Tag Archives: Timberline lodge

Sep5

Some family time, over a weekend in August

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19 through 23-Aug, 2021


My Mom came to visit!!!

In previous years, before COVID, She’d come to visit most Februarys, after finishing her conference… but it’s been a while since that’s been possible, and these last years have put a pretty large damper on how often we can see each other.

But this year! This year, COVID had calmed down just enough to make it possible! Granted, it was starting to swing upward again… but we had the window, travel was safe, we took all precautions we could, and we finally got to visit!



It was beautifully low-key. We did a ton of fun stuff, but also made a point to take the evenings quiet – It’s been so long since I’ve been able to just sit on the couch and read, or lay back and watch a movie with family… I’m getting misty eyed just thinking about it!

So what did we do, you may ask? Well, without going too poetic on this, since it’s kind of late tonight…

She arrived on a Thursday – I was able to take some time off work, but did have to run back into the office in the afternoon again… thankfully though, it was a quiet day, and I was able to head back early enough that we could make a lovely fun dinner of bucatini, asparagus, and sopressata. With Burrata, on top, obviously.



Friday, we took a quiet morning and then drove up to Mt Hood to have a simply amazing lunch at the Timberline Lodge. Then we did a bit of hiking around, before heading back into town and having a nice quiet evening. With ice cream, obviously.



Saturday, we visited a coworker of mine’s farm! He raises Alpacas, among other critters, and one of the Alpacas had just given birth – Something I rightly guessed that my Mom might enjoy. The Alpacas were so fluffy!! Then more home, relaxing, and anotehr amazing dinner – this time, salmon Cesar salad!



Sunday was, unfortunately, our last full day. Sad face! But we made good use of it – a full eggs-benedict breakfast, followed by some lovely walking around town, and… more ice cream! Reading, relaxing, and sitting out and enjoying the changing seasons… we’re not cold in Oregon, by any means, but we’re a heck of a lot cooler than we were back in July with those 117° days!



Monday came along far too quickly, if you ask me… but it arrived just as you’d expect it to. An early morning breakfast, a drive to the airport, and the whirlwind was over.



It was lovely, and a good reminder of what I’m missing in my life… visiting with friends in Boston earlier in the year reminded me, and this just reinforces that feeling. I’ve enjoyed Oregon, but I’m very much missing family as well…

Aug6

Hiking up to Elk Meadows, and a few other places!

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Saturday, 25-July-2020

 

Laurel showed up with bagel sandwiches.

Bagel sandwiches are an excellent start to any adventure. They’re not the only good start, of course, but as far as starting options go there are few better.

Coffee too, but ever since I first learned about bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches from Galantes (or was it June’s Place?) in Medway, probably 20 years ago, I never looked back.

 

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about, is it? We’re here to hear about hiking!

 

The goal of the day was to head up to Elk Meadows, and then see how energetic we felt… maybe heading to the Timberline Lodge for some extra altitude and milage. A fun hike with good views, but not so intense that we couldn’t talk, or take our time.

The trailhead was surprisingly quiet when we parked – it wasn’t empty, by any means, but there were still spots to be had. For a weekend in Oregon, we took that as a clear win, and a good sign that this was the right trail to be heading up. Parking went quickly, and soon enough we were heading upward.

 

Once we were on the trail, things got exciting!

…

It’s hiking, guys.

I’m a good writer – I’m creative, and enjoy typing up weird long stories.

But it’s hiking.

 

One foot, then the other foot. Lots of talking and catching up and discussing, but at the end of the day hiking is just foot movement, amazing scenery, and maybe a river crossing every once in awhile. Written words don’t really describe, which is why all those famous books and movies about hiking tend to focus on internal thoughts, and background stories.

But you know what does describe hiking well? Photos!

 

 

 

We walked up to Elk Meadows, walked around Elk Meadows, and then walked back down the trail from Elk Meadows.

But we didn’t go all the way back to the trailhead for Elk Meadows. No, instead of that, we took a side trail off the main Elk Meadows trail, and hiked out to Umbrella falls! Near Elk Meadows.

Elk Meadows.

Umbrella falls was… farther than we expected. Far enough that we actually took a break partway through the hike to sit by a stream and have some sandwiches for lunch – Baguette, Prosciutto, Brie, and Apple of course. Full french style.

