Category: Trails
Is the Palmer Snowfield Really Gone? What the Satellites Show
Social media says the Palmer snowfield melted away this year for the first time. I pulled every Sentinel-2 satellite pass over Mount Hood for late summer 2025 and 2026 to check. The Palmer had a dreadful year, but “first time” is not quite right.
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The Grasshopper Fire: How One Lightning Strike Reshaped Mount Hood’s East Side
From a late-July lightning strike to 94,000 acres, a lost lookout, homes burned near Friend and most of the Badger Creek Wilderness scorched: how the Grasshopper Fire grew, what it closed, and what it means for hiking on Mount Hood’s east side.
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Tom Dick and Harry in October: Fireweed, a Mystery Cairn and a Rather Bare Mountain
An early October Sunday up Tom Dick and Harry with Hunter: seeding fireweed, a wind-ruffled Mirror Lake, a cairn of unexplained ambition, and a summit view of a Mount Hood that’s looking distinctly underdressed.
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Water on the Timberline Trail
Thirsty? You will be. The Timberline Trail around Mount Hood is a Pacific Northwest classic—but...
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Best Time to Hike the Timberline Trail: Early-Season Tips for Mount Hood’s Iconic Loop
If you’re eyeing the legendary Timberline Trail—Mount Hood’s 40-mile loop of alpine vistas,...
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The snow came quickly to Mount Hood in 2024
2024 as a great hiking season. I was up on the mountain right up to the middle to the end of...
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Timberline Trail Washout and fixed! – 2024
It was only last year that the section of the Timberline Trail between Ramona Falls and Top Spur...
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Paradise Park – not once but twice in a weekend
Paradise Park Trail I love going up to Paradise Park, and the Paradise Park Trail is one of my...
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Tahoe Rim Trail – planning for the summer of 2023!
I love hiking in the Sierra Nevada and was looking for a spectacular multi-day hike in the Sierra...
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Ramona Falls (Mount Hood)- at least once per season?
Ramona Falls is one of the classic hikes in Mount Hood National Forest. I think the Forest Service...
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Mississippi Head – the shortest route from Timberline and Paradise Park
I have hiked across the Zigzag crossing many times, from Timberline to Paradise Park and back....
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Paradise Park Loop – finally snow free (almost)
A few weeks back I hiked up the Paradise Park Trail to see how the snow was at Paradise Park. At...
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