Bull of the Woods

From Bull of the Woods

Last weekend (August 8-10), Mike and I flew up to Portland, Oregon to go backpacking with John, one of my best friends from college. We hiked 29 miles in three days, from Whetstone Mountain to Silver King Mountain to Twin Lakes and on to Bull of the Woods Lookout and back. It was the Oregon forest, just as I remember it from my childhood: cool, misty, dense underbrush, tall evergreen trees, forested canyons, wild flowers, rhododendrons... even the smell was the same! We hiked along a ridgeline most of the way, and I was impressed by how many of the trees had been struck by lightening. You could tell by the black vertical streaks near the trunks of the tall trees where the lightening had burst out of the tree.

From Bull of the Woods

I'm told that from the old abandoned forest fire lookout tower, you can see 10 or 11 snow-capped peaks on a clear day. We didn't have such a clear day, but it was an impressive view all the same. The fast-moving clouds were whistling right along, at about the same elevation as the lookout tower, and the weather could change in minutes.

From Bull of the Woods

We camped at Twin Lakes both nights. It was usually grey, misty, and quiet, but by the time we hiked out, the sun came out and showed us a little color (above). This was another fantastic weekend... :)