Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

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pdxgene
Posts: 5073
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by pdxgene » August 19th, 2013, 4:32 pm

Yay for the west wind :D No smoke over Mt Hood today though you can't even see it from Sandy. The main flower show is done but it's still well worth it for the next week or so, probably not much longer than that. I'm sure some people got the lucky days but it seems like the prime flower show came under smoky/cloudy sky and now that the sky was blue the flower show has waned. Everything below the loop trail is pretty much done. The best areas are the main hillside at the loop trail junction and anywhere that still has water flowing nearby. I didn't see anyone on the trail and only maybe half a dozen groups of people in the meadows. Photo descriptions will be here in a bit http://picasaweb.google.com/pdxgene/ParadisePark25 For comparison to last year change the 25 to a 24 for Aug30th which was peak bloom last year and to 23 for Aug 2nd which was way too early last year. I actually had other plans today but they fell through so this made a pretty nice backup plan :)
A couple notes... by the time I got back to the car I was ready to kiss the (level) ground. With the wandering around the meadows this probably ends up about 15 miles and is close to my limit I think. Unless it's something flat like a double loop of Timothy Lake. I did make it from the trailhead to the PCT junction in just under two hours, it took longer to come down. But guys ( and the ladies that do it too) like Sean, or Don, or Mayhem or any of the rest, I don't know how you do it. You sure have my respect, though possibly not always for judgment in picking those trips :P Anyway, what a great day!
Bunches of flowers this way...

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romann
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by romann » August 19th, 2013, 4:58 pm

That looks perfect, Gene. I almost went there on Sunday but got too late a start; will try to hit this trail this sooner than later :) .

pdxgene
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Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by pdxgene » August 19th, 2013, 6:14 pm

romann wrote:That looks perfect, Gene. I almost went there on Sunday but got too late a start; will try to hit this trail this sooner than later :) .
Thanx, it was pretty darn close.
Keep an eye on the wind / fires before you decide. If it shifts from west to east all that blueness could disappear. Again.. There's a lot of smoke not all that far away..

airoff
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Joined: March 15th, 2012, 8:35 am
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by airoff » August 19th, 2013, 6:25 pm

It's blue... it's beautiful!

I want to go to there. Thanks for the inspiration and great TR!

pdxgene
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Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by pdxgene » August 20th, 2013, 6:27 am

airoff wrote:It's blue... it's beautiful!

I want to go to there. Thanks for the inspiration and great TR!
It's a tough job but someone has to do it... :lol:

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4DMTNS
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Location: Portland

Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by 4DMTNS » August 21st, 2013, 5:42 am

Thanks for the pictures of some of the last flowers Gene. We love that approach to Paradise Park, it's a decent workout, rarely used midweek, and you can just cruise back to the car after doing the loop.

My fella knows I love huckleberries and wildflowers, so while I'm rehabbing from this broken fibula he consulted the PH site and decided to head up to Paradise Park yesterday to bring me a surprise treat.

When he arrived at the trailhead, only one other car was there. As he was approaching the end of the climb he stopped to pick some huckleberries for me. Such a great guy!!

When he looked up beyond the bushes, he saw the two other hikers on the trail ... this is the text I received.

Just ran into the BMW couple... Havin sex naked in the middle of the trail! While standing !

Being a nice guy he turned his back to them and hoped they would notice him and our dog. When it became clear they weren't noticing him he had to announce 'coming through' while still looking the other way.

Of course he made light of the situation, let them know he hikes fast and asked them to just move to the side and let him know when it was safe to pass.

I guess that couple thought the trail was rarely, rarely, rarely ever used midweek. To the owners of the BMX X1 ... if that was you on the trail Tuesday 20Aug ... kudos for your athleticism!

As for my huckleberry treats ... absolutely awesome on my cereal this morning. Thanks again to my sweet guy!
I'm almost always the sweep on my hikes ... it gives me an opportunity to taste test all the edible berries I seem to find.

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Crusak
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Location: Oregon

Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by Crusak » August 21st, 2013, 6:57 am

Stunning pictures, Gene. I agree with your assessment of hiking long distances. Anything over 12 miles is a hard hike for me. ;)
4DMTNS wrote:Just ran into the BMW couple...
ROTFL that's too funny. :lol:
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BrianEdwards
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Re: Deep blue sky over Paradise Park 8/19

Post by BrianEdwards » August 21st, 2013, 8:17 am

:lol: :lol:
Clackamas River Waterfall Project - 95 Documented, 18 to go.

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