Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - August 27th
Day 126: Tuesday 27th August
Below Timberline Lodge – Muddy Fork
Clear skies had returned by the morning. As I climbed above the tree line the upper
slopes of Mount Hood came into view and there were views back to the distant Mount
Jefferson. It took me 90 minutes to reach Timberline Lodge where I had a supply bag
waiting for me. The Lodge was an old hotel, which had now been expanded into a large
ski resort. It was still busy at this time of year, because there was summer skiing on the
glaciers on Mount Hood. With a scenic highway built up to the lodge and a network of
paths on the lower slopes of the mountain it is also very popular with tourists and
walkers. I had an expensive (by American standards), but very filling, breakfast at the
café in the ski area and took the opportunity to give some ice-treatment to my sore
Achilles tendon. Surprisingly “Heavy” was still at the café when I arrived despite
intending to do a 30-mile day.
Today’s route was going to be tough, but interesting, traversing the exposed slopes
of Mount Hood. The volcano had many glaciers whose outlet streams had cut deep
canyons through the deposits of volcanic ash and boulders. There was going to be a lot of
ascent and descent on the trail to get in and out of these canyons and crossing the
meltwater streams from the glaciers could be difficult or dangerous.
It was impossible to bridge the streams because any bridges would be washed away
every spring by the meltwater from the winter’s snow. Shortly after leaving the lodge the
PCT split into a low level route mainly through the woods, primarily intended for horses,
and the Paradise Loop Trail, which traversed the higher slopes. Flowers were abundant in
the alpine meadows, but were past their best by the end of August. I managed to get lost
after I stopped for lunch at a wilderness campground, where there were many small
paths confusing the scene.
I managed to find a spot to boulder hop across Zig Zag River, which was brown from
the sediment being carried down from the glacier.
In the afternoon I had to cross Sandy River Canyon. The canyon consisted of fine
volcanic ash mixed up with big boulders. This was being rapidly eroded away leaving steep
unstable cliffs. As I approached the canyon from above it appeared that there was either
a fire in the canyon or large amounts of steam being given off by fumaroles. It was only
when I got down into the canyon that I could see that it was fine dust being disturbed
when boulders dropped from the unstable cliffs, which were being undermined by the
river. Fortunately there were some unstable logs across the Sandy River and I was able
cross without getting my feet wet. By this time of day the water level in this brown silt-
laden stream was at a maximum and I wouldn’t have wanted to cross it without the logs.
I had dinner in Sandy River Canyon before starting a long evening session.
In my guidebook the PCT now continued past the Ramona Falls and regained the
upper slopes to continue its high-level traverse of Mount Hood. However the National
Park officials have been unable to maintain a safe trail for horses across the steep
unstable slopes and have diverted the PCT along a lower route through the woods. I
ignored this and followed the old route. The Ramona Falls is a beautiful small waterfall
with the water splashing down moss and fern-covered rock. It was in dark dense forest
and too dark for me to photograph with my small compact camera.
The area between the Ramona falls and the Columbia River (the
Washington/Oregon border) had been the subject of a lawsuit in 1976 with
environmentalists attempting to stop the Mount Hood National Forest logging in the
Portland Watershed, the subject of the Bull Run Trespass Act of 1904. The judge found
in favour of the environmentalists, but went much further than they wanted by ordering
the closure of all the trails in the area, which also contravened the Act. It required the
US Congress to draw up and pass the Bull Run Watershed Management Act in 1977 to
sort out the problem.
It was just after sunset by the time I reached Muddy Fork where I camped in the
woods. I was concerned about one dead tree leaning over my tent, resting on another
tree, but after testing I decided that it was safe. It wasn’t until the light of the morning
that I noticed a much bigger tree in the same state.
I had managed less than 15 miles in 8 hours of walking.
