I enjoyed a fine hike to the summit of Table Mountain on Sunday along with my friend Rick and my dog Kirah. The weather was just a tad snotty which added some interesting drama to this wild and wooly hike. Clouds drifted over the summit periodically, hiding it from view as we made our way up. We lucked out though and had some nice views from the top with just the occasional cloud screaching past. We only saw three other folks all day.
We started from the shortcut trailhead next to Greenleaf Slough at N45.65052, W121.96467. I bungled a turn near Carpenter Lake which added about a mile to our hike, but even so we made pretty good time getting to the junction of the PCT and the Westway trail. It's here that the fun really begins as the trail teeters on the verge of being a rocky scramble as it steeply gains 1400 feet in just over a mile. The trailhead sign that marks this vertical path is about as humorous as any I've seen...
A view on the way up...
Looking southeast along the windy summit ridge...
Various other shots from the day...
Le Map (11 miles round trip, 3700 feet accumulated gain)...
Awesome day in the Gorge!
Gordon |