Table Mountain (7/23/15)

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sgyoung
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Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by sgyoung » July 27th, 2015, 5:08 pm

There have been some excellent TRs on Table Mountain recently (e.g., Arturo's) and before posting my own report I want to say thanks to everyone who has provided excellent route information and their thoughts on this hike. In fact, despite being Table Mt first-timers my wife and I were able to provide directions to another couple on a few occasions and our familiarity with the trails and junctions was mostly from this site and proved remarkably helpful.

We started from the hot springs resort, paying $5 (but the woman at the desk said they take $5 off dinner in the lodge after your hike if you show the parking pass in the restaurant). From there, we followed signs to avoid the blackberries (not without picking a few first). These were some of the only signs we'd see all day.

As with others, we went up Heartbreak and the talus slope, then headed north from the summit and looped around on the westway trail, which was quite the descent. Hiking poles came in handy. I'd never used them before and semi-grudgingly carried them up the trail, but was very glad to have them on the way down.

Here are the pictures, limited to the highlights:

From the section of trail between Heartbreak Ridge and the talus slope, we got our first views of Table's massive cliff face. This was super cool to see up close; these cliffs look cool from elsewhere in gorge, but I gained a new appreciation for them from this vantage point.

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Made it to the top:
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Mt Adams, looking over the cliffs on what I believe is Greenleaf in the foreground.
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Mt Hood across the river, with Bonneville Dam visible below:
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Resizing may have lost some detail here, but this has the cliffs on Table, Columbia River, and Mt Hood all in one shot. Kinda cool:
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Here is a similar shot. It didn't show up in the photo, but a bit of Jefferson was visible from this viewpoint:
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The obligatory shot of the cliffs, including the precipitous drop off about a foot away:
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The view from the northern side of the summit - anyone know the trail visible in the bottom/center of the photo? Is it the PCT?
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Great view down the river, with Wind and Dog mts visible. I never noticed how Wind Mt is mirrored by a very similar lumpy peak on the Oregon side until this trip. Cool symmetry:
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Is this Silver Star?
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Mt Adams and the gorge from the north view point (with me included, for scale):
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With the pictures posted, I have a few parting thoughts and questions. First, most comments about Table focus on the journey to the summit. I felt pretty comfortable with the hike up; sure, Heartbreak Ridge was steep and the talus slope a bit challenging (but super fun, too), but overall we made it the summit without much consternation. Some measure of fitness is helpful, but I think the average hiker is perfectly capable of getting to the top of Table Mt.

However, the path down struck me as much more challenging. In fact, we were slower getting down the mountain than up. The western portion of the loop is mighty steep in places and comprised almost entirely of loose rocks that make stable foot placement difficult. Also, unlike Heartbreak ridge, the steep downhill sections on the western trail are largely unshaded, adding heat and sun exposure to the experience.

Out of curiosity, has anyone done the loop going up the west trail and down the east (i.e., down the talus slope and then down Heartbreak)? Some scrambling might be needed to ascend via the west trail, but I think the descent could maybe be easier if the loop were reversed. Just wondering.

Overall, it was an amazing hike - perhaps my favorite yet in the gorge. The final numbers were around 10.96 miles and 3,400' EG, per my fitbit. Now, my wife and I have the rest of the summer to keep working out and get prepared for Mt St Helens in October!

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adamschneider
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by adamschneider » July 27th, 2015, 8:16 pm

That's a good question. You're right, the vast majority of people do it counter-clockwise. I'm guessing one reason is that people don't want to descend the talus slope; it seems like it'd be easy to sprain an ankle doing that.

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Bosterson
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by Bosterson » July 27th, 2015, 11:00 pm

sgyoung wrote: The view from the northern side of the summit - anyone know the trail visible in the bottom/center of the photo? Is it the PCT?
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That trail is actual a user path that's referred to as the NW Ridge. From the great viewpoint on the NW corner of the mountain (where you can see Helens, Rainier, and Adams), there's a trail that drops off on your left. It pops out on that ridge below, and crisscrosses it for a while before following an old roadbed to the power line tower that you can see at the end of the ridge. From there, you follow a power line road downhill to the left until you round a bend and find the PCT, which you can follow back to the kiosks below Table.

If you search on here, there are various TRs for this route, some of which have maps. (My immediate search turned up a lot from Bruce, but they were all with snow?!) Here's a photo of the trail dropping off the back of the mountain, and Eric posted a Hillmap.
However, the [Westway] down struck me as much more challenging. In fact, we were slower getting down the mountain than up. The western portion of the loop is mighty steep in places and comprised almost entirely of loose rocks that make stable foot placement difficult. Also, unlike Heartbreak ridge, the steep downhill sections on the western trail are largely unshaded, adding heat and sun exposure to the experience.

Out of curiosity, has anyone done the loop going up the west trail and down the east (i.e., down the talus slope and then down Heartbreak)?
Westway sucks going down. Unfortunately, Heartbreak Ridge also sucks going down. In fact, Table Mountain sucks going down. It turns out that all the trails on it are steep! :D

But to answer your question, I've gone down Heartbreak and it's a hassle because going down talus is harder than going up, and then the cutoff from the ridge down to the PCT is extremely steep (and not switchbacked) and is kind of a knee killer. Westway is also steep and has those annoying sections of looser scree, but you can kinda skate down them. But it's a knee killer too.

