52 Hike Challenge Recap and New Goals for 2020

I'd intended to write this post on New Year's Day.  But high waves were forecast on the coast, and my neighbor Cheri enticed me to join her at Cape Disappointment where we spent a fun day trying to capture the swells and splashes with our cameras.  Two days later, instead of working on my post, I took a fun winter hike near Mt Hood.  Then I went back to work, and life became busy again.  So now here I am 7 days into January realizing I need to get my 2019 hiking challenge recap finished before more time elapses.

I'm extremely proud of myself for completing the "52 Hike Challenge" in 2019.  Not only did I cover the required 52 hiking trails, I reached my goal early, completing number 52 in mid-October.  Since fall is the best season for hiking (in my opinion) I didn't stop there, and kept tallying my hikes until December 31st.  I finished out the year with a grand total of 65 hikes!  Yeah!

Boundary Trail, Mt St Helens

Some of you following along at home may have periodically checked the "52 Hike Challenge - 2019" page that I created at the year's beginning to document each hike towards this goal.  I had fun recording each hike as it happened, and trying to photograph a creative selfie to post with each one.  At the end of 2019, it was rewarding for me to look back over a years worth of hiking entries and bask in my accomplishment.  Being the geek that I am, in the final hours of December 31st I made an impulsive decision to compile all that data into a spreadsheet to determine total mileage and elevation gain.

 So....here's the grand totals for 2019:

Total  hikes completed:  65  (although my page says 64, when putting together the spreadsheet, I realized I'd counted two hike # 8's!) 

Total miles hiked:  461

Total elevation gain:  88,330 vertical feet

Coyote Wall, Columbia River Gorge

More interesting (to me) statistics:

May was the month of the most hikes, with 10 total.  March was the least with a paltry one (I think I was skiing a lot).

54% of my hikes were solo.  The person who hiked with me the most was a tie between my hubby and my friend Young (6 each).

35% of the hikes were on "new to me" trails.  46% of the hikes were out of state, Washington being the most hiked in state after, of course, my home state of Oregon (23 of 65 hikes in Washington).

Other states I hiked in:  Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota

I didn't repeat many trails.  There were only three trails I hiked twice in 2019 - Hamilton Mountain, Hardy Ridge and Kings Mountain. 

So....what were some of my favorite hikes?  

Of course, I already covered the top 12 in my last post, so be prepared for some repeats.  However, there are a few additional categories that I think are worth mentioning:

Longest and most challenging - Hands down Lakes and Whittier Ridge Trails near Mt St Helens.  15 miles and 3500 feet of elevation gain!  Not only physically but mentally tough, but I lived to tell the tale (or will in a future post)

Jen and I celebrate surviving Whittier Ridge Trail

Best Fall Colors - I would say it's a tie between the Metolius River hike in October or the Thomas Lake hike in September.  Both were pretty spectacular.

Metolius River

Best Spring Wildflowers - Definitely Memaloose Hills this past April.  A banner year for balsamroot here, the hillsides were absolutely covered with the yellow blooms.

Memaloose Hills

Best Winter Hike - Tilly Jane Ski Trail in January.  As I mentioned in my prior post, the 52 Hike Challenge forced me to hike in all seasons, and that included winter.  And I realized I really liked hiking in snowy conditions.  The ski trek up Tilly Jane trail with my girlfriends was my fave winter hike of 2019.

Tilly Jane Ski Trail

Best Summer Alpine Wildflowers - Skyline Loop, Mt Rainier National Park.  In early August this trail is know for it's fabulous wildflower meadows, but this year's show was the best ever.

Skyline Loop, Mt Rainier National Park

Best Selfie Taken on a Hike - Those of you following my separate hiking page no doubt noticed I tried to include one photo of myself from each hike.  Hiking solo nearly half the time, getting a self-portrait posed a challenge.  I tried various ways of propping the camera on my backpack or a stump, or using a gorilla pod, but found sometimes the easiest way was to simply turn the camera on myself.  This image taken by the Kings Mountain summit sign turned out surprisingly well.  (But boy did I get funny looks from an adjacent group of hikers!)

Kings Mountain selfie

Finally, my favorite hike of 2019:  No surprise here, it was my trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back via the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails.

Grand Canyon!

