First multi-day trip - PCT Cascade Locks area, Aug 6

[lurlur]

Hello everyone! My husband and I live near Chicago, but will be flying into Portland for some much-needed time together without our child. We've grown up car camping and day hiking (experience in S. CA and several 14'ers in the Rockies) but this will be our first time doing a multi-day trip. We picked the Portland area because we've got someone to shuttle us to and from the trailhead, and because it looks just amazing.

I've done as much research as I can to try to minimize fun-limiting and dangerous mistakes, and below are the few questions I've got that I haven't managed to answer on my own. Thanks to all you locals for your help!

1. DISTANCE/ROUTE -- We are both relatively active, fit people in our late 30s and have done vacations where we're walking/hiking 7 miles a day, but not usually with this much altitude change. We have a mild disagreement as to feasible daily mileage on the trail, the fear being that setting too high of a goal will result in sad death-march conditions. Option A is to spend 5 days on trail, going north from Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks via Eagle Creek. Option B would be to add a day to that distance, shortening daily miles. Option C could be a loop from Cascade Locks, south via Eagle Creek, and back via the PCT. This is by FAR our biggest puzzler.

2. TEMPS -- I've found the website with real-time snowpack information, and I'm really hoping this year's batch will be on its way out by 8/6. However, I'm having a hard time determining probable temps for that time. Is there a good site to check, other than the usual 10-day forecast? Currently planning on zip-off pants, l/s polyester shirt, fleece and/or raincoat for day, long underwear for night. Your opinion on needing a puffy jacket?

3. BEARS -- DUN DUN DUNNNNN. I gather that black bears are not much of a danger other than to my food. Is hanging food sufficient vs. a canister? And do I absolutely need a smellproof bag like an Ursack, or is there an alternative? Just trying to minimize unnecessary purchases/weight. Do I need bear spray or nah?

Thanks for reading my wall of text. Hiker people are best people.

Elizabeth

[xrp]

1. DISTANCE/ROUTE -- We are both relatively active, fit people in our late 30s and have done vacations where we're walking/hiking 7 miles a day, but not usually with this much altitude change. We have a mild disagreement as to feasible daily mileage on the trail, the fear being that setting too high of a goal will result in sad death-march conditions. Option A is to spend 5 days on trail, going north from Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks via Eagle Creek. Option B would be to add a day to that distance, shortening daily miles. Option C could be a loop from Cascade Locks, south via Eagle Creek, and back via the PCT. This is by FAR our biggest puzzler.

1) Option A = doable. The PCT from Timberline Lodge to Cascade Locks (via Eagle Creek) is under 45 miles. You could probably do it in 4 days being active and fit. Make sure to divert and take the high path to Paradise Park.

Option B = you won't need 6 days

Option C = do Option A instead

2. TEMPS -- I've found the website with real-time snowpack information, and I'm really hoping this year's batch will be on its way out by 8/6. However, I'm having a hard time determining probable temps for that time. Is there a good site to check, other than the usual 10-day forecast? Currently planning on zip-off pants, l/s polyester shirt, fleece and/or raincoat for day, long underwear for night. Your opinion on needing a puffy jacket?

2) Yes the snow will be gone from the trail by 6 August. Temperatures are wildly variable. Even at Timberline you could have highs between 55F and 85F and nights at the same altitude could be between 20F and 60F. We simply don't know if we'll get a heat wave or not. Averages along the route during that time of the year will be days in the 60s/70s and nights in the 40s/50s.

I find the weather.com 10 day forecast to be sufficient.

3. BEARS -- DUN DUN DUNNNNN. I gather that black bears are not much of a danger other than to my food. Is hanging food sufficient vs. a canister? And do I absolutely need a smellproof bag like an Ursack, or is there an alternative? Just trying to minimize unnecessary purchases/weight. Do I need bear spray or nah?

3) Hanging food is always a good idea. I've never used a canister in the NW OR/SW WA areas. You don't need bear spray. As busy with people as the PCT will be in August (Timberline to Cascade Locks is one of the most popular section hikes), black bears will be far away from the trail.

[lurlur]

Welp, that pretty much covers it. Thanks so much for your concise answers! Now, to convince my husband that an internet stranger's opinion is sufficient to tackle the longer route...

[drm]

While I don't disagree with anything xrp said, I would not generally suggest this route for somebody's very first backpack, if I understood you correct. It's a lot to bite off if you're just not sure of how you will adjust to it. But of course it is your call as to how you want to jump in.

[lurlur]

Alright, drm, this is in fact our first backpacking trip, and this is exactly the issue we're having a hard time sorting. On one hand, I see how stepping into a 5 day, 45 mile hike with 30 lb. packs might be a recipe for misery. On the other hand, I'm not sure how you "work your way up" to doing that besides, well, doing it. Are we supposed to start out with weekends? Trying to do shorter, high mileage weekends or what-have-you is difficult because our kid isn't old enough yet to hang on a trip like that and finding weekend-long childcare is...difficult.

Do you have an alternative suggestion accessible from PDX? We're really open to anything that can be seen in 4-6 days.

[xrp]

Alright, drm, this is in fact our first backpacking trip, and this is exactly the issue we're having a hard time sorting. On one hand, I see how stepping into a 5 day, 45 mile hike with 30 lb. packs might be a recipe for misery. On the other hand, I'm not sure how you "work your way up" to doing that besides, well, doing it. Are we supposed to start out with weekends? Trying to do shorter, high mileage weekends or what-have-you is difficult because our kid isn't old enough yet to hang on a trip like that and finding weekend-long childcare is...difficult.

Do you have an alternative suggestion accessible from PDX? We're really open to anything that can be seen in 4-6 days.

