Laurance Lake High Loop (Oct 15)

[Splintercat]

Checked a trail off my list that has been there for a long time: the Laurance Lake High Loop, which we hope to someday connect to Owl Point! For now, it's a nice hike up the valley wall above the Clear Branch of the Hood River and the Laurance Lake reservoir. A good stopping point for a short hike is switchback No. 12, which provides a commanding view of Mount Hood and the valley below, plus has some nice talus boulders to sit on while you take in the view. From there, the route is mostly in the forest as it gains the valley rim, but with some pocket views of Mount Adams and Mt. Rainier. You can hike 1/4 mile or so up the closed logging road at the upper end of the trail for another view and a close look at a landslide that has removed the road (and was triggered by it, clearly).

Now is a good time to visit -- nice fall colors along the way!



Vine maple:



Western dogwood:



...huckleberry!



I loved this big sentinel tree along the switchback section -- a tough old Ponderosa with a huge lightning scar running down its south flank:



In the "small world" department, the ONLY person I saw on the trail that day was doctor who worked with my dad at OHSU when I was growing up... and hiking solo at age 75! Inspiring for the rest of us solo hikers..!



Mount Hood and Laurance Lake on the way back down, just as the sun was dropping over the western ridges. Look closely, and you can see a bald eagle in the tallest tree in front of the lake:



...a closer look...



...and at one point, a second eagle joined the first:



...then left again...



I don't really have a long lens for this sort of photo... might need to "arrange" one for my stocking this Christmas...!

Tom

[neilsonw]

Stunning shots of the eagles even without a long lens. Hood's looking pretty good right about now.

[sheilakpdx]

Beautiful photos - please share, what camera do you use?

[Alpenglow]

Just wanted to give an update. We tried going up to do the Laurance Lake High Loop today and the road was closed right at the first little retaining pond, before you get to Laurance Lake.

I checked the NFS website when we got home and it was posted:

"Date(s): Oct 24, 2017
Laurance Lake Road has been washed out by a debris flow off Eliot Glacier. The road is gone for about 1000 feet. There is no access to Laurance Lake Dam or the Campground. We hope to have the road open in about 2 weeks."

Don't want folks driving all the way up there to find the area closed to vehicles as well as foot traffic.

Splintercat, thanks for posting though! Looking forward to doing this hike sometime in the future! Sure wish we could have succeeded today, as I'm sure the fall colors would have been beautiful!

[retired jerry]

I wonder what that did to the new crossing of Eliot?

It would be a shame if it somehow got washed out

[Splintercat]

Thanks for the update, Alpenglow... wow!

@Sheila - I use an Olympus E-M1 and iPhone 6s. Thanks!

Tom

[markesc]

Thanks for the update, Alpenglow... wow!

@Sheila - I use an Olympus E-M1 and iPhone 6s. Thanks!

Tom

Olympus doesn't get much attention, but I think it's one of the lighter setups where one can still change lenses... and I think I saw something on DpReview that they will have a few new lenses coming out in the near future

[markesc]

One other thing:

It seems like this angle and distance shows more prominence, so it seems like it would make for some rad fresh snow sunrise shots