In conclusion, I enjoyed completing the "52 Hike Challenge" so much I've decided to do it again for 2020.  However, this time I'm adding a couple of twists.  Since I completed 65 hikes last year, I'm setting the bar at 65 again.  And - seeing I didn't get any backpacking trips in last year, I've decided 5 of these hikes must be overnight backpacking trips.  Also, 25% of these hikes must be on "new to me" trails.  One hike must be a long (15+ miles) dayhike.  One of the hikes must be taken in a state I've never hiked before.  Finally, 25 of next year's hiking miles must be on "new to me" sections of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

I've added a new page to my blog, accessible via a tab below the header. The page is titled "65 Hike Challenge - 2020" and this is where I intend to record this year's hikes.  I invite my readers to check it out and monitor my progress throughout the year.

Wish me luck for a successful hiking challenge in 2020!  And I'll try to do better and keeping my posts more current (well, maybe only one month behind instead of three........)

(Kudos if you've made it all the way through this very long, detail-oriented, geeky hiking post!)

2019 in Photos

What to do for 2019's "year in review?"  Chronically behind in blog postings, it didn't make sense to feature a photo from each month.  For 2018's recap I instead chose 12 favorite photos from the past year.  Maybe I should repeat this theme?

However.....2019 was the year of the hike.  I participated in the "52 hike challenge" and successfully completed 52-plus hikes by calendar's end.  Before this, I'd never really counted my hikes, totaled mileage, or kept track of the trails I traversed.  This challenge was a great way to quantify the time spent out on the trail.  In order to get the required number, I had to force myself outdoors during seasons I didn't usually hike - aka the winter months.  Surprisingly, I discovered winter is a great time to be outdoors (heat and bugs are not a problem).  My hiking challenge culminated in November with the biggest adventure of all - a trek to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up again.  Since I'd focused so much on hiking in 2019 I came to the conclusion "why not feature photos from my 12 favorite hikes?"

So this year, dear readers, I'm pleased to present the top hikes of 2019:

Tilly Jane Ski Trail - Ladies ski day

Tilly Jane Ski Trail, January.  My friends and I planned a "ladies ski trip" on a lovely blue-sky day.  We skied up the Tilly Jane Trail to the A-frame cabin and had a wonderful swoosh back down through the trees in fresh powder snow.  Beautiful scenery and great company made this one of my favorite treks of 2019.

Winter hike on Hamilton Mtn

Hamilton Mountain, February.  A Gorge trail I'd hiked plenty of times, but never in the winter.  Traveling uphill on ice-packed trails was a challenge (thank goodness for microspikes!)  But I loved seeing a familiar trail covered in snow - a totally new perspective.  The scenery was so incredibly beautiful I think an annual winter visit is in order.

Wildflower explosion on Memaloose Hills

Memaloose Hills, April.  Normally I like to hit the trails in early morning to beat the crowds.  However, on this day a list of chores meant hiking had to wait until late afternoon.  I almost said "the heck with it" and stayed home.  But seeing reports of the best wildflower bloom here ever, I couldn't resist.  After fighting rush-hour traffic, my efforts were rewarded with perfect evening light, impressive wildflower-covered slopes, and best of all, no people.  Maybe I'll have to change my hiking habits?

Crazy Horse Volksmarch

Crazy Horse Volksmarch, June.  I timed this year's South Dakota visit to coincide with the annual volksmarch to the top of Crazy Horse Mountain.  Convincing my dad, two brothers and nephew to join me made for good quality time spent with family.  One of my favorite South Dakota trails, this huge sculpture is always an impressive sight.

Beargrass bonanza on Coffin Mtn

Coffin Mountain - July.  After numerous reports of massive beargrass blooms in the Central Oregon Cascades, I had to check it out for myself.  Coffin Mountain was reputed to have the most prolific bloom, so I headed there.  I'd never before seen such a huge concentration of beargrass on Coffin Mountain's slopes.  A-mazing!  Totally worth the nearly 3-hour one-way drive.

A different perspective of St Helens Lake from the Boundary Trail

Boundary Trail, Mt St Helens, July.  Every year I hike the Boundary Trail at Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument, but always stop at the Coldwater Peak turnoff.  This year I decided to hike the trail further, and was rewarded with some new views of St Helens and Spirit Lake.  A long day, but worth every step.