Most people do short distance (3-7 mile hikes) one nighters to start. This helps test out gear, fit, "do I need this item or not" and iron out other things that ideally get you to the "yep, I'm ready to commit to a multi-night, few dozen miles trip without backup" stage.

The first time my wife and I went backpacking, we hit Thomas Lake Trail in the Indian Heaven Wilderness in Washington. I had 35lbs on my back, she had 25lbs. We probably hiked only 5 miles, but were exhausted and I am a gym rat + half marathon runner and she is [at the time] a marathoner/50k'er. Upon getting back from this trip, we weighed everything to the ounce and made a "need it/don't need it" list of the items we took. We shaved 6 pounds from her pack and 10 pounds from mine. We had bought everything from REI, so we then took a look at our equipment and researched if we could get the same item but at a lighter weight (we traded in her 3.3lb sleeping bag for a 1.75lb sleeping bag, amongst other things) within a reasonable price range. We got her base pack weight to 10 pounds and mine to just under 15 pounds (I carry the tent ) and enjoyed each subsequent trip -- until she got pregnant!

You mention the unavailability of weekend child care, yep, I understand. I have an almost 2 year old boy. You could just try going for walks in your neighborhood with the gear. Or maybe each do a solo trip or trip with a friend there in IL before committing to multi-night in Oregon. Yes, it is not ideal not doing it with your partner, but it might be a solution for your situation.

Keep in mind the Timberline to Cascade Locks is one of those all in commit kind of hikes. Once you pass the Lolo Pass area, there's no civilization until you get to the I-84 area and Eagle Creek or Cascade Locks. I suppose you could plan a 1 or 2 nighter and overnight @ Paradise Park (lovely area with lots of spots to set up camp) and/or the Ramona Falls area. If you are miserable, you probably can hitch a ride back to your car at Timberline. Actually, you never mentioned what your planned transportation method was other than a ride to/from trailheads.

Another option would be planning several 1 nighters. I don't think you said how long you will be in Oregon. But you could consider doing something like parking at Timberline and hiking to Paradise Park, then hiking back the next morning. Then, if you are miserable, you've burned only a night. You could toss your gear in the trunk of your car and spend the rest of the time doing day things all over the area.

The Oregon Hikers Field Guide http://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Main_Page can certainly help you plan multiple short distance one nighters.

For example: Night 1 = Timberline to Paradise Park, back the next day, Night 2 = Barlow Pass PCT overnight, Night 3 = Eagle Creek to Wahtum Lake loop. Note that these nights do not have to be consecutive. You could do a hotel/motel/AirBnB in between to freshen up.

That could also help you lighten your loads considerably (less food per night). You mentioned 30 pound loads (each??)...that, in my opinion, is a lot. You could list out your equipment and some of us on this website might make recommendations about gear swap out (if possible) or "no, you won't need that at all". I could probably do Timberline to Cascade Locks with around 20 pounds of gear. Note that this isn't ridicule, simply an offer to help out. It's great that you want to come out and enjoy the beauty of NW Oregon; realize that there are many of us that are pretty experienced not just with taking trips, but also the trails that are available and we want you to have the best possible trip!

[BigBear]

Let's start with the easy one: Bears are not an issue in the Oregon cascades, but rodents are. Hang your food at least head-high (6 feet off the ground) to discourage mice and squirrels from gnawing through your bag.

Temperature: It varies...a lot. I recall an email from a person in New Jersey who was an attendee on my Jefferson Park backpack in August some years ago. He was wondering how cold it would be, and the two weekends leading up tot he backpack had freezing levels of 3,000 feet and over 10,000 feet. Most July & August days have freezing levels above 10,000 feet, but you could get a cold cluster of days. I've had it snow on me (and accumulate) on the Timberline Trail (5,000 ft) on July 4th & the 3rd weekend of August (different years).

Route: This is the difficult one. The snow may still be an issue around Paradise Park (5-6 miles into your trek from Timberline Lodge), and the Sandy River crossing may be difficult. Those are the drawbacks to the Mt. Hood section.

The three options at Wahtum Lake are: Eagle Creek, Benson Plateau and Herman Creek. Eagle Creek is by-far the best option for scenery due to its waterfalls. It's also the busiest of the three...because of its many waterfalls. The other two routes are forested and virtually view-less.

If you were to do a loop from Cascade Locks, I would opt for ascending Eagle Creek and descending Herman Creek, using the Herman Creek Bridge/PCT to return to the Bridge of the Gods.

Benson Plateau has very little water, which makes it a less interesting camping option.

[Schrauf]

If at all possible take xrp's suggestion of doing a single overnight in your local area beforehand. I imagine Illinois does not have a lot of backpacking, but maybe there is a state park where you can hike from one area and camp in another, away from your vehicle, even if that happens to be in a car campground. The learning curve is steep and after even one night you will be much more "experienced" in terms of tackling Timberline to Cascade Locks. After that I would not be overly concerned about anyone with reasonable fitness doing the 5-day trip you have planned, it's a mellow time of year, a busy trail if you need help or even questions of the other hikers you will see, and no real dangers that would not exist if you were simply day hiking (which you have plenty of experience doing). Also practice with your gear first - tent, stove, filter/chemical treatment, etc.

Then of course if it's the day before your trip and the weather looks horrible, I would highly recommend canceling or delaying. Bad weather is much worse in the mountains.

Option A is the way to go. Do the Paradise Park loop (above the PCT) as someone mentioned, and the Ramona Falls alternate.

[retired jerry]

In addition to the previous good comments

Maybe August 6 there will still be a fair amount of snow, like through Paradise park. Check trip reports a week or two ahead of time.

[drm]

I believe there are some very nice backpacks along the shores of some of the Great Lakes. Not a lot of EG, but plenty of mileage to see how the gear and weight work out.