Dog Mountain

Okay, enough about Italy!  It's time to catch up with all the stuff I've been doing this past spring, summer, and fall.  I'll start with a hike I did in mid-May to the wildflower meadows of Dog Mountain.

Dog Mountain is an uber-steep trail on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.  Known for it's dazzling display of vibrant yellow balsamroot flowers in the spring, it gets lots of foot traffic during peak bloom.  Thanks to social media, the place has become so popular the Forest Service now requires a permit to hike the trail on weekends during May.

Spoiler alert - I made it!

In the past, the only times I'd ever visit Dog Mountain was when the wildflowers were in bloom.  Why suffer such a strenuous climb unless there was a pretty reward on top?  The last time I'd hiked this trail was in 2019.  After that, the huge crowds during peak wildflower season paired with a perceived loss of fitness due to my aging body kept me away from Dog Mountain for many years.

Lovely purple blooms near the trailhead

But this past spring, after returning from Italy, I was playing catch-up - busily trying photograph all the Gorge wildflower meadows before the bloom faded.  I'd heard that Dog Mountain had a nicer than usual flower, so my curiosity was piqued.  After so many years of avoiding the place, I suddenly had an urge to go check it out.

The view from Puppy Point

But I knew what I was in for.  Ascending a whopping 3000 feet of elevation in just three miles, Dog Mountain was no walk in the park.  Although it had been 7 years since I'd hiked this trail, the memories of huffing and puffing up its steep tread were still fresh in my mind.  I wasn't a spring chicken any more.  Did I still have what it took to get up there?

A few past-peak flowers here

After watching the weather and debating my fitness level for the better part of a week, I decided to give Dog Mountain a try.  I reasoned if I truly couldn't hack it, I'd just turn around. 

The upper meadow was super foggy

 So early one weekday morning in mid-May, I made the drive to Dog Mountain's trailhead.  Arriving just past 6 am, there were only a few vehicles parked in its massive lot.  After donning boots and backpack I took a deep breath and started towards the trail's beginning.  Here goes nothing!

Wildflowers through the fog

The trail was every bit as steep as I remembered.  From the trailhead, it rocketed upward at an extremely sharp angle.  Even though I was bundled up against the morning chill, it didn't take long before I was removing layers of clothing.  The cold temps made ascending this grade so much easier.  (I don't do well in heat anymore.)  I told myself to go slow and take breaks whenever they were needed.  After all, this wasn't a race.

A few breaks in the fog allowed partial views

The trail zigged and zagged through thick, viewless forest.  Even though I felt like I was moving at a snail's pace, I kept on putting one foot in front of the other.  Although taking frequent pauses to catch my breath, I kept a consistent forward motion.  Then before I knew it, the trail emerged from the thick woods to the first overlook, Puppy Point.

Another fog break

A wide clearing about halfway up the mountain, Puppy Point had a small wildflower meadow and nice viewpoint of the Columbia River, now far below.  Colorful blooms dotted the slope here, but from their wilted appearances, I could tell they were tell they were past peak.  From the overlook I could see clouds hanging low over the surrounding steep topography of the Columbia River Gorge.  Looking uphill towards the summit, it appeared to be socked in.  Better enjoy the views while I had them!

As I climbed higher, the fog breaks were more frequent

Back to more climbing!  Leaving Puppy Point I returned to my uphill slog.  Due to such an early start, I'd hardly met any hikers on the trail yet.  This was a bit of a surprise - I'd expected it to be busy since this was peak wildflower season.  

The glorious upper meadows

After trudging up more inclines, including several heart-pounding incredibly steep sections, my path became enveloped in a thick curtain of fog.  Sigh.....all this work and I'd get no views today.

A trail through the yellow riot

And then I came to the cloud-shrouded upper meadows.  The place was a carpet of yellow.  Arrowleaf balsamroot flowers, a plant related to sunflowers, covered the slopes of Dog Mountain's summit.  Due to the higher elevation, the wildflowers here were at peak bloom.  Mixed in with all the yellow blossoms were also purple lupine and orange Indian paintbrush.  This was the famous bloom that drew hikers here in May.  Even with fog cloaking the river views, it was still a spectacular sight.

Small sparrow on the blooms

From here, I climbed another half mile to the mountain's true summit.  The wildflower show was so spectacular, I made lots of stops for photography.  I even noticed a sparrow flitting in the flower fields, and was able to capture the bird, despite only having a landscape lens.

View from the top

On my way up to the true summit, I began to observe the clouds thinning, revealing glimpses of the mighty Columbia.  The fog and clouds would open up, only to obscure the river a minute later.  This game of peek-a-boo went on throughout my summit climb.  I was happy to get the small bits of gorge views when I could, and took advantage every time I saw an opening.

Purple phlox

The mountaintop was extremely cold and windy.  To keep myself warm, I donned jacket, gloves, hat, and hood.  The wind was blowing the flowers around so much, it made any close-up photography impossible.  Despite the wind, there was no shortage of photo subjects - the huge fields of yellow blooms were lens candy enough.

Final junction before the summit

Passing the final trail junction, I had just 0.1 of a mile to go.  I was gonna make it to the summit!  It had been a hard climb, no doubt.  But my ol' legs and lungs still had it!  At the summit proper, I lingered long enough to wolf down a sandwich before heading right back downhill.  It was just too cold and windy to stick around.

Fog clearing up

Instead of retracing my steps on the path I'd taken uphill, I chose to descend on the Augspurger trail.  Although longer in distance, it was a bit less steep.  (My knees would thank me later.)  As I wound down through yet more fields of yellow, the clouds magically disappeared.  I was treated to clear skies and fantastic views of the Columbia River and nearby Wind Mountain.  A great way to bid goodbye to this place I'd waited seven years to revisit.  

Sunny skies for my hike back down

My downhill trek was uneventful.  Leaving the open flower fields for quiet forests, the wind died down and I began to warm up again.  After only encountering a handful of people for my ascent, I was met with hordes of uphill traffic on the trip down.  And I returned to an overflowing parking lot.  

Beautiful woods

My hike had been a smashing success!  Not only did I see Dog Mountain's famous flower fields once again, my body had held up just fine (albeit a bit stiff and sore the next morning.)  A good test of fitness, I was now ready to get out and hike some more trails that spring and summer.