Okay let’s start off with the most important part. I saw a SUPER cute chipmunk.
Just look at ‘im! Grabbing the grass and eating it! Ahh!
Okay now that we’re past that.
I finally backpacked out to McNeil point! With people, even!
That’s a pretty hefty accomplishment for this year – two trails that I’ve wanted to backpack for years, effectively since I moved to Oregon, complete! Paradise Park, which was absolutely stunning, and now McNeil Point, which… spoiler alert… was also absolutely stunning!
I’ll admit that the sunset wasn’t quite as intense this time, nor were the flowers in quite as intense of a bloom, but… I adored the rocky landscape and amazing adventure of McNeil. Not to mention getting to do as a group – I went with Jess and her friend Stevie, the first time I’ve been backpacking as a group in… ohh, I can’t quite recall how long.
It was excellent, without many stories to be told aside from the enjoyment of the mountains and the excitement of completing a trail long aimed for. We hiked, we camped, we ate and chatted, and read and explored.
The day before, Jess and I had gone to a work event of mine – a fairly impressive shindig at a nearby resort, where we got the chance to meet and greet with various coworkers, play games, and give a rather epic showing for ourselves at Laser Tag.
We had our backpacks packed and ready in the car, so when we left we headed directly East, toward Mount Hood for a weekend of backpacking… nothing heavy, mind you, but a good opportunity to get the legs moving and get ourselves into the woods to relax and disconnect from the world.
Unfortunately, this was the Pacific Northwest in Wildfire season… and the Wildfires had turned on us a bit overnight. The air was rough, Jess’s asthma was kicking in, and the sky had taken on a singularly ominous “blood orange” hue. Backpacking up on the mountain simply wasn’t in the cards.
Instead, we simply laid low – headed back to Wilsonville, had a lovely relaxing afternoon and evening, and then headed out toward the coast in an attempt to evade a bit of the smoke.
Our goal was a hike I hadn’t done in years – the Elk Mountain and Kings Mountain loop. Interestingly, I’d last done it with Daniel, during another bout of wildfire-induced smoke… Thinking back, it wasn’t any less smokey then, and it wasn’t any less smokey now…
Maybe this isn’t the best hike to do in the smoke?
Ehh, we did it anyways.
The nice thing about wildfire smoke, if there is a nice thing to be said, is that the light can be stunning. It’s a sort of golden hour that lasts all day long… if you can push through the burning lungs and painful eyes, some great views can absolutely be had of the Sunlight filtering through the clouds and smoke and into the trees.
We hiked, we rested, we ate and drank. We drank tons of water, and even took a few moments to fly the drone around… not that it got any particularly good views, but it was definitely fun none the less.
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After the drive home, we stopped to grab dinner from the grocery… and saw our extra little neat view of the day – a “do it yourself convertible”, complete with an anti-theft Club, since… you know… doors didn’t exist.
I forgot to put the battery pack and my lunch box in the car when I left the trailhead.
How the heck did I… Okay, who knows?
I finally backpacked all the way out to Paradise Park! I had my pack, my sword, and I even hiked the first part of it twice because I loved it so much and not because I realized that I left things on the roof of the car when it was likely to rain.
Yup – Brought the sword along with me. Legal in Oregon, and it would be invaluable if I ran into any ORCs (Oregon Research Cosplayers). Heh, yep, that’s the joke I kept telling people.
The hike was beautiful – The wildflowers were in full bloom, and I had a good mental map of the route thanks to having hiked out a few weekends prior. I took my time, enjoyed the weight of the pack, and appreciated the scenery. I snacked, read my book, and soon enough had camp set up in a nicely sheltered stand of trees a nice distance from the trail.
That night, I spent some time practicing forms with the sword that I’d learned a lifetime ago when I helped teach longsword at that one summer camp, and happily watched as the sky caught fire in the distance.
The next morning dawned a bit misty, which felt perfect for a bit of a wandering walk around. I left my camp set up, so I wouldn’t have to carry the full pack weight as I explored, and walked to and fro along the Timberline trail. I didn’t go too far, maybe a few miles in each direction… just far enough that I got some excellent sights and good miles in. I found some interesting placards, and even found a beautifully made labyrinth up on one of the alpine trails above the main area.
Interesting trivia fact – by technical definition, Labyrinths aren’t mazes. Labyrinths only have a single path, with no offshoots, which means you can’t get lost in them… instead, they’re treated similarly to a scholar’s garden and can be intended as a meditation. “Walking the labyrinth” is a lesson in mindfulness, and an opportunity to simply appreciate the surroundings you find yourself in.
I took that to heart, when I found this labyrinth laid out in small stones, across a rocky part of Mt. Hood.
I walked in circles, appreciating each area and making a point to experience each view that it brought me to. I walked slowly, without rush, and appreciated each little bit of the environment I was in.
It was lovely, and a beautiful opportunity to re-center myself before the hike out.
Of the hike out… there’s not much to say. I hiked it, and quickly enough found myself back at the car. Too late to have dinner at the Lodge, but just the right time to order some chicken from dominos on the drive back.
