I managed to get in two hikes this week. On Monday, I hiked to the top of Beacon Rock on the Washington side of the Columbia in the Gorge. I went with my uncle and his son-in-law. It’s about a 20 minute hike up to about 850 ft above the river. The path was originally cut in the early 1900s and is now a state park.

Tuesday, I drove up to Mt. Hood to go hike with Dusty. We got up to the Palmer snow field then slid back down. It was hot and dusty and the snow felt great. Dusty got pretty hot so he took a swim in a small reservoir at the bottom of one of the gullies. It was cool to see people skiing and snowboarding on a hot August day.

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Looking east down the Gorge from Beacon Rock.

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Looking west back toward Portland.

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Dry, parched earth of Mt. Hood.

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Looking out toward the Portland smog below.

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Survivalist plants.

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Dusty in the snow.

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Dusty swimming in the reservoir.

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