Skyline Trail, Mt Rainier National Park

Skyline Trail, Mt Rainier National Park, August.  This is hands-down my favorite trail at MRNP.  Not only did my friend Young and I hit peak wildflower bloom, we also had perfect, blue-sky weather to showcase massive Mt Rainier at her finest.  Totally amazing, breathtaking, magnificent, stunning (and many other superlatives....)  You can see why I return every year.

Indian Henrys Hunting Ground, Mt Rainier National Park

Indian Henrys Hunting Ground, Mt Rainier National Park, August.  Although I normally wouldn't include two hikes from the same place in my recap this one was so spectacular I couldn't leave it out.  At the end of a long, hot uphill trail Young and I were rewarded with grand mountain views and fields of colorful wildflowers.  A new favorite place!

Mt Hood from Vista Ridge Trail

Vista Ridge Trail, Mt Hood, August.  Reaching this trail requires a very long drive over bumpy Forest Service roads - the main reason I hadn't hiked here in many years.  But this August I braved the journey.  The splendid wildflower display, majestic mountain scenery, and plentiful wildlife (I saw pikas!) made me realize I need to visit more often.

Red Mountain Lookout

Red Mountain Lookout, September.  Although I've hiked many trails in Washington's Indian Heaven Wilderness, this was one place I'd yet to visit.  It was a winner!  Fall colors, plentiful mushrooms, and a cool lookout tower with great views made this hike memorable.

Sunset at Norway Pass, Mt St Helens

Lakes and Whittier Ridge Trails, Mt Margaret Backcountry, Mt St Helens, October.  I've yet to blog about this one - but I will.  This trek was a doozy!  Probably the toughest hike of the year - fifteen miles, 3500 feet elevation gain, hiking the final two miles in darkness, and a super-scary traverse across Whittier Ridge in the snow.  But the amazing fall colors, mountain views, and spectacular sunset at Norway Pass made it all worth it.  A true adventure!

Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon National Park

South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails, Grand Canyon National Park, November.   The Grand Canyon delivered, and how!  A rare chance to hike to the canyon bottom, a place that only 1% of Grand Canyon visitors go.  This bucket-list hiking trip totally exceeded my expectations.  Amazing weather, beautiful fall colors, extraordinary scenery, quality time with my sister.  A once-in-lifetime experience!  Hands down my favorite hike of 2019.

The happy couple!

And a bonus - the top event of 2019 wasn't a hike, but my daughter's wedding.  A proud mom moment!  (sniff, sniff!)  Despite the rain, it was a wonderful day and beautiful ceremony.  I'm throwing in an extra photo to commemorate the happy occasion.


So, that's a wrap for 2019.  As always, thanks to my readers for clicking in, leaving comments, viewing my photos and reading my stories.  I've compiled some interesting (well to me anyway) stats on my "52 hike challenge" but since this is getting long, it will have to wait for the next post.  At that time, I'll also unveil my 2020 hiking goals.  Something to look forward to!

In the meantime, wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2020!  (Can you believe it's a new decade already?)

Crazy Horse Volksmarch 2019

Every summer I travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota to visit family.  Although these visits usually coincide with Labor Day, this year I made the trip in early June.  The main reason for the change?  The Crazy Horse Volksmarch is always held the first weekend of June and after participating nine years ago, I wanted to walk it again.

My family, ready to walk!

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain near Custer, South Dakota that is being carved into the likeness of Crazy Horse, a famous Oglala Lakota warrior.  The work started in 1948, and due to the finished sculpture's colossal size, is far from completion.  When it is finished, Crazy Horse Memorial will be the world's second largest sculpture.

Follow the sign

Due to extensive construction work involving blasting rock, the mountain is off-limits.  The sculpture-in-progress can be viewed from the visitor center, a safe distance away.  But twice a year the Crazy Horse Memorial suspends work and holds a weekend volksmarch, allowing the public access to the mountain's very top.

The walk began in lovely pine woods

Hoping for some company, I recruited two of my brothers and young nephew.  My parents normally participate in the volksmarch every year, but this time my mom was recovering from an illness.  Although also under the weather, but not wanting to miss out, at the last minute my dad decided to join in the fun.

My nephew found the checkpoint sign

It was a gorgeous blue-sky South Dakota morning as my youngest brother pulled his pickup into the parking area designated for volksmarchers.  After everyone had applied sunscreen and visited the port-o-potty, we paid our 3 bucks each and picked up our checkpoint cards.  The walk had four checkpoints along it's route, and walkers were required to have their card stamped at each one.

