Finally, my first trip report, a record of a run up Dog Mountain last Saturday, Jan. 10, with my friend Chris from Hood River. I'm based in Vancouver and interested in meeting others who like a steep
hike with a good view.
We started from the parking lot at 8:00 a.m. with the intention of going to the first view point, which is at about 1500 feet of elevation gain. I wasn't sure if I was in shape to climb. A week or so of cardio on an eliptical ensured I had plenty of wind, but a couple of days of walking with a pack up and down a steep hill in Vancouver left me with doubts.
The doubts turned out to be unfounded, as I felt great at the first lookout.
Chris's conditioning wasn't in doubt: in the first place, he's got a few years before he hits 30; secondly, he was in training for a half-marathon (which he ran very sucessfully the following day).
There was very little snow on the trail. In the recesses of the woods above the first lookout there were areas where snow coated the trail, causing a minor nuisance.
We felt pretty good at the second lookout. I was feeling the climb a little in the thighs but didn't feel tired in the least.
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It was windy here, so I put on my shell jacket for the exposed meadow traverse trail.
- The meadow traverse.
Thus we headed up the meadow, only to stop at a spot where some vestigial snow blocked the trail.
- We decided to stop here.
We'd negotiated a little hard snow right at the point where you break into the meadow. Since a fall would have meant a pretty good slide into the trees below, caution was called for. At this second spot, even though the snow was only a couple of yards across, it looked a little harder and the steps already carved in it looked less secure. Perhaps true mountaineers would shake their heads in amused pity, but it was clear that if one fell, it meant an unstoppable shot down a 60-foot snow slide, followed by a quick arc into some crags. My feeling was "why risk it?"
We tried the alternative of scrambling up the crags here. The spot where Chris is pictured ascending was perfect. We went up a little ways and then turned around. To be honest, having gone hard over the past couple of days, I didn't want to over do it.
- We began scrambled up a little then turned back, just because I feared a cramp or something in my sore thighs. Felt good, just being cautious.
The walk down was uneventful. We passed three other parties on their way up. As usual, our knees reminded us how punishing the descent of Dog can be. Now, with another week of training under my belt, I'm ready for more.