Day 126: 14.7 miles 8.00 hours Camp: Muddy Fork
Below Timberline Lodge – Muddy Fork
Clear skies had returned by the morning. As I climbed above the tree line the upper
slopes of Mount Hood came into view and there were views back to the distant Mount
Jefferson. It took me 90 minutes to reach Timberline Lodge where I had a supply bag
waiting for me. The Lodge was an old hotel, which had now been expanded into a large
ski resort. It was still busy at this time of year, because there was summer skiing on the
glaciers on Mount Hood. With a scenic highway built up to the lodge and a network of
paths on the lower slopes of the mountain it is also very popular with tourists and
walkers. I had an expensive (by American standards), but very filling, breakfast at the
café in the ski area and took the opportunity to give some ice-treatment to my sore
Achilles tendon. Surprisingly “Heavy” was still at the café when I arrived despite
intending to do a 30-mile day.
Today’s route was going to be tough, but interesting, traversing the exposed slopes
of Mount Hood. The volcano had many glaciers whose outlet streams had cut deep
canyons through the deposits of volcanic ash and boulders. There was going to be a lot of
ascent and descent on the trail to get in and out of these canyons and crossing the
meltwater streams from the glaciers could be difficult or dangerous.
It was impossible to bridge the streams because any bridges would be washed away
every spring by the meltwater from the winter’s snow. Shortly after leaving the lodge the
PCT split into a low level route mainly through the woods, primarily intended for horses,
and the Paradise Loop Trail, which traversed the higher slopes. Flowers were abundant in
the alpine meadows, but were past their best by the end of August. I managed to get lost
after I stopped for lunch at a wilderness campground, where there were many small
paths confusing the scene.
I managed to find a spot to boulder hop across Zig Zag River, which was brown from
the sediment being carried down from the glacier.
In the afternoon I had to cross Sandy River Canyon. The canyon consisted of fine
volcanic ash mixed up with big boulders. This was being rapidly eroded away leaving steep
unstable cliffs. As I approached the canyon from above it appeared that there was either
a fire in the canyon or large amounts of steam being given off by fumaroles. It was only
when I got down into the canyon that I could see that it was fine dust being disturbed
when boulders dropped from the unstable cliffs, which were being undermined by the
river. Fortunately there were some unstable logs across the Sandy River and I was able
cross without getting my feet wet. By this time of day the water level in this brown silt-
laden stream was at a maximum and I wouldn’t have wanted to cross it without the logs.
I had dinner in Sandy River Canyon before starting a long evening session.
In my guidebook the PCT now continued past the Ramona Falls and regained the
upper slopes to continue its high-level traverse of Mount Hood. However the National
Park officials have been unable to maintain a safe trail for horses across the steep
unstable slopes and have diverted the PCT along a lower route through the woods. I
ignored this and followed the old route. The Ramona Falls is a beautiful small waterfall
with the water splashing down moss and fern-covered rock. It was in dark dense forest
and too dark for me to photograph with my small compact camera.
The area between the Ramona falls and the Columbia River (the
Washington/Oregon border) had been the subject of a lawsuit in 1976 with
environmentalists attempting to stop the Mount Hood National Forest logging in the
Portland Watershed, the subject of the Bull Run Trespass Act of 1904. The judge found
in favour of the environmentalists, but went much further than they wanted by ordering
the closure of all the trails in the area, which also contravened the Act. It required the
US Congress to draw up and pass the Bull Run Watershed Management Act in 1977 to
sort out the problem.
It was just after sunset by the time I reached Muddy Fork where I camped in the
woods. I was concerned about one dead tree leaning over my tent, resting on another
tree, but after testing I decided that it was safe. It wasn’t until the light of the morning
that I noticed a much bigger tree in the same state.
I had managed less than 15 miles in 8 hours of walking.
Day 126: 14.7 miles 8.00 hours Camp: Muddy Fork
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Mount Hood
Mount Hood from
Lost Valley
Lost Valley
Zig Zag River
Mount Hood from
Sandy River
Sandy River