After finishing the Loowit Trail, I was tempted to take a month off of hiking altogether, but after a good week of rest, I decided to go on and do another hike! Unfortunately, so much smoke blew into Washington, I ended up retreating into Oregon. Fortunately, that ended up meaning doing a 37 mile loop in the Eagle Cap Wilderness!
Loowit Trail (Mount St Helens)
While doing research on hikes in the PNW further, I ran into the Loowit Trail, which circles all of the way around Mount St Helens. A couple of years ago, I visited this mountain for the first time and fell in love with it in a special way, so I was especially excited to see what this was. After reading tons about it being a remarkably difficult hike “for experienced backpackers”, I heeded some caution but headed in. I spent the weekend of August 3 circumambulating Mount St Helens on the Loowit Trail.
Backpacking the Timberline Trail (Mt Hood, Oregon)
After backpacking around the Three Sisters, I decided that I really hadn’t had enough and wanted to get out more. Knowing that the Timberline Trail went around Mt Hood and was close, I decided to look it up. At about 40 miles total, as a loop, it would make for a wonderful weekend trip. And so, just 2 weeks after the Three Sisters, I hiked the Timberline Trail around Mt Hood.
Three Sisters Loop Backpacking
For July 4, I had a total of 5 days off to do what I wanted to do with, so I decided to find some good hiking in the area. I took those 5 days to hike the Three Sisters Loop, in the Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon. The loop itself is some 45 miles or so, but with side-trips, including a summit up South Sister on the final day, I completed over 80 miles on the trail.
That first half of 2018
I obviously haven’t been keeping my blog up to date since some time in early February. Those who follow me on Facebook and Instagram are aware that this lack of blogging hasn’t been for lack of travels. Over the course of these last few months, I visited a few new sights in California and have made my way up to Oregon! Time to catch up!
On How Backpacking Changes Me
I recently made a post on social media about how backpacking has changed who I am in a subtle but notable way. Each time I go on a significant backpacking trip, some part of me is changed. My behavior, thinking, and even emotional makeup are changed. In saying this, I got a surprising amount of interest in having me expand upon this further.
Mt Wilson (Angeles National Forest) Loop Hike
This weekend, I joined a group of friends hiking up Mt Wilson in Angeles National Forest. We started at Chantry Flats and did a full loop that came to over 14 miles and over 4000 ft of elevation gain.
San Diego Trans County Trail and Existential Reflections
On January 4th, I began hiking the San Diego Trans County Trail. It took me 12 total days, counting 2 “zeros” to complete a route that totaled about 170 miles of walking. While hiking, I also took the opportunity to reflect on the last year of my life as my 30th birthday approaches on the 18th; it was a year full of existential exploration throughout a great deal of adventure.
Cactus to Clouds Hike (Attempt)
This last weekend, I headed down to Palm Springs and made an attempt at hiking the Cactus to Clouds route. Starting in Palm Springs and climbing all of the way to the summit of San Jacinto peak, it is often cited as one of the most difficult day hikes in the country. It made for a blast of a day!
White Mountain (14,252ft) Summit Hike
This weekend, I decided to continue hanging out around Bishop and head up into the White Mountains once again. This time, however, I would do the hike to summit White Mountain, itself. At 14,252ft, it is the first ever “14’er” that I have hiked up.