So, I did manage to get going on my bicycle from NEAR the Panther Creek campground above Carson late Friday afternoon, heading into a blustery south-west wind on this first day of "cooling", though it was still sunny and quite warm at the two-digit elevation of the Columbia River.
I stopped at the Visitor Info Center / Forest Info Center in Stevenson (dripping sweat from fighting the still-warm headwinds, trying to avoid drenching maps I was being shown) to get specifics about a fire on south-west slopes of Mt Adams that affected parts of the PCT, according to a radio mention I had earlier just caught the tail-end of while having the radio on auto-scan. I was given a confusing flyer dated Sep 10, 2012 about the Cascade Creek Fire of Sept 8 (didn't notice the date til later.) When I got to the trailhead at the north end of Bridge of the Gods, there was posted a flyer with more specific info on a suggested Alternate Route, beginning at hwy 23 (main Road north from Trout Lake) that the PCT crosses just before it heads towards the south-west slopes of Mt Adams. The suggested detour route follows in reverse the southern portion of the bicycle route I took when I did this section last year. Specifically, it follows paved road 23 north to Takhlakh Lake then goes east on gravel road 2329 to Divide Trail 113 which heads south-east back to the PCT at the northwest slopes of Mt Adams. (I did not take that latter trail, having started my bicycle loop at Potato Hill much further north of Mt Adams.) I recall that last year this section started out with quite an area of fairly recently burned forest. Maybe that was the Cascade Creek fire - not sure if the timing or age of that burn traversed by the PCT matches the Cascade Creek Fire of 2012, The current fire is named the Mt Adams Complex in http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4360/25792/ consisting of the Horseshoe, Riley, Canyon, and 7-lakes fires, and seems to be nearly under control, thanks in part to the cool weather.
But the main point here is - it won't affect me. I've already been there. I'll be finishing up well south of there this year.
It was about 5pm after I'd stashed my bike at the trailhead and got walking. Still sunny and quite warm, I took my time noting the "unusual" low-elevation vegetation and the jumbled topography of that huge landslide that was the semi-legendary, semi-historical origin of the term "Bridge of the Gods" which is the substrate upon which the current Bonneville locks and dam and upstream Bonneville lake are built. As I slowly progressed upwards I captured some could-have-been good vistas of the Bonneville complex, had I had a real camera with me. Also dawdled while feasting on sweetly ripe Blackberries and later Salmonberries and thimbleberries. There were also some ripe huckleberries and blueberries though they seemed rather tasteless compared to the crop I enjoyed much later in the season last year. I happened to be climbing up the steep slopes of Table Mountain as the light began to fade, uncertain whether I would find a good sleeping site, but just made it to the top of a ridge with a perfect site for my bug-tent (though there were few mosquitoes here.)
Next day I calculated that I could actually make it back to the car that day, in 22 miles. the weather had actually gotten very much cooler, cold, even, compared to the heat I had become accustomed to. I left on my thermal undershirt most of the morning. Fog was condensing on the conifers and then dripping on the broad-leaf understory which was overgrowing the trail, so my pants were soaked along with my sandals and socks. I made good time trying to keep warm. Down the deep Rock Creek canyon, back up the tall Sedum Ridge, back down to the broad Wind River valley, across a bit of minor civilization there, back up a bit to the car just as the light was failing. I had allowed for overnighting just short of the car, since I didn't really have anywhere to go in the car that evening, but the "goal" prevailed, and so I pushed to the car.
Oh, good time to explain a goof in my execution: I parked the car not where I had intended, thus shortening my intended hike by about two miles, and now adding two short hikes to my task-list, to get to where I intended to be. let me explain: Hwy 30 goes northwest from Carson but there's a road 65 branches north from 30 to Panther Creek Campground and on north from there roughly paralleling the trail from there to when it re-joins road 30 (which has curved east) just before the Placid Lake Trailhead which is my next "end-point" - the southern extent of my hiking in Washington last year. Oh, but writing that down just now I realize I may have chosen the right parking spot after all, now realizing that road 30 rejoins road 65, and now seeing on the map that road 65 turns to gravel mid-way there, and I think road 60 doesn't, so I think I just subconsciously remembered why I should be choosing to park yesterday at road 30. Actually, I still need to check that on another map, maybe even re-scout that route - to be sure. Glad I just wrote this, lest I do some unnecessary hiking, though only a few miles.
Oh wow! 8pm! I've certainly squandered today, Sitting in McD's all day, battling wi-fi-connection resets every 20 minutes or so foiling my BCNav map tile downloads that is dividing my attention as I'm writing this.
Oh, yes, to catch up with "the history" part of this blog: after getting to the car last night, I took that gravel "connector" road 6517 across "Warren Gap" between the road 30 trail crossing (in the "middle of nowhere" though with a broad turnout for parking, where I did park) and the road 65 trail crossing (at Panther Creek Campground or more specifically the adjacent Horse Camp.) The trail parallels then crosses this road about midway, but I'd missed the crossing a few days ago when I was scouting and looking for a car-camp spot. At that time I'd found a "jeep trail" that led to a tight turn-around at an obvious hunter's camp - bones everywhere, among the other litter. This time, I had my "half-mile PCT trail-finder" app at the ready, and found the trail, as expected, at the road summit. Drove past and took the first jeep-trail turnout, which happened to be the same one as last time, the hunter's camp. Oh well, good enough.
Got up early enough this morning, Sunday, getting very efficient packing my car-tent (standard barely-two-man dome-tent, vs. my two hiking tents: an ultralight compact tent with a proper rain-cover, and an even smaller "bug-tent" that I prefer in rain-free weather, but combines with a large poncho that accommodates a backpack that I always carry, and some painter's plastic sheeting, in case of thunderstorm, but that I also always carry in case of unexpected conditions, along with a few large garbage bags.) Got off to fetch my bicycle by 6am, Crossed the Bridge of the Gods, heading for Hood River again, took another $1 shower at the Marina, then headed for McD's across from the Marina. Intended to stay there in the morning, long enough to update my blog, download maps for BCNav, and of course check feedback from the camera-repair guy: He had emailed that he got the camera, will provide estimate Monday. Partial success downloading, but frustrating glitches the whole time, some possibly related to the McD connection time-outs, but more to it than that, intend to rant about this when I get the chance! Then I wanted to find a laundromat. Haven't gotten to that. Will probably head back toward Panther Campground or the nearby hunter's camp again tonight for lack of other considered options closer by, but maybe I'll find someplace on this Oregon side, since I'll likely be back here at the Hood River Marina McD's tomorrow morning at least before the library or other businesses open so I can verify an address to send my camera back to (Mailboxes etc type place or General Delivery at some post office, probably in one of the Columbia Gorge towns. Also, indulge in another shower, and find that laundromat. Hopefully I'll have prompt feedback from the camera repairman - oh, and assuming no glitches executing my payment option.
OK, I think I'm done blogging for now. need to move on. Um.. after refreshing McD's connection - double-checking it hasn't half-scrambled my text with partial refresh of on old saved version, like it has done a few times in the past. OK, looks good so far - try to post...
No comments:
Post a Comment