Lorain - One Night Wilderness: Portland: Quick and Convenient Backcountry Getaways within Three Hours of the City

One Night Wilderness: Portland: Quick & convenient backpacking getaways within three hours of the city

1st EDITION 2009

3rd printing 2010

Copyright 2009 by Douglas Lorain

All photos and maps copyright 2009 by Douglas Lorain (except )

Cover design: Larry B. Van Dyke

Book design: Lisa Pletka

Book editor: Marc Lecard

ISBN 978-0-89997-463-7

Manufactured in the United States of America

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE: Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while in the wilderness. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you. Be aware that trail conditions can change from day to day. Always check local conditions, know your own limitations, and consult a map.

Having a landscape to oneself is an exclusive pleasure. Many of us stumble upon this by surprise. Suddenly it is thereunshared, solitary. One may well experience a reckless moment of freedom, a penetrating moment of understanding. A meaning that was elusive is suddenly clear.

Margaret Owings, artist and conservationist

Acknowledgments

A s always, the help of many people made this book possible. Special thanks go to the following persons:

For her love, her encouragement, and especially her forbearance in allowing me to spend so much time on the trail (sadly) away from her loving arms, I especially wish to thank my wife, Becky Lovejoy.

I would also like to thank my nephews, Rossin and Kamron Ebrahimi, and Drew Bush, who enthusiastically helped me experience the joys of introducing a youngster to backpacking (and stuffing my face with huckleberries) on their first overnight trips into the wilderness.

My great appreciation goes to all the many people at Wilderness Press whose talent and hard work were invaluable in making this book both readable and attractive, but who (unfairly) dont get the glory of having their names on the cover. On this project I especially want to point out the assistance of Marc Lecard, Lisa Pletka, and Laura Shauger.

Finally, I would like to thank the following individuals at the various land agencies for taking the time to review hikes in their area and provide helpful input: Steve Andringa, Bryan Bell, Susan Graham, Edan Lira, Jon Nakae, Jacquelyn Oakes, Jim Thornton, Geoff Walker, and Macy Yates.

Preface

F ortune has smiled on outdoor lovers in the Portland metropolitan area. Within a short drive from their homes, hikers face an almost unbelievable array of options. They can choose to walk through massive old-growth forests or to visit any of several hundred waterfalls. They can climb across massive glaciers or traipse through wildflower-covered mountain meadows. They can beachcomb on surf-pounded sand or explore semi-desert canyonlands filled with the aroma of sagebrush. Only one or two other cities in the country can boast such a wide assortment of opportunities so close at hand.

Many, even most, of these wonders are accessible to dayhikers. But as thousands of pedestrians have discovered over the years, to appreciate fully the charms and wonders of the wilderness, nothing compares to packing in your gear and spending the night. The outdoor experience is infinitely richer, more exhilarating, and certainly more memorable if you extend your stay, enjoying a place where the stars outshine the streetlights, where the hooting of owls and the howling of coyotes replaces the honking of horns and the shriek of sirens, and where crowded cityscapes, although closer than youd think, seem to be a million miles away.

This book is designed for two groups of people: those who already know the pleasures and rejuvenating qualities of spending a night in the wilderness; and those who hope to soon join that club. The goal is to provide the first guide to all the best one- (and a few two-) night hikes within a three-hour drive of Portland. There are trips here for all ability levels, from short and easy strolls suitable for backpackers of any age, to extended trips of 20 miles or more that will test even the fittest hiker. What they all have in common is a close proximity to Portland, terrific scenery, and inviting campsites that make them suitable for weekend trips.

While researching this guide, I hiked every trip in this book at least once and most of them numerous times. However, roads and trails constantly change as new routes are built, old trails are abandoned, and floods and landslides obliterate existing routes. Your comments on recent developments or changes for future editions are always welcome. Please write to me in care of Wilderness Press at info@wildernesspress.com.

Summary of Featured Trips

Mount Hood from the ridge above Shining Lake ()

Introduction

A s a child, I often dreamed of embarking on great backcountry adventures designed to test my outdoor skills in a remote wilderness setting. I would spend hours poring over maps of those increasingly rare but always enticing areas without any roads, planning out huge 100-mile-plus hikes to explore the imagined wonders within those boundaries. Invariably my visions included plenty of wildlife, outstanding scenery, and opportunities for both quiet introspection and grand adventure. In my youthful imagination these trips would last for several days or even weeks, a time span that, I thought, would allow me to fully immerse myself in the solitude and grandeur of the wilderness. In later years, I was lucky enough to take many such long adventures and even to write guidebooks describing some of my favorite long hikes.

I still take my share of long backpacking trips, but now that I am barreling headlong into middle age, nursing two long-suffering knees, and have a life that includes myriad other commitments, I am forced to put limits on my youthful ambitions. And I am not alone. Many of my fellow baby boomers no longer have the time, the energy, or the inclination to take the kinds of long backcountry adventures that they tackled in their youth. Instead, we seek out short mini-vacations (usually on weekends) to places where we can escape the rat race for a night or two, refresh our spirits, and then return to our busy lives with enough fond memories to sustain us until our next wilderness forayalways, so we fervently hope, not too far in the future.