Tag Archives: Backpacking Oregon

Timberline Trail – Day 4

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MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Multi Day Backpacking Trip

42 miles, 10,630’ elevation gain, 4 days out, rated HARD

Date: 6/7-10/22

Day 4

11 Miles with 3993’ Elevation Gain

After a restful night, lulled to sleep by the sound of the tumbling water cascading down the face of Romona Falls, I packed up my tent and stuffed it into my backpack for the last time on this journey. I spent some time, before we set out on our final day of this spectacular trek around Mt Hood, sitting next to the glorious falls letting it’s magic envelop me.

Romona Falls

I had an important task to complete, doctoring the blisters that I had undoubtedly received from miles of hiking in wet boots when we waded through the frigid water at Elliott Glacier Stream.

It would be a long hard day with the elevation gain being almost double that of any of the other days. There would be a long slog out of windy, dusty, canyons. We would experience more water crossings, one of which I decided that my best bet across the Zig Zag River was to do the standing broad jump from a rock to the shore with my heavy pack- and hooray, I stayed dry! There was more smoke in the sky from the nearby wildfires. But there were thick green forests to enjoy and handfuls of huckleberries to consume.

We maneuvered through a portion of forest with downed timber that we had to clamber over, under or around, and up a steep switch back trail. One spot seemed particularly treacherous with massive logs precariously perched above being held in place by saplings. It was quite unnerving to come around the bend and find trail all but wiped out by such a tree coming down the mountainside.

It was a bit worrisome to see large fallen trees precariously perched just above held in place by saplings.
Some large timber had fallen in places just about wiping out the trail.

It was tiring, it was hard, it was glorious! Finally late in the afternoon I spied a most welcome sight, that of the roof of the Timberline Lodge which signified the end of the fantastic journey.

What a wonderful four days that Anthony and I spend with Mother Nature on arguably the Best Hike in America, Timberline Trail.

‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ YouTube Channel. The best way to view a waterfall is with motion. CLICK THE PIC!
“These type of adventures do a body good, but it is the soul that finds it most beneficial.” – Roger Jenkins, Pursuing Balance Through Adventure 

Thanks for accompanying my Through Hiker friend Anthony and I on this multi day backpacking extravaganza. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 When you work hard toward a goal, but the reward of each step is profound beauty than it is not hard, it is soul nurturing. This my friends is what ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is all about. Such a trek brings so much balance into the grind that can be everyday life. The circumnavigation of Mount Hood is a grind, but such a beautiful grind and I invite you to stay with PBTA because there is alway more. It is not the destination, but the journey that brings that balance. Stay tuned by completing these easy tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. We all need to seek out more journeys. As an aid to your discovering your own expedition I invite you to go the menu above where I have categorized outings mostly by location. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. You will find Adventure Wear with the prized PBTA logo and mantra at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Timberline Trail Day 2

3 Comments

MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Multi Day Backpacking Trip

42 miles, 10,630’ elevation gain, 4 days out, rated HARD

Date: 6/7-10/22

The first night on the mountain was awesome after a tough, but satisfying dance with nature all day on the Timberline Trail DAY 1. I always wanted to experience what I have seen in advertisements and that is pull back my tent flap and there before me is this outstanding view that just takes you aback. That is the experience I had on this morning.

Mount Hood from my tent after midnight.
View when I unzipped the flap of my tent that morning.

Day 2

9.7 Miles with 1965’ Elevation Gain

Thursday Sept 8th.  Another beautiful day Anthony and I hiked mostly above the timber, soaking up the sun, and the magnificent views not only of our mountain, but majestic Mt Rainer, stately Mt Adams, and once the most perfectly shaped mountain, the infamous Mt Saint Helens. We took our break at an awesome rock shelter at Cooper Spur. 

Mount Adams peaking through the evergreens.

Really sketchy water crossing at Elliot Glacier Stream…  Wading in thigh deep fast moving cold water can be a bit unnerving with a water fall drop just 15 yards away.  The thought goes through your mind it should be fine, but what if it’s not?  What if your feet get swept by the fast moving current and slippery rocks? The other thing is you are going to have soaked boots for as long as it takes for them to dry out, which ended up a long time.  It turned out that it was fine.  Except for the wet boots part… Then it was a crazy steep scramble out where everything was moving including chest size boulders.  I cut my knee and shin on the scramble, so I either looked bad-ass or like a ding-dong with blood running down the length of my lower leg.  

Elliot Glacier Stream
Anthony recommended, “Keep moving and try not to die.”

