fast enough for the trails: boulder ridge to huckleberry mountain

While I was out galivanting on the Metolius last week, Julie was exploring a new trail on Mt Hood. The Boulder Ridge trail takes off from the Wildwood Recreation area and climbs 3,300 feet to reach the Plaza Trail, which meanders along a ridge and affords stunning views of Mt Hood and Mt Adams, and on super clear days, Mt Jefferson and Mt St Helens too. She had sent me photos, and me, in my overly eager way, asked her if we could run it again so I could see it. She patiently agreed to take me, even though her big race is just over a week away. If that's not a good running buddy, I don't know what is.

Now it has been hotter than Hades around here lately, with blazing blue skies and wonderfully clear weather. Until this morning. A nice marine layer of clouds, while wonderfully cool, also cut off our early views. I kept my fingers crossed that we'd get to see something after climbing up so far.

I do love a good cloud forest.

My Cathedral
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Like two cathedral towers these stately pines

Uplift their fretted summits tipped with cones;

The arch beneath them is not built with stones,

Not Art but Nature traced these lovely lines,

And carved this graceful arabesque of vines;

No organ but the wind here sighs and moans,

No sepulchre conceals a martyr's bones.

No marble bishop on his tomb reclines.

Enter! the pavement, carpeted with leaves,

Gives back a softened echo to thy tread!

Listen! the choir is singing; all the birds,

In leafy galleries beneath the eaves,

Are singing! listen, ere the sound be fled,

And learn there may be worship with out words.

This poem always comes to mind when the trees are dark and hushed as they were today, and there is nothing to hear but the birds and the wind.

A modest cairn

You don't hit the wild rhododendrons until you're up around 2,500 feet

As we reached the top, the skies began to clear.

Once we reached the top, Mt Hood decided to be a bit of a tease. We lingered as the clouds floated by, giving us a tantalizing hint of what the view would be.