Adventures in Oregon: Zigzag Canyon
Mount Hood beckoned to be explored again so we headed there with Andrew’s mom during her visit. This time, we followed a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail to Zigzag Canyon, making for a 4.4 mile out-and-back.
Things got real as we entered the Mt. Hood Wilderness and I filled out a permit, which asked for the number of heartbeats in our group, where we would be entering and exiting and how long we would be. It makes you think about the folks who backpack through that wilderness for days – it’s good to know that someone, somewhere cares if they make it out alive.
Our day hike was a relatively easy hike that took us through some slight climbs and dips in elevation, past towering trees and lingering snow. In the distance, we could make out Mt. Jefferson, which looked much larger in person. I have yet to figure out how to accurately capture these snow-capped peaks off in the distance. I guess you’ll just have to come see it in person to really experience it!
We arrived at Zigzag Canyon, carved out by the Zigzag River (which is fed by the Zigzag Glacier – say that five times fast!)
We hiked up the rim of the canyon a little ways to take in the sweeping views stretching out in all directions.
And lest you wonder whether it’s always rainbows and sprinkles with getting our dogs to behave on hikes, the answer is sometimes they are bratty little teenagers. The dogs were not having it with the photos – Annie straight out boycotted the camera while Sasha went for the try-to-escape-while-the-humans-are-standing-still-method.
When that didn’t work, she moved in for the hug … clever, clever.
We made our way down and headed back up the trail, making sure to stop and admire the wildflowers that are just starting to spring up.
Along the way, the girls decided they wanted their photo after all … go figure.
Love those hounds even when they choose to be a handful 🙂
We thoroughly enjoyed this hike and give it a four-paw rating- gorgeous views, easy-to-follow trail, limited elevation loss & gain coupled with gorgeous weather … what more could you ask for?
