Definitely Worth the Effort: Dog Mountain Hike

A picture of a picture, but isn't my mom adorable?

When we still lived in Chicago, my Mom sent me a picture of her on a hike.  I was so taken with the image and the scenery that I immediately added the hike to my Bucket List for our next trip to Oregon.

Me and My Love on the Dog Mountain Trail

It took six years of living in Oregon, but we finally hiked Dog Mountain.  We wanted to do this hike when the wildflowers were blooming.  We had a date scheduled in spring 2013, but I broke my foot so we had to delay the hike until this spring.  We chose a date in mid May and Curt took the day off work so we could hike while the kids were in school.

The only glitch with our planning was a little event called a marathon.  I added one to my spring schedule and ran it the day before we went hiking.  My legs were a tad sore the morning of the hike, but I always like to go for a walk the day after a big race to shake my legs out.  We decided the hike would be my "little walk" (and then some).  I proudly wore my Marathon Finisher t-shirt for the hike.  Since it's florescent orange, there was no problem spotting me on the trail!

can you see me?

Dog Mountain is on the Washington side of the Gorge so you need a Washington State Parks pass or a Northwest Forest Pass to park in the lot.  The trailhead is located right off WA 14 and is super easy to find.  I think it took us about two hours to get to the trailhead from Newberg -  but don't quote me on that cause we did this in May and I'm writing this review in September.

Curt on the trail once we hit the meadow

Our hiking book (60 Hikes within 60 Miles Portland by Paul Gerald) rates the Dog Mountain hike as strenuous.  My Mom and Terry - who have both hiked it several times - gave a whole hearted endorsement to the strenuous rating.  My mom, Terry, and the author of the book all made it seem like being in excellent condition is a necessity to do this hike, but rest assured.  If you have all day to hike, a good dose of determination, and decent hiking shoes you can do this hike.  Slow and steady is the name of the game.  Your level of soreness the following day however will coincide with what kind of condition you are in.

taking a break on the Augsperger portion of the trail.  

Most hikers do this as an out-and-back on the Dog Mountain Trail, but I always prefer a loop when it's an option.  We took the Augsperger Mountain Trail (on the left) and looped our way up to the summit of Dog Mountain.  Apparently the grade of the trail on this side is less steep than the Dog Mountain side, but it still felt strenuous.  We gained 2,700 vertical feet in 3.7 uphill miles.

My handsome man on the trail

The Augsperger Mountain Trail is mostly through beautiful woods, but has periodic openings that showcase the Columbia River Gorge and Wind Mountain.  At one point the trail takes a sharp turn to the right.  Curt and I made the turn and saw two girl hikers coming down.  They were chattering away and one clearly had a European accent.  She saw us, spotted my shirt, and immediately complimented me on how fun the color was.  When she saw it was a marathon finishers shirt, she wanted more details.  She was so exuberantly happy for me and the next thing I knew she was hugging me on the trail.  It was really funny and touching and made Curt and I both smile.

views for miles

Side note:  One of the reasons why I love my 60 Hikes in 60 Miles book is because Paul Gerald has a sense of humor.  He also knows all kinds of interesting historical facts about the hikes.  We were surprised to learn Dog Mountain is called that "because some pioneers in the area were forced to eat their dogs to avoid starvation."  The town of Hood River was originally called Dog River but people changed the name because no one liked to be reminded of the dog-eating incident.  Do you blame them?

These yellow flowers covered the meadow and that's Wind Mountain in the distance.

We climbed 3/4 of the way to the summit through the woods and then came out into a meadow overlooking the Gorge.  The meadow was FILLED with wildflowers, just like the picture of my Mom.  We couldn't believe how beautiful it was!  We took our time meandering through the meadow on the trail, taking photos and oohing and aching over acres and acres of mountain meadows alive in colorful flowers.  It was stunning.

I love adventuring with this guy.

We eventually hiked our way to the summit of Dog Mountain and parked ourselves with a few other hikers on a grassy area with panoramic view.  A spring chill lingered in the air but the taste of summer was on the gentle breeze that blew through my hair and made the flowers dance.  I laid down in the grass and let myself fall asleep for twenty blissful minutes, drifting in and out of consciousness and being lulled by the breeze and a few bees.  It was wonderful.

We took the Dog Mountain Trail back to the car.  Shorter, but steeper, it was a good quad burner, especially toward the end when the trail descends 600 vertical feet in less than half a mile.

on the trail.  The layers came on and off as we hiked.

