Oregon Hikers

Yep, I was there Jan 1, because wanted something close and snow-free.
The creeks are raging!
And indeed, much less mud than expected.
But swarming with people around nooninsh. I arrived unusually late for me, about 8, and had some peace for a few hours.

In the middle of the last decade, we observed an explosion in the OR/WA tick population, especially in the gorge. It's not just that we had 2 or 3 times the normal number of ticks; it was biblical swarms of ticks, for years. But I don't hear any talk of it anymore. Are we back to normal? I don't mea...

Umm, my mind is blown, if that's Larch. It doesn't seem possible. But okay, next time I see it, I'll try to trick my eyes [perhaps polluted by decades of misunderstanding] to see it that way. Assuming Adam is right, what a fun experience to realize a mystery point that I've wondered about for so man...

My topic title is ridiculously vague, and my picture below is terrible, but if you live (or spend considerable time ) anywhere in the Portland area, even as far away as Washougal, and if you're even moderately observant, you might look at my picture and say " oh yeah, I know what Chip's asking about...

Some recent urban finds.
Irvington neighborhood, NE Portland.

Not a balloon, but plastic and filled with air, and found on a hike, so I'm saying it's close enough.

Duncan Creek Trail was in great shape today. Well packed, but not icy. I hiked it backwards, starting and finishing at Railcar Bridge (2000'), where the snow was deep enough to be tiring, but not enough to warrant snowshoes.

I thought it might be too early to go check out the Nakia Creek Fire aftermath, but I was in the area, so nothing to lose. I headed east on road L1510, past Skyline Trailhead (OHV, not a hiker's TH). Smelled the burned zone before I saw it, which surprised me. Not only is the road ungated, it's been...

A bit of snow at 3400-3500' on Washington's Larch Mtn.

I was shocked to see Bells Mountain bare today.
Pic below is the only snow I saw all day, probably no more than a hundred feet below the 2200' summit.