Off Topic Forum (Archived)

My wife and I just got home from a three day backpacking trip on the north side of Mount Hood, so thought I'd share a few low quality phone photos. Hey, it was light weight backpacking and the phone is light!

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.

A few more.

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.

gorgeous countryside Rod, not so hugely different in looks to over here, but I imagine on a much wider scale in your case. Great time of year for this, just off a weeks hols myself, busy cleaning the outdoor gear and putting it away till next year, with only the prospect of work for the next months, cheers for the pictures - good distraction!

Were you near any of the fires?

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"Behind every silver lining there is a dark cloud"
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once"
“The difference between genius and stupidly is that genius has its limits” Albert Einstein
You don’t get smarter as you get older. There is just less stupid stuff left that you haven’t already done.
I’m at the age where “Should I” turns into “Let’s try it and see what happens”
I am pretty sure my last words are going to be “What does this thing do?”

..RodAnsel H...great stuff, always love what mother has to offer...thanks..

btw yer hills are a bit bigger than ours...

Fires...well... In the photo of the stone shelter and the one right after it, see the gray trees? They were burned by the 2011 Dollar Lake fire. My favorite campsite that I camped at while doing the Timberline Loop three different times in the 80s, and numerous shorter trips up in the 90s, was decimated by that fire. We were pretty upset to see that as we'd heard the place (Cairn Basin) was not burned. Fortunately there were plenty of other campsites untouched there, but the site had special meaning to both my wife and me. Can't circumvent Mother Nature though. It was a lightening fire and some consider that particular fire benefitial.

Current fires, the closest was the Warm Springs fire on the opposite side of Mount Hood, and I'd guess 50 miles away. On our hike-in the air was not good, and the smoke haze was visible, but improved as we went up in elevation and as the wind blew it to the east. It caused my wife considerable difficulty, and I was surprised to feel it in my lungs too. The air quality chart showed the air to only be moderately polluted, improving to normal by the next day. Obviously, I now have the utmost respect for firefighters who work in air conditions much worse than what we were in, plus of course actual fire!

Speaking of the fires, the huge Canyon Creek Fire is SE of Bob Muenchausen's town in Eastern Oregon, and as of yesterday the entire town was in real danger. A very unseasonal storm is blowing in from the S/SW with high winds that there is great fear will blow the fire across the bulldozed firelines done to protect the town. We got heavy rain here early in the morning, and strong wind. I fear Eastern Oregon is just getting the wind. Prayers for Bob and his town, as well as everyone affected by all the other fires.

http://www.eastoregonian.com/eo/wildfire/20150828/one-more-stand-against-canyon-creek-fire


http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Cairn_Basin_from_Top_Spur_Hike

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-29 11:26 AM by Rod H..

Yes, Mick, I've seen many photos and film of Scotland, and much of it looks familiar.

Where we went used to be much more of a lush alpine forest feel, but the drought and unusually warm conditions literally all year (not to mention the 2011 fire) have really changed the area. The stream that goes through Cairn Basin is totally dried up, and we had to hike about 3/4 mile round trip from camp to get water. Normally it's a short hike (but steep) from there up the mountain to reach snow in August. Used to be we were crossing snow bridges over streams in July. This year the snow amounts to small looking glaciers way up high.

We knew we were too late for wild flowers, which we did intentionally to avoid the accompanying mosquitos. However we didn't expect to see fields of dried up Lupine! I've been up there in Mid Septembers that were more lush and green looking.

Sorry to sound negative. We had a wonderful time, but it was a bit bittersweet.

We met and talked to young woman in her 20s who was running the entire 38 mile Timberline Loop by herself in one day. When we met her she was almost 2/3 of the way at 4:30 PM. I'm sure she finished well after dark. Running the loop is a daunting task considering the huge elevation gains and losses, plus the Elliot gorge crossing is considered officially closed due to slides. People crossing there have to scramble over boulders and use a rope to assist ascending out the gorge!

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-08-29 12:56 PM by Rod H..

Looks like great country. Rain and wind here today, so maybe some of the fires will get wet down a bit.

On the grim side, the wind blew over a hard top I had leaning against the garage. Broke the rear view mirror off Kermit, who is relegated to the outdoors so the TD can be garaged.