Re-energized, we pressed onward to Umbrella. Really similar to Rowena, once I saw it… and really tempting to go and try to find in the winter for some Ice Climbing… if it wasn’t on a ski trail :/

So yeah, Umbrella Falls was cool. We looked at it, stayed away from the people, and then headed back to the car.

It was still early though, and so instead of heading back into Portland, we kept with our original plan of heading up to the Timberline Lodge, to get our hands on some glacier snow! In July!

Yep, you read that right, dear readers. Mt. Hood has snow in July. Snow all year round, actually. Because the Palmer Glacier is, in fact, a glacier! It was fun – we threw snowballs, and then went inside to have dinner in the timberline lodge.

True story – I am not sponsored by the Timberline Lodge. But… similarly to how I think Omega Pacific should sponsor me for always ranting about how awesome their cams are, I think that Timberline should comp me a meal or two based on how much I tell people about that place.

I mean, it looks like a dwarven fortress! What more do you want? Amazing Reubens? They have those! Hot Cocoa! They have that too! What more could I ask for??

ehemm. Yes. We played on the glacier, then went for dinner, and then rocked the drive back into Portland with the top down, and the mountain wind in our hair.

It was a good day.

Jul9

The Start of the Summer – Hiking, dining, and sleeping on Mt. Hood

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Friday and Saturday, 19 & 20-June-2020

 

Well.

2020 has been a year, hasn’t it?

 

It started in Scotland, then dove into a global pandemic, then protests across the United States. Now, when COVID cases are starting to rise again, Oregon has decided to re-open itself.

Well, I can’t do anything about that. I can’t really do anything about any of those things… but what I can do is keep distancing myself, keep wearing a mask, and keep active. And maybe take advantage of the re-opening as best I can.

Today, I went hiking on Hood for the first time in recent memory.

From the Timberline Lodge, the Timberline Trail circumnavigates the whole mountain – to the West, there’s ZigZag Canyon and the beautiful paradise park. Perfect day-hike destinations. So I went East instead, where no one else generally goes. I saw not a single person on the trail, but had what seemed like the entire side of the mountain to myself.

It.

Was.

Perfect.

Warm weather, a good breeze, and bright sunlight. The mountain was in full glory, peaking above the treeline at almost every turn of the trail.

I went all the way down to the White River – not far, by any means, but something like a 5mile round trip. I felt good… for a starter hike, trying to regain my legs after nearly three months of COVID-related staying at home, I felt strong. I felt tired, but I’m proud of myself for pushing through and hiking at a fairly strong pace the whole time.

After the trail dropped me back off at my car, I treated myself. I’ve been trying to eat a bit healthier, after the stressful and sedentary recent months, but today I’d hiked at altitude, and had skipped lunch. And, I’d parked at the Timberline Lodge, which was still open for dinner.

I walked in 10 minutes before they closed – I was going to head back to the car to cook up a mountain house, but the waiter insisted that I should sit down anyways. We chatted a bit, I ordered, and that’s how I found myself sitting by the window, watching the sun set on the Southern face of Mt. Hood, with a pastrami sandwich, two cups of hot cocoa, and a full cup of whipped cream topped with chocolate and caramel.

The crazy thing is – I only ordered the sandwich. The cocoa? I saw the waiter walking by with them, and asked what they were. See, I love the cocoa at Timberline, but I hadn’t noticed it on the menu… so when I saw him carrying them, I needed to find out more. It turns out that they were mistakes – and he was carrying them back to the kitchen to be thrown out. Well, he offered, and I couldn’t say no! When he brought over the cup of toppings, I lost it.

I’ve had a bad year. It’s been unpleasant, challenging, and just simply a not good year. I recognize that many people have had it far, far worse than I have, and I’m infinitely thankful for everything I have in life. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been hard.

The gift of two cups of cocoa, after my first hike, right before camping out on my own, was exactly what I needed.

Now, as I sit in my camp chair typing this up, I feel good. I’m tired, but it’s a good tired. A well-earned tired.

I can’t say I’m doing great. But sitting here, looking at the mountain, I can say that I’m doing well.