The research I've done shows this trail is CROWDED on the weekends.  Since we hiked on a Monday morning, I don't have a true gauge for the accuracy of that.  We virtually had the mountain to ourselves and I liked it like that.  If you can get away for a day trip during the week, that would be my recommendation, especially because the trail isn't very wide so passing people in both directions would get kind of cozy.

take note of narrow trail.

We saw an elementary aged kid hiking the trail with his Dad.  This trail was very safe and I would have no reservations bringing our kids out to hike it.  It was difficult though, so be prepared for whining, a lot of breaks, and possibly bribery.  There's a great candy store in Cascade Locks that works wonders to regulate whining and I Can't Do It behavior.

Make everyone in your hiking party carry their own backpack.  You'll need a lot of water, a lunch, hearty snacks, and layers of clothing.  It gets a little chilly at the top.

Dog Mountain by the Stats
Mileage: 7.15 miles
Total Elapsed Time (including lunch and rest breaks): 4:36:28
Average Pace Per Mile: 25:20 min/mile
Total Moving Time: 3:01:11
Elevation Gain: 2,867 vertical feet
Elevation Loss: 2,864 vertical feet

Happy hiking!

Mirror Lake to Tom, Dick and Harry Summit Hike

The fam at the summit of Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain (yes really...)

My poor husband has been sick for three weeks so we've been canceling plans left and right and practicing laying low.  He's finally feeling better so we went on a family hike today to Mirror Lake - our last big outing before school starts.

One good thing about Mirror Lake is easy access to the trailhead.  The trailhead is literally right off Highway 26 before Mt. Hood Meadows.  You turn a corner as you're climbing the mountain and BOOM.  There's the trailhead parking.  The fact that the trailhead parking is on the side of a highway is also kind of bad.  It's pretty dangerous to get in and out of the parking area and it's usually very crowded.  A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park at the trailhead.  Or you can drive down to the next pull-out on the highway, park for free, and walk back to the trailhead.

There is no drinking water at the trailhead or on the trail.  Pack in your own water and/or bring a filter and filter it from the lake.  The trailhead has two outhouses and my advice is to not go near them.  They were almost overflowing and clearly hadn't been serviced in a long time.  BRING YOUR OWN TOLIET PAPER and pee in the woods.

The hike to Mirror Lake is only 1.4 miles (2.8 round trip).  It's a steady incline through thick and beautiful forest all the way to the lake. The grade of the incline isn't steep though.  Our hiking book rated this portion of the hike as easy, but I'd say it falls more into the easy-to-moderate category.

Sisters taking a break

We brought our dog Dusty with us today, something we only do on occassion when we're hiking.  She's a bit of a prima donna (I think she secretly thinks she's a human) and doesn't have a lot of experience in the wilderness so we choose carefully the hikes we bring her on.  This one was great because the trail was wide enough for her to not trip us or other hikers and she loved saying hi to all the other dogs and hikers on the trail.

Yep - she's cute!

Mirror Lake is smaller than I expected, but is quiet, quaint and really serene.  Newly built staircases branch out from the main hiking trail, leading hikers down to the water's edge. The lake is shallow with a muddy bottom. Wading close to shore was kind of dirty, but the kids who went all in loved swimming out into the relatively shallow lake.  Mirror Lake also has some camp sites on the bluff around the perimeter of the lake, making it a prime spot for a quick and easy backpacking trip.

Rock pile at one of the trail switchbacks

We took a short snack break on the water's edge and continued our hike on the Tom, Dick and Harry trail. It's another 1.8 miles (3.6 miles round trip) of a steady, uphill climb to the summit.  This portion of the hike is rated moderate. There is a really great viewpoint on a rocky ledge about halfway up the mountain that gives a little teaser of the views that await at the summit.

viewpoint about halfway to the summit.

The summit was super rocky - some of them jagged and pointy, others round and smooth like recliners - and it provided awesome views of Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Hood (that was cloaked in cloud cover today), Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainer (also in cloud cover), and the foothills around all these big peaks.  It also has a bird's eye view of Mirror Lake which looks itty bitty from way up top.  If you look really closely you can see hikers walking around the edge of Mirror Lake.

Mt. Hood and Mirror Lake

Mt. Jefferson

Alli and the foothills around us

Mirror Lake - look closely.  Can you see the hikers on the trail?

Bird's eye view of the lake

It was a pretty sweet spot to take a little rest. Curt, Dusty, Katie and Paige snuggled into a rounded out rock facing Mt. Hood.  Grant went exploring and chucked giant rocks off the summit.  Alli explored for a while and then snuggled up with the rest of the family.  We all enjoyed the cooling breeze and the beautiful view.

Grant throwing rocks

Family Resting Spot 

We stopped at the lake again on the way back down.  Grant and Alli swam out into the lake to retrieve a giant log then floated it all over the lake while Katie and Paige played on the shore.  The girls made a new friend who asked her mom if they could hike back to our cars with us, so they did.  They were Russian and taught us how to say "Hi" in Russian.

Grant and Alli on a log they floated around the lake

Both hikes combined totaled 6.4 miles, but this hike didn't feel terribly long because the lake broke up our journey on the way up and the way back.  Some of our children (who will remain nameless to protect their identity) whined and complained quite a bit in the first hour, but that was a personal choice and not because this trail was too hard for them. Mirror Lake is a great hike for kids in elementary school and older because there aren't any dangerous parts, but it requires having some endurance if you want to hike all the way to the top.

If you go, have your kids carry their own backpack stocked with water, a change of clothes and a towel, a whistle and garbage bag in case they get lost, and more snacks than you think they will need. They get thirsty and hungry in the woods.  Watch your step on the trail.  It's easy to trip over rocks and tree roots.  Finally, there was a wasp nest just off the edge of the trail about 1/3 of mile into our hike.T he wasps were dive bombing and stinging hikers but we made it through unscathed.  Thank you Jesus since Katie is allergic to bees.

Another great adventure

Happy hiking!

Hamilton Mountain and Beacon Rock Hike

This spring my friend Lauren and I set aside a day to go hiking while our kids were in school.  

Lauren was one of my first friends in Newberg.  We met because our kids were taking swim lessons together.  Jack and Alli were pre-school aged at the time and super mischievous.  I loved their family instantly!

The Columbia River Gorge is a great for spring hikes because it only takes an hour to get to the mouth of the gorge from Newberg and the wildflowers are incredible in the spring.  Last year I missed the entire spring hiking season with a broken foot, so I really wanted to squeeze in some spring hikes this season. (Stay tuned for more hike reviews if I ever have time).

Lauren and I decided to tackle two hikes in one day since the trailheads were 1/2 mile apart and one of the hikes was short. We thought we'd have plenty of time, but ended up not getting home until dinner time.  Thankfully our kids are old enough to babysit themselves, and we know better for next time.  If you decide to tackle both hikes in one day, plan to be gone for a good eight hours.  

Lauren is one incredible woman.  I am constantly in awe of the friends God has put in my life.  Strong, lovely women with big hearts, depth of character, and tons of personality.  We hadn't seen each other in almost a year so we were both crying before we ever hit the trail.  Empathizing with struggles we've walked through and celebrating how Jesus has been guiding us through some tough stuff into a spacious place on the other side.  It was shaping up to be an awesome day.

Our first hike was Beacon Rock, on the Washington side of the Gorge.  I proudly hung my Oregon State Parks Pass in Lauren's window just as the Washington State Park Ranger drove through the parking lot.  She stopped to talk to us.

Ranger:  "Hi.  I noticed you've got your Oregon parks pass on display."

Me:  "Yep."

Ranger:  TOTAL SILENCE (giving me a "my you're stupid" look and a sympathetic smile).

Me:  "Why?  Does it not work at this park?"

Ranger:  "Well you are in Washington..."

Me:  Oops...

We took down the Oregon parks pass, bought a Washington State park pass, put it in the windshield and headed out on our hike.

Beacon Rock hike is short and sweet, but requires some effort to get to the top.  Rated moderate in my trusty hiking book, it's 1.6 miles round trip and gains 600 vertical feet in less than a mile.

Lauren and I at the summit of Beacon Rock.  (I should have brought my tripod).

What's cool about Beacon Rock is that you hike around a giant rock on the edge of the Columbia River. To quote my hiking book, "If heights bother you, don't look down.  It's virtually all rails and bridges and platforms until you're just below the summit...  Keep an eye out for rock climbers and don't throw anything from the top."  This system of rails and bridges was engineered and built in 1918.  Pretty impressive!

Some of the rail work on the Beacon Rock hike

View was from the Beacon Rock hike too.  

I would totally bring my kids on this hike.  Even though there were portions with heights, it felt safe and manageable.  Even little kids can do this hike if you take your time.  Slow and steady to the top.

After we finished Beacon Rock, we drove up the road about 1/2 mile to the Hamilton Mountain trailhead.  We ate our lunch in a darling picnic area.  This awesome building is a picnic shelter!  Isn't it cute?

picnic shelter at the Hamilton Mountain Trailhead

The Hamilton Mountain hike is a doozy.  Seven miles, all of them rated Strenuous.  I didn't want to tell Lauren this information because I thought she would:

1. Tell herself she couldn't do it. (She totally could).
2. Tell me we didn't have enough time.  (We didn't).
3. Second guess her ability and want to quit.  (She did, but we didn't quit.  We kept going!)

I guided us past the trailhead sign quickly, hoping she wouldn't notice the overall distance.

The woods in Oregon are magical.  And this trail was pretty steep.

We climbed steadily for about a mile to Hardy Falls.  The feeder trail to the viewpoint was kind of sketchy.  Just as I told Lauren to watch her step, she slipped.  And fell, toppling in an awkward angle toward the drop off.  Thankfully I was able to catch her and she was okay, minus some big bruises that came later.  Thank you Jesus for protecting my friend!

Hardy Falls

The next waterfall we saw was Rodney Falls, also know as the Pool of Winds.  My hiking book describes it well when it says it "almost explodes out of a bowl in the rock face." We stopped here for a brief rest period and let the wind whip the spray from the waterfall on us to cool us off.

The Pool of the Winds

Lauren at Rodney Falls

Me at Rodney Falls

The hard climbing started after Rodney Falls.  It was up, up, up and at a pretty steep grade.  Thankfully Lauren didn't see the junction sign for the balloon portion of the trip.  Our choices were "difficult" and "more difficult."  The more difficult route boasted incredible view points so we took that route for the way up when our legs were fresh. (I thought I had a picture, but I can't find it).

Do you see the face on this tree?  It looks scared.  That's how we felt about tackling this hike.

We gained more than 700 vertical feet in just over a mile to super incredible views of the gorge, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.  There were several feeder trails off the main trail that led out to open vistas on rock faces.  The views were incredible, but it was dangerous.  One misstep would lead to a fall of several hundred feet and almost certain death.  

I would NOT take a gaggle of kids on this hike.  There is legitimate danger and risk involved with the feeder trails.

I MIGHT take my older kids - one by one - on this hike and give them the "Listen to me and obey immediately or you will die" talk before the hike.  Maybe.  It was sketchy.

me grabbing pictures from one of the danger spots

Lauren was content to sit on the edge of the trail and wait.

Once we reached the summit, we threw ourselves a little party.  Then busted our butts to get back down to the car.  We didn't have cell coverage and watched the clock tick closer and closer to when our kids would be home from school.

I HATE snakes.  But I know they live in Oregon.  Most of them in our section of the Gorge are harmless, although there are rattlesnakes the further east and south you go.   Every time I'm in the woods I tell myself, "The snakes are out here.  Just try not to freak out and make a fool of yourself when you see one."  Thankfully Lauren saw the snake first so I only jumped and screamed a little instead of a lot. I consider that a victory even though I grabbed Lauren and hid behind her.

The wildflowers did not disappoint.  Nor did the view.  See the dam in the background?

We were wiped out by the time we got back to Lauren's truck.  In a matter of a few hours we tackled 8.6 tough miles of hiking.  Hamilton Mountain is one of my new favorite hikes because the views to effort ratio was worth it.  This hike felt like an experience and had some awesome WOW factor to it.  I will definitely be taking Curt back to this trail, but most likely not my kids.  At least not all of them at one time.  And definitely not our dog.  Those drop offs were sharp and dangerous.

I thought Lauren might never want to go hiking with  me again, but we already have another hike scheduled for this fall once our kids go back to school.  I can hardly wait!

Strong Enough to Bend - Catherine Creek Hike

On Memorial Day the kids and I drove to the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge and hiked 4.2 miles around Catherine Creek.  We drove far enough east that we hiked in high desert terrain.  The almost constant winds and low precipitation make for a hostile environment for wildlife to survive.  Signs on the nature trail told us that plants have to learn to adapt to the harsh conditions in order to thrive.  They dig their roots deep.  Pollinate when they can.  Bend in the wind.  And hold on tight for the few times each year when rain nourishes them.  More on this later...

When my best friend Kelly asked me if we had fun on the hike I paused.  Then answered, "I think so?"

A lot of parents ask me about hiking with kids.  The two most common questions I get are: "Is it safe? And how do you get your kids to go hiking?"

The answer to the first question is, "It depends on the hike and on your kids. Do your research before heading out."  The answer to the second question is, "I make them."

