A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

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VanMarmot
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A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by VanMarmot » May 29th, 2011, 4:32 pm

With dryness promised for today, and yet more rain forecast for next week, I felt considerable urgency to go hiking NOW. Finally decided to go over Table and muck-about a bit in the upper reaches of the Greenleaf Basin. The low clouds tormenting Portland were still over me as I reached Carpenters Lake via the Dick Thomas trail (which has some impressive muddy spots) and gazed up toward Table.

Image

The W ridge was enveloped in clouds and mist, driven by a stiff breeze. While it wasn’t actually raining in the open, it was within the forest canopy, as the mist condensed on the leaves and needles. So climbing the ridge exposed me to either a misty wind or a drippy forest depending on which way the trail ran. The familiar rock pile at the top of the ridge was a study in grays.

Image

There is no snow on the W ridge, the top of Table, or the trail portion of the NW ridge descent. There’s still snow in places along the road portion of the NW ridge but it’s very easy to walk on. Mine were the only tracks in the snow until I came across these elk tracks,

Image

which went along the road for quite a ways. By the time I reached the service road intersection at 3100’, all the snow was gone but the clouds were not.

Image

As much as I wanted to explore Greenleaf Basin, trying to do so in a wet mist with visibility less than 100’ seemed like both a bad idea and no fun. So I ate lunch, hoping that would give the promised sunbreaks time to appear. Would have had better luck wishing to see Big Foot riding a unicorn. So I packed it in and headed back to the TH via the PCT. Since it’s happened before, I fully expected the mists to clear and the sun to start shining just as I reached the car. It was a small comfort when that didn’t happen today. So I got some exercise and I’ll have a go at the Greenleaf Basin another day.

Image

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Eric Peterson
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by Eric Peterson » May 29th, 2011, 5:52 pm

Yup, went up Mt. Defiance today thinking the weather guys would know what they were talking about, was supposed to be the best of the 3 day weekend. Didn't feel bad at all when I got back to my car and it was raining, don't like getting back to the car just when the sun comes out either.

Sometime in the future, I'm going to 'schwack from the top of Table over to Greenleaf peak, just
not now when it's been so damp and drizzly. Was up on Table last Sunday and there seemed to be
yet another exit off the top more SE that seems like would be a fun bush whack down into the Greenleaf basin areas...

HikerChris
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by HikerChris » May 29th, 2011, 6:56 pm

Was that you I saw about 10-10:30 AM on the PCT about a quarter mile from the HeartBreak Ridge TH? I was all decked out to camp overnight up the PCT but changed my mind at about the 6mi. mark since the weather was not improving at all. I turned around a couple of miles past some gravel road after the powerlines.

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Roy
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by Roy » May 29th, 2011, 10:07 pm

VanMarmot wrote:With dryness promised for today, and yet more rain forecast for next week, I felt considerable urgency to go hiking NOW. Finally decided to go over Table and muck-about a bit in the upper reaches of the Greenleaf Basin. The low clouds tormenting Portland were still over me as I reached Carpenters Lake via the Dick Thomas trail (which has some impressive muddy spots) and gazed up toward Table.

Image

The W ridge was enveloped in clouds and mist, driven by a stiff breeze. While it wasn’t actually raining in the open, it was within the forest canopy, as the mist condensed on the leaves and needles. So climbing the ridge exposed me to either a misty wind or a drippy forest depending on which way the trail ran. The familiar rock pile at the top of the ridge was a study in grays.

Image

There is no snow on the W ridge, the top of Table, or the trail portion of the NW ridge descent. There’s still snow in places along the road portion of the NW ridge but it’s very easy to walk on. Mine were the only tracks in the snow until I came across these elk tracks,

Image

which went along the road for quite a ways. By the time I reached the service road intersection at 3100’, all the snow was gone but the clouds were not.

