Smith Rock State Park 30 Aug 2014

The plan was to go to Broken Top and hike to the no name lake but... the weather wasn't great - all the Cascade mountains were socked in with clouds.  Broken Top is a view hike and  so we scrapped the plan and headed to Smith Rock as NOAA said we should have sunny skies there. But the clouds and rain even made it that far.  We had a little rain at the end of the hike and a lot more as we got in the car to leave.  But it was still a beautiful day (though crowed on the River Trail) and not at all hot.  We hiked almost the entire loop by going up Misery Ridge and over to Mesa Verde connecting to the Summit Trail, then Burma Road, down to the Wolf Trail and back to the River Trail.  On the River Trail we kept going around Smith Rock to the other side of Monkey Face.  I saw the river otter on the final leg of the River trail.
Our hike was about 9.5 ish mi (we lost gps twice) and about 1600 ft over all gain (twice up and twice down)

Cloud filtered light on the Crooked River and rocks

heading up Misery Ridge

Smith Rock looking south

Monkey Face

monkey face from below

from the river trail

a little snake

see Misery Ridge in the distance

lunch spot

walking on a cable

from River trail

check out the guy hanging from Monkey face

I watched a family of River Otter from the River trail

cool rocks

see the people at the top by the cliff?