Mount Hood

We left Portland last Sunday and set up camp near Zig Zag Oregon on a branch of the Zig Zag river next to Mt Hood.  The camp site was beautiful and peaceful with huge trees and the sound of the creek.  Temperatures were 60s to lower 40s and no mosquitoes. 

The trees totally dwarfed our truck.

Sitting in the campsite - yes we really liked it there!

Creek is behind the tent and a side stream is coming in on the right.

The creek next to our tent site - full of the large leaf water plants that looked more like the Florida swamps than Oregon.

We hiked almost up to McNeil Shelter the first day via Top Spur Trail, Bald Mountain Trail, Timberline and McNeil Point Trails.  About 9 miles round trip.  Beautiful wildflowers on the way up and then lots of snow to get through.  We stopped on the last snow traverse to the point because of the time and we were really tired from the long snow climb (long for us).

The mountainsides were covered with flowers.

Mount Hood as the clouds lifted showing the mountain above and the Sandy River running out below with all the falls feeding in.  Almost like a kind of reflection below.

Cascade Lily--start creamy white and slowly turn pink to purple

Avalanche Lilies all through the trees - a blanket of them. There were so many wild flowers we could do a separate blog on just the flowers.

The ponds on the way to McNeil Point with ice still on them.

Susan starting the last climb up the ridge way up to the right

McNeil signpost - pretty weather worn

The next day we hiked 7 miles RT to Ramona Falls on the same area of Mt. Hood.  The hike was beautiful and the falls were large and unusual.  The falls came down a jagged cliff so that there was such a roar and they sent a rush of cold air out that we had to dig out our warm tops to be able to stay near the falls to eat lunch.  The creek we walked up to the falls was surrounded by moss and ferns.  Views of the mountain were great.  Good hike day. 

The creek going up to Ramona Falls

The Hollow log in the creek had it's own waterfall going.

 

The falls - hard to get the light right for our photo.

Views of Mt. Hood as we crossed the Sandy River

 The Sandy glacier on Hood.  A 'hanging glacier' in center of photo

In the Sandy River bed

We stopped in the Zig Zag Cafe - Store in Zig Zag Oregon and we were surprised by really good fresh blackberry and fresh peach pies.  So we took slices back to the camp for desert.  That became an addiction.  We also noticed their $4 breakfast.  Two eggs - thick cut bacon - potatoes and biscuit.  Really good.  So we quit cooking breakfast in the camp! 

The Zig Zag is at the corner of highway 26 and Lolo Pass road (the road we have taken for many years to get to our trail heads on the west side of Hood.)  The store has always been there and was usually a stop since it and the ranger station across the highway were the only things there.  Well the area has grown and the Zig Zag has become more of a cafe than a country store. A good stop with WiFi!

The next day we rode bikes out of the campground up the Still Creek trail to Still Creek road and up to Trillium Lake.  It was a much further ride than we had expected and climbed all the way 10 to 12 miles of climbing but it was going up a beautiful mountain stream and the wildflowers were changing with elevation as they did on our mountain hikes.  Lower down the foxgloves were really beautiful with the cascade Lilly's up high.   We didn't take the camera - so no photos.  By the time we had ridden around the lake and on up to Government Camp we were tired and had only take two power bars.  So we ate burrito and tamale in Government Camp and started down to find the Pioneer Trail trail head but missed it somewhere and rode 9 miles down the highway back to our campground turnoff.  There was of course construction so we were crowded in with the traffic in some areas.  We were not at all happy but all turned out well.  Ate more pie and all was right again.