Image

As much as I wanted to explore Greenleaf Basin, trying to do so in a wet mist with visibility less than 100’ seemed like both a bad idea and no fun. So I ate lunch, hoping that would give the promised sunbreaks time to appear. Would have had better luck wishing to see Big Foot riding a unicorn. So I packed it in and headed back to the TH via the PCT. Since it’s happened before, I fully expected the mists to clear and the sun to start shining just as I reached the car. It was a small comfort when that didn’t happen today. So I got some exercise and I’ll have a go at the Greenleaf Basin another day.

Image

Perhaps your weather luck is changing? After almost a year of hiking on Mondays in snow, east winds,rain.it never stooped :twisted:


Just joking Van you are the class of tr reporters no mater what weather :P


Tom
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura

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Roy
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by Roy » May 29th, 2011, 10:28 pm

Eric Peterson wrote:Yup, went up Mt. Defiance today thinking the weather guys would know what they were talking about, was supposed to be the best of the 3 day weekend. Didn't feel bad at all when I got back to my car and it was raining, don't like getting back to the car just when the sun comes out either.

Sometime in the future, I'm going to 'schwack from the top of Table over to Greenleaf peak, just
not now when it's been so damp and drizzly. Was up on Table last Sunday and there seemed to be
yet another exit off the top more SE that seems like would be a fun bush whack down into the Greenleaf basin areas...
Did you run in to much snow? I was wanting to go there but I am burned out on snow.

Roy
The downhill of the mind is harder than the uphill of the body. - Yuichiro Miura

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VanMarmot
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by VanMarmot » May 30th, 2011, 6:48 am

HikerChris wrote:Was that you I saw about 10-10:30 AM on the PCT about a quarter mile from the HeartBreak Ridge TH? I was all decked out to camp overnight up the PCT but changed my mind at about the 6mi. mark since the weather was not improving at all. I turned around a couple of miles past some gravel road after the powerlines.
Very likely - I only saw one person on the trail until after I started back in the afternoon. I can't imagine it would have been fun to camp in all that misty drizzle...

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VanMarmot
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by VanMarmot » May 30th, 2011, 6:54 am

Eric Peterson wrote: Sometime in the future, I'm going to 'schwack from the top of Table over to Greenleaf peak, just
not now when it's been so damp and drizzly. Was up on Table last Sunday and there seemed to be
yet another exit off the top more SE that seems like would be a fun bush whack down into the Greenleaf basin areas...
Don Nelsen has actively explored the Greenleaf Basin and occasionally offers up a map of the area. I seem to recall a bushwhack from the top of Table going N down into the Basin.

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Eric Peterson
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by Eric Peterson » May 30th, 2011, 7:00 am

Did you run in to much snow? I was wanting to go there but I am burned out on snow.

Roy
Couple feet of snow starting at 3800', then goes up to 4 or 5' of snow on top...

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VanMarmot
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by VanMarmot » May 30th, 2011, 7:01 am

Roy wrote:Perhaps your weather luck is changing? After almost a year of hiking on Mondays in snow, east winds,rain.it never stopped :twisted:

Tom
I do have some flexibility to adjust my work to take advantage of bluebird days - if there ever are any?! :roll:

This keeps up, Stumptown is going to get renamed Gloomtown...

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Don Nelsen
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Re: A (Very) Misty Table Mtn 29-May-2011

Post by Don Nelsen » May 30th, 2011, 7:35 am

VanMarmot wrote:
Eric Peterson wrote: Sometime in the future, I'm going to 'schwack from the top of Table over to Greenleaf peak, just
not now when it's been so damp and drizzly. Was up on Table last Sunday and there seemed to be
yet another exit off the top more SE that seems like would be a fun bush whack down into the Greenleaf basin areas...
Don Nelsen has actively explored the Greenleaf Basin and occasionally offers up a map of the area. I seem to recall a bushwhack from the top of Table going N down into the Basin.
There are lots of possible shwack routes off Table into the basin. I've done it coming up and going down - the easiest way I've found is to stay as close to the cliffs as you can. It appears that area alone survived the major fires of 1902 and 1929 and is not as brushy - though there are other routes. Jamito and I went down the largest talus field a couple of years ago and then into the forest at the bottom. We had to brave some daunting vine maple tangles at the base of the talus though.

dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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