Elk Cove (8/9/12)

As I mentioned (like you haven't figured it out already!), blog silence usually means that we're out living it up, often in the great outdoors.

We took off Thursday morning for Elk Cove, a lush meadow on the north side of Mount Hood, a spot Brad's wanted to explore for some time. The drive was easy, out I-84, about 15 miles on Highway 30, then just a few miles up into the hills. 

The hike in was about 5 miles and 2,200 feet - a workout but nothing crazy. Last year's Dollar Lake Fire destroyed much of the forest, leaving behind interesting landscape and features. 

Much of the trail was covered in ash from the fire, sometimes many inches deep.

We found a great campsite with an amazing view (the mosquitoes were really bad, but that was the only downside), and had dinner on a rock while staring at the mountain.

It was hot Friday, and we spent a good portion of the day napping and reading. In the afternoon, we headed east to explore the Timberline Trail, also on Brad's bucket list.

According to our GPS, we went about 4.5 miles to the closure, a chasm opened several years ago when Eliot Creek flooded. It's the only gap in the trail, which circles the entire volcano. Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier and Mount Adams were all visible to the north as we hiked.

We scrambled past the closure sign to get a peek into the gorge and Cloud Cap Inn on the other side... and a spectacular view of the summit.

(I just really love my flying hair in this one!)

The sun was getting low, and we knew it was time to book it back to camp. The main objective was to get across this river before dark. The pictures don't do it justice... it was a major gusher. I almost didn't have the guts to cross it the first time, but I'm so glad I did!

We made it across. Time for a snack break while we stare at the mountain some more: 

 Saturday, Brad got up early so he could catch some great pics as the sun was rising.

Eventually it was time to pack up and head home. But not before some more pictures. We laughed about all the gadgets and electronics and stuff hanging from Brad :)

:)