Adventures in Oregon: Mount Hood
Last Saturday, clouds blanketed Corvallis as Andrew and I had our usual morning conversation about where we should go hike for the day. I scrolled through the laundry list of places stored in the weather app on my phone. Hmm, sunshine and highs in the mid-sixties at Mount Hood – great!
We packed up our stuff and hit the road. As we drew nearer and nearer to our destination, we noticed the clouds were in fact still with us and according to our car, the temperature was definitely not in the sixties. I triple-checked the weather app which still said sunny and sixties. What the heck, we wondered. We followed the road up, up, up and then lo and behold, we were above the clouds where – you guessed it- sunshine and warmer temperatures greeted us. So, lesson learned: when clouds gather and you want to see the sun, just go above them!
For our very first foray to Mount Hood, we opted to hike the Timberline Trail up to Silcox Hut. At just over 2 miles, it’s a short hike but the change in elevation ups the intensity factor. As we made our way up the trail, clouds swirled around the peak almost as if their very origin was the mountain itself.
We made it to Silcox Hut and found out there was someone inside to show us around. We took turns going in to check it out – and my, what a cool spot! The ‘hut’ can be rented out by groups and offers bunks for the night, dinner and breakfast: the perfect start for those looking to climb or ski. Staying here has now officially been added to my bucket list.
Afterward, we explored a bit, letting the girls check out the snow. Sasha didn’t seem to care but Annie loved eating the snow – I swear that dog knows how to fit right in to any setting.
It was quite an experience to be surrounded by snow but totally comfortable in a tank top – in fact we saw people at the base wearing shorts and flip-flops!
We spotted some beautiful wildflowers just starting to pop up and I can’t wait to return to see what other blooms are in store.
After enjoying our time on the mountain, we loaded back up in the car and headed down in the mountain and into the clouds.
But we will certainly be back to this majestic wonder – there are so many trails to take and alpine meadows and lakes to stand in awe of. It’s going to be one fun summer!