That said, per your first question above, the NW ridge is actually the preferred descent route for many of us. It's a little brushier and requires a little routefinding, but the descent is much more gradual (and the NW ridge itself is fun). The only trick is to keep an eye out for the PCT junction - the trail crosses the powerline road that you're on, but it's not signed. The NW ridge loop is a little longer than the standard Table loop - around 10 mi vs 8 (I think your Fitbit was off) - but it makes a better (and friendlier) hike.
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

hiker4fun
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by hiker4fun » July 28th, 2015, 7:10 am

Very nice report with beautiful pictures. I did the same route like you did and felt the same. I was even scared more coming down on that loose scree on a 95+ day. I had a brand new White shorts on that day and the scree marks are all over (you know where ;) ) the place and haven't worn that shorts afterwards. :D

Hearing about my experience, my friends went the following week doing the opposite way (clock wise). They had a tough time going up, but felt a bit more comfortable coming down on HBR even though it's not easy. I feel that you could at least slow down on the HBR (haven't gone down on this route yet), but we couldn't even stop at certain spots on the PCT side. We were literally sliding while sitting on the loose scree and hence the marks. :shock: :lol:

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sgyoung
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by sgyoung » July 28th, 2015, 12:56 pm

Thanks for the helpful replies, everyone! The NW route off the summit sounds appealing and I may have to give that a shot next time. Apparently my planning was less thorough than I thought because that trail was not on my radar at all. I appreciate the link to the pictures and map.
hiker4fun wrote:Hearing about my experience, my friends went the following week doing the opposite way (clock wise). They had a tough time going up, but felt a bit more comfortable coming down on HBR even though it's not easy. I feel that you could at least slow down on the HBR (haven't gone down on this route yet), but we couldn't even stop at certain spots on the PCT side. We were literally sliding while sitting on the loose scree and hence the marks. :shock: :lol:
I managed to avoid sliding down but relied on the poles for purchase; they proved rather helpful on the descent. But I too feel like going down HBR would be easier than the westway, although Bosterson's experience suggests otherwise. Also, like Adam said the talus slope is definitely twisted ankle territory, but at least it's a briefer stretch than the loose rocky portions on the westway.

Obviously, I'll have to do Table again and test out my idea. Sadly, this might take until next summer. I'll be back in the fall but only for a weekend trip, so no time then :( .

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Arturo
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by Arturo » July 29th, 2015, 1:16 pm

So SG, you come out from Jersey to hike the Gorge?

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sgyoung
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by sgyoung » July 29th, 2015, 6:08 pm

Arturo wrote:So SG, you come out from Jersey to hike the Gorge?
Well, yea, pretty much. My wife and I travel a lot for the sake of going outdoorsy stuff, sometimes going far (e.g., New Zealand), sometimes staying closer to home (e.g., Maine). Portland/the Gorge/the surrounding area just happen to be our favorite place so we make an effort to get out there every year for a week or two. I've used the site so extensively in the past that it only seemed fair to contribute at least a little bit, hence the occasional TR.

My wife is a native west coaster so it does her good to get back out there. Plus, if you've ever been to NJ you'd totally get why we try to escape whenever possible. :D

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Arturo
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by Arturo » July 29th, 2015, 6:47 pm

sgyoung wrote:
Arturo wrote:So SG, you come out from Jersey to hike the Gorge?
Well, yea, pretty much. My wife and I travel a lot for the sake of going outdoorsy stuff, sometimes going far (e.g., New Zealand), sometimes staying closer to home (e.g., Maine). Portland/the Gorge/the surrounding area just happen to be our favorite place so we make an effort to get out there every year for a week or two. I've used the site so extensively in the past that it only seemed fair to contribute at least a little bit, hence the occasional TR.

My wife is a native west coaster so it does her good to get back out there. Plus, if you've ever been to NJ you'd totally get why we try to escape whenever possible. :D
Born and raised in Brooklyn.
Moved to SF at 25 and to Oregon at 40.
I completely understand.
Glad my TR's have been helpful.

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sgyoung
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by sgyoung » July 29th, 2015, 7:05 pm

Oh, cool! I work in Manhattan and occasionally travel to Brooklyn (saw a good concert at King's Theater earlier this summer).
Hopefully I can follow your footsteps and get out west eventually. Not that you guys are looking for people to move into the area, but I promise to be quiet and low maintenance ;)

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MarsIsCobra
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Re: Table Mountain (7/23/15)

Post by MarsIsCobra » July 30th, 2015, 6:58 am

I've done Table many times up and down Heartbreak and Westway. I don't think I've come 'down' westway a single time without ending up on my ass at least twice. I've taken to coming down the north side. Up Heartbreak and down the north side.

The north side hits the PCT and makes a really peaceful trip back through quiet woods. Adds an extra mile or two which I want as just Table and back is pretty short on miles.

North side is mostly easy to follow, it's when you come to the junction with the service road it's a head scratcher. You need to go 'straight' up a gnarly little road (?), push through some brush and then hit the PCT.

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