Helpful Cub Scouts stamped our cards

Our walk began in the shade of some lovely pine woods.  Following a rough trail my family and I wound up and down a few short hills.  No real views of the mountain yet, but the scenery was pleasant and the temperature perfect.

Following a haul road

Before we knew it we came upon the first checkpoint, manned by a troop of enthusiastic Cub Scouts.  The boys happily stamped our cards, and we continued on.

Our first glimpse of Crazy Horse Mountain

After crossing a boggy area, walkers were directed onto a gravel haul road.  My family and I traversed another steep hill, and then came out into an open area.  Up ahead I caught glimpses of the famous mountain.  Another bend in the road and it was front and center.

A model of the finished sculpture

After nine years, I expected to see dramatic changes to the mountain, but it looked about the same.  The face was complete (it was finished in 1998), a large hole blasted under where the arm will be, and an outline of the horse's head painted on the granite.  But the sculpture is so big that even though large amounts of rock are removed from the mountain's face every year, progress is hard to measure visually.

Passing by the final checkpoint

The volksmarch route passed by an area where some of the construction vehicles were parked, which gained my nephew's full attention (he loves big trucks).

Climbing a long hill

Taking a short break in the shade of a bank of stadium lights (the memorial offers laser light shows in the summer months) I made sure my dad drank water and had a snack.  Although he was holding up much better than expected, I was still worried about him hiking while recovering from an illness.  (He's over 80 - but is in such great shape you wouldn't know it!)

The face comes into view

Passing by checkpoints 2 and 3, participants received more enthusiastic Cub Scout greetings.  One checkpoint offered port-o-potties, and another had set up a snack booth raising funds for a different local Cub Scout troop.

Family photo op

By the time we reached checkpoint 4, Crazy Horse's face dominated the skyline.  It didn't look far now.  But this final stretch was a steep, gravel road that was mostly in the sun.  Now nearly midday, it was getting hot.  I worried that this hot climb would be too much for my dad.

Amazing detail in the eyes

But dad was determined to make it all the way.  We walked slowly, and I encouraged him to stop and rest whenever he needed to.  There were a few small patches of shade, and our group paused at each one to give dad a breather.  My dad did wonderfully, never complained, and was enthusiastic the entire time.  Also a trooper, my young nephew, who had just completed 1st grade, made the entire climb without so much as a peep. 

View from the top

Finally, the side of the face came into view.  Rounding the corner, I stepped out onto the top of Crazy Horses's arm.  What a view!  The enormous carved face rose before me, 87 feet 6 inches in height.  On either side, the forested slopes of the Black Hills stretched away for miles.

Passing by the armpit

I was surprised to see the mountaintop wasn't packed with people as it was on my previous volksmarch nine years ago.  There was ample room to wander around and take in the sights without fighting for space.  My family even got a group photo unobstructed by other people.  Maybe because we hiked on Sunday of the two-day event?  Whatever the reason, I was happy for the smaller crowds.

Father and son heading down

My family spent a good twenty minutes on the summit, gazing in awe at the intricately detailed face (the eyes were amazing!), taking in the expansive views, and listening to a few of the workers stationed on top chat with volksmarchers.  Then, seeing thunderheads billowing in the distance, we decided it was time to get off the mountain.

One final close-up

After descending on the gravel haul road, our route diverged from the folks still climbing and followed a different path to the parking lot.  We passed by a shallow ditch full of croaking frogs (which my nephew tried in vain to locate).  Looking behind gave another perspective of the mountain, rising above huge piles of crushed rock blasted from it's slopes.

Lots of rock and equipment below

Although the volksmarch was billed as a 10 kilometer distance (6.2 miles) when we reached the parking lot my brother's gps watch only recorded 4.5 miles.  Having completed lots of hikes recently, it didn't seem like 6 miles to me either.  No matter, it was more than enough for my dad who weathered the walk in good spirits, and was now ready for some lunch in nearby Hill City.

Thunderheads gathering

A great way to spend time with my family, hike No. 23 of my #52hikechallenge was especially memorable.

The blog post about my 2010 Crazy Horse Volksmarch can be found here.

To learn more about the Crazy Horse Memorial visit their excellent website: https://crazyhorsememorial.org/, or click on this link.

In Search of the White Iris

With so many fantastic hiking trails within a 2-hour drive of Portland, people may wonder how I choose my weekend destinations.  Throughout the week, I monitor several hiking websites and Facebook pages.  When these sites point out flowers that are blooming or other unique happenings, that's where I go.

Such was the case on the final weekend of May.  Memorial Day weekend meant three days of hiking.  After getting skunked on Dog Mountain (heavy clouds, rain and wind drove me from the summit) on Friday, and scaling Nick Eaton Ridge on the other side of the Gorge Saturday, I was ready for a short, mellow trek on Sunday.

Glowing green forest

Someone on the Oregon wildflowers Facebook page posted photos of white irises, growing wild along the Clackamas River.  Having come across lots of purple irises over the years, I'd never before encountered one that was white.  Totally intrigued, I had to check it out.  So I recruited my friends Debbie and Barry to join me for a Sunday romp along the Riverside Trail.

First iris found - within five minutes!

Although skies threatened rain that morning, by the time my friends and I located our trailhead parking area, things had dried out.  Donning boots and backpacks, we tromped around looking for the actual trail beginning.  Finding it on the far side of the lot, we quickly descended into a fairy-tale, glowing green forest.

Gigantic old-growth tree

A short quarter mile brought us to the trail sign proper.  As I was snapping some pics of  Debbie and Barry posing by the sign, I spotted a few white shapes in the green vegetation below.  Irises!  Well, that didn't take long.

Trying to keep up with my friends

Debbie joked now that I'd located my coveted flower, it was time to go home.  But a stunning, mossy old growth forest awaited, full of huge trees, ferns and more wildflowers.  There was no way we were turning around!

More tall trees

Down through the forest our hiking party traveled.  We passed a grove of gigantic fir and cedar trees. 

Lovely moss covered everything

We then wound through an extremely mossy forest, covered head to toe (or treetop to forest floor) with bright green, fuzzy moss and wispy lichen.

Sturdy bridge

Crossing a sturdy wooden bridge that spanned a side creek, I got so busy taking photos I had to hurry to keep up with my friends.

First rhodie blooms

Further up the trail, I spotted the first rhododendron bloom of the season.

Passing by another large grove

We passed by another area of enormous fir trees, these even larger than the ones near our trailhead.

Even the trail sign had greenery!

Even the trail sign had lichen growing on it!

Fern-lined trail

Near the trail's midpoint, my friends discovered another large patch of white irises.  Much photography ensued (mostly by me).

More white iris!

Then it was onward, through more amazing forest scenery.  Although I'd hiked this very trail several years ago, I had forgotten how beautiful these old growth forests could be.

Nearing a river view

Although the Clackamas River was never far away, thick vegetation and tall trees prevented any glimpses of the water.  That is until we neared the Rainbow Campground, the day's turn around point. 

Clackamas River sighting

Several gaps in the forest provided our first peek-a-boo river views.

An unused campsite makes a perfect lunch spot

Finding the perfect spot to sit and have lunch is always challenging on a hike.  Lucky for my friends and I once we made it to the Rainbow Campground, not only were there fantastic river views, we also scored a picnic table at an unused campsite.  Excellent!

Waters of the Clackamas were crystal clear

The mighty Clackamas River was flowing swiftly, right next to our picnic table.  I couldn't resist capturing its crystal-clear waters and colorful rocky bottom.

Huge, mossy nurse log

Tummies full, it was time to retrace our steps back through this wild, green wonderland.

Huge, mossy live tree!

The trail was so gorgeous, none of us minded seeing it twice.

Wooden boardwalk through a swampy area

Passing through a swampy area, the trail builders had constructed a nice wooden boardwalk to keep hikers from getting muddy feet.  I loved the prolific ferns lining the walkway.

My friends pose on the bridge

A pic of my friends posing on the bridge.  And nearing the end of our day's journey, I snapped a few more photos of the same white iris as we passed back by the trail sign.  Knowing how rare these flowers were, I wanted to get as many images as possible.

Final white iris of the day

Whatever the reason, whether it's to see unusual flowers, take in the grandeur of huge old-growth trees, or lose yourself in a green, mossy wonderland, there's nothing better than a spring day spent in the forest.  My friends and I managed to escape the rain (just in time!) and headed back to Portland for dinner and brews at a local pub.

Thanks Debbie and Barry for a fantastic day!

(Hike 22 done!  #52hikechallenge)