Coyote Wall-Labyrinth Loop - January 31, 2015

East of Hood River on the Washington side of the Columbia is the Coyote Wall-Labyrinth Loop hike. The six mile circuit involves 1,200+ vertical feet and is generally accessible year round. I went on an overcast Saturday the day before Super Bowl XLIX, full of false optimism that a Seattle win was imminent.

The loop's recently renovated trailhead is a few miles east of the UAV/drone hotbed of Bingen, WA. After parking and gearing up, we followed the trail along an old highway past a small lake, ignoring the spur leading up to Coyote Wall. After another half mile, we left the highway and started up a series of switchbacks on the Labyrinth side of the loop. Although a grey Gorge day, the landscape was still punctuated by bright green moss and the subtle beginnings of wildflowers getting a jump on the spring. The only annoyance was the churlish member of another hiking group loudly opining on her failed efforts at dating.

We continued zigzagging up the hillside along a creek, past several waterfalls and a small cave. Several ospreys and bald eagles circled around us looking for prey while following thermal updrafts. On several occasions we yielded the path for mountain bikers either slogging up or zooming down past us. After a leisurely few hours we reached the top of the Labyrinth trail and looped to the west for two miles toward Coyote Wall. Cloud cover blocked Mt. Hood, but we could still see the landscape leading down to the Columbia in both directions.

At the edge of the wall, we paused to admire the abrupt drop down to the trailhead. The rock face looked like something more appropriately found on a butte or mesa in a Southwest desert. And then we hurried back to the car as the wind started to pick up along the wall. Despite the river being in view the entire descent, it seemed to take much longer than expected to complete the final mile of switchbacks.

View more pics from the hike.

Table Mountain - January 25, 2015

Table Mountain wasn't part of the plan, at least not until March or April. But then the weather gods provided a ridiculous opening and an audible was called at the line. Instead of heading out to the scenic and leisurely Coyote Wall-Labyrinth Loop near Hood River, a decision was made to take on Table and its 3200' vertical feet.

Portland remained a foggy mess as we drove east to Cascade Locks. By Fairview, blue started to poke through the clouds and a banner weather day took hold. What made it unusual was the warmth and absence of snow. I left the trailhead in a t-shirt, and later regretted not wearing shorts.

The first few miles pass through the woods north of Bonneville Hot Springs on the Washington side of the river. Eventually the trail intersects with the Pacific Crest Trail and joins the path made famous by the book and movie Wild for a mile. From there the fun begins - most of the elevation gain on Table is concentrated in a loop called "Heartbreak Ridge" (no relation to the movie with Clint Eastwood about the invasion of Grenada). The trail rockets up the side of the hill and almost doesn't stop until the summit. There are a few brief moments of respite, but what really takes away the pain is the view. It's simply stunning. 

As the trail rises, Mt. Hood - the first of the five volcanoes visible from the hike - emerges across the Columbia on the Washington side of the river. Table also entertains by providing varied hiking terrain. One of the more interesting stretches involves scrambling up several hundred feet of boulders as the trail approaches the summit. On this warm January day, the temperature almost felt hot as we ascended, reaching into the 60s with almost no breeze.

The final approach to the top hides the big finish. Upon reaching the apex, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams to the north and Mt. Jefferson to the south, suddenly join Mt. Hood and complete the five. It requires a clear day for this magic to happen.

Left to right: St. Helens, Rainier, Adams

We spent some time walking around the flat summit plateau enjoying the five volcanoes and found a spot overlooking the Columbia and Bonneville Dam to eat lunch. To the west, fog still clung to parts of the Willamette Valley around Portland. After a half hour we started the descent down the opposite side of "Heartbreak Ridge." On a bad day, parts of the downward hike are akin to walking on marbles on a pool table. But the conditions were great and we didn't experience much difficulty navigating back to the PCT, and then hiking the final miles back to the car.

It's an overused word, but the overall experience can only be described as epic: January, 60s, no snow and clear conditions. Cascadia for the win!

Click here to check out pictures from the hike.