Sept 15 Summer Trailcam Photos

Sept 5 Mt Hood and the Timberline Trail

The center of activity on Mt Hood is Timberline Lodge built as a WPA project in the 1930s. It is a massive and impressive stone structure with wonderful architectural features designed to make it a grand showcase of a Western mountain lodge. It boasts oak floors, huge wood beams, unique doors and hardware and even has a WPA tile mural in the entryway.

The 40 mile Timberline Trail loop is usually accessed here. We walked a couple miles out and back to get a feel for the area. I was stunned by the barrenness of the terrain.  

The trail was built in 1930 by the CCC. It shares some of its trail with the Pacific Crest Trail. Also, it was part of the predecessor to the PCT, the Oregon Skyway trail which went from Crater lake to Mt Hood. 

Mt Hood, at 11,235 feet is the highest point in Oregon. There are 12 named glaciers on it with the largest, Eliot Glacier at 73,000 acres and 360' at its deepest point. We saw skiers on one of the snow fields, whenever the clouds parted.  

Mt Hood is volcanic. Its last eruption was 1781. There are a number of vents on the mountain which spew various gases. In 1934, someone exploring an ice cave, dies as a result of venting gases. Someday it will erupt again but like, Mt St Helens in 1980, there will be sufficient warning. Our B&B host was on top of Mt Hood when Mt St Helens erupted but did not witness the eruption. Later that day, he saw the smoke and ash cloud from Mt St Helens floating eastward.

Sept 4 Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls was on our itinerary for the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Not the best time to try to visit, but it was then or never. Multnomah Falls is on the Columbia River Gorge about an hour west of Portland. Its water flows into the Columbia about 1/2 mile from the base of the falls. As you can see, it is a two tier drop with combined measurement of 620 feet, highest in Oregon. The USFS sign says it is the second highest US "year-round" waterfall. This claim was from a decades old promotion of the falls and nearby lodge. The World Waterfall Database ranks it 154th in the US.

My photo took patience. There were thousands of people in the area. See what it really looked like, below.

An interesting story dates to 1995. A wedding party was on the bridge right above the splash pool for the first drop when a 40 by 20 foot, 400 ton rock dislodged from rock face near the top and fell into the pool. A 70 foot wave drenched the wedding party and injured several.

Before visiting Multnomah, we hiked to Wahkeena Falls nearby. Parking was easier at it but we had to hike a mile between them. On our return hike, the road below was at a standstill for about a mile.

Aug 12 Buffalo Mountain

As you look north from the Sauratown Mountains or many other regional locales in which you see the southern profile of Buffalo Mountain, it resembles a buffalo (or bison). It is the most recognizable mountain feature in the area, from the south. 

As a Virginia Natural Area Preserve, it has significance for its occurrences of rare plants and animals. The magnesium rich soil is an anomaly in the area. Some of the naturally occurring plants are more prevalent in the midwest and not see elsewhere in Virginia. The trailhead kiosk tantalizes us with its claim to fame as the only known occurrence of Puto kosztarabi in the world. A mealybug. I didn't spend much time looking for one but I did want to see a wildflower, Grass of Parnassus. Didn't see one of those either. We did see a couple Peregrine Falcons soaring above. Twice I saw one initiate a dive but both times, broke it off after a very short distance.

At 3971 feet, we were well above the local landscape. As you can see, there is significant forest with some pasture land but no towns or communities in the area. The drive to the trailhead is a single lane rutted dirt road. The parking lot looks like it get some visitation but I would hate to meet a vehicle on that one lane road. We could see that some cars had parked about a mile away and walked in as it was a rough and steep road. The trail to the top is just a mile but uphill all the way.

In addition to its natural history, there were some famous landowners of the property. It was part of a land grant given to General Harry Lighthorse Lee for his service during the Revolutionary War. Upon his death, it was passed on to his sons Charles Carter Lee and Robert E Lee. Charles lived on the property and his log cabin law office still stands on adjacent property.

Hard to miss this Chicken of the Woods right next to the trail.