Table Mountain - April 25

With a day of great weather forecasted before the return of rain, Keith, Henry (an Australian Sheep Herder dog) and I headed out to Table Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge on Sunday, April 25. Table is a bear of a hike with over 3200' in elevation gain over an almost nine mile loop.

The three of us hit the trail from Bonneville Hot Springs just after 9:00 a.m. The first mile of the trail shoots through a wooded area before turning into an old logging road. After two miles, we joined part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

Conditions remained solid by the time we arrived at the beginning of the Heartbreak Ridge Trail leading away from the PCT and up to the top of Table. I've heard there are more difficult hikes in the Gorge than this section, but I have yet to experience one firsthand. From the onset, Heartbreak Ridge hits your quads with a brutal intensity and rarely lets up until you reach the summit.

On a sad note, above the first part of Heartbreak Ridge on a saddle between two rock outcroppings, we reached a marker honoring the death of a hiker - Kate Huether - who fell on March 4 of this year. The ground seemed hallowed in the area surrounding the spot. I truly feel for the loss her family must be feeling. Unfortunately hiking can be dangerous at times. Seeing the marker was a sobering reminder of what can happen when things go wrong.

As we proceeded up the mountain, we then scrambled up a rock slide for several hundred feet. This isn't much fun on a wet day, but today it was a blast. Most of the rocks are decently sized and didn't move around too much as we made our way up. Henry seemed to do better than any of us as he lead the way.

When we finally reached the top, we were treated to views of the pantheon of Cascade volcanoes - Hood, Jefferson, St. Helens, Rainier and Adams. All except Jefferson (only the tip was visible) seemed larger than life. We took some pictures over the precarious edge and sat for awhile enjoying the scene. Keith came through in the clutch and brought several cans of amber ale from Caldera Brewing. I made a mental note to check this place out next time I'm in Ashland, OR. As we toasted our accomplishment, you could hear the low rumble of water blasting through the spillgates at Bonneville Dam more than five miles away.

Before heading back, we traversed the summit ridge (that oddly enough looks like a table), reached the true summit and found several different and interesting vistas of the surrounding landscape. Hood looked especially dynamic - at one point, the top was covered with a cloud. Soon thereafter, the sky cleared and you could see the point of its summit.

On our descent back to the trailhead, we encountered a handful of hikers getting a late start on the day. I don't recommend attempting Table in the afternoon - it's a serious hike that ended up taking us seven hours from start to finish (albeit with a lengthy stay at the top). I worry some of the hikers didn't reach their cars until after dark.

Overall, the Table hike was kick-ass. Perfect weather, great company and few other hikers on the trail made for a banner hiking day. Now on to Hood next weekend!