Then it was wildflowers, trees, and streams finishing up another 10 mile day with about 2,000’ elevation gain. We camped at Elk Cove with a sweet view of the mountain top beside a babbling brook. 

The scene from where we camped.
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure YouTube Channel. CLICK THE PIC!
“Don’t die without embracing the daring adventure your life was meant to be.”
-Steve Pavlina

My Through Hiker friend, Anthony, and I appreciate you tagging along as we found ourselves ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ on our epic adventure circumnavigating this wonderful mountain. You know everything gets ramped up a couple degrees when you have a heavy pack on. Of course the hiking, and climbing up a steep ravine with a big pack is difficult and is a given, but what I am referring in particular is hoping rocks, or a maneuvering across a log, or in the case of this day, slogging through Elliott Glacier Stream. What would have been no big deal with out a pack is totally different wading through the frosty water across slippery rocks with the power of the water pushing you as you fight to balance the heavy pack. But pushing yourself is a big part of what this adventure was about and is a big part of what ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is. Getting outside of your comfort zone, finding out what you can do is important and it sure helps balance things out. Nature, Adventure, self discovery… it is what it is all about. Stay with us. We are only half way through this journey around this iconic mountain. COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. The menu above will take you to spots I cherish all across this great West of ours. It just might give you some inspiration and some ideas for your next outing in Nature. You can purchase some wonderful Adventure Wear for your outing at my SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Timberline Trail Day 1

3 Comments

MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Multi Day Backpacking Trip

42 miles, 10,630’ elevation gain, 4 days out, rated HARD

Date: 6/7-10/22

I soldiered through the blisters, blood, sweat and tears. The panting with each footfall became moaning with each step by each day’s end.  The accomplishment of the endeavor and the beauty of the mountain made up for the pain and suffering which of course just added to the adventure of it all. 

Although this was my most aggressive backpacking trip as far as days out, distance and elevation gain, I was with a fellow adventurer so at least I was not alone.  The other person on the trek, a Through Hiker who has hiked over 800 miles on the AZ Trail this year and a year or so ago completed the PCT, is a hiking friend from LA.  Anthony King a Bar Tender and Photographer flew in for the event and I picked him up at the Portland Airport. I have backpacked with Anthony once before. He is much younger than I so I was a little apprehensive about hiking with him, not wanting to hold him up.  Turns out he hikes at his own pace.  You either keep up or fall behind, your choice.  So the way that we handled it was we hiked together some of the time, but generally we enjoyed oneness with the mountain.  We met up for some of the breaks, as Anthony would take an extended break to allow me to catch up and I would have an abbreviated stop.

Day 1

10 Miles with 2,800’ Elevation Gain

Wednesday, Sept 7th, at 8AM we set out past Timberline Lodge to circumnavigate Oregon’s magnificent Mt Hood counterclockwise on the amazing Timberline Trail under mostly sunny skies. The days were to be mild and the nights just a little chilly so really tremendous conditions to take on one of the best backpacking trips in America.  Meandering through fields of wildflowers, in and out of wooded areas, spectacular views of Mt Jefferson, passed a couple small crossings of rushing water and waterfalls was how we spent the day.  Hoping across rocks is a little tricky with a heavy pack, but we managed to stay dry.  Now we climb… 10 miles and over 2,800’ elevation gain much of it up loose, steep, sandy, and crumbly material known as scree. We bedded down past Lamberson Butte near an old shelter with unreal views of the peak of Mt Hood right out my tent flap. 

Make sure to CLICK THE PIC and see the water features in motion.
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure YouTube Channel.
Our Timberline Trail adventure began at Timberline Lodge.
Majestic Mount Jefferson
Rock hopping trying to keep my feet dry. (Photo by Anthony King)
A rocky, sandy, steep hike out followed each water crossing.
Anthony crossing one of many water crossings along the Timberline Trail.
Sundown on Mt Hood
The mountains!  They call to us so we can conquer them.  But in reality we conquer our fears, our struggles, our weakness, and we come out victors.  Go conquer your mountain!

Thanks for joining Anthony and I on this awesome adventure, the circumnavigation of Mount Hood where we found ourselves ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. This is the beginning of a four part expose of our backpacking trek of arguably the Best Hike in America. You can checkout Timberline Trail Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 here. You will want to stay tuned and you can do so by a few simple tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you care to peruse the menu above you will discover that PBTA travels extensively throughout the great West in hopes of inspiration and recommendations of glorious outing in nature, as we can all use a little break from our everyday ho hum lives. If you have a thirst for top quality Adventure Wear then quench it at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure