Bluegrass Ridge

This summer I tried my best to hike all my favorite Mt. Hood trails during peak wildflower bloom.  Although I didn't quite catch every one, those I did visit were spectacular.  One such outing was an early August visit to Elk Meadows, on Mt. Hood's east side.

Scary Newton Creek crossing

Normally I take the Elk Meadows trail, cross Newton Creek, and head straight to the meadow area.  However, the nearby Bluegrass Ridge Trail takes hikers high above the meadow for some nice views.  In 2006 a fierce wildfire raced across this ridge, burning all the trees and vegetation.  I tried to hike this trail post-fire a few years ago, but the sheer amount of downed trees blocking the track made for a difficult and frustrating outing.  Although I vowed "never again" I heard last year that crews had finally cleared all the obstacles, making it again passable.  I decided it was time to give the Bluegrass Ridge trail a second chance.

Safely on the other side!

I recruited my friend Catherine to join me for this latest hiking adventure.  There had been a few wildfires burning in central and eastern Oregon, and today's winds were blowing the smoke towards Mt. Hood.  Exiting my car at the trailhead we both noticed the hazy skies and smelled the strong odor of smoke.  Not exactly ideal conditions, but because we'd already driven and hour and a half, my friend and I decided we could live with it.  Carry on!

Overgrown trail

Our trek began with a relatively easy 1.5 mile romp along the Elk Meadows trail.  Then things got a little trickier.  My friend and I came to gushing, glacial Newton Creek, which we had to somehow cross.  Another hiker had positioned a large log over a narrow point in the flow and we had to walk across it balancing ourselves over the fast-moving water.  I'm a huge chicken when it comes to creek crossings anyway, but this one was especially nerve-wracking.  Catherine scampered quickly across, while I slowly shuffled along the log's length, tentatively moving one foot at a time while trying not to look at the rushing creek below.  To my relief I did finally make it across successfully.  Since we'd both been watching the Olympics on TV, Catherine and I joked that Simone Biles would've had no problem traversing that log - probably even doing a couple cartwheels in the process.

 

Huckleberry bushes everywhere

We then had a one mile steep climb, through lots of switchbacks.  Lucky for us, this trail was mostly shaded and morning temps were still fairly cool, so we ascended with minimal issues.

  

Looking out over Bluegrass Ridge

Just before the Elk Meadows trail junction, Catherine and I came upon the side trail to Bluegrass Ridge.  Decision time - should we go for it?  We both agreed the answer was YES!

 

Elk Mountain and old lookout foundation

The first part of this trail looked like it needed a bit more hikers on it.  It was covered by overgrown huckleberry bushes, so much so that we nearly couldn't see the tread.  The thick forest canopy was lovely and provided more shade, although the morning sun occasionally peeked through gaps in the trees.

A sea of gray tree trunks

After 3/4 of a mile we came upon a side trail to Elk Mountain.  Of course, we had to check this out - there might be a good viewpoint!  This trail wound along the edge of the old burn area.  Catherine and I rambled through lots of ghostly dead tree trunks until our path ended at a promontory.  Concrete foundations indicated there had once been a fire lookout here.  Sadly the smoky, hazy skies hid any long-range views.  

Smoky Hood views

No matter, from our perch we could see our goal, Bluegrass Ridge, ahead.  It's now-barren top was covered with old burned-out tree trunks, while many others littered the ground.  But upon our return to the Bluegrass Ridge trail junction, I was delighted to see that the trail itself had indeed been cleared.

Looking out over a smoky sky

Onward we went!  Although the trail was bit circuitous, the tread was log-free.  In some places the trail was easy to follow, but in others it was so faint we had to look around for clues.  This was another path that would benefit from more boots trodding upon it.  

I managed to catch one butterfly

There were small amounts of wildflowers still blooming amidst all the downed trees.  And one benefit of the fire - it had cleared the forest enough to allow several nice views to Mt. Hood.  (Although thanks to all the smoke they were kind of sepia-toned today.)  We got a few glimpses of Elk Meadows' green fields far below.  After we traversed the ridge, that would be our day's destination.

More mountain views

Catherine and I had a nice romp along Bluegrass Ridge, taking in the views.  Now that the trail had been cleared of blow-down trees, it was really quite pleasant.  After about a mile of ridge walking, we noticed our path taking a steep turn and heading downhill towards Elk Meadows.

Orange Indian paintbrush

This was the Bluegrass Tie Trail, which linked Elk Meadows and Bluegrass Ridge.  One of the first things I noticed as we began our downward trek was the wildflowers started to become plentiful.  First orange Indian paintbrush, then fireweed, and finally goldenrod and pearly everlasting.  The further we descended, the better it got.

An arched tree!

I hadn't taken a lot of photos thus far, but that all changed in a hurry!  We came across so many colorful wildflower patches that my stops became more and more frequent.  Each group of blooms were even better than the last (or so I thought.)

Heading downhill on the tie trail

Luckily, Catherine is very patient with me when I'm in photographer mode.  She walked ahead, taking in the fantastic scenery and capturing a few images of her own.

Lots of fireweed blooming here

Although steep, I thought the Bluegrass Tie trail was impressive, not only due to the sheer volume of blooming wildflowers, but also because there were some good views of Mt. Hood as we wound downhill.  It was certainly the highlight of the today's hike!

Colorful flower garden

Enjoy the next few wildflower photos.......

The tie trail was full of wildflowers

Another Wow view

Catherine poses in the fireweed

Pink power

Lots to photograph here

When Catherine and I finally made it down to the loop trail that encircled Elk Meadows we were both hungry.  So I located a nearby campsite and we enjoyed a nice lunch break.  After eating, I ventured out into the nearby meadow itself.  I was highly disappointed to see a large circular burn mark in the meadow - some moron had lit a campfire here!  Not only are backpackers not allowed to set up tents, let alone have campfires in the meadow area, with the extreme fire danger, this campfire could've started another forest fire.  Ugh, this is why we can't have nice things!

Almost down to Elk Meadows

After lunchtime, Catherine and I followed the loop trail around Elk Meadows.  We popped out into the meadow near an old wooden tumble-down shelter to take in the fabulous Mt. Hood view.  The meadow in this area was full of purple aster blooms.  Just beautiful!  Then we returned to the original trail junction and retraced our steps back down the Elk Meadows Trail.

Elk Meadows and Mt Hood view

After successfully navigating the log crossing this morning, I was nervous about the afternoon traverse.  Glacial streams always have higher volumes in the afternoon due to more snow and ice melting high up on the mountain.  I was afraid of falling off the log and into the churning waters.  However when I came to the crossing I immediately jumped on the log and scooted across quickly, before I had time to really think about it.  That tactic seemed to work better than my "slow and steady" morning shuffle.  I was glad to have this second crossing now behind me.

Asters in the meadow

As Catherine and I traveled our final mile back to the trailhead, we stopped to pick the numerous ripe huckleberries that were lining the trail.  Catherine came prepared with an empty water bottle to hold her stash of berries.  Since I didn't have a container, I helped fill hers.  And of course, quite a few berries also made their way into my mouth!

Another good hike in the woods, exploring a newish trail, photographing wildflowers, and picking huckleberries.  Summer days don't get any better!