Typically when I tell the kids we're going on an adventure and it includes hiking, their first response is to groan, whine, or beg to go to a friend's house instead.  But we live in paradise.  It would be a tragedy to not take advantage of the rugged beauty and untamed wilderness that makes up so much of Oregon and Washington.   So I tell them to grab their backpacks and their good attitudes and get in the car.  They almost always have fun once we get there.

If Curt is out of town and I'm the sole parent facilitating the adventure, I often join the kids in the Crabmaster General army.  It's a ton of work to pack enough food and water for an entire day, make sure kids have survival gear and proper foot attire, and fill the car with gas.  Then I have to grab the hiking book and my camera, stock my backpack, and be ready to pull out of the driveway early enough in the morning that we can get the hike done and be back before bedtime.  

We often spend the first five minutes in the car on the way to the hike revisiting all the ways we could have spoken kinder, used nicer tones of voice, been slower to get angry and quicker to listen. Then we apologize and pray that the Holy Spirit will help us refocus our attitudes and emotions in ways that are productive, kind and fun.

It would be easy to look at the photographs of stunning scenery and smiling kids and draw the conclusion that our kids never fight and that Curt and I don't blow it on a regular basis.  But it simply isn't true.   Just ask anyone who does life with us.  

The truth is that on this particular hike the wildflowers that were supposed to be filling the meadows were done blooming.  In their place was killer grass that sliced into our socks and shoes.   The trail system was not marked well and we did quite a bit of backtracking and bushwhacking. One or two Stilp children laid down in the middle of the path and dramatically whined, "Are we done yet?"  Katie lost her favorite water bottle.  We all lost our tempers and had mini tantrums, except Paige who was angelic on this hike.  (Thank you Paigey).  Kids bickered and pushed each others buttons.  We used the most disgusting outhouse of all time and got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour heading back into Portland.  Momma got tired of choosing grace and switched to the side of justice, assigning two of the four Stilp children massive amounts of mandatory homework to do in the car on the way home.  

One of my greatest battles in motherhood is not believing the Enemy's lies that I am a failure as a mom.  "You screwed that up.  Lost your temper.  Raised your voice.  Got impatient when you should have been loving.  Gave a rebuke instead of hug.  This whole day is a failure.  All everyone did was fight and bicker.  Your kids will never get along.  Never like each other.  Never like you.  How will your children ever grow up without scars that YOU inflicted?"  These lies are the reason I paused when Kelly asked me if we had fun.  

But there's more to this story.  The truth is also this.  We laughed our heads off.  Prayed together.  Sang loudly and off key in the car.  Played creative games while we hiked.  All five us mingled in different little groups throughout the day, each of us enjoying spending alone time with each other.  We picnicked on a bluff overlooking the gorge with Mt. Hood looming in the distance.  Marveled at how the meadow grasses danced in the wind.  Went out to eat - something we rarely do - and thoroughly enjoyed the worst hamburgers on the planet.  The truth is we made incredible memories together on the Catherine Creek hike.

The truth is Jesus died to set me free.  Because of the cross, sin and shame are powerless.  Because of Jesus' great love and mercy, I don't have to be defined by my failures.  My kids don't have to be defined by their failures.  We are being made new each day. 

So which truth do I dwell on?  

I choose to throw away the rotten lies of the enemy, the tantrums, and lack of self control.  I choose to make the good memories - the fun, the laughter, the greasy burgers and sunshine on our faces - be the memories I file in my mind.   But it's not always easy.

The day after our hike I asked a small group of my older and wiser friends to help me process some of the scratch-your-head mothering moments where I just don't know what to do.  Our conversation came back to prayer and how we could pray specifically for our kids.  My very wise friend Di hears from God through words.  She poetically said, "Pray that our kids will bend to Jesus' lordship and find relief in his love."  

Di says I hear from God in pictures.  Which brings me back to the beginning of this story.  Remember the harsh desert conditions that force plants to adapt to survive?  I had photographed a tree in the meadow where we picnicked.  It was all bent over to adapt to the constant winds but clearly thriving. 

After I photographed the tree, I asked my crew of Little People to go stand by the tree and pose for a photo.  They didn't want to, but they love me enough to do it anyway.  I'm going to frame this photo and caption it:  "Jesus, May we be strong enough to bend to your lordship and find relief in your love."

Jesus, may we bend to your lordship and find relief in your love.

I learned a few things from our Catherine Creek outing.  We won't stop in Cascade Locks again for greasy burgers and I will add more toilet paper to the backpack so we can avoid overflowing outhouses.  But I also learned to pray that God will make me strong enough to bend to his lordship and find relief in his love.