David¹ Token Canadian
Joined: 25 Jul 2002 Posts: 3040 | TRs | Pics Location: The Great White North |
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David¹
Token Canadian
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Wed May 21, 2003 1:42 pm
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After working like dogs all winter the Victoria Day long weekend finally gave us a chance to flea the city and go hiking again. Finding a little sunshine wasn’t easy though as it rained like cats and dogs all the way to Bend Oregon. The trip didn’t start out so good, as I had done little of the packing and was already in the doghouse. Then I discovered that I had forgot our Northwest Forest Pass (again!) Now we had to contend with the Forest Service hounding us for money at every step. Five bones later we had our day pass and headed for the Newberry Lava River Tube, a big nondescript ‘Scooby Doo’ like cave. However we just missed the 4pm cut-off and were turned away. And then we drove around in circles looking for a place to camp. We tried an RV park in SunRiver only to discover it was members only – we were definitely barking up the wrong tree. Finally we reached La Pine Sate Park and paid $17 for the right to plunk our pup tent down for one night. Needless to say we had hot dogs for dinner.
The next day was bright & sunny and we spent the morning exploring the lava tube. We then drove to Timberline at Mt. Hood where we had planned on doing some exploring. Even though we had brought snowshoes, crampons & hel-mutts I had eaten my homework and had no idea where to go. We then switched gears and headed to Lost Lake where true to its name we lost all views of Mt. Hood to a low-lying cloud. With another day in the bag we set down for the night in the gorge hoping that Monday would be our day.
And so it was that we finally went on a hike. The trail was very steep and we had to paws often to catch our breath. When at last we reached the summit we were panting but the views were worth it. All up & down the gorge framed by the tips of Hood, Adams and Mt. St. Helens and a carpet of flowers. Balsalmroot was peaking but was far from the only flora present. Dog tired, we headed back to Canada stopping briefly to check out Falls Creek Falls and to get a closer look at Mt. St. Helens. We didn’t get home until midnight, happy to have a woof over our heads again we dreamed of the dog days of summer where the only limit is gravity.
Happy Hiking!
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