriam Point overlook.  Brisk wind and cool.  Had to put on all my clothes.  :-)  I left Crater Lake around 2p to hike a to a falls on the way home.  Made it  home around 7:30p.

I drove on the very narrow East Rim Drive amid lots of snow.

Not too many people had arrived by 10 a so the pullouts were pretty empty.  Took more photos in the milky light, filtered by high clouds.

Wizard Island is looking pretty dark compared to the white snow.

Before 11a I was on the trail to Garfield Peak.  It was considered partially open, but there were people making it to the top.  They had to head up a pretty steep snow field, and I opted to stick with the view I had. I had it all to myself anyway. As the clouds melted away

and it became sunnier and sunnier, the water just kept getting bluer and bluer.  Amazing!

Paintbrush and Phlox on the trail

view of the lodge looking southwest

view from the trail to Garfield Peak

snowfield

Mt Shasta in CA

looking down the water was incredible

That is water not sky!  The clouds are reflected.

view from the top of the trail

You could see the Phantom Ship when you walked along the ridge at my view spot

Garfield Peak...the snowfield I was concerned about was the one nearest the top

Back at the parking lot

my hike

looking west from a pullout on the way home

Diamond Peak and Diamond Lake

Mt Thielsen from the Diamond Lake viewpoint

Rhodys blooming 

hiking to Toketee Falls

Toketee Falls

Burnt Lake & East Zigzag Mtn 14 June 2013

Jean and I headed up to the Mt Hood area on a foggy valley day.  It didn't improve that much near Hood.  We started out about 9:45a.  It was Ladies' Day on the trail - we only hiked by 3 women the entire time.  Guess folks don't typically hike 9.6 miles and 2300 ft up for a view of the clouds.  Well, we did.  The view from the top will be oh so stunning on a sunny day.  Will have to do it again.  :-)

Burnt Lake

The first opportunity for a southern view.  No Hood.

Rhodys and phlox

The final approach to East Zigzag

Mt Adams in the distance...looking north at our lunch spot

Jean

Looking for Mt Hood???

you can see the base of the snow on Hood

Glacier Lilies

Multnomah and Wahkeena Falls Loop 7 June 2013

I began this beautiful hike early, before lots of people were swarming Multnomah Falls:  8:45a.  I had hoped to arrive sooner but...traffic.  I wasn't sure where the return trail from Wakeena started, so I headed up to the top of Multnomah Falls to start.  The canyon is beautiful once you reach the top...sheer cliffs rising way above the canyon floor.  Two nice water falls along the path.  I turned west at the junction with Larch Mtn and hiked along the side of the mountain on a path lined with ferns, delphinium, and iris.  I turned north at the junction with the Devil's Rest trail.  The hike became less interesting for the next 1.4 miles, good for a work out though as it climbed up for a half hour.  After awhile it leveled off and the trail skirted the top of a bowl, dropoffs straight below.  0.2 miles before Devil's Rest I took a side path to a view point and sat there to have lunch.  So far I had only met one person on that section of the trail.  Returning, however, I ran into many more people all going up.  When I arrived at the Wakeena trail junction I headed left towards Wakeena Falls.  The trail down improved with every step, two more waterfalls, and a very lively creek.  Once it became paved, it was nondescript again.  I hiked back to Multnomah Falls and a latte on the 0.5 mile return trail.  The trip was 8.2 miles and took 4 hours including lunch.

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls

Falls along Multnomah creek

Falls along Multnomah creek

 Multnomah creek

Iris

lunch view

delphinium and ferns

interesting tree

fungus

Fairy Falls

Fairy falls

Wakeena Falls