Hiking - Timberline Lodge to White River Canyon

[Sindy]

So to take this trail you go up to Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood and hop on the Timberline Loop which is like a 40 mile 4 day, 3 night journey around the timberline of Mt Hood. I just did a one night in and out though counterclockwise to White River Canyon and back. Not nearly as many people going this way, mostly just people doing the Timberline Loop returning.

Right away was this shit… I watched a few people precariously make their way across… I knew if I didn’t fall I would at least get my feet wet so I changed my shoes and waded across that shit… It looks like mud but it’s sand/volcanic ash. I’d never seen water this dirty here til this trip.

Then you enter the Wilderness area which I think WIlderness area basically means if anything happens you’re screwed.

I jogged almost all the way down there with the poles… and my pack which i found out weighs 22lbs with 3 liters of water.

I got down to White River and it was a sandy shit show too… I don’t know if you can tell but there’s pretty fast moving water there but it’s like half sand…

I had gotten a late start and the sun was starting to set so I went and found a campsite above the river… Not the best spot, I found the flattest spot on a hill.

Then after unloading my pack I went down to try to fetch some water out of that shit river…

Shit would immediately clog my filter and I"d blow it out as much as I could then get a little more water… I swear it took me an hour to do one liter, which left me with two liters of water, plus about a half liter I’d dumped in my cooking pot… so I just had a tuna sandwich for dinner and used the water in my cookpot to drink and rehydrate… by the time I packed up and headed out this morning I had one liter of water left, which I conserved all the way home.

Yesterday I jogged down, today I huffed and puffed all the way back lol… and it was windy and I got sand blasted hard half the way back. I had sand in my eyes, in my ears, in my hair when I got home. The first river yesterday that was all sandy was clear today and about half the force. I just stepped across it today.

I’m starting to get in better shape, the hike up out of that canyon and back was still a workout for me but not as hard as when I started. Google doesn’t keep accurate track of the mileage up there. I think it’s about a 4 mile hike to White River and a 4 mile hike back. My Google Fit app says 4 miles yesterday and 2.5 miles today for the same trail.

[Sindy]

I took a nap, I’m fucking starving. I feel like I burn 10,000 calories doing this stuff… Next year I just want to go hiking until all my excess weight is gone. For now I’m going to order my very occasional only fast food I eat… A Five Guys burger.

[Sindy]

I took a filter bag of the sandy river water in case I got desperate and needed to try to filter it. I poured it out into a bowl to see what it looked like and it looked like this lol… I drank a liter of this water today filtered, it was clean, clear, tasty mountain water.

[Sindy]

Mt Hood, White River Canyon Sandstorm

[Oak]

These are the sand storms where my relatives live

Haboob moves into Coachella Valley 10062022

[Sindy]

Yeah fuck that lol…

[Oak]

That shit is nasty. The sand gets everywhere, it’s like being on a beach, only sand gets into your eyelashes, ears, nose…

It gets in your car no matter if the windows and vents are closed off. Most of the time they happen when it’s hot. It’s like an oven with sand blasting at you…totally “fuck that”.

[Wabbit]

Were they underwater after Hilary blew through? I heard that valley was hit hard.

[Sindy]

I had sand in my ears, eyes, nose, caked to my skin, in my hair and it was just blowing, not really a sandstorm. I was in a real sandstorm like that one in Egypt once and it started covering up the roads as we were driving back through it.

[Oak]

Some streets were inundated and the freeway was impacted…but they live on streets that are rising in elevation, so they happen to make it ok.

[Sindy]

I saw a girl hiking back this morning through it too and she was prepared with some glasses that wrapped around giving some protection, a bandana or scarf wrapped around her mouth nose and neck… I gotta get some desert clothing for up there…

[Oak]

Yep. Try to find a very tight weave for the gater or bandana. Swimming goggles might be a good alternative just for when the sand kicks up.

[Sindy]

I need some sort of wrap around ski or motorcycle type goggles that fit over glasses and are lightweight for when I’m not wearing them.

[Sindy]

I started leaving without my trekking poles this morning and got about a block away from where I camped and was like shit where’s my poles this is way harder than it needs to be… went back and got them and it was way easier. I’ve also started palming the top of the poles going downhill like a walking stick and that really helps you go faster on steeper downhill sections. I was jogging with them yesterday and walking fast with them today and they help me go faster. My goal is to eventually be able to run up a bit of an incline without it killing me.

[Apeman]

[Sindy]

lol no… I see a guy wearing a bunch of this steampunk stuff though every time I go up there.

[Oak]

Just don’t do it!

[Sindy]

He rides an electric skateboard and flies, he has on these very psychedelic steampunk glasses, a weird old school clockwork orangish style I guess hat with like ancient playing cards in it and a feather. A leather vest and boots. lol

[Apeman]

Those used to be very popular with serious hiker bros a few years ago, maybe it was just a fad, but i assumed the ‘shroud’ around the lens to face might reduce glare /dust etc

[Sindy]

Looks steampunk lol