Angels Rest and Devils Rest with special companions
Posted: March 15th, 2020, 6:55 pm
I wasn't going to hike today. Cold, windy, 50% chance of snow, and I expected snowy roads too. But I went anyway, and found roads clear. There was less snow in the gorge than in Portland! Maybe more if I had gone further east.
First at Angels Rest TH, but before I started up there were three more cars, and people going up by headlamp.
Trail was icy up high. I finally gave in and put the spikes on. The trail must have been slushy Saturday, and so it was icy Sunday morning. Angels Rest was almost bare, presumably because it was wind scoured. Disappointing. Cold and windy, so I moved on, up into Foxglove, which was beautiful and fun. I arrived at Devils rest soon, following a nice boot track. Last time I was postholing, with heavy branches overhanging. So much faster today.
From DR, I headed east along the rim, stopping at the viewpoint (better than the summit). Didn't linger, very cold and windy.
Cut over to Multnomah Basin Road. Initially discouraging, hard to walk in the deep snow, and it wasn't dropping. Finally descended, easy going.
Down Larch Mt Trail, then cut over to Wahkeena, continued to the Foxglove Loop, down to Angels Rest. More undulating than I remembered.
Angels was absolutely swarming, and the hike down was brutal. Run, wait for a passing opportunity, run...took over an hour! Lots of woefully unprepared and timid hikers. If there was one or two, I could offer to help, but I'm sure there were over a hundred, maybe two hundred. Unless they took a bus, I can't even imagine where they parked.
Not a great day, but considering I was going to stay home, I guess I'll call it a successful stolen day.
Oh, forgot my beer, so had to hike sober. Damn. I'll make up for it on St P Day, if I can get out of working.
First at Angels Rest TH, but before I started up there were three more cars, and people going up by headlamp.
Trail was icy up high. I finally gave in and put the spikes on. The trail must have been slushy Saturday, and so it was icy Sunday morning. Angels Rest was almost bare, presumably because it was wind scoured. Disappointing. Cold and windy, so I moved on, up into Foxglove, which was beautiful and fun. I arrived at Devils rest soon, following a nice boot track. Last time I was postholing, with heavy branches overhanging. So much faster today.
From DR, I headed east along the rim, stopping at the viewpoint (better than the summit). Didn't linger, very cold and windy.
Cut over to Multnomah Basin Road. Initially discouraging, hard to walk in the deep snow, and it wasn't dropping. Finally descended, easy going.
Down Larch Mt Trail, then cut over to Wahkeena, continued to the Foxglove Loop, down to Angels Rest. More undulating than I remembered.
Angels was absolutely swarming, and the hike down was brutal. Run, wait for a passing opportunity, run...took over an hour! Lots of woefully unprepared and timid hikers. If there was one or two, I could offer to help, but I'm sure there were over a hundred, maybe two hundred. Unless they took a bus, I can't even imagine where they parked.
Not a great day, but considering I was going to stay home, I guess I'll call it a successful stolen day.
Oh, forgot my beer, so had to hike sober. Damn. I'll make up for it on St P Day, if I can get out of working.
