Elk Meadows and Newton Creek Trail, 7/28

[Excursionista]

Just over a week ago (7/28), I hiked through Elk Meadows, up Gnarl Ridge to the Timberline, and down Newton Creek. I would’ve posted sooner but I got busy and figured it was too late… though with the recent questions about this area, I thought I’d share, even if the info is a little old. I'm going the easy way out and just giving a link for pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonedwar ... 471370775/

I started at Sahalie trailhead and crossed Newton Creek on some small logs someone had laid over the current. It seemed sketchy, but was totally doable. The hike up to Elk Meadows included precisely two blooming beargrasses, and Elk Meadows was its usual beautiful self, except that I always seem to miss the flowers. If this year is a good year, I'm not sure what the hype is about. This was the day that that guy was hit by a boulder and died while descending from the summit; my mood was definitely tempered by the helicopter hovering over the ridge.

I looped counterclockwise around the meadows until I reached the Gnarl Ridge Trail (#652A) and headed up the ridge to the Timberline Trail. Gnarl Ridge was in pretty good shape, nothing major to report. I didn't go all the way up to Lambertson Butte, but looking from the intersection, and later from below, it looks as if the route is snow free or almost completely snow free. After this week of heat it certainly will be.

I took the Timberline south (left) and descended to Newton Creek. Lots of blow-down on the trail, as many as ten trees, but navigable, if a little frustrating. Maybe it was the heat...

Newton Creek was raging at that elevation. I crossed in my boots, with trekking poles, but the whole operation felt precarious and a bit dangerous. It was 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and the current was strong. The trail winds through boulders and sand and I had to follow bootprints and small cairns. The only confusing part is that two sets of cairns mark the easiest crossing point - cross between them and head downstream to regain the trail.

The Timberline climbs above a small ridge and intersects Newton Creek trail (#646). This parallels the creek down to Trail #645 and the return to the trailhead. The area around the intersection is beautiful, with big white gnarled pines and open spaces. I hung out for a while until I heard loud crashing noises in the woods nearby. The noises were coming my direction, and since whatever was making them was big and down-wind from me, it should have been able to smell my gamey hiker scent. If it smelled me and wasn’t scared, it was too big for me to want to meet. I grabbed my pack and headed down the trail, which creeps along the ridge and eroded sides of the creek. It's a nice descent until halfway down, when you re-enter the forest proper and the trail gets lost a bit in places where the creek has washed it out. It's still easy to follow, with occasional bits of tape to assist. Follow the creek and take care around the edge and you'll be fine. From here, it's just a few easy miles back to the truck.

As far as Newton Creek trail (#646) being official or unofficial - the intersections are signed and the trail shows up on my wilderness map, though it's a few years old. The ridge to the south of Newton Creek looks snow-free and totally scramblable (it wasn’t a word until now!). If I'm not mistaken, this is the ridge under discussion in the thread for Mt Hood Meadows (the ridge that demarcates the wilderness boundary). It would be better to start this climb further south, rather than the using the Newton creek Trail. The distance to the ridge would be shorter and you'd have more time and energy to climb.

[adamschneider]

The ridge to the south of Newton Creek looks snow-free and totally scramblable (it wasn’t a word until now!). If I'm not mistaken, this is the ridge under discussion in the thread for Mt Hood Meadows (the ridge that demarcates the wilderness boundary). It would be better to start this climb further south, rather than the using the Newton creek Trail. The distance to the ridge would be shorter and you'd have more time and energy to climb.

Yup, that's the ridge I'm hoping to tackle next week, and I'm definitely going to come at it from the south. I'm thinking I'll just go straight up the Clark-Newton crest from the Timberline Trail.

[Excursionista]

You'll have to let us know how it goes! The views from up on that ridge must be spectacular...