Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

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RobinB
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Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by RobinB » April 24th, 2017, 9:05 pm

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Opening picture: Bell Creek in the rain.

Took my Annual April Amble up Larch Mountain on Saturday, this time via a sort of circuitous route: from Multnomah Falls east on the 400 to Oneonta, up Oneonta and Horsetail to Bell Creek, across Bell Creek and up Larch, then finally down on the Larch Mountain Trail. The weather on top was sort of rough - hail, and a bit of wind - but it was wonderful to walk through the Bell Creek old growth in the rain. I kept thinking of something John Muir says somewhere, about walking through a storm and it feeling like he was watching the forest drink.

I'd planned to leave Portland early Saturday morning, but then, well... it was Saturday, and I ended up rolling into the Multnomah Megaplex with a gaggle of fellow flip floppers, right around eight.

I always sort of take the 400 for granted, but as I was rushing through, just before Oneonta, I ran into a woman in utter awe, taking a panorama of what seemed, to me, like so-so scenery. "Isn't this beautiful?"

Then to Triple Falls, which I somehow had to myself! I sat for a while and let my legs dangle of the edge.

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The boot path between Oneonta and Horsetail avoiding the ford is now pretty well worn in, with the usual profusion of unnecessary flagging, and soon enough I was ambling up the Horsetail switchbacks. That trail's sort of funny. The first half mile, coming up from Oneonta, was in really rough shape: blow downs, erosion, really not much better than the boot path. But then, almost immediately at the first switchback, things got super, super posh - as good as almost anything in the Gorge. I waltzed my way up.

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After what seemed like far too little huffing and puffing, I was at the Bell Creek intersection, and right on cue, the sky opened up and it started to pour. It was so, so beautiful. And cold.

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The trail was snow free for the first mile or so, and I thought I was out of the woods (well... metaphorically), but descending to the creek proper, the trail was all of a sudden covered in it, and I settled into postholing for a while.

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The lowest / most hilarious moment of the day happened just west of the crossing, in a rock field full of snow / devil's club / pouring rain. I postholed into a flattened thicket of devil's club, and ended up getting sort of scratched up on the way out. It was just a quick thing, but it was so ridiculously uncomfortable that I just had to laugh my way through. "Jesus Christ Robin, you couldn't just stay in town and get brunch?"

But then I was out, and back into every shade of vivid green, with water washing off the leaves, trickling through the just sprung new spring growth.

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After Bell Creek, the snow became constant and the rain became harder / transformed into something more like hail. The trail was still relatively easy to follow, though, and soon I was on Larch Mountain Road, walking over the guard rails without realizing it.

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I thought for a half second about going up to Sherrard Point, but given the wind and hail, I decided to leave the Big Views for another day, and scurried on down in the vague vicinity of the Larch Mountain Trail. I lost my way a couple times, and the batteries in my GPS apparently took a snow day, but I map and compassed down to around 3000', where the trail emerged from its winter slumber. Then on to the easy miles.

I stopped at that boulder field just before the first crossing of Multnomah Creek, with an eye toward an early afternoon adult beverage, but just as I sat down the rain started back in - maybe just stopping by for a drink? - and I rudely went on my way, un-refreshed.

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I did though soon stop, at that beautiful area between the two forks of Multnomah Creek, where I sat for a while, drinking a can (!) of Lagunitas, eating a Snickers, and watching the stream rush by.

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Really just a beautiful day in the woods. Descending down Multnomah, the crowds of course thickened, and soon I was surrounded by people, an astounding number of whom seemed to be carrying ice cream cones. It seemed ridiculous at first, but by the time I'd made it to the lodge, I figured I should get one too :)

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Chip Down
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by Chip Down » April 25th, 2017, 5:11 am

I stopped at that boulder field just before the first crossing of Multnomah Creek, with an eye toward an early afternoon adult beverage, but just as I sat down the rain started back in - maybe just stopping by for a drink? - and I rudely went on my way, un-refreshed.


How funny. Same day, on my own boulder field a little east of you, I had also sat down for an adult beverage when it started raining again. It was already in the glass, so I had no choice but to keep drinking. :D

It was a crazy weather day, clear sky and rain and hail...at least it wasn't one of those horrible all-day gloomy grey drizzly days that just sap the joy out of everything.

Fun TR, Robin, a pleasure to read.

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miah66
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by miah66 » April 25th, 2017, 6:33 am

Chip Down wrote:

Fun TR, Robin, a pleasure to read.
Agreed! It's been far too long since I ate an ice cream cone on the 400 back to Wahkeena Parking lot. :)
"The top...is not the top" - Mile...Mile & a Half

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Bosterson
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by Bosterson » April 25th, 2017, 8:47 am

RobinB wrote:"Jesus Christ Robin, you couldn't just stay in town and get brunch?"
:lol:
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

pablo
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by pablo » April 25th, 2017, 11:58 am

Thx for the report and nice photos, too bad Sherrard was miserable.

I have a question as I'm planning something similar this weekend:
I settled into postholing for a while
So do you recommend snow shoes for the snow travel section or can I bare boot it?

Thx,

--Paul
The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

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bobcat
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by bobcat » April 25th, 2017, 5:21 pm

Tell us when the devil's club that impregnated your skin stops irritating you. For me, it takes 3 - 4 weeks . . .

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aiwetir
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by aiwetir » April 25th, 2017, 7:40 pm

What are you using for a camera?
- Michael

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RobinB
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Re: Flip Floppin up Larch Mountain - 4/22/17

Post by RobinB » April 25th, 2017, 8:53 pm

Thanks, all!
pablo wrote:So do you recommend snow shoes for the snow travel section or can I bare boot it?
Bare booting (what a delightful phrase!) is probably fine: the postholing was only really bad in the boulder fields just west of Bell Creek. Everything else was pretty well compacted, and I was mostly fine in trail runners.
bobcat wrote:Tell us when the devil's club that impregnated your skin stops irritating you. For me, it takes 3 - 4 weeks . . .
Ouch! My leg's still a little red, but nothing too bad. You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever had that bad of a reaction. Maybe I've only been grazed?
aiwetir wrote:What are you using for a camera?
An elderly Sony RX100. It's a really solid camera - it's been through thousands of miles and is still going strong - though using it in manual mode is more of a pain than it should be.

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