Grrrr.......

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Wayne Sanders
Rose Lodge, OR
(TD 4288)

"I don't care to belong to any club that accepts people like me"-joined Willamette Valley Club in 2011

79/65 MGB - Carmine- V-6 - T-5

This car is now very nearly completely done. Sure to find something else, but not now.........And 12 years later, I'm starting to fix things that were new when we built the car. It's pretty well de-bugged!

Knock it off...I'm getting home sick(I was born in Seattle then stationed in the PacNorWest for 9 years).

I did a LOT of climbing and hiking in the Cascades and Olympics. I never got down to Hood...always wanted to make an early spring climb but never worked out. I also have wanted to return and hike Crater Lake in a few years. I grew up in the mountains of Wyoming(Snow Range)and never tire of seeing pics of the mountains.

Looks like a great trip!

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"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"--Alvin "Tex" Johnston...Boeing test pilot.

"Who do you think you are? I am."...Pete Weber

73 MGB. Tires: Round, black, hold air. Oil: Sometimes old, sometimes new...always slippery. Oil filter: Yellow, usually full of oil. Carbs: 2 SU HIF. Distributor: Yes. Headlights: Not that bright but bright enough. A bunch of other stuff most cars have but not really important enough to itemize. Oh, wait...it has a cool sounding exhaust with stickers on the chrome tips. Really slays the ladies...

Great pictures, Rod. Now I want to go backpacking all of a sudden. Haven't in a few years partly because of drought conditions here in California and fires in places I've hiked the most. Haven't been to the Sierras in years, but did hike Washington state around Rainier. Yours looks like a nice area. Nothing like fresh air and the smell of the outdoors.

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Drew Maddock, So. Calif. USofA

I wish I had more of my old photos from the 80s and 90s digitized.

Here's a kind of poor scan of a photo of Camp Lake between Middle and South Sister of the Three Sisters. The area is called Chambers Lakes, and Camp Lake is actually the lowest. After I did the Three Sisters loop trail in '89 we returned to the area to hike up to Chambers Lakes three different times.

If you look to the far side of the lake there's an ice bank. One afternoon we were sitting by the lake when a huge section broke free and fell in, breaking the silence with a huge crash and a good sized wave.

http://rs19.pbsrc.com/albums/b186/RodH/Scan10002.jpg~320x480

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.

Here are a couple more.

Two of the high lakes nestled into the north side of South Sister, and Middle & North Sister to the north.

http://rs19.pbsrc.com/albums/b186/RodH/Scan1.jpg~320x480

Sorry about your hardtop window and mirror, Wayne. We lost electricity yesterday. Since it was just 22 houses in our cluster it was a low priority for PGE and it was out a bit over 9 hours. My only concern was losing food in the fridges and freezer.

I hope the much needed rain we are now getting is making it over the Cascades to the fires!

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.

It didn't get the hardtop window. That thing is still fine and for sale!

Kermit mirror is toast, and that thing is also still for sale. I don't think anyone is buying anything!

Love your pics, also saw the ones of the carriage house being built! Some of which I saw in person.

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Wayne Sanders
Rose Lodge, OR
(TD 4288)

"I don't care to belong to any club that accepts people like me"-joined Willamette Valley Club in 2011

79/65 MGB - Carmine- V-6 - T-5

This car is now very nearly completely done. Sure to find something else, but not now.........And 12 years later, I'm starting to fix things that were new when we built the car. It's pretty well de-bugged!

Glad it was just the rear view mirror and not rear window as I somehow got on first read!

I remember the day you stopped by and I had the wet ladder against the side of the building, trying to get nerve up to climb up on the wet roof to begin roofing! As you know, it did dry up enough that Fall afternoon to get the first half of the roof on. (-:

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Friends talking around a fire is the history of mankind.

AWESOME!!!

The boys and I do a good bit of backpacking. Last year we did 50 miles over 6 days at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. We've also done a ton of backpack trips here in the adirondacks. This summer we did 3 days in the Andes hiking into Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail. (wonder why I don't have time to work on the MG?!) COOL STUFF!!

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John Moore

'70 MGB, '68 MGBGT, '99 Land Rover Discovery II, '61 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite